Chapter Four

After slipping back into my shoes and pulling on my hoodie, I grabbed my bag and pocketed my ID and ticket. I still hadn't even bothered to check out my flight detail. Did it really matter? Megan had told me that I had nearly 80 minutes before take-off and there were some things I needed to take care of before heading towards my gate… whichever once that was. I took a deep breath and blew it out in a huff. I was starting the first day of the rest of my life. It was a daunting realization and I wanted to be ready… but I didn't know if I was. This entire situation had been pretty much forced upon me, but from here on out I was in control. As intimidating as it was, I was glad for it. Things were going to change. My life would never be the same again and I felt the truth of those words settle deep into my bones, causing a shiver to make its way down my body.

I was knocked out of my thoughts and into the present by a rather large and unbelievably hard body that had slammed into my back, knocking my bag from my grip. I'd like to think that on any other day it wouldn't have hurt- much, but in my slightly battered state, I was seeing stars. Before I could register the fact that I was careening rather rapidly towards the floor, a pair of strong arms had wrapped themselves around my waist and set me back on my feet. Capable hands gripped my waist, squeezing me slightly as if checking to make sure I was properly balanced before they slowly released me.

"Holy shit, North! What are you doing? Trying to kill the poor girl!?" Deep chuckles followed the light-hearted jibe. "Yeah man. There are much safer ways of introducing yourself." Roars of laughter followed that shot and I wanted to die of embarrassment. Slowly, I turned around to apologize for my dawdling and came face to, er… chest with my rescuer, for lack of a better word. Instantly, my cheeks reddened as I stuttered out my contrition.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. It was all my fault. Are you ok? I didn't hurt you did I?" I nibbled my bottom lip to stop the tumble of words. I gazed at my shoes, refusing to look up and meet the pair of eyes I knew were staring me down. I was absolutely mortified and his friends didn't realize it, but their calling attention to my awkwardness was making things worse. I needed to get out of here.

A long, strong finger caught me under the chin and forced my gaze to meet his. As my eyes climbed up his body I took in every detail. North, if I could trust his friends, was big and covered head to toe in black. Standing nearly two heads above me, he was wide, in a very good way, and covered in muscle. Definitely all male. He had tan skin and a broad, strong jaw. He had dark hair and I noticed a gold hoop in his left ear. North was a bad boy, or at least pretended to be. Dark, thick brows framed dark brown eyes. He was gorgeous, but intimidating. Very 'Fallen Angel" and not someone I would want to meet in a dark alley at night. He sucked in a breath and I saw that he'd noticed the bruising around my eyes. I must look like a wreck, and I cringed internally knowing what I must look like. His finger left my chin and lightly traced the edges of my cheek.

"No." His deep voice rumbled through me. "It was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." His eyes roamed my face, and it was nearly a tangible thing. "Are you ok?" He wasn't referring to our collision; North was asking me about my black eyes, and red cheek. Possibly he'd noticed the ugly scabs that stripped the back of my right calf muscle. North wasn't asking me if he'd hurt me, he was asking me if I was safe from whatever had happened to me before.

His obvious concern had choked me up. It wasn't something I was prepared for. North didn't know me, we were complete strangers. Why would he worry about me? I was no one. I nodded my head to let him know that I was fine and he dropped his hand back to his side. Instantly, I missed his touch. He grunted in response. "Good."

North bent over and picked up my bag, handing it over to me as he spoke again. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart. Be safe, ok?" His words were soft and sincere and I knew, I just knew, that he understood where I had come from, what I had been through. Too overwhelmed to speak, I nodded my head again before turning and quickly making my way towards the nearest restroom, feeling more and more lonely the further away from North that I got.

In the bathroom, I took several minutes to regroup. North had unsettled me- made me feel vulnerable, in a way I'd never felt before. It wasn't bad… just different. He didn't even know my name, but the words he said, and the way that he said them told me that he knew me. That he understood me, sympathized with me. It was slightly unnerving.

Taking a look in the mirror, I groaned at what I saw. Truly, I was a mess. My eyes were bruised, but they could have been worse. My left cheek had a large pink spot on it from where Step-Mother had slapped me earlier this morning. How had I made it past security? Yikes. I looked terrible. I scrubbed my face with my palms and dug a few essentials from my bag. I took of my knit cap and pulled my hair out of the loose messy bun I'd had it in. I blew my bangs up in irritated indecision. Where to start? Well, it wouldn't hurt to brush my teeth. It always seemed to help clear my head. I started there and then worked my way to washing my face and applying some light concealer around my black and blue eyes. A shower could wait until I reached… well, wherever, but until then, I used some baby wipes to give myself a sort of spit bath. I hurried and cleaned out a few key areas in the bathroom stall, changed my underwear and then returned to the counter, refreshed my deodorant and put on a new shirt. I brushed out my dark blonde hair, deciding to leave it down this time and replaced my favorite hoody and trusty knit cap. For some reason, it helped me feel a little more invisible and that's just what I wanted.

I decided that I needed to figure out where I was headed and see what time I needed to be at my gate. It had been a while since I'd even looked at a clock, or eaten. What time was it anyway? My grumbling tummy said it was time to eat. Stopping to grab something at the nearest sandwich eatery, I pulled out my ticket as I waited for my order and tried to ignore the thundering in my chest. I almost didn't want to look at my destination. For some reason it made everything so much more real. With slight trepidation, I looked over my ticket. Departure time 10:33 am from gate C12. Destination: Jacksonville, Florida. Taking a moment to absorb the information, I encouraged my heartbeat to decelerate and my breathing to even out. Jacksonville, Florida. It wasn't nearly as far as I thought I would have been going but I could do this. The possibilities were endless. My new life waited for me in Jacksonville. A smile broke out across my face. This was happening.

My name was called at the counter and my smile must have thrown off the gentleman working the counter. "A-a-are you…" He shook his head and checked the ticket again, "Sang?" With my confirming nod, he slid my sandwich and drink toward me, which I snatched up gratefully. "Thanks." I threw over my shoulder as I hurried toward my gate.

I made it gate C12 with about forty five minutes to spare. I scoped out a seat that was sort of in a back hidden corner and made my way over to claim my spot. Once I sat down I pulled my knees up and unwrapped my lunch. Before I had even taken my first bite, I heard them. The waiting area was fairly quiet, and there weren't many travelers this morning. There were a couple of college age boys a few rows away and that was about it. Their light hearted banter traveled up and down the airport, and it was unmistakable. I set my sandwich down on the seat next to me, and watched the group of boys as they made their way down the terminal. There were only 15 gates on the C terminal and they were already by C10 and advancing. Butterflies took flight in my belly. Where were they going? Could they be headed in the same direction I was? Did I want that? … I think that maybe I did.

I wanted a chance to further observe their group dynamic. They were obviously a close knit group and cared for one another. I had never had friends, let alone a close friend or a best friend even. It surprised me how eager I was to see them interact with one another. Listening to them tease and goof around in the ticket line had been fun; I craved a repeat performance. And it appeared I was going to get my wish.

"Oy! Mr. B!" One of the more boisterous guys of the group waved to one of the college guys that I had passed on the way to my seat. His shout grabbed the attention of the rest of them and they all joined in their friends greeting and headed towards this Mr. B person and his companion. Not only was I going to get my wish, it seemed that I was going to get to see everything up close and personal.