COMPLETED
All 16 year old Avianna Moorson wanted was an easy flight to sandy and beautiful Australia. No talking, no company and no distractions. But what happens, when the person forced to sit next to her leaves her at a loss for words?
"What kind of parent sends their two 16 and 18 year old daughters on an airplane by themselves to meet their grandparents halfway around the world?"
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Hour One.
"Are you sure I'll be alright?" Avianna shifted nervously from foot to foot. "I wish you were coming with me. "
"I am. Just not on this flight," Piper tilted her sister's head up. "I'll be catching the next flight tomorrow."
"Why did you wait until the last minute to book your ticket? You knew mom wanted to ship us out here since the last school bell rung."
"I thought she was bluffing! What kind of woman sends her 16 and 18 year old daughters on an airplane by themselves to meet their grandparents halfway around the world?"
"Ours?"
"Right," Piper rolled her eyes but lightly pressed a hand on Avianna's shoulder. "Look, I'll be with you faster than you can say Kangaroo. And Avianna... "
"Yeah?"
"You'll do great," she tightened her grip on her sister and grabbed her into a hug. "I love you. "
"I love you more," she pressed herself against her sister as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Now get out of here before I cry up a storm, will you?"
"You'll call me when you land?" Piper released her and took a step back.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, " Avianna waved to her. Taking a deep breath she didn't bother looking back. If she did, she would have ended up sobbing uncontrollably onto her sister's leg.
Finding her seat was a breeze. She had personally insisted on getting a window seat. To her there was nothing better than watching the clouds roll by.
"Miss Avianna Moorson?"
Avianna looked up from sketching a bird on her notepad to find a female flight attendant staring back at her. She closed the sketchpad and slid it in the pouch in front of her. "Yes?"
"Well... " the flight attendant stammered. "We seem to have been booked to capacity--"
"Wait," Avianna sat up. "I paid money for this ticket." Although she didn't mean to, her voice came out angrier than she had intended.
Avianna was never one to lose her cool especially in front of an adult. However all of the nights she'd spent pulling all nighters and taking on extra shifts and getting top of the line grades, she deserved a vacation.
"Do you know how hard it is to get paid only in tips as a waitress, let alone one in a struggling diner? "
"Well no but--"
"Do you know how many sleepless nights I've had finishing my assignments because I'd worked the day before?"
"Ms. Moorson, if you'd just listen--"
"I am not getting bumped from this flight," she indignantly folded her arms. "I've worked so hard for this."
"Ms. Moorson, I was never going to ask you to switch flights. I was simply going to to let you know that this plane is going to get filled to the brim in no time and that we'll need all the space we could get. So if you could please move your bag off of the seat, I will be on my way. "
"Oh," A blush crept upon Avianna's cheek and she quickly put her carry-on into the overhead bin. "Sorry for my outburst. I really didn't mean it."
"It's fine," the flight attendant said but didn't meet Avianna's gaze. She was acknowledging a young man that had followed behind her, one whom Avianna hadn't noticed before. "Here is your seat. Enjoy your flight."
He eased himself into the chair as two sets of eyes were set on him. "Thanks again," he merely raised up two fingers and placed his headphones on his wispy brown hair.
The woman pushing the cart filled with everything from alcohol to cream soda gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you for flying with Seaview Airlines. Have a wonderful day."
She glared at Avianna before continuing on her to the other end of the plane handing out drinks to people with their wallets open.
