Drake and I are ready to go. All we have left to do is to pick up Emily. As far as Drake knows, we are going to a wedding up in Jersey. We told him that Emily had family up there and one of her cousins will be tying the knot and we were invited. That way, he won't question why we are getting dressed up.
“Wait a second,” Drake says, leaning forward from the back seat as Emily enters the car. “What time is this wedding?”
“Three,” Emily answers easily.
He groans. “I'm going to miss the Draft! Are y'all sure that I can't just stay here with Dad?”
Emily gives me a pity look, which I ignore. I wanted my dad to come, but he's too drunk and back to bathing in grief to care. At least now, our cover story still works. “We already told them that you were coming. It'll be fine. You can see the results once we get back.”
“It's not the same,” he grumbles, falling back into his seat to effectively pout.
Drake asked earlier this week why Mike wasn't going. The answer? It is family from her mom's side. That seemed to satisfy him and I'm glad. We are flying up today, staying the night, and then arriving tomorrow for the Draft. All that paperwork I've done and the camp in Canada is finally paying off. I still can't believe it. It's mind boggling. We're leaving from Raleigh and flying into Newark. Drake mumbles the entire way there.
“This is so unfair.”
“Who has a wedding on Draft day?”
“That's like having a wedding during the playoffs.”
“Crazy psychos.”
I resist the urge to smile every time he speaks. He's going to flip when he finds out where we are actually going. Everything seems to be speeding by as we find a parking spot at the airport and unload. While we wait inside for us to board, Drake seems distracted. He's looking around and his leg is bouncing slightly. I know what that means. I've seen Emily this way too many times not to know.
“What's up, Drake?”
“I've never been on a plane before.”
“Me either,” Emily tells him.
“It's pretty fun. Almost like a calm roller coaster.”
“I don't like roller coasters,” Drake says worriedly.
“Me either,” Emily repeats.
“There's nothing to worry about you two. You'll be fine.”
“What's it like though?”
How does one describe a takeoff and landing? That's the biggest part of it. Lord help me if there's turbulence. I keep looking back and forth between Emily, who is on my left, and Drake, who is on my right. Slightly frighten eyes are on each side of me.
“The flying part is just like a car ride. There might be a couple of bumps, but it is pretty smooth. It's pretty fun to takeoff, though. We'll coast for a bit until we're in position to fly and then we'll build speed and ta-da. We leave the ground and that's pretty much it.”
That satisfies them both for now. Emily takes my hand and holds it in her lap. We wait in silence, watching the people around us rush to their terminals, play on their phones, and type on their laptops.
Finally, we are called to board. The line moves smoothly for the most part as we make our way to our seats. With the anxiety these two are feeling, I'm glad we have seats close to the wings. It's smoother there. However, this is a rather small plane compared to the one I took to Canada. There are two sections, one with one seat and one with two seats. Emily is sitting across the aisle by herself. I know that she's not thrilled about it, but since Drake is nervous too, she rather he sit with me.
Drake loves to fly by the time we are in the air. Emily, on the other hand, not so much. She keeps fidgeting in her seat, clutching her stomach.
“You okay?” I ask as one of the flight attendants walks by.
She glares in response.
“Isn't this fun, Emily?” Drake questions, leaning forward to look at her.
She manages a smile. “Tons of fun, buddy.”
Drake leans back and looks out the window, fascinated by the view of ivory clouds dominating the sky. Emily has hers closed. Sweetness is looking over at me with such gloom. I reach over, take her hand, and tug. She leans towards me, her mouth slightly parted, and her breathing slowed.