Chapter Three

Jessica’s stomach dropped as the plane hit yet another air pocket. Jessica’s hand immediately went to her seatbelt self consciencely. “ What am I doing?” she asked herself, “seatbelts don’t prevent crashes in planes, you idiot!” Glancing next to her, she noticed her younger sister, Nicole, looking eagerly out the window. “What do you see, Niky?” Jessica asked, trying to get her mind off of her queasy stomach. “Lot’s of stuff!” her sister replied, not even turning her head. “Well, THAT was helpful...” she thought to herself.

It had been a little over an hour since Jessica and her family had boarded the plane to Ohio, and Jessica couldn’t wait to get off. She never was a fan of flying, probably because of all the plane crash books she was enthralled with in the fourth grade. A crash scene entered her mind every time there was the slightest jerk. As if on cue, the plane hit another air pocket. Feeling her seat quake slightly, she gripped the arms of it, and closed her eyes. “Candy...pizza...puppies...,” she recited in her head, forcing herself to think of other things. Opening her eyes again, she spotted the back of her mother’s blonde head several rows in front of her. The airline had messed up their seats, placing the four they needed in different sections of the plane. When Jessica found out, she had degraded herself by begging her mom to sit with her. She still didn’t care that she had practically acted like her four-year old sister. She was about to vomit.

But it turned out, that Mrs. Sarka was sitting with Kara, and Jessica with Nicole. Her father wasn’t on the plane, leaving for Ohio a week earlier. He was a doctor for Cancer patients, and they needed him up there for some emergency.

After coloring for what seemed like hours, Jessica concluded that a seven-year old’s life was extremely boring. How could crayons really amaze a child that much? However, playing with Nicole for awhile did keep her mind off of the plane ride, but that soon ended when Nicole discovered the many shapes that she could make out of the clouds outside her window.

Jessica was now tracing out the pattern on the fabric of her seat with her finger. She had never been so bored , or nauseous, her whole life. She reached for her carry-on bag under her seat, hoping to find a good book to read, but instead pulled out her computer laptop case. Quickly, she shoved it back under. She had been avoiding looking at it all this time, not wanting to be disappointed when there wasn’t an e-mail from Taylor.

Crossing her legs, she started tapping on the plastic armchair with her nails. She always tapped on things when she was nervous. The lady in front of her turned around, her eyebrows in a thin line, probably for the fourth time that hour. “Sorry,” Jessica mouthed, and placed her hands in her lap. The lady turned back around, but Jessica was sure the line was still visible.

Jessica glanced at the row next to her. She could make out a guy, closest to the window, talking on a cellular, while at the same time, frantically typing on his own laptop. She shook her head and sighed. “If that isn’t some kind of sign, then I don’t know what is, “she thought. She grabbed the laptop again from under the seat, and placed it on the food tray in front of her. While waiting for it to boot up, Jessica looked at her watch. 2:17. They were supposed to reach Ohio at 2:30. “15 minutes...” Jessica muttered as she started her modem.

Holding her breath, she cautiously went into her e-mail. Suprised, she noticed that she had one message. Clicking the link, she started to read...

“The people?” Jessica uttered, her eyes wide, not sure as to what she was reading. “This HAS to be some kind of joke.” Jessica thought back to all the e-mails Taylor had written her. By the way he talked sometimes, she was positive that he had told someone about her...like his brother or something. A strange feeling came over her. She was now sure that he was keeping something from her...

The instant message said as it suddenly popped up on her screen. “This ought to be good...” Jessica said, and wrote her response.

Jessica closed her eyes, realizing she was being pretty harsh. She had never talked to Taylor like that before, and it ever hurt her. “ He’s allowed his secrets, Jess....you have yours,” she said softly.

Suddenly, Jessica could hear the pilots voice loud and clear coming from the intercom ahead of them. “ We are now circling the Watermark Airport, and will probably land in 5 minutes. Please get ready for landing, pushing your food trays up and reposition your seats to the upright sitting position. I hope you have had a nice flight, and thank-you for choosing Delta.”

Jessica looked out the window, and could see the air strip to the left of them. Sighing, she turned back to the computer.

Jessica looked at the people around her, putting up their trays, and fastening their seatbelts. Suddenly, something hit her. She was going to say this if she had to stay on the plane to do it.

Jessica quickly pressed the power button, not caring whether it broke the computer or not. She didn’t want to hear what Taylor had to say. She needed to prepare herself, and this was not the time. Feeling her ears close, she realized how close they were to landing. She drew her attention to her excited sister in the seat next to her.

****I am in no way associated with Hanson or Mercury Records. What you are reading is purely fiction. F-I-C-T-I-O-N.****