Chapter 3: Emily: The Armpit of Anchorage

Boarding the plane takes forever, and all I want to do is sit down. But a large, elderly man is blocking the aisle as he tries to heft a too-large suitcase into the overhead compartment, and I'm stuck behind him.

I wait a few seconds, hoping he'll get his luggage stored and move out of the way. But after several moments, he's still struggling. If my hands weren't already full, I'd help him. "Excuse me," I say.

The man doesn't move, doesn't even acknowledge that I said anything. Annoyance flares inside of me. I sigh loudly, hoping he'll hear that and move out of my way. But he doesn't. So, I try again. Only this time, a handsome, knowing smile catches my attention. It's Aiden. He's in the window seat, watching me try and fail to get past the old man. He smiles and then winks. Heat creeps up my neck and face, and I'm sure my cheeks are beet red. I look away quickly, and he chuckles.

We spent the last four hours together, eating, talking, laughing, exploring the airport. He's hot and funny and smart. And so nice. He's a lot nicer than Matt's ever been to me. Maybe getting forced to go to Alaska isn't going to suck as much as I thought. I wanted to ask him all about his high school and what it was like, but I really have no idea how long I'll be in Alaska, and I don't want to get his hopes up. Or mine. Just because we spent a few hours together doesn't mean it will be anything more.

I take a deep breath. Finally, the guy ahead of me moves down the aisle, and I follow, eager to get to my seat, but I can't stop myself from glancing back at Aiden, who's still watching me. I arrive at my seat, which is smack dab between two old people. The man in the aisle seat happens to be the same man who was blocking my way a moment ago.

"Excuse me," I say. The man doesn't move. "Excuse me," I say louder.

Eventually, the old guy guarding my seat looks up. "Oh, sorry." He wobbles to his feet, and I move past him to sit, noticing the massive hearing aid hanging from his right ear. Apparently, he really can't hear me.

I drop my carry-on bag to the floor and kick it under the seat. Plugging my headphones into my phone, I close my eyes and rest my head on the back of the seat. Sleep is a lost cause, but at least with my eyes closed, I can pretend I'm somewhere else. And I can think about Aiden and his vibrant blue eyes. His dark, wavy hair. His goofy smile. Our hands touched briefly while eating, but he didn't try to hold my hand or touch me in anyway after that. Too bad, because I would've let him.

There's a tap on my shoulder. A pretty flight attendant smiles down at me. Splotches of red lipstick color her otherwise white teeth. "I'm sorry, miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to put away all electronic devices until the captain announces they're allowed to be used."

I take my earbuds out, sigh, and turn to look out the window only to realize the woman sitting next to it has the shade pulled down. This is going to be the longest flight ever. Seriously, why can't I be stuck in the seat next to Aiden?

"Hello, and good afternoon. My name is Christopher Lakin, and I'll be your pilot during this flight. Captain Brandon Franks is co-piloting with me. We should have clear skies and a safe arrival in around four hours. Thank you again for flying SunDun Airlines."

As soon as the pilot stops talking, the pretty blonde flight attendant who told me to shut off my music stands in front of my section and begins the obligatory safety demonstration. I yawn. Boring.

Finally, after a few more minutes, the flight attendants make their way over to the back to buckle in, checking to be sure everyone's seats are in the upright position and tray tables are up and locked. I don't understand why we can't just get on the plane, buckle our seat belts, and go. All this extra stuff is such a waste of time. The plane makes its way onto the runaway, and with a throttle, the plane tilts its nose in the air, and we begin take off. I hate this part.

As soon as the plane is in the air and the fasten seat belts sign goes off, I breathe a sigh of relief and relax a little. But just as quickly, my heart is in my throat. I'm going to stupid Alaska. To stay with my grandparents. I bet Alaska doesn't even have WiFi or cable. Do they even have cell phone reception?

How can my parents expect me to go from fashionable city girl socialite to backwoods nobody who has to wear a parka? No one looks good in a parka. I don't mind the snow we get during a New York winter, but I hate the cold, and Alaska is cold all the time. I bet my neighbors will be real-life Eskimos.

All of this because I went to a party I shouldn't have. I'm not the one who threw a beer bottle at the cop. Nor am I the one who got into a fight and killed a kid. Yet, I'm the one getting banished to a no-name town in Alaska. Because I'm not lucky enough to be in Anchorage. Oh, no. I'm in a tiny town south of there. It's like the armpit of Anchorage.