Huntington Avenue | ✓ [PV REWRITE]

Part II: Chapter 1

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he fibbed through his quiet lips, which had felt entirely different since his debacle with Kelsey at the airport.

If the very crucial detail of Jaylen still being in the picture was not relevant, it would not have been a debacle at all, for that matter. It was such a moment that Zach never would have expected in his lifetime, which was probably a bit of an exaggeration, but now that it had occurred, he felt...different. In a way, he felt like he was betraying Jaylen, even if he did not appreciate him as a human being.

Luckily, no one knew about the secret kiss shared in the airport except for him and the girl he shared it with. "I wouldn't have wanted it with any other person," he thought silently to himself.

But if this moment was so grand, why did it feel like a bullet through the heart?

"Zach, we need to hurry for boarding," Mrs. West prodded him. The rest of the family was already standing and waiting for the teenage boy to follow.

The boy nodded, his black bangs bouncing a bit along with his movement. "Right, sorry," he apologized rather quickly. "Hayleigh, could you help me out a bit, please? I don't know where to go."

"Sure!" Hayleigh chirped while grabbing her older brother's hand and dragging him to where the family needed to go.

Zach, Hayleigh, and Mr. and Mrs. West made their way to the boarding gate of their flight rather fast. True to Mr. West's words, he disliked being late, so he attempted to always be early for those types of scenarios. The father of the group also had their boarding passes and his identification out ready for the person who would be letting those on the plane.

The receptionist eyed the family of four before asking for their boarding passes and identification, both of which Mr. West had prepared. Once both were confirmed, the family made their way through the gate, down the hall, and towards the plane.

It was an understatement to say the new sounds, surroundings, and people bunched together were overwhelming to Zach. He thought school was a nightmare, but the airport during rush hour was much worse. The plane they were taking to Orlando seemed to be completely crammed full, but to be honest, Zach or his family did not mind. It was too important for them to.

As they approached the plane, Hayleigh tugged Zach to a stop and warned, "There's an uneven area here, so be careful."

"Thanks, Hayleigh." Zach took his time stepping into the plane.

With caution, they made their way to their seats, which were near the middle of the plane itself. The plane was packed like a tin of sardines, but without the atrocious smell, to be quite obvious. On the way to their seats, Hayleigh decided to speak up.

"Can I have the window seat, please?"

Zach nodded in response. He knew there was no point if he were to have it in the first place. "Yeah, of course. There's no reason for me to take it anyway."

"Yay, thank you, Zach!" Hayleigh cheered while waddling towards the seat.

"Hayleigh, wait," Mrs. West intervened, which caused the small girl to skid to a stop. "We need to put your suitcase in the top compartment."

"Oh, right!"

The eight-year-old was not looking forward to letting her stuffed animals be without her for the brief hour they would be on the plane. Regardless, she let her mother place her bag in the topmost compartment after telling her best friends that they were supposed to take a nap while the airplane was in transit from Point A to Point B.