Typical Secrets

T W E N T Y

I put the suitcase down on my bed and sighed, it was six in the morning and I did not feel like being awake. "When you're there, always be around your teachers. Never walk away from them, and if you do call them. If your phone doesn't have more battery, what do you do?"
Dad asked, he had been going on about this for hours now. My brain was about to fall apart if I heard the same sentence again.

"I ask someone for help, and if I can find a cop, I'll ask for help," I repeated the words he had been saying. Dad nodded proudly as he patted my back while watching me squeeze all my things into the suitcase. It wasn't clothes, even though I almost put my whole closet in there. It was mostly things like shampoo, or toothbrushes and hairbrushes. My mom and dad had been buying twice as much as I needed, so I decided to just work with it and do as they say.

I looked out of the window and saw the bad weather, I don't get why they chose to make a trip when it's almost winter. Maybe they were thinking that France would look even prettier with snow and shit like that? I don't know, I can't think for others. "Sweetheart, I'm gonna text you every morning and night, okay?" Mom asked, I nodded and zipped the suitcase.

"It's so exciting for you, sissy." Hailey came from behind and ran her fingers through my hair and slowly pulled it harshly, making me gasp quietly but not too loud for someone to hear. "Thank you, Hailey." I forced it out of my mouth, even though I have nothing to thank her for. Benjamin came into the bedroom and noticed her hand in my hair. I was so happy that he noticed, I wasn't feeling comfortable with her around at all.

"What are you even doing here, Hailey?" Ben asked her and pulled me closer to him by putting his hand on my shoulder and removing me from her.

"I'm here to say bye to my favorite sister. Why is that a problem, Benjamin?" Hailey asked him. Benjamin looked at her and raised his eyebrows at her.

"No, I'm just wondering how you could wake up at six to say bye to the sister that you always yell at and—" Hailey took a step closer to him as a threat but dad interrupted. "Enough." Was what it took to shut them up, which wasn't much. I bit my lip nervously and looked away.

I looked at my younger brother and shook my head as I sighed. I got the suitcase down on the ground as I checked my phone to see if anyone had texted me, nothing from anyone. I was about to text Jasmine and Sophia until mom took the suitcase from me and walked out of my bedroom.

"Get dressed, we have to leave soon," Dad said, patting my back for the last time as he left with Benjamin and Hailey following behind.

The day before I had planned out what I was gonna wear, my black hoodie and sweatpants. That was the most comfortable thing I could find for a plane trip that was gonna last for hours, not to mention that we have to switch to a ship as well. I looked at myself in the mirror, changing the way my hair was sitting to try and look extra good. I wanted to impress Ryder, prove that I can look good even with sweatpants on. I nodded to myself and walked out of our bedroom as I closed the door behind me.

"Mom! Dad! I'm ready!" I yelled out for them to hear. They came over to me and got the last things that we had to put down in the car.

"I'm leaving, the kids need me at home. Have a fun trip." Hailey said with a sarcastic smile. I rolled my eyes as she left the apartment. We all got downstairs and out to the parking lot as we found our car and put it in the luggage room.

My mom and dad sat upfront, my dad driving. As I sat in the back with Benjamin holding my hand as my support. It took so long to get to the airport, but we live pretty far away so it was understandable. It just made me more anxious, that everything felt like it was going slow. I was so nervous about everything, so many things could go wrong and my parents telling me stories about teenagers never coming home from a school trip, wasn't helping. I didn't know if they were trying to convince me not to go, if they did, it would already be a little late.