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The Flight That Changed Everything

Carissa Rains

    “You got to be joking, right?” Kris exclaimed as he arrived at his seat on the airplane. He was going out of state to the lacrosse championship game, forcibly seated next to the opposing team’s MVP Ryan Bick. The place smelt like a sweaty locker room filled with teenage boys. This lady and her baby were sitting a few rows back. Her baby must have been hungry, confused, or scared due to the horrific scream that was radiating from that little body.
    “This must be a mistake. I was supposed to sit next to my teammates.” Kris sighed and looked saddened.
    “Oh, hell no!” Ryan yelled back. As the flight attendant got on the intercom advising everyone to get in their seats to hear instructions. Kris shrugged his shoulders and slumped into his seat. The tension rising like a volcano you can see steam coming out of their ears. Only two flight attendants were on the airplane, both were standing straightforward towards the front of the plane. Their hands were moving side-to-side and backward toward the exit signs. One lady grabbed an oxygen mask and placed it over her head. Then, they both grabbed a flotation device and showed what happens if the plane lands in the water. Kris almost drowned when he was little and was terrified of landing in the water. He sweat and his throat tightened up.
    The captain got on the intercom and said, “The weather is clear and expected to be a smooth ride, like spreading jelly on a sandwich.” The boys looked at each other with their eyebrows raised.
    “He must be hungry,” Ryan said, and both let out a slight laugh. They realized whom they were laughing with and gave each other a mean look. Kris rolled his eyes and looked back, trying to find a familiar face from his team. He frantically looked around, noticing each row of seats filled with people. His teammates were in the back; so far away Kris felt like they were thousands of miles from him.
    As the plane was rolling forward, getting ready to take off, Ryan grabbed his headphones to listen to music. The flight was only three hours long but already felt like a lifetime. The seatbelt light flashed off, and flight attendants started strolling down the aisle to hand out refreshments. Kris was nervous but had already planned to read during the flight. With shaky hands, he pulled out his book from his backpack. Scavenging through his paperwork and clothes he found the book. The book was written by Cate Taylor. It was a romance lacrosse book titled Body. He knew he might get made fun of by his team, which he could handle. The thought of his rival team player knowing he read romance novels made his stomach turn. Without hesitation, Ryan paused his music, took out his earbuds, with wide eyes gazing at the book Kris was holding. Kris felt Ryan’s gaze upon him and stopped reading.
    “Okay, first off, it is a story about a lacrosse player and second, I like romance novels.” Kris paused and sighed. He raised his voice with conviction and said, “Don’t judge me!”
    Ryan laughed, “Don’t worry, bro. My favorite movie is The Notebook.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Yeah, dude. The dedication that Noah had to tell stories to his wife to help her remember who he is, makes me relate to the dedication I have to lacrosse,” he paused, “I know it’s a different aspect and story, but I got to say the love story is pretty badass too.” Both boys realized then that they have more in common than just lacrosse and being on rival teams. The airplane was descending. The seatbelt light flashed back on, and the flight attendants hurried to their seats for landing.
    In a shaky voice, both boys said, “It was surprisingly okay to sit next to you.” They laughed again and shook hands sneakily so nobody could see.
    “You are still my enemy on the field but off the field, you’re not too bad.” Ryan declared. Kris nodded his head in agreement, grabbed his bag, and headed off the airplane to catch up with his buddies.

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