‹ Prequel: 53 Minutes That Changed My Life
Status: Beginning
Happy Times
Single
It was 8:22 and Madeline and Jeff were late. We have to leave for the airport at 8:30, where are they? I checked and rechecked my room making sure I had everything I would need. My phone buzzed with a text from Jeff.
JEFF: we r on our way upstairs
SIERRA: did u tell her??????
JEFF: nope
SIERRA: =(
JEFF: i couldn’t do it
I sighed with frustration. Now I would have to spend my entire vacation feeling guilty. I went back out to the living room and sat on the couch next to my Vera Bradley matching backpack and duffle bag. Madeline burst through the door.
“Can you grab my suitcase? I have to change!” She called over her shoulder as she ran into her room. I followed her and grabbed her bags.
“Where’s Jeff?” I called through the closed bathroom door.
“He’s downstairs grabbing his stuff. I told him we would meet him down at his place.”
“How was the beach?”
“Oh, um it was uh good.” She said walking out of the bathroom, tying her hair up in a ponytail. “You look cute.”
“Really?” I said looking down at my outfit, which was just jean shorts, a green tank top and Rainbow flipflops. “I just went for a run and took a shower so I kind of threw this on.”
“You look better than you did this morning.” She countered.
“Point taken, but it would be hard to look worse than I did this morning.” I stepped in front of her full-length mirror. My legs did look long and tan. The green tank top did make my tan pop and my hair was straight and shiny.
“Let’s go.” Madeline said grabbing her purse off her bed. I went to go grab my duffle from the living room and followed her down the hall to Jeff’s. His door was being propped open by a huge black suitcase.
“Jeff! Let’s go!” I hollered into his apartment. He stepped out from the kitchen.
“I’m coming relax!”
“This place looks so empty.” I said.
“Well, yeah, Justin he, um, took his stuff with him. You know, to Charlotte.” He said and I immediately felt stupid, of course, half the stuff in the apartment was Justin’s.
Madeline must have sensed my immediate awkwardness because she started walking back toward the elevators and I quickly followed. I punched the elevator button.
“Do you have the boarding passes?” Jeff asked.
“Right here.” I said patting my backpack. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, impatiently waiting for the elevator.
“What’s got you so hyper?” Jeff joked.
“I, um, went for a run this morning, and it kind of makes me jittery. You know, Runner’s High or whatever.” I said as the elevator door dinged open.
The ride to the airport was mostly quiet except for Madeline occasionally pointing out a song on the radio. We checked our bags and went straight for the security check. I saw an opportunity to talk to Jeff about telling Madeline when she had to wait for the people to check her bag.
I pulled him aside toward the chairs. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
He rolled his eyes. “It was supposed to be a happy day, and I didn’t want to ruin it. Have her run off or something. I mean, you know how she handles her emotions.”
“I know, I know. She runs away, it’s one of the many things we have in common.”
“But, Sierra, you’re strong enough to put it behind you and confront your problems. Madeline, well, she just doesn’t do that.”
“Mad isn’t the little princess you treat her like, and if you are not going to tell her than I am.” I said firmly, putting my hands on my hips for emphasis.
“Sierra, no please don’t.” He took my hands off my hips and put his on my shoulders. “I will ok? Just give me some time.”
Madeline walked over to us, “You guys ready to go? The plane should be boarding soon.”
I tried to lighten the tension between Jeff and I. “So Jeff, do you know what other players are coming this week?”
“Yeah I do, why?” He questioned.
“Because I am totally single, now.” I smirked.
Madeline laughed and Jeff just snickered. “In case you are wondering, Carey Price is coming.”
I smacked Madeline on the arm, “You told him!”
“Yeah, so? He would of found out when you started following Price around like a lost puppy.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Guys! Our plane is boarding.” Jeff said and we ran toward the gate and straight on the plane.
I put my stuff away and settled into my seat, before we even took off, I was asleep.
JEFF: we r on our way upstairs
SIERRA: did u tell her??????
JEFF: nope
SIERRA: =(
JEFF: i couldn’t do it
I sighed with frustration. Now I would have to spend my entire vacation feeling guilty. I went back out to the living room and sat on the couch next to my Vera Bradley matching backpack and duffle bag. Madeline burst through the door.
“Can you grab my suitcase? I have to change!” She called over her shoulder as she ran into her room. I followed her and grabbed her bags.
“Where’s Jeff?” I called through the closed bathroom door.
“He’s downstairs grabbing his stuff. I told him we would meet him down at his place.”
“How was the beach?”
“Oh, um it was uh good.” She said walking out of the bathroom, tying her hair up in a ponytail. “You look cute.”
“Really?” I said looking down at my outfit, which was just jean shorts, a green tank top and Rainbow flipflops. “I just went for a run and took a shower so I kind of threw this on.”
“You look better than you did this morning.” She countered.
“Point taken, but it would be hard to look worse than I did this morning.” I stepped in front of her full-length mirror. My legs did look long and tan. The green tank top did make my tan pop and my hair was straight and shiny.
“Let’s go.” Madeline said grabbing her purse off her bed. I went to go grab my duffle from the living room and followed her down the hall to Jeff’s. His door was being propped open by a huge black suitcase.
“Jeff! Let’s go!” I hollered into his apartment. He stepped out from the kitchen.
“I’m coming relax!”
“This place looks so empty.” I said.
“Well, yeah, Justin he, um, took his stuff with him. You know, to Charlotte.” He said and I immediately felt stupid, of course, half the stuff in the apartment was Justin’s.
Madeline must have sensed my immediate awkwardness because she started walking back toward the elevators and I quickly followed. I punched the elevator button.
“Do you have the boarding passes?” Jeff asked.
“Right here.” I said patting my backpack. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, impatiently waiting for the elevator.
“What’s got you so hyper?” Jeff joked.
“I, um, went for a run this morning, and it kind of makes me jittery. You know, Runner’s High or whatever.” I said as the elevator door dinged open.
The ride to the airport was mostly quiet except for Madeline occasionally pointing out a song on the radio. We checked our bags and went straight for the security check. I saw an opportunity to talk to Jeff about telling Madeline when she had to wait for the people to check her bag.
I pulled him aside toward the chairs. “Why didn’t you tell her?”
He rolled his eyes. “It was supposed to be a happy day, and I didn’t want to ruin it. Have her run off or something. I mean, you know how she handles her emotions.”
“I know, I know. She runs away, it’s one of the many things we have in common.”
“But, Sierra, you’re strong enough to put it behind you and confront your problems. Madeline, well, she just doesn’t do that.”
“Mad isn’t the little princess you treat her like, and if you are not going to tell her than I am.” I said firmly, putting my hands on my hips for emphasis.
“Sierra, no please don’t.” He took my hands off my hips and put his on my shoulders. “I will ok? Just give me some time.”
Madeline walked over to us, “You guys ready to go? The plane should be boarding soon.”
I tried to lighten the tension between Jeff and I. “So Jeff, do you know what other players are coming this week?”
“Yeah I do, why?” He questioned.
“Because I am totally single, now.” I smirked.
Madeline laughed and Jeff just snickered. “In case you are wondering, Carey Price is coming.”
I smacked Madeline on the arm, “You told him!”
“Yeah, so? He would of found out when you started following Price around like a lost puppy.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Guys! Our plane is boarding.” Jeff said and we ran toward the gate and straight on the plane.
I put my stuff away and settled into my seat, before we even took off, I was asleep.