i love you a latte

1

Eden's POV

I was so lost in my thoughts, worrying about living how unprepared I was for university; I didn't notice that my little brother was right in front of me. I looked up subconsciously. It was Beau. He was getting increasingly frustrated that I had not yet answered to anything he's said.

     "Eden! Eden!" Beau said, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

     "What?" I said, irritated.

     "Mommy wants to know if you want milk," he said, holding a phone to the side of his face, "she's at the supermarket."

     "Of course I want milk," I laughed, slightly rolling my eyes, "why do you think I asked her to get cereal?"

     "Well I don't know, you could just eat the cereal dry and save the milk," he said.

     "And why exactly would we need to save the milk?" I asked.

     "Because every single day cows sacrifice their blood, sweat, tears and lives just so that we can have a little bit of milk for our cereal," he stated poetically.

I really hoped he was kidding, that he didn't really think that milk was cow blood, but deep down I knew, he thought cows sacrificed themselves for us. I shook my head in disappointment, my brown hair falling in curls across my face.

Beau was only seven years old, and that fact was the only thing that kept me from making fun of him. He had been three years old when we moved from Bordeaux, France to North Carolina. It had been my dad's idea. He had wanted me to go to high school in America so that I could learn English. After hearing about the school shootings that always seemed to happen often there, I refused to go. It also sounded like a terrible place with all those disgusting, greasy food ads. I persisted and persisted for months until my parents forced me to go.

High school was... not pleasant to say the least. None of that mattered anymore, though. Only a few months ago I walked onto a stage with a graduate cap atop my head. At the time, walking onto the stage, I had been somewhere between crying and laughing. Crying since I had gotten through high school which I had thought impossible at times. I was laughing so much that my face turned an interesting shade of red because I thought the graduate caps looked quite hilarious with the little string on the top. The Americans at the school were laughing as well, but they thought it was funny that I was crying. None of them cried. But I learnt at high school that being emotional and having a heart wouldn't get you any friends.

After finishing high school, I just wanted to leave America and never return. Luckily, I got into the University of London, where I would be studying English literature for now. I had never been away from my parents for more than a week in my entire life, so moving to another country, another continent was a huge step for me. Though I had asked and asked my parents; no, Beau could not come with to London.

Tomorrow was the day my mom and Beau would drive me to the airport, and say goodbye to me. I hadn't been on a plane since the day, four years ago, that I had flown in from France, and that had at least been with my parents. Now I was all alone.

     "Ma'am, ma'am!" the airport security man, calling to me from a few feet away, "you have to put your belongings on the tray."

I pulled my dark grey duffle bag off of my shoulder and dropped into onto the tray. I felt like everyone was staring at my flushed out cheeks, and my eyes, which were red from crying. I had promised Beau that I would call him every single night. Looking around for my terminal, I felt exceptionally lost, and also a little ill, which was concerning since I hadn't even boarded the plane.