Common Sense

i. impressions

#2: Make a good impression. Or be prepared for the consequence of awkward encounters.

   

  When I boarded the plane, you could tell I wasn't in the luxurious first class.The seats were cramped making the walkway seem even smaller. I plugged my nose on the way back to my seat as my claustrophobia kicked in. Another plus-side to homeschooling, I get my own space.

  Once I sat in a window seat, I looked out expecting to see the bright sun surrounded by the background of soft clouds. But as I glanced out the window, I flinched at a lightning strike and realized it wasn't going to be as pleasant as my expectations. The mood for the day could not be any more depressing.

   I closed my eyes while the passengers finished boarding, trying to keep myself calm. Not only was I cramped into this tiny airplane, but I could also die from the storm outside. I heard the stewardess say we were lifting off, so there was no way I could back out of this now. It was either jumping out of the plane or to make the best of it. I decided the latter as I opened up my eyelids. I noticed the once empty seat next to me was now filled.

  Sitting next to me was a brunette teen, with her headphones blaring some cliché pop music. She slightly bobbed her head to the beat, and I leaned in closer. As I recognized the music, I gently tapped her shoulder. She uneasily removed her headphones and glared at me for interrupting her.

  "Yes?" She asked with a tone of attitude.

  "I noticed you were listening to One Direction." I pointed out. I was trying to start a conversation; anything to help me keep my mind off my fear of the plane crashing. The probability seemed to be increasing by the second with the thunder outside getting louder.

  "Yes, they're my favorite band!" She exclaimed. I winced at her high pitch. Right at the second, I decided to teach this girl something. Five singing teenage boys didn't know half of the world's problems, along with the fact that they hardly write any of their songs. How can you expect them to sing from the heart if they don't truly understand the words?

  "Ok, sure, they're good. Maybe not the best out there." I tried to slowly emphasize.  

  "Oh yeah," she raised her eyebrows, questioning me. "Then what is the best band out there?" She challenged.

  I pondered over it for a moment and decided to pick my favorite classics. "Well maybe not one in particular. But there's Queen, Foreigner, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead..." I listed on.

  "They are probably called the Grateful Dead because they are dead," she interjected.

  "They were all very relatable bands!" I demanded, defending my music.

  "Sure maybe in the nineteenth century, but now we are in the 21st," she scoffed.

Nothing was getting in between her and her valued opinion of One Direction, and I regretted ever bringing the topic. I felt like pulling my hair out; everything I said she turned against me. For example I quoted some of the Grateful Dead's best lyrics:

It's just a box of rain

I don't know who put it there

Believe it if you need it

or leave it if you dare

But it's just a box of rain

or a ribbon for your hair

Such a long long time to be gone

and a short time to be there

 And all she did was make me listen to a song called 'Little Things' as she tried to prove One Direction had good lyrics too. It actually made no sense to me: why say a girl is perfect and then point out all her insecurities? No matter what I said, she continued to defend 'the band of the century.' I scoffed when she said that; maybe this current generation. But they would never compare to the classic Beatles.

  "Fine! I give up. You win," I declared in defeat as I sank back into the seat.

  "Thank you," she muttered with a satisfying smirk. I tried to change the subject, but I got the message as she put her headphones on. I took that as the message to stop talking. I sighed and looked out the tiny airport window. The loudspeaker dinged, and the stewardess continued to talk about safety instructions as I zoned out. Right beneath me was the city; countless people oblivious to the beauty of the community. From city lights to the jumble of Times Square, my innocent eyes couldn't leave the scene.

  "We will be landing momentarily. Make sure your seatbelts are fastened and I hope you enjoyed your flight with FlyFast!" The stewardess announced over the loudspeaker, with a voice a little too perky for my liking. The tourists continued to chatter, and I prepared myself to get off the plane.

  I should've prepared for a lot more than that. Maybe the entire city.

-----------------------------------------------

  After my exhausting night spent on that plane, I was dragging my luggage up the stairs as I was trying to convince myself not to sleep on the apartment stairs. I was extremely tired; so tired I was barely walking from the flight. That's my excuse for what happened next.

  I just checked in with the landlord and he gave me my room number which I would be sharing with someone called Lindsey. I pulled out a small torn piece of paper with the numbers "364" on it. Those three numbers signified my apartment; my home, my new symbol of independence, and where I would make friends with my roommate.  Although, at that moment, all I cared about was getting to the bathroom before I made a mess on the wooden floor and fell asleep.

  I sat all of my stuff on the rusted floor and frantically searched through my huge purse for my keys. I fiddled them into the key-hole and pushed my weight onto the door.

  But instead of simply opening the door like I had wished, I tripped over my luggage. Thus causing me to fall on my face, right onto the hardwood floor. As soon as I was going to get up from that klutz moment, the door came back to slam in face, so not only was I laying on the filthy floor, I most likely had a huge bruise on my face along with the countless ones on my body.

  When I got up, I didn't expect two people to be gaping at me who have watched my whole klutz moment; let alone for them to be naked on the living room couch.

  I hope we all will forget this embarrassing incident.

 Hey guys! First chapter wooo!  so please let me know what you think! anyway just had to include that directioner in there. what you think; vote, critique, comment, post on my message board, anything! id love to hear your opinions.

 -scar