I hate LaGuardia more than any other airport in the fucking world.
You would think after a decade of construction it would be less of a pain in the ass and it would look a little nicer. Then again, it's run by the Port Authority so I can't complain too much. At least it isn't like the Port Authority bus station because if HIV was a place, it would be that bus terminal.
Mention the Port Authority to anyone who's from New York and just wait for the collective groans and shivers of disgust. I dare you.
Either way, Terminal B at LGA was always the biggest pain in the ass to ever exist. And thank fuck Air Canada was in Terminal B. I'm so fucking excited. Can't you tell?
Why Air Canada? Because it's the quickest estimated time at the cheapest price with only one stop in Montreal before we make it to Tokyo.
Upon arrival at the airport, there were already reporters eager to snap pictures of some Olympic Athletes, AKA the only two not already past security, also known as Finn and I. Finn and I gathered our suitcases and backpacks from the trunk of the taxi, all too aware that the media was taking photographs of our every move at the drop off area. I didn't think this was that big of a story, but people ate up anything having to do with professional athletes.
The automatic doors slid open, a rush of cold air hitting me as we exited the humid air of the city. People milled around looking stressed out and angry as per usual in airports. Having checked in online already saved us the trouble of having to do that in person, but we still had to check our bags.
Finn and I automatically got in the semi long line at the Air Canada desk where the bags were being checked and weighed. There were about five people in front of us. Finn's warm hand intertwined in my right one while we faced each other in between the black transabarriers. "How do you feel?" I asked Finn while looking up at him. Our flight boarded at eleven and it was about eight right now. We had been at Finn's mothers for three hours in the afternoon, returning to the hotel for a few hours before coming to the airport with all of our shit.
Finn contemplated it for a moment before responding. "Good. I'm glad I did it. Even if it will be awhile before we see them again. They're so young they probably won't remember, but it made me feel better."
"That's all that maters." I gave him a small smile. "Although I'm pretty sure my ovaries are melted."
Finn smiled and bit the corner of his lip to try and contain it. His other hand grabbed mine so both our hands were intertwined. "That would be really sweet but you also said the same thing when you were scrolling through Stephen James's Instagram. Slightly devalues the phrase; just slightly." He mocked me.
Finn would disagree 100 percent, but take away all the tattoos and piercings and style the hair slightly different, and that is my boyfriend. Finn's body is almost identical, it's honestly trippy. Even their faces are similar. The jaws, the lips, the nose, the intimidating stare. The only difference was the eyes.
"He's hot. Besides he looks-"
"I do not look like him." Finn protested while rolling his eyes at me.
"Okay, if Jason can agree with me on it, than it's true. Besides, you should feel honored that I think he looks like you and not the other way around."
"Oh, gee. I'm so happy my girlfriend is attracted to me." He said sarcastically with a groan on his lips. Our hands separated so we could move our suitcases up in line, but Finn's arm wrapped around my waist again as he looked down at me. "Back to how I make your ovaries melt," Finn teased with a cheeky grin.
"It does things to me in here," I laughed while gesturing to my heart. "Boyfriends with babies and puppies are the way to a girls heart. That, and that time when you punched Alec Krasinski in the face in the middle of gym class for calling me a whore." I laughed at the memory. It was fucking hot. He was talking shit while we were all waiting around for the teachers to come out from the locker rooms and take attendance, saying how I was a slut and sleeping around with all the guys in the school. Finn heard it, walked up behind him, tapped him on the shoulder and then decked him so hard he fell to the ground. Needless to say, the football team wasn't the biggest fan of Finn or our group the last few weeks of school.
Although between Finn and Sam sleeping with their girlfriends, being more popular than them, and beating the shit out of them and the basketball team, they already hated the lacrosse team with everything they were.
Finn walked away without even getting a slap on the wrist.
Finn couldn't hold back his smile even though he desperately tried. "Alec was a dick anyway. I was waiting for that moment for years. Either way, let's not bring up the times I've started fights in interviews, that might make me look bad."
"Might?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, it will make me look bad."
Finn and I laughed our way to the check in, where our bags were weighed, tagged, and sent off to Tokyo. We went straight to the TSA line for our gates after that. LaGuardia didn't have a customs area so their only international flights were to Montreal and Toronto where US officers processed you there. It made security easy this time around but hell later on.
The line slowly moved down the ramp hallway until we reached the wooden podium and handed the woman our passports and tickets. Right after she told us we were good to go and we walked past her stand, Jason's voice rang out across the quiet area.
"Hey! Sylvia! Finn!" He yelled. Both of our heads snapped up past the security screeners to see Jason and Rob waving like idiots from the other side of security, probably coming to wait for us so they could cause a scene.
Finn scoffed from behind me while I let out an exhale of annoyance. "Those idiots are going to get us kicked out." I muttered to Finn.
"If at any point on this trip we get arrested or stuck in Japan or Canada, I'm blaming Jason."
"Me too." Our bags went through the scanner while I slipped off my sneakers and stood in the body scanner with my arms raised above my head. The grey scanner spun around me in between the glass before the TSA agent waved me out, to follow Finn who was gathering our bags and slipping on his shoes.
I grabbed my black Nike trainers and took a seat at a grey bench next to the wall while Jason and Rob harassed Finn now that we had crossed the security line. My eyes flickered up from tying my shoes when I felt a presence in front of me.
A girl, no older than 11, stood in front of me with a wide smile on her face. She had blonde curly hair and deep ocean eyes, her face sparkling with life and a coy grin. "Hi! I'm Maddy, can I get a picture?" Her sweet voice asked softly.
My eyes flickered up to who I assumed was her father, a tall tanned man with jet black hair so unlike his daughters. "Sure, I'd love to take a picture with such a pretty girl." I smiled politely. Maddy turned and stood next to me where I sat. I happily put my arm over her shoulder and smiled as the father snapped a quick picture.
Before she could run off, her frail hand slipped an envelope into my hand before smiling at me and mumbling a 'thanks' before hiding behind her father's jean clad leg. When they moved away from the security area, my eyes fell on the white envelope in my hand.
My dark brown irises darted to Finn who was still chatting animatedly with Jason and Rob before returning to the letter. I carefully opened the seal so I could keep the contents in the package later. Two pages of neatly hand printed writing unfolded in my hands.
Dear Sylvia,
My name is Maddy and I just turned 11. My dad told me that you would be at the airport the same day we were, so I hoped to run into you. If you are reading this, obviously I did. Although I can't guarantee we had a nice interaction; I tend to be shy in person.
Either way, I wanted to write this letter to let you know that I admire you for following your dreams and staying strong. My older sister played lacrosse before she died. We talked about you when you were in high school. Jamie was raped in August. My family thinks I'm too young to understand, but I know the truth.
Jamie would break down constantly and tell me how broken and violated she felt. We shared a room when she was alive, Jamie said I was the only one she trusted. The point is, I admire you even more for speaking out after what happened to you and staying strong. I don't doubt that you go through some horrible weeks like Jamie did, but you never show it.
I want to be like you one day. I want to be strong and powerful without caring about other people and their opinions. Jamie wanted to be like you too, but she said she couldn't. That's why she overdosed. I found her body one night when she wouldn't wake up. Once again, I knew more than my parents were letting on.
Both Jamie and I want you to succeed in Tokyo. We had been watching you since you were first on the regional news last September. I play baseball but I want to play with the guys. My dream would be to be as successful as you. I wish you luck, Sylvia. Your story is important to me and many other people. Please, live on to do great things that other people couldn't. It's what Jamie would have wanted.
Maddy
I had to blink back tears and cover my mouth with my right hand. That poor girl had lost her sister after monsters took her livelihood. That hurt more than I think anyone realized. Suddenly, I didn't care that I was bawling in the middle of an airport. Maddy was such a strong girl to articulate that at such a young age.
I could barely even process those compliments. All I could think of was simply 'how'. How did a sixth grader see me and want to aspire to my 'level'? How was a victim or a borderline nude model a goal? What had I done to deserve such a heartfelt letter?
But it didn't matter. That's was Maddy's point. I did what I wanted, everyone else be damned. I made my own rules because I wanted to be equal. I didn't want to be the lesser half or the damaged one. Lacrosse was my life, but this isn't what it was about anymore. It was about showing the world that women can do what men do. That survivors are strong and they shouldn't be ashamed for speaking out.
So many people in my life had tried to drill that into my head and I just brushed it off, but then this sweat innocent child tells me about the horrid things that she's heard and how she looks up to me and finally; finally, I get the message. This is bigger than me, this is about everyone who ever felt like they weren't enough. Because everyone is enough.
Hot tears blurred my vision as it darted back to my smiling boyfriend, unaware that I was watching him.
Finn.
How God damn lucky I was to have him, because had he not been there I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be on the road to the Olympics, I wouldn't be happy, I might not have even been alive. Whether by Ryan's hand or mine, the dark side of me knew that my heart would not be beating today if I didn't have the support Finn provided me.
I could only hope that by speaking out I was providing comfort to others. Maybe that's all Jamie would have needed. But maybe there was no saving her.
Finn saved me and taught me my worth by loving me for who I was, damaged or not.
Love like ours was one in a million, maybe even a billion.
In my moments of darkness, Griffin Riley was my salvation and he always would be.