Friendship Never Ends
Chapter 17
Harry’s P.O.V.
Steph, Rachel, and I piled into Steph’s mum’s van, ready to head back home. Well, home for me. My feelings were all jumbled inside; I wasn’t exactly sure what to feel at a time like this. After 9 long years, Steph and I finally got to see each other again. It felt like a dream, something that wasn’t quite real. But when I was hugging her, I didn’t want to let go because I was afraid she would slip out of my fingers again. The expression on her face told me otherwise, as I eventually did let her go, but she will be mine.
On the ride to her house, I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was just so beautiful; a grown up version of the girl I had childhood memories with. I loved how her accent and the light in her eyes was still there, never fading throughout the years. Her personality didn’t change, either, as she was chipper and happy from the moment I saw her today.
The past couple of days had been anxiety for me. I knew we had to keep this secret from Stephanie because I really wanted to surprise her, but I also just wanted to see her. I flew in to Chicago on Sunday, meeting Rachel and her mom at the airport. They were very nice and I got to know them as we drove up to Wisconsin, pleased with Rachel for being Stephanie’s best friend and making this happen. I stayed at their house throughout the week, hardly leaving the house. I felt very cramped but I wasn’t sure where else I’d go because first, I didn’t know this area, and second, people might recognize me. It has been a year since I was on The X-Factor, so I had no idea how worldwide One Direction have gotten.
Thankfully, the week went by fast and it was Friday, meaning I would help Rachel with packing and then surprise Stephanie at school, my favorite part. It continued going fast because the surprise was already done by the time it registered in my brain and I wanted to rewind and do it all over again. My heart was beating so loud while I was waiting for them that I was pretty sure it was echoing in the lobby, but it was an amazing feeling when I saw Stephanie step into my view. That was a moment I would never forget.
We reached Stephanie’s house and we clambered inside, hurrying to finish her packing. Our flight wasn’t supposed to leave until 9:34 tonight, but it takes about 3 hours to drive from here to Chicago, and also, they say it’s easier if you get to the airport 3 hours before you’re scheduled to leave because if there are any issues or if it’s really busy, you have time. With all of that, we needed to leave here right now.
Rachel headed home to grab her stuff, her mom accompanying her with my stuff. I helped Stephanie finish up and we loaded all of our bags into the van. Stephanie’s mum was going to drive us down there but Rachel’s mom wanted to come too to say goodbye to Rachel. Everything happened so quickly that we were already back in the van, no time to spare.
“I can’t believe this is happening!” Stephanie exclaimed on our 3-hour ride down to Chicago.
“Neither can I!” Rachel excitedly added. “I can’t wait to see Niall again!”
“I’m pretty sure he can’t wait to see you either, Rach,” I replied, remembering how freaked out he got when I told him the girls were coming.
“Eeeep!” Rachel squealed.
“Ow,” I declared, my eyes squinting as she yelled.
“Sorry, I’m just so excited!” Rachel apologized.
“So, how’s life over there? The same?” Steph asked. Honestly, there were a lot of changes, and I was afraid to tell her. I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want to tell her the truth.
We rode the rest of the way with me explaining to the girls what England is like, since Rachel’s never been there. I could see Stephanie was close to tears as she was remembering all of these places I mentioned, so I tried to keep it simple and brief.
The traffic in Chicago wasn’t too bad, but it’s still traffic, so we ended up not reaching the airport until 6:45ish. We unloaded our bags and headed inside the crowded airport. It was crazy; people were bustling around every which way. It even took us a good 15 minutes just to check in our luggage.
After our heavy bags were lifted off our responsibility, we walked through the airport to find our gate. Security was next, and it was at least 30 minutes before we were past that, leaving us with an hour and a half until our flight left. Good thing, too, because I had to go through customs in order to leave America, since I’m not from here. Also, we had to leave Rachel and Steph’s mums behind before security because they didn’t have a boarding pass (they shouldn’t unless they were coming with us to England). It was a bittersweet moment saying goodbye to the mom who cared for me for a few days and the adoption mum of my best friend.
All in all, we had about an hour before we boarded the airplane. The Chicago airport, O’Hare International, was huge, basically its own city in a building. So to kill time, Rachel, Steph, and I walked around the airport, visited shops, and ate food. Since I wasn’t sure when I’d be back here, I decided to buy myself a Chicago skyline t-shirt. Why not?
Time passed slowly, but soon enough, they called for us to begin boarding. The people who were on the same flight as us started forming a line and we ended up towards the back, waiting at least 20 minutes for the attendants to check our passes before letting us through. I could tell Stephanie was nervous as she wasn’t able to stand still the entire time we were waiting. Finally, we reached the attendants and they checked off on each of our passes, allowing us to enter the plane.
We had to go through a tunnel kinda thing before we approached the plane, and that went a lot faster since there weren’t many people holding up the line. That is, until we were about 5 feet away from the entrance. People were backed up throughout the plane and the line went very slow.
As we moved inches at a time, I nodded to the flight attendants who were smiling at each of us as we passed them. Finally, we moved onto the plane and down the first class aisle, pretty much all filled already. We walked through business class and second class and then to our section, economy. Finding our seats (which were all next to each other), I chucked my bag over my head in the compartment and sat down next to Steph, who was in the middle. Rachel had the window seat and I was near the aisle.
“I’m so excited!” Stephanie exclaimed once we were finally settled. “I haven’t been on a plane in forever!”
“This is my first time on a plane,” Rachel announced, looking really nervous.
“You’ll be fine. You’re with us, nothing’s going to happen,” I assured her. Planes were scary the first time you’re on one.
“I know, but what if something does? What if we crash? What if we run out of gas or something? What if—”
“Rachel, calm down! It’ll be okay, I promise,” Stephanie tried.
“Here, look at a magazine,” I suggested, pulling out the airplane magazines they usually have from the pocket of the seats ahead of us. She reluctantly took it and began reading through it.
“I still can’t believe this, Harry. It’s too good to be true,” Stephanie spoke under her breath.
“Is it?” I asked. I noticed her hand was rested on her thigh and I had the small urge to take it.
“After all of that, after all that my mum had told me, she still let me do this. How, though? How were you able to convince her?” she questioned, looking into my eyes.
“Honestly, it was hard. She’s stubborn,” I answered.
“You don’t need to tell me twice,” she replied. She gasped quickly and opened her eyes wider, realizing something. “I get to see my brother and my dad!”
“Yes, you do, and they are wonderful people,” I responded, smiling at her.
“Oh, yeah! That’s right! You’ve met them,” she remembered.
Suddenly, the pilot came over the speakers and started reciting the rules of the plane. After that, we had to go through a safety video on what exit to take if something happens, where to find gas masks and life jackets, and what to do if we get in that position. As we were watching, I looked over at Rachel and she seemed really nervous now, considering this is what she was afraid of. But soon, the video was over and we started slowly moving, as if we were driving. The plane drove across many different paths until we got to the main platform. We were waiting for about a couple of minutes until the plane started moving again, hitting the gas hard as we were accelerating fast. The outside world seemed like a blur as the plane lifted off of the ground and into the air, our bodies sinking into the seats. I figured this was the perfect time and moved my hand over Stephanie’s tangling it in hers. She looked away from the window and to our hands, then up to my eyes, full of surprise, awe, and curiosity. I smiled at her before laying my head against the headrest and closing my eyes, tired from these past few days. As I drifted off to sleep, I never felt her hand move away from mine. We were still intertwined, and it assured me that this was real. My Stephanie was here with me after 9 years, not changing one bit since the last time I saw her.
Steph, Rachel, and I piled into Steph’s mum’s van, ready to head back home. Well, home for me. My feelings were all jumbled inside; I wasn’t exactly sure what to feel at a time like this. After 9 long years, Steph and I finally got to see each other again. It felt like a dream, something that wasn’t quite real. But when I was hugging her, I didn’t want to let go because I was afraid she would slip out of my fingers again. The expression on her face told me otherwise, as I eventually did let her go, but she will be mine.
On the ride to her house, I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was just so beautiful; a grown up version of the girl I had childhood memories with. I loved how her accent and the light in her eyes was still there, never fading throughout the years. Her personality didn’t change, either, as she was chipper and happy from the moment I saw her today.
The past couple of days had been anxiety for me. I knew we had to keep this secret from Stephanie because I really wanted to surprise her, but I also just wanted to see her. I flew in to Chicago on Sunday, meeting Rachel and her mom at the airport. They were very nice and I got to know them as we drove up to Wisconsin, pleased with Rachel for being Stephanie’s best friend and making this happen. I stayed at their house throughout the week, hardly leaving the house. I felt very cramped but I wasn’t sure where else I’d go because first, I didn’t know this area, and second, people might recognize me. It has been a year since I was on The X-Factor, so I had no idea how worldwide One Direction have gotten.
Thankfully, the week went by fast and it was Friday, meaning I would help Rachel with packing and then surprise Stephanie at school, my favorite part. It continued going fast because the surprise was already done by the time it registered in my brain and I wanted to rewind and do it all over again. My heart was beating so loud while I was waiting for them that I was pretty sure it was echoing in the lobby, but it was an amazing feeling when I saw Stephanie step into my view. That was a moment I would never forget.
We reached Stephanie’s house and we clambered inside, hurrying to finish her packing. Our flight wasn’t supposed to leave until 9:34 tonight, but it takes about 3 hours to drive from here to Chicago, and also, they say it’s easier if you get to the airport 3 hours before you’re scheduled to leave because if there are any issues or if it’s really busy, you have time. With all of that, we needed to leave here right now.
Rachel headed home to grab her stuff, her mom accompanying her with my stuff. I helped Stephanie finish up and we loaded all of our bags into the van. Stephanie’s mum was going to drive us down there but Rachel’s mom wanted to come too to say goodbye to Rachel. Everything happened so quickly that we were already back in the van, no time to spare.
“I can’t believe this is happening!” Stephanie exclaimed on our 3-hour ride down to Chicago.
“Neither can I!” Rachel excitedly added. “I can’t wait to see Niall again!”
“I’m pretty sure he can’t wait to see you either, Rach,” I replied, remembering how freaked out he got when I told him the girls were coming.
“Eeeep!” Rachel squealed.
“Ow,” I declared, my eyes squinting as she yelled.
“Sorry, I’m just so excited!” Rachel apologized.
“So, how’s life over there? The same?” Steph asked. Honestly, there were a lot of changes, and I was afraid to tell her. I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t want to tell her the truth.
We rode the rest of the way with me explaining to the girls what England is like, since Rachel’s never been there. I could see Stephanie was close to tears as she was remembering all of these places I mentioned, so I tried to keep it simple and brief.
The traffic in Chicago wasn’t too bad, but it’s still traffic, so we ended up not reaching the airport until 6:45ish. We unloaded our bags and headed inside the crowded airport. It was crazy; people were bustling around every which way. It even took us a good 15 minutes just to check in our luggage.
After our heavy bags were lifted off our responsibility, we walked through the airport to find our gate. Security was next, and it was at least 30 minutes before we were past that, leaving us with an hour and a half until our flight left. Good thing, too, because I had to go through customs in order to leave America, since I’m not from here. Also, we had to leave Rachel and Steph’s mums behind before security because they didn’t have a boarding pass (they shouldn’t unless they were coming with us to England). It was a bittersweet moment saying goodbye to the mom who cared for me for a few days and the adoption mum of my best friend.
All in all, we had about an hour before we boarded the airplane. The Chicago airport, O’Hare International, was huge, basically its own city in a building. So to kill time, Rachel, Steph, and I walked around the airport, visited shops, and ate food. Since I wasn’t sure when I’d be back here, I decided to buy myself a Chicago skyline t-shirt. Why not?
Time passed slowly, but soon enough, they called for us to begin boarding. The people who were on the same flight as us started forming a line and we ended up towards the back, waiting at least 20 minutes for the attendants to check our passes before letting us through. I could tell Stephanie was nervous as she wasn’t able to stand still the entire time we were waiting. Finally, we reached the attendants and they checked off on each of our passes, allowing us to enter the plane.
We had to go through a tunnel kinda thing before we approached the plane, and that went a lot faster since there weren’t many people holding up the line. That is, until we were about 5 feet away from the entrance. People were backed up throughout the plane and the line went very slow.
As we moved inches at a time, I nodded to the flight attendants who were smiling at each of us as we passed them. Finally, we moved onto the plane and down the first class aisle, pretty much all filled already. We walked through business class and second class and then to our section, economy. Finding our seats (which were all next to each other), I chucked my bag over my head in the compartment and sat down next to Steph, who was in the middle. Rachel had the window seat and I was near the aisle.
“I’m so excited!” Stephanie exclaimed once we were finally settled. “I haven’t been on a plane in forever!”
“This is my first time on a plane,” Rachel announced, looking really nervous.
“You’ll be fine. You’re with us, nothing’s going to happen,” I assured her. Planes were scary the first time you’re on one.
“I know, but what if something does? What if we crash? What if we run out of gas or something? What if—”
“Rachel, calm down! It’ll be okay, I promise,” Stephanie tried.
“Here, look at a magazine,” I suggested, pulling out the airplane magazines they usually have from the pocket of the seats ahead of us. She reluctantly took it and began reading through it.
“I still can’t believe this, Harry. It’s too good to be true,” Stephanie spoke under her breath.
“Is it?” I asked. I noticed her hand was rested on her thigh and I had the small urge to take it.
“After all of that, after all that my mum had told me, she still let me do this. How, though? How were you able to convince her?” she questioned, looking into my eyes.
“Honestly, it was hard. She’s stubborn,” I answered.
“You don’t need to tell me twice,” she replied. She gasped quickly and opened her eyes wider, realizing something. “I get to see my brother and my dad!”
“Yes, you do, and they are wonderful people,” I responded, smiling at her.
“Oh, yeah! That’s right! You’ve met them,” she remembered.
Suddenly, the pilot came over the speakers and started reciting the rules of the plane. After that, we had to go through a safety video on what exit to take if something happens, where to find gas masks and life jackets, and what to do if we get in that position. As we were watching, I looked over at Rachel and she seemed really nervous now, considering this is what she was afraid of. But soon, the video was over and we started slowly moving, as if we were driving. The plane drove across many different paths until we got to the main platform. We were waiting for about a couple of minutes until the plane started moving again, hitting the gas hard as we were accelerating fast. The outside world seemed like a blur as the plane lifted off of the ground and into the air, our bodies sinking into the seats. I figured this was the perfect time and moved my hand over Stephanie’s tangling it in hers. She looked away from the window and to our hands, then up to my eyes, full of surprise, awe, and curiosity. I smiled at her before laying my head against the headrest and closing my eyes, tired from these past few days. As I drifted off to sleep, I never felt her hand move away from mine. We were still intertwined, and it assured me that this was real. My Stephanie was here with me after 9 years, not changing one bit since the last time I saw her.
Notes
Sorry for the late update! On the other hand, I'm so excited we're finally getting to the England part (sorry it took 17 chapters, lol)!So how are you guys liking this story? Please comment and let us know! Follow our twitters: @_StepHarry_, @leikelamichelle, @FNE_1Dfanfic :)
Rachel and Stephanie :)
@StepHarry
Wow, are you excited for tomorrow!!!! I heard someone leaked it but I am not listening to it till its officially from the guys
9/29/14