"Fly Away Home"
Maurae hugged Julie goodbye and watched her friend get onto the plane bound for Bangor, Maine. Julie was the third to leave. Ken and Russ had left three hours ago, on the same plane, bound for San Francisco so that Russ could meet Ken's family before he went home to his own in Los Angeles.
Luis was scheduled to leave next. Portman wasn't leaving for another month; he was spending the beginning of the summer with Fulton and his family in Stillwater before he went back to Chicago.
After that, she was leaving and Dwayne twenty minutes later. After Julie's plane took off, the remaining team members traversed the terminal to get to Luis' gate, where they bid goodbye to him. Maurae was, again, the last to give him a hug. She kissed his cheek, as she'd done with Julie, Russ and Ken already.
"You have to promise to write to me if I write to you," Luis said, squeezing her hand.
"I promise," she said, blinking. Luis swiped at his own eyes with the back of his hand. "Bye, Luis."
"Bye, chica. Take care of yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Okay." Luis smiled and waved, boarding the plane without looking back. Maurae's spirits sank just a little farther. It was going to be her turn in a little over an hour. They trooped to her gate as soon as Luis' plane had taxied out and she flopped down onto a plastic chair.
Dwayne sat on one side of her and took her hand. Adam sat on the other. "I'll write every day this summer," he promised. "And I'll try to write at least once a week when school starts."
"Have you found out which PeeWees team you're playing for?"
"I don't care what happens, anymore. I won't play for anyone but the Ducks. My best friends in the whole world."
"I'm going back to playing for the Eagles for a season. I don't know quite how I'll manage it, though. I hope my parents will go for this whole scholarship thing. I would so love to come back here in a year or so and play with you guys again."
"You will, babe. Your parents will go for it. They went for the whole Team USA thing."
"That was six months of one year, not nine months every year for four!" She took a deep breath. "Especially if they ask the opinions of my brothers. Neither one of them likes it when I'm gone." She sighed. "When I got here, I thought it would never be over. I was counting the days, and dreading each one. But now...I'm counting the days, dreading each one, and wishing like hell that I was staying with you guys." Dwayne squeezed her hand.
"It'll be all right, darlin'. The time will pass before you know it, and then we'll be back here, picking you up from the airport to move into the new school." She nodded and leaned onto his shoulder. He put that arm around her and held her hand with the other, his lips touching her hair. They were both only thirteen, and already acting older than that.
'Boarding call for rows twenty-five through twenty. Twenty-five through twenty.' Maurae tensed but didn't otherwise move. She was in row three, first class. She would have boarded when they called first class, but she couldn't bear to leave them yet. She needed more time.
'Boarding rows fifteen and above now, rows fifteen and above.' Dwayne tensed then. Maurae smiled and sat up, still holding his hand tightly.
"I can do this. I won't like it, but I can do it. Conditioning camp starts next week."
"And you figure if you throw yourself into as many activities as possible, you'll do all right?" Adam teased.
"Exactly." She stood up.
'Boarding rows ten and above, now, please. Ten and above.' Maurae picked up her messenger bag/carry-on and strapped it across her chest. Everyone stood with her. She held out her hand to Bombay; she'd told him the night of the camp-out that she didn't want to see the boarding pass until she was getting on the plane. Except for asking the seat number and row, she had kept to that. Bombay placed it in her hand and hugged her. She sniffed and hugged him back.
Jesse hugged her and kissed her cheek, promising to try and remember to write. Portman hugged her, kissed her cheek and patted her head, making her smile. Fulton did the same thing. Averman, Goldberg, Guy, and Connie all hugged and kissed her goodbye before backing up hurriedly. Adam and Charlie took her hands and they made a three-way hug that lasted a good minute, maybe more.
'Boarding all rows now. All rows, please.'
Tears started to flow down her cheeks when she let go of her two favorite friends. Adam kissed one wet cheek, and Charlie the other, neither able to tell whether they tasted her tears or theirs. Then she turned to Dwayne, who smiled bravely and handed her his handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. He didn't reach for it and she clutched at it.
"Keep it, to remember me by. Give it back in a year, when you get off that plane." He cupped her face and smiled, kissing her forehead. "I'll miss you."
"Oh, Dwayne!" She buried her face in his chest. The intercom began to call for standby passengers. She pulled back and kissed him in a way that thoroughly shocked them both. "To remember me by," she whispered when she'd pulled back.
'All right. May Evans, standby May Evans. Last call for Maurae Grabeklis.' She bit her lip.
"I'll see you, I promise."
'May Evans, your standby number is called.'
"Wait! I'm here! I'm here!" Maurae called, one last long look at her friends, her team, her new family. She then turned and strode for the gate, still clutching the handkerchief in her hand, tears wetting her cheeks. "I'm here," she said, walking in front of a petite redhead who glared daggers at her. The flight hostess didn't look too pleased either. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Inconvenience?! You were late. They called your name twice, your row three times, and now you show up, when they're placing me in a seat! You can't just do that!"
"I'm afraid she can, ma'am. That is what holding a ticket does for a passenger," interrupted a man's voice. He took Maurae's ticket, nudged the flight hostess out of the way and scanned it. "If you'll come with me," he said, offering his arm. Maurae hid a smirk; he couldn't have been beyond twenty, and he was no doubt trying to flirt with her. She twisted and waved vigorously at her friends.
"I'll see you in a year! You'd better write! All y'all!"
"He's turning you into a Texan, Ro!" Jesse shouted back, grinning.
"Damn straight!" She winked at Dwayne and blew him a kiss and then she was gone. The man led her to her seat and saw her settled.
"If there is anything I can do for you, let me know," he said solicitously. She nodded her thanks and pulled out her CD player once he was gone.
"This is going to be a long flight," she whispered to herself. She pulled out the journal from Guy and Jesse and started to write.
Maurae hugged Julie goodbye and watched her friend get onto the plane bound for Bangor, Maine. Julie was the third to leave. Ken and Russ had left three hours ago, on the same plane, bound for San Francisco so that Russ could meet Ken's family before he went home to his own in Los Angeles.
Luis was scheduled to leave next. Portman wasn't leaving for another month; he was spending the beginning of the summer with Fulton and his family in Stillwater before he went back to Chicago.
After that, she was leaving and Dwayne twenty minutes later. After Julie's plane took off, the remaining team members traversed the terminal to get to Luis' gate, where they bid goodbye to him. Maurae was, again, the last to give him a hug. She kissed his cheek, as she'd done with Julie, Russ and Ken already.
"You have to promise to write to me if I write to you," Luis said, squeezing her hand.
"I promise," she said, blinking. Luis swiped at his own eyes with the back of his hand. "Bye, Luis."
"Bye, chica. Take care of yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Okay." Luis smiled and waved, boarding the plane without looking back. Maurae's spirits sank just a little farther. It was going to be her turn in a little over an hour. They trooped to her gate as soon as Luis' plane had taxied out and she flopped down onto a plastic chair.
Dwayne sat on one side of her and took her hand. Adam sat on the other. "I'll write every day this summer," he promised. "And I'll try to write at least once a week when school starts."
"Have you found out which PeeWees team you're playing for?"
"I don't care what happens, anymore. I won't play for anyone but the Ducks. My best friends in the whole world."
"I'm going back to playing for the Eagles for a season. I don't know quite how I'll manage it, though. I hope my parents will go for this whole scholarship thing. I would so love to come back here in a year or so and play with you guys again."
"You will, babe. Your parents will go for it. They went for the whole Team USA thing."
"That was six months of one year, not nine months every year for four!" She took a deep breath. "Especially if they ask the opinions of my brothers. Neither one of them likes it when I'm gone." She sighed. "When I got here, I thought it would never be over. I was counting the days, and dreading each one. But now...I'm counting the days, dreading each one, and wishing like hell that I was staying with you guys." Dwayne squeezed her hand.
"It'll be all right, darlin'. The time will pass before you know it, and then we'll be back here, picking you up from the airport to move into the new school." She nodded and leaned onto his shoulder. He put that arm around her and held her hand with the other, his lips touching her hair. They were both only thirteen, and already acting older than that.
'Boarding call for rows twenty-five through twenty. Twenty-five through twenty.' Maurae tensed but didn't otherwise move. She was in row three, first class. She would have boarded when they called first class, but she couldn't bear to leave them yet. She needed more time.
'Boarding rows fifteen and above now, rows fifteen and above.' Dwayne tensed then. Maurae smiled and sat up, still holding his hand tightly.
"I can do this. I won't like it, but I can do it. Conditioning camp starts next week."
"And you figure if you throw yourself into as many activities as possible, you'll do all right?" Adam teased.
"Exactly." She stood up.
'Boarding rows ten and above, now, please. Ten and above.' Maurae picked up her messenger bag/carry-on and strapped it across her chest. Everyone stood with her. She held out her hand to Bombay; she'd told him the night of the camp-out that she didn't want to see the boarding pass until she was getting on the plane. Except for asking the seat number and row, she had kept to that. Bombay placed it in her hand and hugged her. She sniffed and hugged him back.
Jesse hugged her and kissed her cheek, promising to try and remember to write. Portman hugged her, kissed her cheek and patted her head, making her smile. Fulton did the same thing. Averman, Goldberg, Guy, and Connie all hugged and kissed her goodbye before backing up hurriedly. Adam and Charlie took her hands and they made a three-way hug that lasted a good minute, maybe more.
'Boarding all rows now. All rows, please.'
Tears started to flow down her cheeks when she let go of her two favorite friends. Adam kissed one wet cheek, and Charlie the other, neither able to tell whether they tasted her tears or theirs. Then she turned to Dwayne, who smiled bravely and handed her his handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. He didn't reach for it and she clutched at it.
"Keep it, to remember me by. Give it back in a year, when you get off that plane." He cupped her face and smiled, kissing her forehead. "I'll miss you."
"Oh, Dwayne!" She buried her face in his chest. The intercom began to call for standby passengers. She pulled back and kissed him in a way that thoroughly shocked them both. "To remember me by," she whispered when she'd pulled back.
'All right. May Evans, standby May Evans. Last call for Maurae Grabeklis.' She bit her lip.
"I'll see you, I promise."
'May Evans, your standby number is called.'
"Wait! I'm here! I'm here!" Maurae called, one last long look at her friends, her team, her new family. She then turned and strode for the gate, still clutching the handkerchief in her hand, tears wetting her cheeks. "I'm here," she said, walking in front of a petite redhead who glared daggers at her. The flight hostess didn't look too pleased either. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Inconvenience?! You were late. They called your name twice, your row three times, and now you show up, when they're placing me in a seat! You can't just do that!"
"I'm afraid she can, ma'am. That is what holding a ticket does for a passenger," interrupted a man's voice. He took Maurae's ticket, nudged the flight hostess out of the way and scanned it. "If you'll come with me," he said, offering his arm. Maurae hid a smirk; he couldn't have been beyond twenty, and he was no doubt trying to flirt with her. She twisted and waved vigorously at her friends.
"I'll see you in a year! You'd better write! All y'all!"
"He's turning you into a Texan, Ro!" Jesse shouted back, grinning.
"Damn straight!" She winked at Dwayne and blew him a kiss and then she was gone. The man led her to her seat and saw her settled.
"If there is anything I can do for you, let me know," he said solicitously. She nodded her thanks and pulled out her CD player once he was gone.
"This is going to be a long flight," she whispered to herself. She pulled out the journal from Guy and Jesse and started to write.