Always Move Forward, chapter 1
I sighed, sinking into my seat and taping what was left of my chewed nails on my thigh. This is going to be a long flight, I told myself looking at my surroundings. There was an elderly couple arguing about what they would have for dinner the next night. I smiled to myself thinking about my own grandparents. They always had arguments similar to theirs. I was just leaving Minnesota after a week of visiting my aunt Janelle at her house. Janelle was my best friend; I could talk to her about everything. I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a tap on my right shoulder. I looked up to see a man with sunglasses and an old-fashion hat on. "Can I help you, sir?" I asked, pushing my brown hair out of my eyes.
"Excuse me miss, that's my seat right next to you and I was..."
He said before I cut him off, "Oh! I'm sorry," I said lifting my knees to my chin letting him slide past me to sit down next to me at the window.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." He smiled, taking off his hat. I put my legs back down. He looked over at me and grinned a little. I smiled in return.
"I'm terrified of flying," I said, tapping my fingers against my legs and biting my lip a little. He looked over at me and chuckled.
"A little out of the blue, don't you think?" He said grinning. I laughed nervously.
"I guess..." I said, finally taking a good look at this man's face. I noticed his smile wrinkles around his eyes and bushy eyebrows. He had thick black hair that looked stiff and full of hair spray and gel. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green. He looked back at me as I smiled. He smiled back.
"Can I get you two anything?" A flight attendant asked, smiling brightly at both of us.
"Could I get a bottle of water please?" I asked nicely, picking up my bag.
"Sure thing sweetheart, anything for you Sir?" She asked looking at the man next to me.
"Actually water sounds fine, thank you," He said smoothly.
"I'll have that for you two right away!" She exclaimed, winking at us.
"How are they so peppy all the time?" He asked, chuckling. I grinned at him.
The seatbelt light started flashing. Indicating that we were about to take off. I strapped myself in. I glanced to my left to see the stranger buckling himself in as well. I held my breath as the plane started to shake. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped onto my bag that was between my legs. After several minutes I felt a tap on my shoulder. I opened one eye to see two green ones staring right back at me.
"The take off is over, you can relax for a little bit now," He said. I could hear the humor in his voice.
"Right, thanks," I replied. I mentally slapped myself for being such an idiot.
"Flights are so much better when it's daytime," He said looking out the window. "It's so gloomy when it's pitch black," He explained. I nodded.
"I hate flying in general, it doesn't matter what time of day it is," I said, noticing that I sounded a little bitter. "Sorry if I sound like a bitch right now. I just..." I said before he cut me off.
"Nope, perfectly fine. You apologize too much, take it easy," He said, laughing.
What a laid back person he is, am I really this uptight? I asked myself while taking a swig of my water.
"I could really use a drink right about now," I whispered more to myself than anyone else.
"Amen to that," The man next to me said softly, chuckling a little. I smirked back at him and pulled out a magazine my friend lend me. 789 ways to look sexy, Dress like you've got a stylist, Make your skin glow. I rolled my eyes.
"How exactly do you make your skin glow?" The man asked me sarcastically.
"Very funny wise guy," I said as I flipped threw the magazine. I laid my eyes upon dozens of "free" ring tones. I looked through the list.
1 2 step, All you need is love, All falls down, American Idiot, Bad day, Basket case, Be without you, Because of you. Beside the list was a small picture of a band. "Get all of your favorite Green Day ring tones at www.zed.com." I looked at the picture closely. My eyes widened.
'How could I not know who he is?' I asked myself. I tossed the magazine back into my bag.
"My favorite is Basket Case," The man next to me said quietly. "American Idiot sounds too jingly," He said looking at me. I knew I had American Idiot on my cell phone, my friend had put it on there without me knowing. I pulled out my cell phone and turned on American Idiot. It started to play softly.
"I don't know...it doesn't sound that bad," I said grinning at him. "My name's Annaka," I said holding out my hand.
"Billie Joe," He said, taking my hand.
We shook.
"Excuse me miss, that's my seat right next to you and I was..."
He said before I cut him off, "Oh! I'm sorry," I said lifting my knees to my chin letting him slide past me to sit down next to me at the window.
"It's fine, don't worry about it." He smiled, taking off his hat. I put my legs back down. He looked over at me and grinned a little. I smiled in return.
"I'm terrified of flying," I said, tapping my fingers against my legs and biting my lip a little. He looked over at me and chuckled.
"A little out of the blue, don't you think?" He said grinning. I laughed nervously.
"I guess..." I said, finally taking a good look at this man's face. I noticed his smile wrinkles around his eyes and bushy eyebrows. He had thick black hair that looked stiff and full of hair spray and gel. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green. He looked back at me as I smiled. He smiled back.
"Can I get you two anything?" A flight attendant asked, smiling brightly at both of us.
"Could I get a bottle of water please?" I asked nicely, picking up my bag.
"Sure thing sweetheart, anything for you Sir?" She asked looking at the man next to me.
"Actually water sounds fine, thank you," He said smoothly.
"I'll have that for you two right away!" She exclaimed, winking at us.
"How are they so peppy all the time?" He asked, chuckling. I grinned at him.
The seatbelt light started flashing. Indicating that we were about to take off. I strapped myself in. I glanced to my left to see the stranger buckling himself in as well. I held my breath as the plane started to shake. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped onto my bag that was between my legs. After several minutes I felt a tap on my shoulder. I opened one eye to see two green ones staring right back at me.
"The take off is over, you can relax for a little bit now," He said. I could hear the humor in his voice.
"Right, thanks," I replied. I mentally slapped myself for being such an idiot.
"Flights are so much better when it's daytime," He said looking out the window. "It's so gloomy when it's pitch black," He explained. I nodded.
"I hate flying in general, it doesn't matter what time of day it is," I said, noticing that I sounded a little bitter. "Sorry if I sound like a bitch right now. I just..." I said before he cut me off.
"Nope, perfectly fine. You apologize too much, take it easy," He said, laughing.
What a laid back person he is, am I really this uptight? I asked myself while taking a swig of my water.
"I could really use a drink right about now," I whispered more to myself than anyone else.
"Amen to that," The man next to me said softly, chuckling a little. I smirked back at him and pulled out a magazine my friend lend me. 789 ways to look sexy, Dress like you've got a stylist, Make your skin glow. I rolled my eyes.
"How exactly do you make your skin glow?" The man asked me sarcastically.
"Very funny wise guy," I said as I flipped threw the magazine. I laid my eyes upon dozens of "free" ring tones. I looked through the list.
1 2 step, All you need is love, All falls down, American Idiot, Bad day, Basket case, Be without you, Because of you. Beside the list was a small picture of a band. "Get all of your favorite Green Day ring tones at www.zed.com." I looked at the picture closely. My eyes widened.
'How could I not know who he is?' I asked myself. I tossed the magazine back into my bag.
"My favorite is Basket Case," The man next to me said quietly. "American Idiot sounds too jingly," He said looking at me. I knew I had American Idiot on my cell phone, my friend had put it on there without me knowing. I pulled out my cell phone and turned on American Idiot. It started to play softly.
"I don't know...it doesn't sound that bad," I said grinning at him. "My name's Annaka," I said holding out my hand.
"Billie Joe," He said, taking my hand.
We shook.
