WORDS COULDN'T DESCRIBE this feeling. As we stood in the middle of the airport, I was overcome by many mixed emotions: fear, euphoria, and many more.
"Have fun!" Ava sighed with a grin, releasing me from her firm hold. She didn't let go however as her hands still held a firm grip on my arms. "I wish I could go with you to New York, but I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through you. Oh, and don't forget to call or text me every night while you're there, I want to hear about all of it!
"I'll try to," I chuckled. I picked up my duffel from the floor and slung the long strap over my shoulder.
Then, a woman over the intercom announced, "Flight 320 will begin boarding in five minutes."
"Well, I'll see you when you get back," stated Ava.
We said one last goodbye before I made my way to Gate 32-B where Flight 320 would be boarding. After passing through TSA, I spotted Milo waving me over near the crowded gate along with the others.
"Hey, you made it just in time," he said, ticket in hand. The doors to the plane opened and many passengers lined up in front of the gate. After many boarded the plane, it was finally our time to board.
As I stood in line, looking above for the twenty-first row, Milo tapped my shoulder from behind. "What's your seat number?"
I looked down at my ticket, "21F. What about you?"
"20G," he said with a small frown. "I was hoping that we could've sat next to each other."
A moment later, I reached the twenty-first row and found my seat, which was in the aisle way and diagonal to Milo's seat.
"That's okay. I can still reach and kick the back of your seat," I winked as I slid my duffel under the seat in front. Milo didn't respond but simply chuckled. His faded blue short-sleeved shirt snuggly hugged his arms as he slid his carry-on duffel into the overhead compartment, showing off his toned arms. I turned to the side and looked out the window, unable to see anything as it was pitch black outside.
A few minutes later, a girl I recognized from English took the seat beside me, displaying a friendly smile. I tucked my earbuds in and hit play on my phone, the sound of Billie Eilish's song "when the party's over" pouring through the small speakers and blessing my ears.
The subtle bass in the background of the song masked the low rumble of the plane, and it was only when the plane started moving was when I realized our long flight was about to begin.
Out of the corner of my eye, I just so happen to spot Milo turning around and looked my way, sporting a faint smile. He continued to stare without saying a word, which made me squirm a bit as I felt something rumble in my stomach. So I mouthed, "What?" with a soft smile.
"Nothing," he mouthed back, shaking his head before turning back around. I shook my head at myself as I aimlessly swiped back and forth between the different pages of my phone, filled to the brim with apps.
With no success in finding something to do, I plugged in my phone to charge and scrolled through the various complimentary movies on the small screen in front of me. After settling for a classic, Mary Poppins, I exhaled deeply, sinking further into my seat as I felt my eyes slowly grow heavy.
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"HADLEY, HADLEY. Wake up," I heard a deep voice say as they gently shook my shoulder. My eyes slowly fluttered open, the bright light from outside blinding me for a split second. With a slight groan, I straightened up, feeling small aches over my body from the uncomfortable position I slept in the compact seat.
I found Milo looking down at me, duffel slung over his shoulder. "Come on, we have to go." Behind him, a line of people squished past him in the narrow aisle, some throwing looks at him. I slowly stood up, grabbing my duffel and unplugging my phone. The cabin that Milo and I sat in was almost empty with a few still sitting and waiting to get off last.
Squeezing into the long line, Milo and I tediously waited to leave the aircraft. When we finally reached the front and exited the tunnel that connected the plane to the airport, I drew in a deep breath, relief flooding through me as I was finally able to take in some fresh air after sitting down for so long in a stuffy plane.
"Come on, I see the rest of the group over there," Milo nodded his head in the direction of a giant group of people next to the gate. We walked over to them right when the head chaperone, the same lady who spoke at the informational meeting, Professor Smith, called my name.
"Here!" I shouted over the loud chatter from the airport, Milo also shouting after his name was called soon after mine.
Making our way to baggage claim, squeezing through the crowd to get to the front of the conveyor belt, my luggage was painstakingly one of the last ones to arrive.
"The shuttle should be here in about ten minutes so let's head out," Professor Smith announced, everyone trailing behind. With all of our luggage, we hobbled through the airport. My cheeks flustered as I tripped over my luggage and others' luggage several times, nearly taking someone down with me when I tripped once.
By the time we made it outside, our shuttle had arrived and we hopped onto the bus. Somehow, I was one of the first few to enter so I had a grand selection of where to sit. I made my way towards the back and picked a window seat.
Milo came on shortly after. Scanning for open seats, he spotted me sitting in the corner of the back of the bus. He plopped down in the seat beside me and breathed out a sigh.
Resting my head against the seat, I was in awe as I looked out the window. There wasn't much to look at though as the bus drove away, just a cozy neighborhood. But somehow, I was just intrigued by it.
Milo hadn't said a word yet, which was alright with me because I loved watching the houses pass by. It felt nice to have a sudden change of scenery.
"Excited to be in New York?" said Milo, finally breaking the silence.
I turned towards him, "Yeah. I can't wait to see Times Square, the Broadway shows, and just...everything else New York has to offer."
"Which show are you excited for the most?" He asked calmly. And just like that, we fell into an easy, light-hearted conversation, enthusiastic and ecstatic smiles never leaving our faces.
As I spoke, the sun shined through the window and cast on Milo, illuminating a glimmer in his eyes as I began going on about all of the attractions I wanted to visit.
Talking did help to pass the time though. It seemed like it only took us a minute to reach our hotel. When the bus screeched to a halt, I looked out the window as my eyes traveled up towards the sky at the tall building in front of us. In big letters attached to the front of the building read "The Sapphire".
As people gathered their things, Professor Smith stood up quickly in the aisle way. "We will only be dropping off our luggage. The rooms won't be ready until later on tonight."
With that, we hopped off the bus and left our luggage with the front desk, including our giant duffels. Before heading out, Professor Smith ushered us all out onto the terrace of the hotel. "I hope you all rested well on the plane because we'll be starting our activities today. Today's schedule should be pretty tame, as we'll be visiting Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building. And since there are so many of you, we'll be splitting up."
People quickly shuffled into two groups. Whereas I was pushed to one side, the group on the left. "Alright, I'll take the group on the left. We'll be visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island first. Follow me."
I was shoved forward as people followed Professor Smith. Slowly being pushed to the back of the group, I quickly looked back and saw Milo watching me as I was jostled away. A small frown was etched on his face as I gave him a sad smile before disappearing around the corner.
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"HEY," said a voice beside me. Turning my head, I saw a girl grinning at me, her shoulder-length curly hair swaying slightly with the wind, which complimented her ocean blue eyes. Her red-ish orange lipstick popped against her olive-colored skin. "Mind if I join you?"
I shook my head, leaning on the edge of the railing of the ferry that was carrying us to the Statue of Liberty. She crossed her arms and rested against the railing. "I'm Stacey."
"Hadley," I offered an amicable grin.
"Why are you over here by yourself instead of with the rest of the group?" She nodded towards the group farther away, curious.
I shrugged, "I don't really know anyone in the group."
"But I saw you talking to that guy earlier when we were at the airport. He's been at Berkeley for a while now. Milo, right?" She asked.
I nodded slowly, feeling a bit creeped out but trying to conceal it.
As if she could read my mind, Stacey added with a chuckle at the end, "Sorry, I know that sounded a bit creepy. I just noticed you and your giant purple suitcase when we were at the airport."
"Oh," I chuckled light-heartedly, debating whether I should go on. "Well, he was put in the other group. And besides, the fresh air is nice." I tilted my head up and sniffed the air, inhaling the faint salty air.
She nodded. "Well, why don't we hang out then, until we merge back together with the other group."
"Sure," I smiled. After, Stacey and I continued to talk, to which I learned that this was her third year at Berkeley and she was a dance major.
When we arrived, we continued our conversation as we walked around, admiring the city from afar and taking a few pictures together. I was speechless when we reached the Statue of Liberty. As I observed the giant statue in front of me, unable to comprehend its size, my eyes trailed to the top where it looked like the torch she held pricked the sky.
"Amazing, isn't it?" Stacey said from beside me.
"Yeah," was all I managed to spill out. Stacey walked away for a moment before returning.
"Let's take a picture," she tapped my shoulder and pointed behind me. I spun around and saw a friendly woman holding what I assumed was Stacey's phone as she prepared to snap a picture. We stood close together and smiled, the cool fall wind brushing across our faces.
After exploring for a bit longer, we had to meet up with the rest of the group at the entrance. We arrived just in time as Professor Smith announced what was next. "We're falling a bit behind schedule so we won't be able to visit Ellis Island today. We'll be going to dinner next and visit the Empire State Building tomorrow."
A quiet groan from the group echoed through the air as we boarded the ferry back to Brooklyn.
"Thank goodness, I'm starving," Stacey whispered beside me.
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AFTER WAITING FOR fifteen minutes, the other group joined us inside the restaurant. As I saw Milo approaching, I inspected the surrounding tables, looking for Stacey. She told me she was going to the bathroom, but I hadn't seen her since.
"Hey, how the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island?" Milo greeted as he took the seat across from me.
"It was great. We fell behind schedule though, so we didn't get to see Ellis Island."
"Aw," he sympathized. "Well, if we get to Ellis Island tomorrow, I'll be sure to take as many pictures as I can for you."
"Thanks," I laughed. "I even met someone new from our group."
"Really? Who?" Milo inquired, perking up a bit.
"This girl named Stacey. It's her third year at Berkeley," I stated nonchalantly, although I was a bit amused.
"Oh," Milo relaxed a bit. "What's her last name?"
I could see the gears behind his eyes turning as he stared intensely. I decided to not ask though, I was starving.
"I don't know. I just met her today, Milo," I chuckled. Thankfully, the waiter came by and took down our orders, delivering two plates of spaghetti. Milo and I didn't say a word as we practically scarfed down most of our food. Then, Milo looked up and started laughing.
"What? What is it?" I laughed along with him.
"You have spaghetti sauce on your forehead," he smiled.
Warmth flooded my cheeks, "Where?" I wiped my napkin across my forehead.
"There's still some left," Milo said. Without warning, he reached forward and swiped his thumb above my eyebrow. I tensed as he retreated his arm, wiping his finger on his napkin.
"Thanks," I said quietly, the tingling sensation above my brow still lingering. Saved from the awkwardness that would've ensued shortly after, Professor Smith announced our next destination, The Sapphire.
Thank goodness, I sighed. I'm exhausted.
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"HADLEY?"
My eyes immediately shot open and I sprang up faster than a startled cat. My heart began to palpitate, adrenaline roaring through my veins, and suddenly it felt as if the air was being constricted from my lungs.
"How did you get in here?" asked Milo, standing shirtless in the middle of the room as a few water droplets still clung to his skin with a towel wrapped around his waist.
Oh god.
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A/N: Hey everyone! I know this chapter was a bit long, but thank you for reading all of it! The start of the next chapter will give a bit more detail about what's happening and what happened in the last part of this chapter.
Also, I added a new character! If you want to know how I had envisioned her, I added her to the list of characters in the first "chapter" of this book!
See you in the next one!
-Karlee ð