Before I can say another word, she merges into the crowd behind, her eye lashes flickering a goodbye as she disappears from view.
I feel my heart throw itself forward. What's wrong with it? I need to talk to Claire. I think. I'm so confused.
Chapter Seven
I jump off the bus, my mind riddled with questions. What does she want? Is she staying? Do I want her to stay if she is?
"Jaime, over here."
It's Claire. She's standing with that guy beside his black sports car, his long hair flapping in the breeze.
"Hey." I stop in front of them, kicking my shoes against the gravel as to avoid the awkward silence.
"How you been?"
"Great."
"I'm sorry about this morning."
"It's fine."
"I wanted to tell you before."
"It's okay."
I don't move my eyes from the bit of red chewing gum squashed to the pavement. I just can't look at her. My eyes won't allow it.
"I just wanted to give you your key back," she says, thrusting it into my chest.
That's it. A stupid key. She opens her palm and I let it slip through my fingers and hit the ground.
"I'm sorry Jaime, we just..."
"Come on babe, we're going to miss the train," he shouts.
I open my mouth and pause. Forget it. I storm past them and into my house, slamming the door behind me with a crack. They did that on purpose just to make me feel stupid. I should of stayed with Kate.
"Jaime, you're on time for a change," shouts Mom from the other room.
I check my phone. Bang on eight. You've got to be joking me.
Mom rushes through the kitchen, her new, bright red hair blinding me. She puts her arm around me and ushers me into the living room where Dad is waiting. This isn't going to be fun.
"Sit down, sit down," says Mom.
"It's okay, I got to..."
"Sit down!" she screams.
I drop into the seat automatically. How did she do that?
"Thank you, Jaime," she says softly.
Talk about split personality.
"Me and your father have been talking."
She means she's been talking and Dad's been listening.
"And we've decided...."
When she says 'we've ' she means she's. Dad has no say in this, he has no say in anything.
"...to sell the house and buy a barge."
"A barge?" I say. Wait, is this good news or bad news?
"Yes, a barge."
"What? I don't get it?"
"We're going to buy a barge and sail around England."
"Do you sail in a barge?"
"That's not the point, Jaime," she snaps. "The point is, we're selling the house."
"But Dad bought this house from grandad. You can't sell it."
I look at Dad. Nothing. His hands squeezed around his old boxing gloves. He always does that when he doesn’t agree with what Mom says.
"Your father agrees with me. It's time to sell up while the markets good. That's why we want to talk to you," she says. "We want to give you some time to make arrangements before we leave."
"But, I don't even have a job. Where am I supposed to go?"
"You're twenty one, Jaime, you're not a little boy any more."
"What's age got to do with it? Money doesn't just decide to stick to you when you reach a certain age you know."
Dad opens his mouth, only for Mom to speak, "We're both retired and we want to live our dreams, Jaime. Stop being so selfish," she squawks. "It's not like we're going to kick you out on the streets now is it. I've asked auntie Sarah, she says you can stay there until you get set up on your own."
"This is unbelievable. How long are you leaving for?"
"We don't know yet. A few years maybe."
"A few years!"
I stand up and march out the room, faint sounds of my Dad trying to speak. I leap up the stairs and into my bedroom.
What the hell's going on. No job. No money. No girlfriend. No house. What's the point any more. I've got nothing.
I drop into my bed and slap my hands onto my face, the mumbling of voices downstairs irritating me with every vibration of the floorboards.
What am I supposed to...Wait...Katie.
I pull my phone out. Eight twenty five. I can still make it.
I stuff my bag full of anything and everything in reach; clothes, toothbrush, handful of change and passport. That's all I need. That's all I've got. Twenty one years of living and it fits into a small rucksack. What the hell happened to me. I should of left a long time ago.
I scurry down the stairs and out of the house, leaving behind the squawking sounds of my mother in the distance.
I race down the road, adrenaline making my throat jump up into my mouth. Please be there, Katie. Please be there.
The graffiti ridden bus shelter is in sight; but it's empty. Not a single person in sight. Just me and a solemn street light, flickering every time an insect catches its heat.
I check my phone: Eight forty three. I'm late. She's left without me.
I slump to the curb and throw my head into my hands.
An old, tangerine coloured banger, rolls up in front of me, its rusted wheel arches spitting flakes of paint at me while the fumes of its engine encircle my face, trying their best to choke me out in its poisonous fog.
I stay still and gladly breath in the fumes. I don't want to get up any more.
"Hey, JayJay," shouts a voice from inside.
JayJay. Only one person calls me that.
I leap to my feet to see Katie inside the car, beaming with a smile as always. I've only known her for a day and yet, I feel like I couldn't live without seeing that smile every day. It's addictive.
"I thought you'd left without me."
"I'd never leave you behind, JayJay. I'd have no one to lie with."
"I never lie," I laugh.
"You just did then."
"Does lying about a lie make it the truth? Or is it like two wrongs don't make a right sort of thing."
"Will you just get in already," she giggles.
I toss my bag through the broken back window and jump into the front, knocking the side mirror off when slamming the door shut.
"Where did you get this rusty bucket from?"
"How rude, this is an antique I'll have you know."
"That's one word for it."
"It's still got some life in it, not a lot, but still some."
I peer over at the mileage counter. Two hundred thousands miles on the clock. I'd be surprised if this thing made it to the end of street let alone airport.
"How much did it cost?"
"Two hundred quid."
"You got a seventy thousand pound loan from the bank and you only pay two hundred quid for a car. Are you sure you're not secretly rich?"
"I didn't want to waste the money. We're only going to ditch it when we get to the airport anyway."
"I think it deserves to be burnt when we get to the airport."
She pats her hand on the dash, "Don't say that, you'll hurt her feelings."
"I think she's more likely to hurt me, have you not seen that broken glass in the back?"
"Yeah...that wasn't entirely her fault. I kind of reversed into a car earlier."
I look at the window, then back at her, "I think it was a bit more then kind of."
"It was a black sports car, I couldn't see it in the dark."
"Black sports car? What did the driver look like?"
"A bit of a douche. You know, long hair combed back towards his neck, big sunglasses on at night time,"
"I know exactly what you mean, Kate. Exactly what you mean. Let's get out of here," I say with a big smile on my face. "I'm done with this place."
Chapter Eight
We arrive at the airport car park in the middle of the night, the sea of cars blending into one under the barely lit street lamps above.
"There's a space, Kate," I point.
<
br /> She spins the wheel and misses the space, riding up the curb and smashing into the concrete post instead, my seat belt constricting my chest like a snake.
"I think I should drive next time," I say, rubbing my neck.
"I'm so sorry, JayJay. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I lie. Two car crashes in a day. My neck is killing. I really need to stay away from these things.
"Do you think someone will notice if I leave it here?"
"It's a bright orange car, Kate. People are going to notice," I laugh. "Let's just get out of here quick."
We stumble out the car and grab our stuff, heading for the entrance of the airport.
She nudges into me and smiles.
"What?"
"Nothing. I'm excited, aren't you?"
I raise my hands to show them trembling, "I think so, but that could of been the car crash."
"I'm starting to think cars don't like you, JayJay."
We walk through the slider doors and into the checking area, the sounds of loud chattering and children screaming make my ears twitch.
She peers up at me with those long lashes flickering like whips, "So, JayJay. Where would you like to go?"
I look up at the yellow and black flight planner hanging from the ceiling, "There's so many. Where do you want to go?"
"Paris, Beijing, Moscow, New York, there's so many," she says, gleaming. "Wait, I've got an idea."
She sprints off towards the souvenir shop and I chase after her, "Wait, where you going?"
She stops in front of a carousel filled with various postcards from different locations, a bit like the one we saw at the travel agents earlier.
"We'll spin it around and whatever location it lands on, we'll go there."
"How do we know what it will land on?"
She stands on her tip toes and places her hands over my eyes, "Spin it and point, JayJay."
I reach out and flick the metal wire with the corner of my finger, my hands still trembling. I stick out my other hand and point, the sounds of metal squeaking as the carousel spins around and around. Our lives in the hands of fate; the first time I've ever felt in control in my entire life.
I feel her body lean into mine. Her warm breath in my ear.
"Las Vegas," she whispers, catching her lip on the bottom of my ear. The hairs prick up on the back of my neck.
"Vegas it is," I croak.
"Are you okay, JayJay?"
I try to clear my voice with a cough, "Yeah, I'm great. Let's go get them tickets."
"Okay, follow me," she says, dancing off towards the counter. Her eyes flicking back up at me with a smile. When did she get so beautiful?
We stand in the queue, sweat dripping down my forehead every time a police officer walks past. I open my passport and try to flick the shaking pages over.
A hand appears on mine, "Calm down, JayJay. It's going to be fine."
"What if they catch us?"
"They won't, trust me," she says.
I do trust her, but my body obviously doesn't. It just won't stop shaking.
I try to distract myself by reading my passport:
Name: Jaime James. Such a stupid name
Date of birth: 17.09.1993
Blood type: O-
"I didn't know blood type was on your passport? Do you have it on yours Kate?"
"Err, I don’t know. We're next though, c'mon let's go."
I follow her over to the counter.
"Two tickets to Vegas please," says Katie.
The check in clerk starts smashing the keys of the computer with her long, manicured nails, "There's no economy seats available today I'm afraid."
"Well that's lucky because we're flying first class today," beams Katie.
The clerk's eyes brighten, "First class? Two seats are available, but if you want to get on a plane today, you'll have to pay extra."
"That shouldn't be a problem, should it, JayJay."
She flicks her wrist and a gold credit card flys out and lands on the desk, "Are meals included?"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
We go through all the security checks and sit down in the waiting area, not a single person in sight.
"Where is everyone?"
I flick my phone out, but can't steady my hand. My whole body is still shaking. Why can't I just control my body. It doesn't make sense.
She grabs my hand and looks into my eyes, "Are you okay, JayJay?"
"Yeah, well, I don’t know. I'm nervous, excited, and afraid all at the same time."
She squeezes my hand, "That's called living."
A thin, silver bracket on her wrist sparkles; O- engraved in to its side. She's got the same blood type as me. I'm starting to think this day was meant to happen.
"Is that your blood type, Kate?" I ask.
She looses my hand and hides the bracelet under her sleeve, "Yeah, it's nothing."
"Is it for your shoulder? How is your shoulder by the way?"
"Yeah, it's a lot better, thanks."
"Have you got enough pills to last the trip?"
"I think so. I don't like to think about it. I don't like being ill."
"Boarding for flight 765 to Las Vegas, is now accepting seats ranging from 1 to 50. Please have your boarding pass and passport at hand, thank you."
I take a glance at my ticket: seat number 25. "I guess that's us then. Are you ready, Kate?"
"I've been ready all my life, JayJay."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
We board the plane and take our seats. Can't believe this is happening. I've never done anything like this before, but yet, it feels right. Like it's meant to happen.
The plane spins onto the runway. I can hear the wheels squeak as they try to gain traction on the soaked tarmac. Please, don't let this crash.
The plane shoots off down the runway, throwing me back into my seat. I squeeze the rests, my finger nails digging into the plastic. I slam my eyelids shut. Just let us get in the air. Just let us get in the air.
"JayJay," I hear. "Look outside."
I peer out of my eye and look out the window. A flock of birds are flying beside the plane, disappearing and reappearing as they cross the clouds, the beautiful orange glow of the city below.
"No wonder birds always choose to fly," says Kate. She places her open hand on the window, "I'm glad I got to see this."
A tear drips down her cheek and I flick my thumb up to catch it. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just really happy right now. I'm glad you came with me."
I stare into her eyes. "Me too."
The orange seat belt light beeps making me jump.
"Passengers are aloud to move around freely. The refreshments trolley will be around shortly. Thank you for choosing to fly with Air America."
Kate unbuckles her seat belt and climbs over me, "I just need to go to the bathroom."
Before I can say anything, she dashes down the aisle and slams the door shut behind her. Must of been desperate.
I pull out my phone and go into text messages. Probably best to tell mom and dad where I am. It wasn't their fault really. If I'd have been working sooner, they wouldn't have had to do that.
The toilet door opens and Kate emerges from inside with her sleeve to her mouth. Her skin pale and eyes almost closed.
I get up and help her sit down, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Just a little sick. I guess I don't travel that well," she winces.
"Do you want some water?"
She pulls up her bag and starts searching through it, "It's alright, I've got some in here somewhere."
She pops two more pills, like before, and washes it down with a bottle of water.
"I know I keep asking, but are you sure you're okay?"
"Stop worrying, I'm fine."
"Just don't get dying on me, okay," I laugh.
She rests her head on my lap, "I can't make any promises."
I stroke my hand through her hair, unusually grainy, not soft like it
looks. "I wouldn't let you anyway."
"I'm so tired, JayJay," she whispers. "Wake me up when we get there?"
"Yeah, I will. Just rest, Kate. You'll feel better in the morning."
Chapter Nine
The plane bumps and I jump back to life. I rub the sleep out of my eyes. When did I fall asleep?
I look to my left and right. The plane's empty, not a single person insight. Where'd everyone go? Where's Katie?
I unbuckle my belt and stand up. Nothing. Not a soul. Not even my stuff.
The curtain rustles at the end of the aisle, a pair of boots shifting beneath. I edge closer.
"Kate? Is that you?"
The curtain flys open and I see Katie standing with a broad smile on her face, "Welcome to Las Vegas!"
She sprints towards me and grabs my hand, "Come on, let's go!"
"What about my stuff?"
"I've already packed it into the limo, don't worry. I did everything while you slept."
"Slept? Why didn't you wake me...wait...did you just say limo?"
She drags me down the stairs by the corner of my sleeve and out of the plane.
A man dressed in a suit and tie is waiting at the bottom beside a stretch limousine, his hands folded beside his waist.
"You've got to be joking me. How did you manage this?"
She holds my hand, "I wanted to surprise you. You've had a rough day."
I look at her and she nudges me in the shoulder. My stomach flipping. I feel strange, like, I don't know. I just can't explain it.
"Are you ready, Mr and Mrs Banks?"
I snap out of my trance and look at the man in the suit, "Yeah, we're coming."
We walk down the stairs and I whisper to Katie, "Mr and Mrs Banks?"
"I thought it would be more believable," she smiles. "Don't you like it? We could always get a divorce if not."
We laugh our way into the limo and sit on either side, facing one another.
"Where to, sir?" says the Driver.
"Erm, I don’t know. Show use everything, I guess."
"Las Vegas strip it is then," shouts the Driver. "The entertainment capital of the world."
He starts up the engine and flys off down the airport runway, exiting through a fenced gate at the side.
"How come we didn't have to check out or anything?
Kate laughs, "It turns out money can buy you everything, JayJay."
She roots through a fridge in the corner. Her face lights up. "Champagne anyone?"
She pulls out two green bottles and throws one to me. Her eye sparkling as she points it at me, her red thumb pressed into the cork.
"Don't do it, Kate."
"Do what? Oh, you mean this!" She flicks the cork off and sprays it in my face. I throw my arm up to shield my eyes while flicking the cork off with the other. I spray her back as she screams, her hair drenched over her face. Champagne spattering everywhere, we giggle as we fire some froth at the driver.