Two Weeks With Chelsea

Chapter 11

Chelsea's suitcase was packed, and her computer and new camera were carefully stuffed into the backpack. Her itinerary was printed attached to her passport with a paper clip. She had to stop at the headmaster's office before getting into the school's van for the hour-long drive to Portland. She said farewell to a few teachers as she made her way to the office in the main hall.

Trevor sat in a chair outside of the headmaster's office with his elbows on his knees and his face cupped in his hands. The door opened as Chelsea prepared to take a seat across from him.

"Trevor, give me a moment. Chelsea, you're all packed, ready to go?" the headmaster said as an ashamed looking girl scurried from the office, her eyes avoiding all contact as she dashed down the hallway.

"Yes, sir. I'm all set," she said as her eyes momentarily shifted towards Trevor.

"Good. I'm glad you decided to venture out of Lewiston. Have fun! I look forward to seeing your posts on your Stone Wall page. Now, get going, you don't want to miss your ride," the headmaster said before he turned towards Trevor. "Mr. Leland, my office, please."

Chelsea made her way back to her dorm. It was empty except for the suitcase and backpack. She slipped on the pack and dragged the suitcase into the hall. On her way towards the main door to meet the van she deposited her key in a secured box in the foyer.

Trevor sat across the desk from the headmaster. His face was expressionless as he waited for the meeting to end. He remained silent, even when asked for explanations. He waited to hear the word "expelled" buried in some long drawn out stream of words.

"Trevor, the timing of this is unfortunate, with the break and staff getting other students to the airport," the headmaster said. "We'll have to pick this up when you get back from your trip. Over the break I will be discussing your future at Well Stone with the disciplinary committee. We will be considering your previous infractions and your– more recent behaviour along with this incident. I tried to call your father and left a voice mail and I've just emailed him. I hope he will come in when you are back."

"He's flying to Australia. Are we done?" Trevor asked as he stared blankly at the headmaster's desk. "I'm supposed to be getting into a van right about now."

Headmaster Champers gazed at Trevor for a while, took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, you may leave."

Trevor collected his things from the dorm and climbed into the van to the Portland airport. The excitement that filled the van brought him out of the dull funk that clouded the air around him all morning.

Chelsea's van arrived at the airport an hour before Trevor's. She checked in and sat at the departure lounge and waited. She held her tablet and started to read an e-book she had purchased but couldn't stay focused. Her eyes continually left the small screen to scan the area for him. As boarding time neared, she was afraid that Trevor wasn't going to make it or had to change his plans because of whatever incident had him seeing the headmaster. A couple students she knew would have been riding in the same van as Trevor had already arrived at the departure lounge, but there was no sign of him.

As the boarding announcement concluded Chelsea spotted Trevor when he joined a couple friends in the line. A smile broke the normally stoic look on her face as she joined the end of the line of passengers at the gate.

On the plane Chelsea made her way to her seat. Trevor seemed like his usual self. He stood in the aisle a row back from his seat happily chatting with his friends. She struggled to stow her backpack in the overhead compartment until Trevor offered assistance. The trip was off to a perfect start.

"Dude, are you going to tell us where you're going?" one of Trevor's friends asked as he waited for Chelsea to take her seat.

"Nope! You'll just have to follow my adventures online," he replied as he settled into his seat.

"Not even a hint?" another asked.

"Thanks," Chelsea quietly said as she looked across the aisle.

"Yeah, no problem," he replied as he leaned into the aisle to talk to his friends behind him. "It will all be on my Stone Wall."

"Getting drunk and scoring chicks!" Erick cheered. "Gonna love those pics!"

"You're actually doing that lame project?" Amanda asked. "No way I'm posting pics of me in a bikini for Mister Melon to gawk at."

"Okay, without the bikini then; you'll get bonus marks!" Erick suggested with a laugh.

"I need the marks; my average in communications is in the in the toilet," Trevor replied, "Might just be pics of me puking in a park somewhere but, what the hell, if it gets me above fifty percent."

"Okay, that's a clue, it's some place that has a park," Erick laughed.

Chelsea smiled and let a little giggle escape. She appeared to be the only person that knew where he was spending the break. She sat quietly across the aisle from Trevor and he had no idea that she was following him on his vacation. Even the selection of her current seat didn't give him any hint. The seats in front and behind him, as well as the window seat beside her were all occupied by Well Stone students. Half the passengers on the plane were students. She blended in with the crowd.

Conversations around her exchanged hopes and expectations for vacations. Some were just going home for the break while others were heading for beach destinations. Trevor refused to give any details about his trip other than the expectation of spending the full two weeks intoxicated and picking up girls.

"Where are you off to?" Erick asked.

Chelsea sat quietly for a few seconds and waited to hear a reply. When there was no answer, she realized the question had been directed at her and eight sets of eyes, including Trevor's, were on her. A giddy smile she had never worn before took over her face as she prepared to answer, "Oh, me? Ahhh, just a cruise."

"A cruise. That's cool," Trevor said.

For the first time Chelsea felt as if she were bathing in the excitement that surrounded Trevor. She felt like she was a part of the group, not just a girl sitting at the side of the pool afraid of getting her feet wet. A few more opportunities for Chelsea to participate in the conversation presented themselves. Normally she would have shied away from this sort of conversation, random banter and joking. She had no prepared answers, but something was different. She felt different. She smiled at Trevor when she realized she had made him, and his friends laugh with one of her cocky responses.

After the flight landed and people started leaving the plane Trevor helped her retrieve her backpack from the overhead bin. No words, just a soft smile, but that was enough. The trip was definitely off to a perfect start.