"This year is going to be great!" I yelled out to the world as Monroe, Aunt Josie, and I drove to the Minneapolis Airport.
"Now, girls, remember to be careful in California. You never know what people are truly like sometimes...they could end up being a serial killer!..." After that I blocked Aunt Josie's 50th attempt to scare us into staying home. Screw that! I though, I am going to Cali-freaking-fornia! For a year on our own! and i was going to share it with my best friend Monroe! I looked Into the rear view mirror and smiled at her when she noticed me. She smiled back.
We arrived at the airport and even though I told Aunt Josie she didn't need to come in with us for a little while she did anyway “Flight 92 to LA is now boarding.” The speakers said as we just got through security. Aunt Josie was on the other side. Yelling goodbyes at us.
“Goodbye girls! Be safe! Make good choices! Call me when you get there! Goodbye, I love you!”
I looked at Monroe and said, “Just smile and wave.” We both turned smiled and waved. “Bye Aunt Josie,” We said in unison. I turned back to my best friend and beamed, “Are you ready?” She looked the way I felt. Nervous and excited.
The speaker came on again before she had time to respond. “Flight 92 last warning on boarding the plane.” Shit. That’s on the other side of the building still. We both grabbed our stuff and jogged as fast as we could to the other side of the airport. We had just barely made it to the ramp as they were about to close it. The airport staff looked slightly annoyed that we were so late boarding. But thankfully we had made it.
We got aboard our crowded airplane in 2nd class, obviously since neither of us could afford anything else. We quickly found our seats or assumed they were since they were two open seats next to each other.
“Window seat!” Monroe shouted excitedly pushing me aside and practically flying to the seat. The other passengers gave us glares and annoyed looks. I sighed and smiled sliding into the seat next to her.
“What are we four now?” I said jokingly. She turned from the window to me.
“Pfft, no I am three duh.” She said in her sarcastic voice that I liked to call her “charm”. I rolled my eyes at her trying not to giggle or smile.
I started to look around the plane and take in my surroundings. Most of the people on here were in there 40’s it looked like besides the young annoyed business man who was yipping into his phone like an angry Chihuahua. He was across from me and then there was a couple with their two kids who were arguing with one another. I couldn't tell if there was anyone interesting in the front of the plane because of the huge, fat guy sitting in front of me which was already snoring loudly. This was going to be a great plane ride.
Then there was us, the two girls who just graduated and now ere off the California for a year. Wow. It’s insane on how fast time goes by. I feel like just yesterday we were just starting our freshman year of high school. Freshman who-
“Rose, Rose!” Monroe was nudging me. I looked over at her out of my train of thought. “You have to put on the seat belt and turn off your phone. They just announced it. How did you not hear that? It was like the loudest thing ever.” She said in exaggeration. She turned away from me when I put on my seat belt and turned off my phone, and started to focus on a magazine that she bought to look through on the plane.
I looked at her she hadn’t straightened her hair today so it was wavy blonde hair that went past her shoulders. Monroe had a thin face with a little bigger of cheeks, bright blue eyes, skinny but not anorexic skinny. My best friend was beautiful, which she didn't believe whenever I tried to tell her so.
Unlike me I was just plain. Nothing really extraordinary. I was about 5’5, skinny, brown-red straight hair that I was trying to grow out of its choppy length that I had gotten the past summer. I had brown “puppy dog” eyes, normal nose, small mouth, and a “baby” shaped face. I wasn't saying I was not ugly I didn’t think anyone could be truly ugly, but I was just normal.
I turned away from Monroe to grab my iPod out of my bag. I flipped it on and pressed the shuffle button. “California King Bed” by Rihanna started playing in my ears.
“Passengers you can now unfasten your seat belts and turn your cell phones back on. Enjoy your flight.” I barely hear the announcement through my music that may have been too loud. I grabbed my phone and turned it back on. I waited a minute for everything to kick in and then looked at it. I had five new messages: one from Aunt Josie saying “I miss you already. xo.” Another from a friend that I had to leave behind, telling me to have a nice trip and to keep in touch. One from Monroe saying hello. Only my best friend would send me a text saying hello when she was sitting right next to me. I smiled and looked at her she was already watching me giggling. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my phone the last two messages were from Noel. I didn’t bother opening them and I tried convincing myself I didn't care. I was better than him, too good for him.
“Keep telling yourself that Rose,” said the little voice in my head. Monroe must have still been watching me because she grabbed my hand, “Rose? You alright?” I hadn’t realized that I had tears in my eyes.
I didn’t turn towards her, “I am fine.” I mutter through clenched teeth. Apparently she wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
“Bull shit, Rose. Do you want me to read them?” I shrugged in response. She took my phone out of my hands and flipped open to my messages. I saw her click on one of them. Her face turned a little dark and disgusted. She went to the next one. She clucked her tongue looking annoyed. “You deserve so much better than him, Rose.”
“Easier said than done,” the little voice chimed in again. She handed me back my phone, and I paused thinking if I should look. I put it in my purse without looking at it. I wasn’t ready to look at them yet. My mood had totally just flipped. I felt like as if I was going to cry. What was I doing? I was supposed to be happy, excited, and having a good time with my best friend. But instead I was letting some guy ruin it. I tried pushing Noel to the back of my mind by turning my favorite artist on, on my iPod, Paramore. The song “Brick by Boring Brick” came on first. Convenient. I leaned my head up against Monroe’s shoulder knowing she wouldn’t care because she knew I was upset. I closed my eyes and dosed off and on for the next couple of hours heading to California.
I must have finally fallen asleep because the next thing I knew Monroe was shaking me awake excitedly. “Rose! ROSE! We are landing L.A. Oh my god; I can not believe we are finally here!” She squealed. I looked around groggily. Everyone looked relieved that we were finally going to land.
“Passengers, please, be seated and fasten your seatbelts. We are preparing to land.” I reached over and grabbed my seatbelt and clicked it in when my phone fell out of my purse, which was lying on my lap, and skidded to the front of the isle.
“Oh awesome. Shit.” I said angrily into the palm of my hand. I watched as a curly brown haired person picked it up. Great I thought to myself. As soon as we landed, before they even okayed us to get u, I unfastened my seatbelt and walked up the isle to the person who had grabbed my phone. He was really good looking guy about 19. He was sitting with his blonde haired friend who from my guess was about the same age. They were looking at my phone.
I cleared my throat and said, “Can I have my phone back please.” They both looked up at me surprised. I extended my hand out. The curly haired guy had a smirk on his face.
“How do I know that this is your phone?” He said still smirking at me.
I rolled my eyes at him, “Seriously just give it back.” I said annoyed. He was reminding me a lot of how Noel used to act. Trying to tease me thinking it was cute and funny. He extended the phone in his hand forward. I grabbed it and tried pulling it away, but he didn’t let go.
“Only if I can have your number first.” His smiled brightly at me. I pulled hard against his grip. It was no use.
“Are you kidding me right now? Can you please just let go?” I said as I kept pulling. The flight attendant came back on the speaker and not even listening to what she had to say this time and since he was slightly distracted by it, I took the advantage and snatched my phone back. “Thanks.” I said sarcastically as I turned around and walked back to my seat. When I got there Monroe was standing up grabbing our carry-ons’. I looked back at the two boys and Curly was still looking at me smiling. I grimaced at him and turned to Monroe to help.
When we got off the plane Monroe turned to me, “What was that all about back there.” Her head nodding toward the plane.
“The douche bag wouldn’t give me back my phone.”
“He was hot! And his friend. Damn.” Monroe was looking over her shoulder at them as we passed them. There were three others with them now. All of them really good looking. Jeesh. Curly eyes wandered over the airport when his eyes locked with mine. He winked at me. I scoffed at him and gave him a grimace. He smiled in return.
“Rose our cab is probably waiting for us or will be soon, lets go look for our luggage.” Monroe said pulling me in the direction of the luggage pick up area. I saw one of Monroe’s bags and grabbed it handing it to her. I then spotted one of mine and went to grab it when a hand reached in front of me and grabbed it instead. I turned around to see who the hand belonged to and started to protest when I saw who it was. Curly.
“Do you have a faddish where you have to touch other peoples belongings?” I said narrowing my eyes at him. “Or annoying the shit out of some one,” I added under my breath.
He laughed, “What was that last part?”
“Nothing.” I said stiffly, just glaring at him crossing my arms.
He put one arm up in defense and said, “I am just trying to be a gentleman, and carry a beautiful woman’s luggage for her.” I ignored his “compliment” and turned around grabbing more of our luggage. “Moving somewhere?”
Unfortunately he hadn’t given up when I turned my back to him like I had hoped. “If you must know, yes.” I said giving up, “I am living here for a year. Or in Long Beach I guess.”
“Really? I-” He was about to say something else when Monroe piped in.
“Rose, who is your friend,” she asked looking him up and down and then turning her head slightly to give me a not to subtle look saying “wow hot!”
Of course curly haired guy saw this and now was smirking at me again. This brought me back to my senses.
“He is not a friend. Uh yeah, we got to go.” I said grabbing my luggage from him and from the pick up area, pushing Monroe the opposite way of him. I looked back as we exited the door and he was still standing there smiling when his friends walked up to him and then generally looking in our direction as I ducked out the door into the warm L.A. air.