Rhythm of Love

Nora’s Point of View

Everything flew by so quickly in an airplane; the forestry, the airport, the buildings and people, and even the runway itself. One after the other, it all blew right by as the plane accelerated to speeds much too fast to ever drive on the highway until it finally began to rise. At an instant, my ears began to pop from the new pressure and I involuntarily winced. Next to me, Eli was laughing and shouting in delight, as if being on a plane was anything like being on a rollercoaster. Which it most definitely wasn’t. I, on the other hand, instantly felt sick to my stomach and wanted to get off of the plane right then and there, even if that meant tumbling out the window. A few rows up, I caught sight of Alex and I could only guess he was thinking the same thing: Two freaking hours to go.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the idea of flying but there’s something about trusting my life in some pilot that doesn’t go over well, and then there’s the pressure which they should know how to control better, but even that wasn’t what made my stomach ache. Or, moreover, my chest. Eli stopped laughing and ruffled my hair, causing my stomach to knot up again while he told me to calm down. I have to do it… I thought as he continued smiling at me. All you have to do is tell him the truth and that’s it… However, the way he just looked so happy made it so difficult, even if I terribly wanted to be with Alex right now. This thought made my heart ache again and I internally screamed at myself.

I’ll tell him at the Disney Resort. No sweat.

However, what couldn’t be pushed into the back of my mind was what Alex had meant when he said that I had to tell myself the truth. What could I be lying to myself about? My mind pondered this as the scenery below slowly started to fade away as the airplane lifted into the clouds. Next to me, Eli had begun to snore, which was surprising seeing as only a few minutes ago he was screaming like a little kid. Without thinking, I turned to face him and poked him gently on the cheek and laughed when his face scrunched up and he turned away. In front of me, Cyn climbed up on the chair and grinned down at me. She said, “I can’t wait to go to Disney and see all the characters! This is so exciting!” Next to her, Beech bounced up as well and nodded her head furiously.

A stewardess sent the two girls a look, and then to me and from what I could tell it was her way of saying to tell them to sit down. After I did because the last thing I needed was to get lectured by the woman, I answered, “I’m glad – I thought this would be fun. Plus, it gives Mom and Dad a break from your dramatic antics.” While Beech giggled, Cyn sent me a glare and her lips were pursed.

After the first hour flew by, I started getting antsy in my seat. Eli was still asleep and Cyn and Beech were too busy talking about some cute boy they met at their school, which left me with nothing to do. I fished through my bag to find my iPod, but frowned when I noticed the battery was nearly dead. You’ve got to be kidding me… I thought with a grimace. Odd, I’d thought I charged it last night, but whatever. These stupid things lose charge too quickly anyway. Peering around Eli, I faced Nicolette and Damien as they mumbled inaudibly to each other. I whispered, “Nicki! Damien!”

The turned to face me and Nicolette cocked her head to the right. “Yeah, Nor?”

“Is your iPod charged?” She nodded her answer, digging through her own carry-on bag before throwing it to me. After a quick ‘thank you’, I put on the headphones and turned on whatever song she had already been listening to.

Listen to your heart
when he's calling for you.
Listen to your heart
there's nothing else you can do.

Without a second thought, I switched it to the next song. The last thing I needed right now is to be lectured about my love life by a fricken song of all things.



Someone was shaking me quickly, and I groaned at their roughness. Blinking my eyes open, I was faced with Eli and, behind him, a wall of people I didn’t know. Through some of them, I spotted Nicolette watching us through the unknown people’s legs. She waved to me, but I was too discombobulated to wave back. It seemed that I had fallen asleep while listening to her music and the last hour had passed. Upon realizing this, I jumped to my feet and nearly whammed my head against the low ceiling. Eli chuckled and I couldn’t help but send him back a sheepish grin.

It took about a half hour to get off the plane and toward our bus. Because we were staying in a Disney Resort, they were the ones going to retrieve our stuff instead of us for which we were very thankful. Instead of sitting with Eli on the bus ride, I decided to sit with Nicolette who gawked at everything as we pulled out of the Orlando Airport. She squealed, “Look at the palm trees! And the sky is so blue! And oh my gosh, is that an airplane over there?”

“Yep,” I answered, cracking a grin. “You know, because we’re at an airport. Usually there are one or two planes.” She glared playfully at me and slapped my shoulder. The two of us shared a laugh, until she went back to sight-seeing and me back to my thoughts.

I have to tell Eli, I thought, my palms beginning to sweat as my attention flickered around the bus. I have to tell everyone. My eyes stopped on Alex, who was animatedly talking with Damien. A small smile formed on my lips before I looked away and out the window like Nicolette.

But it’s worth it in the end.