Two Weeks With Chelsea

Chapter 12

Chelsea hung back and followed Trevor from a distance. She wasn't sure where to go for the next flight and hoped he would lead her to the gate unaware she was following him. Somewhere in the crowd she lost sight of him and found herself somewhat lost. She took a deep breath and made her way on her own with a little help from a couple airport security staff.

Trevor had made a quick turn towards a restaurant and unintentionally gave Chelsea the slip. He found a seat at a small table and waited to order his dinner. He had ignored an email that arrived on his phone before the flight from Portland and had received another after arriving in New York. Once again, the email from his father that, based on the subject line, would have conveyed his father's disappointment about his latest indiscretion, was left unread. The other from his stepmother simply asked where he was going. He didn't want to reply, instead, he opened the Facebook app and posted a photo from the airport restaurant. It was then that he noticed a post on her page. The photo was of her with his brother and sister at the luggage carousal in Sydney. He studied the photo for a moment, but Trevor couldn't read past the first few words of the post, "Family Vacation."

He sat alone watching the bubbles on his Sprite form and rise in the glass. The Facebook post fueled his anger. What was once a faint idea had become a plan. The Plan. He wouldn't return. Not to Well Stone. Not to the US. He would find some place in Europe and forget about his life back home.

When Chelsea arrived at the gate, she noticed some passengers lined up at the counter. She fell in behind the last person in line, unsure of what she was supposed to do before getting on the flight. The gate attendant checked her boarding pass and assured her everything was in order and suggested a quick dinner at one of the places near the gate.

Chelsea wandered off to get a sandwich and a drink then returned to the boarding area. Her eyes scanned the area as she found a seat but didn't see Trevor anywhere. She attempted to pass the time eating the sandwich and occupying her mind with reading and writing in her journal but couldn't stop her eyes from searching the crowd for any sign of him. She joined the line after the boarding announcement and continued to look for him until she was on the jet way. On the plane she found her seat and stowed her pack. The emptiness of his seat rekindled her fear that he may have changed his travel plans.

Trevor arrived at the gate for the flight and joined the last few passengers as they prepared to board the plane. His eyes didn't scan the crowd for anyone. He didn't look for any familiar faces. He stared blankly ahead as he moved towards his escape.

He waited patiently in the aisle as others stowed their bags, then ducked into an open seat to allow them to pass before continuing his slow walk towards his seat. Chelsea had her head down as she tucked a little pillow and blanket under the seat in front of her. He hadn't seen her until he arrived at her side and noticed the familiar colours of her school uniform.

Chelsea's smile wasn't reflected in his after she sat up. He double checked his boarding pass then stowed his pack in the overhead compartment beside hers. He barely spoke as he took his seat by the window. The Trevor that settled in beside her wasn't the one she had seen for almost two years at school, he wasn't the one on the flight from Portland. He was the version of himself that she had seen in those times over the past week when others weren't watching; perhaps even a colder, darker version she hadn't seen before.

"Are you sure you're in the right seat?" he asked.

"Yes," Chelsea replied softly, regret flooding in as she choked on the single word.

This was not how their conversation played out in her dreams. He was silent as he glared out the window. Chelsea came to the realization that her plan to follow Trevor was flawed from the start. He wasn't just disinterested, he seemed to carry some sort of distain for her. As the plane rolled out to the runway, she wished she had just stayed in Lewiston.