Problem {New Rules}

Finally Beginning

Stepping off of a crowded plane after a long flight. There is nothing more freeing.

Being from a small sheltered family in an even smaller little town in my corner of America, I hadn't had the opportunity to fly far very often. Hell, I'd never even left the country before. My parents barely let me leave the state up until college, and even that took some major negotiating. This was my first time really getting away. And boy, was I excited to see what I would find.

Having just graduated from college after having what was supposed to be my fantastic final year completely taken over by a world wide pandemic, I was itching to get my travel on. Initially, I had the perfect plan to ring in my senior spring with the new year. I was all set to fly to England with my two best friends; Sienna, my loud yet wonderful college roommate, and Juliette, my quirky yet lovable childhood best friend.

We'd finish our individual fall finals, head to our separate homes for Christmas, fly out to London on the 26th, and be kissing hot British boys for the stroke of midnight on the 31st.

We'd been planning this amazing trip for over a year when BAM! 2020: The year that COVID-19 took by storm.

Lucky for us, the vaccines that were administered in the first quarter of the year were proven to be affective. Although we didn't get our kickass British new years, the three of us were able to re-coordinate and change our flights for after graduation.

So here we are. Tattered white nike airs dragging along the ugly checkered carpets through the airline doors, entering a completely unknown place. The Heathrow airport didn't look that much different from any airport I'd ever been before, but god did it feel different.

Lost in a trance, and in a sea of people, I continued my walk towards baggage claim 4 to look for our suitcases. Juliette sometimes can be a bit of a scatter brain, so she accidentally booked her ticket late. Sienna and I had booked together, but since Juliette has a minor fear of flying, I had let her take my seat so she wouldn't have to be alone.

Because of this, I was off the plane first. I figured they'd catch up with me at baggage so I didn't bother waiting up.

Watching suitcase after suitcase come tumbling through the carousel, I allowed myself daydream for a few. This last year and a half was a hot mess. I worked my ass off both at school and in my job in hopes of getting hired after graduating. Not shockingly, I did. I was proud of myself for that, and I really deserved this vacation. I truly had never been more excited for myself. This was going to be one hell of a start to summer.

"Hellooo, earth to Zoe", I heard a voice from over my shoulder call as I snapped back into focus, making eye contact with my giant turquoise luggage sliding across the belt in front of me.

"Oh, shit", I mumbled, hauling it off the belt and quickly checking to see if I had missed the girls'.

Sienna snickered, chunky brown suitcases at both her sides. Guess I had!

Juliette's purple ones came just a few breaths after.

"Already dreaming about sexy British men, girly?" Sienna said while wiggling her eyebrows and poked my side.

I was obscenely ticklish, which she was well aware of, so I began to awkwardly squirm in discomfort.

"Ha ha, hilarious", I said while drawing out my words sarcastically.

Not sure why, as she was completely right. It had been far longer than I'd care to admit since I had been awarded the company of a cute boy. And it had been all 22 of my years that I had not been awarded the company of a cute British boy. And I fully intended to change that.

The three of us, belongings in hand, marched our way out of the airport, and got ourselves an uber. Each of our faces held a smile brighter than the next.

Once we piled our suitcases into the trunk of our shiny silver uber, I let out a long sigh that I hadn't realized I'd been holding in. Squished in the middle of this foreign backseat with my two best friends in the world in a beautiful city that I'd always craved to go. I couldn't believe how lucky I was.

I interlocked my fingers with both girls on my sides, and gave them both a tight squeeze of excitement.

Our adventure was finally beginning.