We Did

Chapter Thirteen

a/n: This chapter has been edited [1]. 

Isaac and I see the hot air balloons before we even reach the location. They're floating in the sky, like dashes and dots of Skittles. The hot air balloon event is held in the more nature-filled, landscape side of Westmoreland, which is known for being a town with several attractions, store, and thriving businesses. 

As we pull into the area, I spot a line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot. Isaac rolls down our windows, and I stick my head outside. It's almost surreal from down here to think that there are people in those dots and dashes who think we look like dots and dashes.

"We'll have to wait a little bit, but at least we got here just half past eleven o'clock," Isaac says, nodding towards the clock on his dashboard. I nod in agreement. The line seems to be moving painfully slow, but we finally get into the packed parking lot. Isaac grimaces, turning to me. "Now, parking. Keep your eyes peeled."

I tap my fingers against my knees as we continue circling the lot, growing anxious about how we're ever going to find a parking spot. We make two rounds until I spot a car pulling out.

"There!" I yell, so loudly that Isaac flinches. He steps on his gas and quickly moves into the spot, beating another vehicle by a handful of seconds. A group of what appears to be college students shoot us dirty looks from their windows as they pass by, but Isaac simply beams an innocent smile their way. He turns off the radio, stretching out his arms.

"We made it! Let's go." He claps his hands triumphantly together before taking off his seatbelt and hopping out of the car. He waits for a moment, looking up at the hot air balloons, before turning around and noticing that I'm still sitting in his car. I haven't removed my seatbelt. I haven't moved, period. My palms feel sweaty and my breath feels short. I look at Isaac, who stares long and hard at me before getting back into the car.

"Are you okay?"

I say nothing.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," he says, and he says it so earnestly that I know he means it. He's Isaac, of course he means it. But he's said this reassurance so times throughout our entire car ride, in between all the singing and lyric editing, that I respond with the same mantra I've been repeating in my head.

"For Mila."

He nods, smiling at me, and we both step out of the car. We walk towards the large group of people milling about on the field of green grass. The event is near a landscape of hills, which I'm sure will seem a bit closer once we're in the sky. Up close, the hot air balloons are ginormous. They tower above us all, even the tallest of us in the crowd, and I wonder if this is how ants or spiders feel when they're caught in the act of being in our homes. 

I can immediately tell the difference between who lives in Westmoreland and who doesn't by facial expressions. Families who have come before seemed relaxed, while their teenage children look either bored or excited. Others, like Isaac and I, have a certain sparkle in their eyes. It's the look of someone about to experience something brand new. 

I close my eyes, focusing for a moment on the heat of the sun against my skin. When I open them again, Isaac is now talking with a small group of people who look around our age. I walk over to all of them them, sending a small smile to a girl with sparkly blue eyeshadow sweeping her eyelids. She smiles back. Isaac nudges my elbow with his.

"This is Donny, Violet, Chance, and River," he says, with the Blue Eyeshadow Girl being River. "This is their second time doing this."

I nod, smiling again but unsure of what to say. Now that I'm here, it's hitting me that I'm about to be carried off the ground by a mere basket and inflated bag, which has increasingly less protection than an airplane or any other aircraft.