Becoming Mary Jane

Chapter 16

 I walk outside, getting ready to board the plane. My suitcases are already inside. Everything is set. All I need is Phil to do his magic, and I'm good to go!

 "I'm so nervous," I whisper to Lily.

 "Me too," she says. 

 Before we know it, Phil walks outside, heading towards the plane. He gives us a slight smile, as if to assure us that he's got this. When he goes inside, Lily and I exchance nervous glances. This has to work, no matter what!

 After a few seconds, the pilot exits the plane, walking back inside the headquarters. Then about a minute later, Phil walks out, coming towards us. "I did it!" he says.

 "Really?" I say relieved with joy.

 "You bet!" he grins.

 "Thank you so much!" I exclaim. "How did you do it? What happened?"

 "Simple. I just told the pilot that Nick wanted to speak with him, which he left immediately, as you can see. Then, I just hit random buttons, which I believe the engine is malfunctioning along with a messed up GPS."

 "Wow, you're second in command after Fury, yet you have no problem doing this?!"

 "Eh, it's fun to mess up a plane once in a while," he tells me. "And sometimes, you just got to love ticking Nick off!" Well for me it would be all the time.

 Suddenly, Nick storms outside, with the pilot by his side. "What is going on, Coulson?" Nick demands. "I never sent you to get the pilot. What are you even doing here?"

 "Okay, you got me. I wanted to prove to you that I can set up a plane without breaking it, so I sent the pilot away so I would be able to do it. Now, it turns out, you were right. I messed up the plane again. But look at the brightside, you're the right one, like always!" Okay, Phil is the funniest liar I've ever met!

 "Shut it, Coulson!" Nick retorts, walking inside the plane, leaving Phil behind with Lily and me.

 "Man, you got him pretty mad, Phil!" Lily exclaims.

 "What are we going to do now?" I ask.

 "Well all that's left is for me to convince Nick, but I'm going to wait a few minutes first," Phil tells us. "He needs to cool off."

 But to my dismay, Nick comes back out after a few minutes. "The plane is fixed," he accounces. "It was just a minor issue, Phil. It's all good now." 

 Crap! Everything is ruined. Our plan was almost successful. Of course Nick has to win, again. I should have known better. It's impossible to get passed Nick. There's never a way out!

 "You've got two minutes to say goodbye, Miss Stacy," Nick tells me and returns to the plane.

 "Gwen, I'm really sorry," Phil says. "I honestly didn't think he would fix it that quickly. He never fixes my mistakes that fast!"

 "It's okay," I tell him. "It's not your fault. At least you tried."

 "Well, I'm going to miss you," he hugs me. "I hope you have a safe trip, and I hope everything goes well for you at Oxford. Also, don't give up hope, like what you said. You could still see him again."

 "Thanks, Phil, for everything," I say. "I'll miss you too. But I honestly don't think I will see him."

 "Hey, you never know! Well I better get back inside. Goodbye, Gwen. And I'll see you later, Lily." With that, he turns away and walks back to the headquarters.

 Lily and I stand there, silent for a moment, tears filling our eyes. Finally, she speaks up, "I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

 "But you did," I tell her. "You tried. That's what counts. But most importantly, you helped me get through each day since I've been here, comforting me when I've been depressed. You've been a friend to me. A great friend. In fact, a sister!"

 "Oh, Gwen!" she exclaims hugging me.

 We stay like this for a moment. Then I pull away and say, "I'm going to miss you the most, Lily! You sure you can't come with me?"

 "Sorry, but my job is here. I can't leave my family and my boyfriend. I'm going to miss you too, though. But hey, I'll text you everyday and fill you in on everything. I'll definitely visit you some day."

 "Sounds great!" I smile slightly. "Thanks again for everything."

 "Of course."

 We hug each other one more time before I board the jet. Lily stands there and waves as I take off. I wave back to her and to the beloved city, where I grew up, that I'll probably never see again.