The Girl Who Dared

Part Eleven

11.

Turbulence was terrible, of course with my luck. I gripped Jake's hand so tightly I thought I might crush it in mine. We landed and I all but screamed. I wanted off now! I grabbed my suitcase and scrammbled for the door. When I was at the door for the boarding plank I stopped to wait for my frineds. They followed more slowly and Lexi was laughing at me.

"Someone's afraid of flying!" Sang Lexi.

"Shut up!" I scowled at her. She snickered back.

Making our way to the lobby was like trying to walk through a rainforest. With the leaves wacking you in the face abd the animals... all the prey and predators. I was just the little frog trapped in this endless sea of people. I was bumped side to side between other people and Jake who I was practically clinging to with fear.

"Why are you so scared?" He asked amusement creeping into his voice as we made our way to the front door.

I shrugged. "I don't do well in crowds."

He chuckled. "Good luck in New York then...."

His voice trailed off as his eyes scanned the sidewalk looking for our taxi. He found the sign with his last name printed on it and ushered us towards the old man holding it. "Hop in." He greeted us with a warm smile.

We obeyed, throwing our stuff in the trunk. The driver followed the flow of traffic out of the airport parking lot and onto a highway. We were driving for about twenty minutes when I finally asked the question that had been nagging at me since we exited the plane.

"Where are we even going?" I kept my eyes staring out my window, watching as the sky turned from blood red to black, as the sun receded below the horizon. Lexi was practically asleep beside me, her head on my shoulder. On the far side of the seats Ashley was bubbling with excitment keeping her eyes on the city lights sparkling ahead of us. 

"Hotel." Replied Jake from the passenger seat in front of me.

"What hotel?"

"Dunno... Ashley booked it."

"Where is it?"

"New York."

"Where in New York is what I meant!"

"Just shut up and sleep or something!"

I did as he asked and rested my head against the window. It was cold against my warm forehead. If you ever get the option, do not go to a big city in september. It was warm even though the sun was gone and the sky was taking on a grey. The first few stars shone weakly in the sky above us. I let my eyes flutter closed and felt my breathing begin to slow....

"Wake up already! We're here!!"

Lexi was shaking my shoulder frantically. Here? Already? I looked around to find that we ere driving down a fully lit city street. Neon signs flashed everywhere I looked and car horns honked impatiently from the traffic lights we had just passed. People were walking all over the place even though it was nine thirty at night and music blarred from speakers outside stores. In other words, constant noise.

Though the noise was annoying the sights made up for it. I'm sure this street looked really bad in daylight. Grimy and even more stuffed full of people and their cars and it was probably more rambuctious but what I saw right now was worth it. It didn't seem real. Like I was passed out and high at the same time. Like a dream. All the bright lights and sounds. The street ended abruptly at a large building. It was quite grand, with a giant horse shoe driveway with a fountain in the middle. Lights shone out of the fountain, making the sprinkling water change colors.