Secret // Zach Herron

fifteen

New York City.

I had been to Nashville, Seattle, New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, and many other big cities, but never New York.

Today I would be boarding a plane, and heading to this beautiful city with 5 of my best friends. My excitement could not be contained as I was on FaceTime with Parker packing the last of my things.

"Jimmy Fallon! Can you believe I get to meet him?" I say into the phone.

"Yeah, I can. I've only heard it about 100 times," Parker retorts from her bedroom in Texas.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just so excited."

"You know what I'm excited for?" She asks.

"What?"

"You coming home for Thanksgiving," she says with a squeal.

"It still feels like so far away. I feel like I've been gone for ages." I really do miss home a lot. And my mom. I rarely get to talk to her because of the time difference, and the calls are always timed.

It's so different. I'm always with her and talking to her at home, and now I can't tell her every detail about my life. I've barely told her about the boys yet, but the next call I will make that a priority.

After my phone call with Parker, I headed down the stairs with my suitcase. My dad was sitting on the couch in the living room with a newspaper in his hands.

Smh. Old people.

Once he noticed I was in the room, he smiled and put the paper down.

"You ready?" He asks.

"Oh, I've been ready."

He chuckled. "Alright then." He stood up and grabbed his own suitcase, then we headed towards the limo waiting outside. I can't say this is my first limo ride. One time for Parker and I's joint birthday party my dad rented one for all my friends. It was the least he could do from hundreds of miles away. But I haven't ridden in a limo since, and this is definitely my first time in one with anyone even remotely famous.

After picking up the boys and making it to the airport, we checked in our luggage and headed to the gate. We were in a smaller more secure part of the airport for the really rich people probably because Dad didn't want the boys to get trampled by fans.

"I think you should sit by me," Zach says, sitting next to me in the terminal.

"And why is that?" I retort.

"You know. For old time's sake. I mean that IS how we met."

Can't argue with that. I would've sat by him no matter what reason he gave.

"Isn't that crazy?" He looks confused when I say this so I continued to elaborate, "We met on a plane and talked forever and I had no idea how famous you were or anything, and then, out of nowhere, we're all best friends, and now I'm going with y'all to be a part of your amazing famous life."

"That can't be a coincidence either. I bet your dad bought seats next to each other on purpose so that we could meet."

Come to think of it he's got a point.

"Wait, so my dad buys y'all's plane tickets?" I ask.

"Yeah, he's in charge of all of our transportation."

"Then it's not even a question. He definitely put us next to each other on purpose." Whether my dad wanted us to be forced to meet or he was just trying to conveniently buy us both tickets since we're from the same place is a mystery. I bet he was just trying to let me meet someone so I wouldn't go into school completely alone.

Either way I'm happy I got to meet him on that plane rather than just meet him in class the next week. I think it gives us a certain spark that wouldn't have been there otherwise.

The flight lasted about 5 hours. Zach and I talked for a while and watched a movie together on my computer that I had downloaded. For the last hour or so I fell asleep on his shoulder listening to his playlist with him.

When I woke up, to my horror, I find out I had been drooling all over his favorite red sweatshirt. I wipe off my mouth and look at him, playing a game on his phone.

He begins to laugh and proceeds to say, "You drooled on me."

"Yeah, I found that out." My voice is mocking, but I'm laughing too. He pulls up pictures that he took of me while I was sleeping. They're embarrassing but also adorable. There's one where he's licking my forehead. He said that was his way of getting me back for drooling on his sweatshirt.

In the limo that is waiting for us when we get off the plane, Corbyn pulls up a picture that he took of Zach and I while I was sleeping. Zach has his phone out taking a selfie with sleeping me.

"Please send that to me, that'll be perfect for Holly's birthday shout out," Zach says, joining the laughter of the other boys.

"Zach, do you even know when my birthday is?"

"Ha, nope. Let me guess," he motions his hands in a thinking position and begins guessing.

"May 31?"

"No."

"January 12?"

"Nope."

"September 29?"

"Wrong again."

From across the limo, Jack Avery yells out his guess, which, to my surprise, was actually right.

"Jack how did you know my birthday was on Halloween?"

"I looked at your tagged pictures on Instagram to see when your friends posted your birthday shout outs."

"Damnit, why didn't I think of that?" Zach pouts.

"Because you have no brain," Jonah chimes in.

Zach tries to come up with a comeback but ends up making a noise that sounds like the mix of a pterodactyl screech and a fart. We all laugh at that one, even Zach.

"Dude, how did you get so lucky to have you birthday on Halloween?"

"It really is a blessing. My birthday parties are always so fun."

"We're throwing you a giant party this year so we can join in on the fun," Zach says.

"And who said I was going to invite y'all to hang out with me on my birthday? I see y'all's ugly faces too much," everyone laughs at this. Thank God they get my humor instead of getting offended when I say this shit.

"It's a done deal. You can't fight it," Jack concludes, throwing me a wink.

Well, this is going to be a funnnnnn birthday.