Ghost Of You *SLOW UPDATES*

Chapter 27

"Theyre overweight?" The girl in front of me asks as I wait in line to try to book in my baggage for the flight. The receptionist calmly explains the situation once more as the fake blonde girl huffs in annoyance and steps to the side as I saunter forward in her place.

"Ticket?" The lady asks politely as I hand it over and smile when she says, "Its lovely over there. New York City is a vibrant place isnt it?" "I wouldnt know. Ive never left Australia." I chuckle as she hands my ticket back and gestures for me to put my bag on the carrier.

I place it down and get the thumbs up from the receptionist so she puts a baggage tag on the handle of my bag and I watch as it disappears behind flaps of thick plastic. She hands me my boarding pass which I gladly take before she tells me to have a safe flight. I smile in reply and walk through to customs just past the check-in point where I find the rest of my class waiting patiently.

After waiting in line for almost half an hour, we give our passports over to the respective guards and manage to get through all the proper procedures before were called forward through the security scanners. We lurch forward and proceed through the scanners to the other side where we collect our on-board luggage and passports once again.

"What gate are we at?" Austin, the other guitarist, asks as we all huddle together as a group. "Number 13 according to our boarding passes," Tyler replies as he nudges my arm and asks, "What number seat have you got?"

I check my ticket and find my seat before replying, "Row 3, Seat 3. What about you?"

His smile grows as he says, "Row 3, Seat 4."

I smile slightly as we all begin our march to the gate when we begin to hear screams and chants coming from behind us. I spin to look at what it is and shiver when I see the small group of girls dancing about wickedly, trying to get the attention of the band that just got through customs. I roll my eyes and turn back to the group and say mockingly, "Oh my gosh, its 5 Seconds of Summer!"

Everyone chuckles as we hurry along until we reach our gate and sit down in the waiting bay. With a huff, I sit casually in my seat, slumped forward as I stare at the screen of my phone and watch another episode of The Good Place whilst Tyler sits down next to me and watches over my shoulder.

"Whatcha watching?" He asks with a cheeky smile as I pause the show and turn to him with an incredulous look. "The Good Place you unintelligible child." I reply with mock horror as he laughs slightly and smiles warmly. I pull an earplug out of my ear and pass it to him as he watches along with me, chuckling quietly as character busy themselves with trying to escape their hell.

Soon enough, we are asked to board the plane which we as a class do so hurriedly, immediately displaying our tickets to the flight attendants who lead us to our seats. "Business class?" Sarah asks in disbelief as she walks down the aisle until she finds her seat.

I stare around in bewilderment and sit down in my designated seat before turning to my left and finding Tyler sitting next to me but up against the window. He smiles at me warmly and stuffs his backpack under his chair in a hidden compartment to which I quickly follow suit and shove my small suitcase into the cavity, followed by my headphones which I dont want to use until Im completely comfortable with the flight.

I then lean back in my chair and buckle myself in, prepared to leave the dock when my knee starts bouncing rapidly and my palms grow sweaty. "First flight?" Tyler chuckles as he looks over to me, his earphones already plugged into their port for the in-flight entertainment.

I cant contain the croak of my voice as I reply, "Yes." "Its nothing to be scared of. You have more of a chance crashing a car than you do dying in a plane crash." Tyler replies as he pulls an earplug out of his ear to chat. I just nod my head and look ahead at the headrest in front of me as I hear a person sit down in the seat to my right. Instead of acknowledging them, I close my eyes as the captain begins to speak through the plane speakers, welcoming us to the flight in a bored monotone. I flinch as the plane begins to roll backwards and my hands grip on to the armrests either side of me as the captain talks over the safety procedures of which the flight attendants apparently demonstrate. Not that I got to see it, due to my eyes screwed tightly shut and my breathing growing ever rapid as tears of terror escape through the cracks and drip down my face.

Thats when I feel the person to my right gently place their hand on my knee and whisper in a familiarly warm and comforting tone, "Youll be okay Shay. I swore that nothing would happen to you and I will stand by that."

I carefully peel my eyes open slightly and look to the man beside me as I stutter out in sassy snap, "Shouldnt you be in first class your highness?" "The school payed for us and who would turn down a free flight?" He jokes, completely oblivious to my tone. He runs his spare hand through his hair as takes a shuddering breath and says, "Youll be okay."

I laugh drily at the man next to me as the plane begins to roll forward on its own, forcing me to choke back that laugh and squeak anxiously. His grip on my knee tightens reassuringly and I hate how much it comforts me as he performs the simple gesture.

We hit a bump in the tarmac and I jump viciously as I turn fully into his shoulder and bury my face into the crook of his neck as I have done many times before, my shoulders shuddering dumbly as I blindly grip onto him tightly. Cautiously, carefully, he wraps the arm that was resting on my knee, around my shaking form as the engines noise ramps up and grows to be ear-splitting as we prepare for take-off.

"Shayla, you need to sit back in your chair for your safety." He whispers gently, his voice cracking the slightest as through he too detests the idea of me slipping from his grip again, as much as I already do. I shake my head but reluctantly pull away and look at him carefully as he once again rests his hand on my knee, but, it doesnt stay there long as I grip it with both hands and bring it up to my chest as I cradle it for dear life, holding it with a vice like grip.

Suddenly, we are propelled forwards a thunderous pace as we tear down the tarmac and a sob escapes my parted lips and I barely to turn look at him as his stormy hazel gaze looks back at me with a reassuring smile as I take a clumsy and croaky breath in hopes of calming down. The quiet rasp in his voice soothes me with words of endearment and encouragement as he continues to ensure I am taking deep breaths to stay calm.

Once we reach our peak height, I unbuckle my belt and leap from my chair immediately into the lap of the loving and passionate brother figure next to me. "Thank you Ashton." I whisper a thousand times over as I mould myself into his tight embrace to which he chuckles softly and replies, "You are always welcome Shay. Always."