My Imagine

Chapter 25

You lean your head back into a comfortable position and dwell on your argument with Sawyer. Tears roll down your face as you recall everything that happened. You brace yourself and stare out your window, watching as the plane finally starts moving and the buildings fade out of sight. The view of the beautiful clouds would have been breathtaking, but you can't seem to enjoy it when you're mad at Sawyer.
You've had little fights before, but never anything close to what just happened a few minutes ago. All of the crying seems to have worked you up again, and now your throat feels like it's suffocating. You can't clear it with a cough, so you relax again and decide to ignore it.
Why? you think. Why would he do this to me? We've been best friends for four years, but now he's treating me like some annoying clingy fangirl. The whole yelling at me on the first flight, that I can get. But the fact that he ditched me? Why did he just leave me there alone? I didn't know what to do or where to go! I could've missed the flight! And then...
His reaction. The texts. Those were the final straws. What kind of person intentionally deserts someone like that? The texts were just like pouring boiling water over a burn. All this time I thought we were like family, but instead he viewed me like someone who just hangs around and doesn't take the hint to leave. Why on earth he asked me to LA and put up with me all these years I have no idea, but by now it's pretty obvious that he wants me gone.
Finally your eyes are dry, so you focus on re-reading your book from earlier, not wanting to listen to Sawyer anymore. A flight attendant comes around with little glasses of water, and you take one gladly. You drink it slowly to keep from coughing again.
Ten minutes later, the book becomes utterly boring. You rummage through your carry on and find that someone has snuck in a gift. You look at it but keep it in your bag. It feels like a...a... You're actually not sure. You let Sawyer unload the stuff while you went through security, so you must not have seen this before. Curiously, you peel off a strip of wrapping paper, and another, and another until you're holding a Kindle in your hands. Not the new flashy kind though. The old ones that are only used for reading and work off of nothing but batteries. You flip it over and see a note taped on the screen. You almost choke as you read what it says.

Your parents and I got this for you. I bought it initially and they set it up with all your favorite books, and a few more. I had a feeling you'd get bored on the flight, so ta-daaa!!
~Sawyer + Mom and Dad

You look at it longingly and clutch the device to your chest. You turn it on and see that you now have about twenty different books and 100% battery at your fingertips, with a three hour flight ahead of you. Perfect.
You glance around at the others just to check if they saw you and your little present. Your eyes accidentally lock with Sawyer's for a split second on the other side of the aircraft. He's watching you with a grim look on his face. You look back at him with a mixture of rage and sorrow burning inside of you. His gaze is desperate, and he mouths "I'm sorry" as he continues to look at you. Sadly, you shake your head and focus on reading again. You try to ignore him for the rest of the ride, but you can't shake the feeling you're being watched by someone.
A few hours later, the plane finally begins to slope. You clench the seat tightly and grind your teeth together as it lands, and you only un-stiffen when it comes to a stop. You pack your stuff relatively quickly and you stand up. Inwardly, you freeze as you remember that you have to maintain a good relationship with Sawyer until tonight. This time you get off first, with him discreetly slipping in line behind you.
"I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I'm really sorry, but you can't tell anyone about this. Monica thinks we've made up, so we need to convince her we actually did. I know you're mad, but I need you to please just push that aside for a few more hours. Then you can do whatever you want to me."
You look straight ahead stonily. "Whatever." you mutter harshly. Your voice is crackly and hoarse from crying, and not to mention your throat hurts more than ever right now. He notices and frowns. "You're gonna need that checked out." he murmurs. You don't answer, but you do fall into step with him so you look like two friends at peace with each other.
You're greeted with a man holding a sign with your names on it as you step into the airport. You put on your most convincing smile and walk over to him. "Hello! How are you today?"
He doesn't answer, he just stares at something behind you. You turn and see that Sawyer's hair has come out of his ponytail and is now being harassed by a squealing middle schooler. He looks flustered and he gives you a frantic look that clearly reads "Help. Me."
You walk over, and he instantly looks relieved. "C'mon there Sawyer," you say with a bored expression on your face. "We're going to be late for your meeting. The agents are waiting. You can't keep your manager waiting forever."
The girl looks stunned, but she still holds out her hat for an autograph. When the girl finally skips away, Sawyer looks overwhelmed. "Thanks," he says. You just stalk back to the man with the sign and start walking to where the directory points to as the exit. "How long is it until tonight?" you hiss to Sawyer. He frowns. "I dunno. Why?"
"That's about as long as I'm saving your neck for the rest of the trip, so don't get used to it."