Lights, Action, Chicago

Chapter 2 - Lost At Airport

By the time I got off at Chicago's airport I was exhausted. During the entire plane trip an older couple sitting behind me had snored. A baby in the back screamed its head off. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night either. Most of the night I had laid in bed worrying about the next day. Funny, he didn't seem to care to much that I was suffering from it. 

The airport was so huge and busy that after a few steps I felt dizzy. People were walking around and talking loudly and in every direction. I was pushed and pulled and jostled. I looked around helplessly, then glanced at the ticket, trying to figure out if I was at the right gate. Apparently, I wasn't. I was in 6b when I was supposed to be in 7a. I looked up and around, trying to find a sign indicating where I was supposed to go. I couldn't see much over everyone's shoulders. Life is hard when you are short. 

I thought about asking someone for help but I shook it off. No one would want to be bothered by a puny 15-yr-old. Plus I was smart right? Making my best guess with all the confusing signs, I headed to the right. 

After 15 minutes of walking around, with no progress, I decided to find some seats and sit down. I started heading towards the seats when, BOOM! I bumped into someone, tripped over a suitcase and fell splat on my face. Hot coffee was burning through my clothes. Two teenagers, both boys, had coffee spilled all over them and astonished faces. Scrambling to my feet I quickly apolgized. 

"Im soo sorry, omigosh I'm sorry - so sorry" I mumbled, fidgeting around nervously. Both boys were super tall and I had a hard time looking up to talk them. The older one had black hair and was had a sour expression on his face. The younger one had dirty blonde hair and was wiping coffee in his face. Both of them had Starbucks in their hands. Apart from their hair, they looked almost exactly alike. 

"You - you!" shouted the younger one his finger directly in my face. His face was red and mixed with anger and irritation

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, looking at the ground. My heart sank. I was trying to have a good day, but instead I messed everything up. This is what I get...

"Sorry, isn't going to get us our coffees back!" he yelled and stormed off with his suitcase. His brother followed him, his expression tired and irritated. I meekly picked up my suitcase and walked off. Somehow I knew I deserved that reaction. I was soo climsy! Pushing the event out of my head, I sat down on one of the chair and opened my suitcase looking for my wipes. I always carried them around. Mom is kind of particular about germs. This special brand smelled just like her...in a non-creepy way. 

I reached in my side pocket and came out empty. Hmm, that's strange, I thought and reached into the one on the other side. No luck. I unzipped the suitcase and closed it in horror. This wasn't my suitcase! The scene with the boys and the accident replayed in my mind until I remembered when the boy stormed off with...my suitcase. Crap. This was going to mean exploring the entire airport and getting even more lost. 

After an hour of fruitless searching, I finally found both boys, still grumpy faced sitting in a whole other part of the airplane. I hated going up to people and bothering them but I had to get my suitcase. You could still see the coffee stains on their shirt and I felt even more guilty. I walked up behind them and coughed. They both spun around, surprised. 

"You again?" shouted the younger boy, immiedieatly standing up and turning around, hands leaning against his chair. "Get away before you cause anymore accidents!" He waved me away. Unconsciously I stepped back. He was right. I tried not show the hurt on my face but I guess I didn't show it well enough. 

"Jeremy - " said the older boy in a warning tone, putting his hand on his brother's arm. Muttering, Jeremy sat down. The older brother turned to be and give me a small tired smile. His  dark hair was combed neatly to one side. My heart fluttered a little.