HARPER

His hand is strong as it takes mine. The plane dips again, and I begin to wonder if maybe we aren't going to make it to the ground safely. My fingers curl around his, and I hold on tight. A few other passengers shriek while many just laugh nervously as if this is some sort of ride at a horrid amusement park.

Outside the small window, we can see the vast expanse of the ocean and the white sandy shores where the waves lap in streaks of white foam. My heart pounds and I try to swallow down the nausea that is clawing its way to my throat.

"We're going to be fine," Asher tells me.

"How do you know?" I ask as the plane jolts.

"Because we can't go out like this. It's too cliché; like some nineties teen horror movie."

I laugh and feel some of the tension leave my shoulders as he squeezes my hand twice quickly, rooting me to reality and letting me know he's still here with me.

He looks into my eyes as he says, "I think we have a higher chance of forgetting about the water and drinking it, ultimately leading to death by diarrhea."

I'm giggling because this whole experience is now absurd. We are trapped in this tiny tin can, plummeting to a country I've never been to, and he's joking around about diarrhea.

"I'm serious," he says, but his voice tells me he is anything but.

"I'm sure."

"Listen, every year you hear about the kid that forgets. Orders a blended margarita or something stupid like that and ends up spending the week in his room." He looks at me with a serious expression.

"That's awful," I tell him through another laugh.

"It is, and yet we seem to never learn."

"Consider myself informed," I say seriously.

"You're welcome. That could have been you."

"It could have," I agree, realizing I'm no longer afraid as we glide onto the runway, the plane slowing quickly once we hit the ground.

Asher lets go of my hand. I pull mine back to my lap.

"Looks like we made it," he says with a tight smile.

The aisle fills up instantly with impatient teens trying to get off the plane.

A loud voice calls out above the crowd, "Summerset High School Seniors!" A small woman who only looks a few years older than us is standing on her seat in the front of the plane. "We will be riding to the hotel in three buses. Once there, you will get your room assignments."

The crowd cheers and I instantly feel nervous again. I know a lot of the girls on this trip, but I'm not close to any of them.

"We are not allowed to allow you to switch rooms," she informs us to a loud chorus of boos, "but to be honest, what we don't know won't hurt us."

Great. Kids leading kids. Finn was right.

I look at Asher thinking that would be welcome news for him and Jess, but the look on his face tells me things aren't fixed there yet, and perhaps there will be no room swapping for these broken lovebirds.

"I hope you get someone cool," I tell him.

He just nods his head. It seems like the weight of everything has found its way back to his shoulders. Maybe it's spilling over into my seat too because I suddenly feel a blanket of dread holding me down into my seat.

We wait as the eager students rush off the plane. Jess passes us with just a quick glance, and I hear the audible rush of air as Asher releases his breath when she's gone. I pat his arm and give him an empathetic smile.

"Hey Harper," Ezra says as he reaches our seats.

"Hey," I say as I stand to meet him.

Lindsay is right in front of him, and I don't miss the way his eyes follow her to the front of the plane. He's had a crush on her since the third grade.

"Do you mind if I sit with Lindsay? We kind of hit it off back there," he tells me shyly. I can see the joy on his face, and it makes me smile. "I don't want to ditch you though so..."

"No, it's fine. I can find someone else to sit with." I shoo him in her direction. "I'll just meet you at the hotel."

"Thanks," he says and plants a kiss on my cheek. "You're the best."

"I know," I tell him like I always do.

Asher helps me get my bag down, and then we quietly make our way off the plane at the rear of the other excited teens. Baggage claim takes forever, but when I reach for my suitcase, Asher pulls it from the belt and sets it at my side. He does the same for Jess who is standing close to us. I can feel the tension between them.

By the time I use the restroom and head out the door for the bus, the first one is full. Jess, Ezra, and Lindsay are lined up waiting to get onto the second bus, and I head to the third line to avoid the crowd. I watch as Asher stands between the second and third lines, literally in no man's land. Jess never turns around. She climbs on the bus with her friends and lets her actions speak for themselves.

Asher moves to the third line. If anyone else noticed, they didn't say anything. I climb on and sit in an open seat. This bus is less crowded than the others. As students file in, I watch the seats get taken up two at a time as friends pair off and sit together. Asher climbs the stairs up into the bus. I watch in silence as he moves down the aisle with a look on his face that hints at someone who has lost all their sunshine.

I know what it's like to like someone who doesn't seem to care that you exist. Maybe that's why when he gets close to me, I wave him over and scoot close to the window. No one should have to sit alone.