summer romance (e.d.)

fifty-six

ethan

my car bluetooth sounds off, and i roll my eyes at the caller id.

"what, cameron?" i ask, slightly annoyed.

"ethan," her rushed voice fills the car. "she's leaving. mom tricked you guys and now she's leaving. you need to get back here to say goodbye—"

"wait what?" i yell, pulling into the nearest gas station and parking the car.

"anna's leaving," she says. "you have to go to the airport."

"when's her new flight time?" i ask quickly.

"6:00. i just found out about it, otherwise i would've called you sooner."

i glance at the dashboard. it's 5:45.

"there's no way i'm making it to the airport in time," i shake my head. "what do i do?"

i hear her sigh frustratedly. "where are you? how far from the airport?"

i check the dash. "i'm about 19 minutes away, but there's major traffic."

"ethan, she was a mess when she left. robert told me she kept saying your name and that she needed to 'find you'. so do it."

i take a deep breath. "thank you, cam. i'll update you later."

"good luck."

i quickly swerve out of the gas station parking lot and cut a car off in the process. i ignore the honks and keep my mind set on anna.

my own mom sent me away, just so i wouldn't be there in time to say goodbye. she knew that when i eventually found out, it'd be too late.

the pure anger fuels me into the fast lane, changing lanes every so often to pass the cars ahead of me.

major LAX traffic is piled up in every direction, so i take the time to quickly press on anna's contact and check the time.

5:55. they'll be boarding first class by now.

anna's phone automatically goes to voicemail, and i let out a frustrated growl. "pick up!"

cars begin to move again, and i speed up. honking noises can be heard all around me, but i don't care.

i have to find her.

at 5:58, traffic let's up enough for me to swiftly pull into one of the parking lots on the west side. wasting no time, i pull up into the pick up lane and hop out.

if my car gets towed, my car gets towed.

security yells at me as i race into the big, automatic glass doors, but i keep running.

i make it into the main waiting area and glance around quickly, but obviously i don't see her.

the time is 6:00.

"i'd like to buy a ticket," i rush up to a desk, completely out of breath and slightly sweating.

"so would everyone else behind you. there's a line," she motions behind me.

i take out my wallet and throw every dollar i have in there. she widens her eyes at the amount.

"to new jersey. the flight boarding. did it just leave?"