Here's To Getting Caught With You

This was it. I flashed my boarding pass to the employee by Gate 9 and didn't bother looking back. I was ready to start a new life.

My parents had let me down once again. Year after year they would leave me to work abroad, putting their jobs before their own child. Now, they seemed to have given up having a child altogether. They were sending me to live with some old friends that i'd never met or even heard of before they pitched their idea of travelling the world to me. It felt like i was being adopted, and hopefully my new family would fill the gaps my own family had failed to fill with nourishment and reliable relationships.

I found my seat almost instantly, swiftly scooting my rucksack beneath the seat before me and buckling myself in. My eyes fluttered to my right, landing on the other planes outside. It got my mind whirring as i imagined where each flight was headed, who was inside and why they were leaving. Their parents probably didn't abandon them. I slumped back in my seat at the thought, why was i always so bitter? At least my parents didn't leave me to fend for myself. Shaking my internal argument from my mind, i slipped my iPod from my bag and plugged the buds into my ears.

No, no, no, no, no, no, yes.

I settled on the song that held my favourite memories. Mostly of my best friend, Ava, whom i wouldn't be seeing in person for a hell of a long time. It was her favourite band, the one she would scream about in public, the one who picked her mood up when it fell, the one she made me listen to one summer when we spent the week in Paris. The Maine would soon become a band i couldn't bear to listen to when i eventually missed her too much. They were never my favourite band, i would only listen to them occasionally when i was feeling sentimental.

I woke just before the plane landed and as soon as it did so, i scurried off in search of my luggage.

Spotting the band stickers i had sprinkled over my suitcase, i lifted it from the conveyor belt and sighed. There was absolutely no going back, now. I had made it to Arizona and all i could do was find my new family and start over. Nobody here knew of my past mistakes or anything about me. I could finally be who i wanted with no trouble. I could-

"Isabella!" I turned to find a middle-aged couple waving me over.

"Please, call me Izzy." I smiled genuinely.

The blonde haired woman nodded, "Of course, of course. Oh! I'm Jenny, this is John, we've heard so much about you. I hope you like your room, i spent two weeks decorating it. I thought it would be nice to go out for dinner to welcome you properly, oh, it's going to be so lovely. I have to warn you, Arizona is hotter than hell! I have plenty of sunscreen, don't worry-"

"Jenny, let her breathe." John laughed, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "Come on, we don't want Shane to die in that car."

Jenny nodded and lead us to the car, where a boy around my age was waiting in the back seat.

"Took you long enough!" He fumed as soon as the door opened, "I'm sweating my ass off in here, couldn't you have left the air con on?!"

"This is Isabella. Call her Izzy." Jenny introduced as she ignored his rant. I got the feeling he was one to overreact a lot.

"Hey Izzy, i'm Shane." He stuck out his hand and i shook it, carefully sliding in beside him, "I hope you like having burnt skin."