Chapter eight
Devyn
I hated airplanes. Actually, that wasn’t true. I hated this airplane because every mile it traveled took me further away from home, from Atlanta, and from Dylan.
I sat beside the window staring out at the clouds while trying not to cry for the hundredth time. Across the aisle, Tara was asleep while my dad was pretending to work. I knew he wasn’t though because every few minutes I’d catch him looking at me.
Then he would quickly look away. Good, because I didn’t have anything to say to him… not after this. The only thing that kept me sane during the flight was my phone. The last text Dylan sent before takeoff still sat on the screen.
Dylan: Have a safe flight and text me as soon as you land
I must’ve read those words fifty times… maybe more. The flight felt like it lasted forever, and when we finally landed, I wasn’t the least bit excited.
I wasn’t amazed or impressed either. I was totally exhausted though. As soon as we got into the vehicle that would take us from the airport, I texted Dylan.
Me: I made it
Dylan: Are you OK?
Me: Not at all but there’s nothing I can do about it
Dylan: I miss you already
Me: Not more than I miss you ?? I still can’t believe my dad took it this far!
Dylan: Yeah. Me either
Me: Just please don’t forget me
Dylan: Never ????
Me: I love you too ?? I’ll text you later
Dylan: OK. I’ll be waiting
The ride was so awkward. Everything looked so different than our last trip here… the buildings, the roads, the people, the snowy mountains.
I felt completely out of place.
For the first time since this whole thing started, I was genuinely scared.
“What if I don’t like it here?” I asked quietly.
My father glanced at me. “You’ll be fine.”
That wasn’t really an answer… at least not the one I was hoping for, but I let it go. Twenty minutes later, the gates of the school came into view. My stomach immediately dropped.
This was it. The place that had caused months of stress, a whole lot of tears and me and Dylan’s heartbreak.
The campus was beautiful, but I hated it. Students walked around speaking multiple languages like it was in their blood. The buildings looked like something out of a movie. Even the landscaping was perfect. Shit, everything was perfect, but it still wanted to go home.
The tour felt like torture.
Every smiling face made me miss Atlanta more. Every classroom reminded me that I wasn’t supposed to be here. Eventually we reached the dormitory.
Thank God because I was tired.
A staff member led us upstairs. Then stopped in front of a door.
“This is your room.”
I took a deep breath then stepped inside. The room was larger than I expected… two beds, two desks, two wardrobes and large windows with a perfect view of the mountains.
And sitting on one of the beds was a girl with caramel skin and dark curly hair. She immediately looked up.
“Oh my God!” she squealed. I inhaled as she grinned. “Please tell me you speak English.”
For the first time all day, I actually laughed.
“Yes.”
The girl threw her hands in the air dramatically. “Thank you, Jesus!”
That made me laugh harder.
“My name is Devyn.”
“I’m Sahara.” She stood up with a huge smile. “From Dallas, Texas.”
My eyes widened. “OMG! You’re American?”
“Born and raised, girl.”
I instantly felt better… not completely, but a little. At least I was sharing a room with somebody who spoke English. At least she understood where I came from. At least Sahara knew what a Whataburger was.
The thought almost made me laugh out loud. I caught my daddy and Tara exchanging a look. They were probably surprised to see me smiling. It shocked me too that I had something to smile about, but I ignored them.
Sahara was already helping me unpack without me even having to ask.
“So, what part of the States are you from?”
“Atlanta,” I replied.
“Oh, I’ve never been.”
“It’s really nice.”
The answer felt weird because suddenly Atlanta felt a million miles away. Eventually my dad cleared his throat.
“Your mother and I are staying at the Zurich Marriott Hotel for a couple of days.”
I looked at him. “My who?” I asked.
He rolled his eyes and said, “You know what I meant.”
“No, I honestly don’t,” I said.
Tara covered her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh. I continued unpacking my things while waiting for them to leave.
“Well, if you want to, you can come stay with us,” my dad offered.
That surprised me… not because of the invitation, but because he seemed to genuinely expected me to say yes.
“I’m good,” I replied.
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “What?”
“I’ll stay here,” I clarified.
The surprise on his face was almost funny.
Apparently, he expected me to cling to him a little longer. That was not happening. He ripped my heart out when he brought me here and took me away from Dylan. I wanted to get as far away from him and Tara as I could.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yep.”
The room went completely quiet. Finally, he nodded. “Well, we’ll be down the street if you need us,” he assured me.
I shrugged. “Okay.”
His expression tightened slightly then he tried again. “What about dinner?” he inquired.
“What about it?” I asked.
“You wanna join us?”
I shook my head. “No thanks.”
The hurt was becoming more obvious now. Good. Maybe now he understood how I felt. Honestly, he probably didn’t.
“Devyn…”
“To be honest, y’all can just leave and go home,” I said.
The words slipped out before I could stop them and the room immediately went silent.
“I mean what’s the point of you guys staying two extra days anyway?” I asked. “Y’all are still gonna leave me here, right?”
My father’s face fell just a little, but enough for me to notice. For a second guilt hit me. Then I remembered who put me here and the guilt disappeared.
Tara stepped forward. Instead of getting angry, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly. The gesture surprised me, especially after everything that transpired between us.
“Maybe we can do breakfast tomorrow,” she suggested.
I shrugged my shoulders again. “Maybe.”
She smiled sadly then let me go. A few seconds later my father stepped forward. I already knew what was coming. The hug between us felt awkward and forced. Mostly because I didn’t really want it, but I hugged him back anyway.
Just enough to be polite… nothing more. When he pulled away, I saw the disappointment in his eyes and then they left.
And just like that, I was alone. Well, not completely. The door clicked shut.
Sahara immediately turned towards me. “Sooooooooo…”
I laughed because I knew that tone.
“What?”
She sat cross-legged on her bed. “What’s his name?”
I froze and asked, “What?”
“The boy back home,” Sahara specified.
My eyes narrowed. “What boy?”
She pointed dramatically. “Exactly.” I groaned and Sahara laughed then pointed again. “You don’t get sent halfway around the world for no reason.”
That got my attention. “What do you mean?” I asked.
Her smile faded. “My parents sent me here because I kept sneaking out.”
My eyebrows rose because this was interesting. “To do what?”
“See a boy,” she admitted.
Of course, I immediately sat down.
“What happened?” I asked.
Sahara sighed. “His name is Lincoln.”
The way she said his name told me everything. She was completely gone just like I was over Dylan.
“How old are you?”
“Thirteen,” Sahara replied.
My eyes widened. “Me too.”
She pointed at me dramatically and said, “See? We already got stuff in common.”
I laughed and for the first time all day, it felt natural.
“My family hates him,” Sahara added sadly.
“Why?” I asked.
“In their eyes, he’s not good enough for me.”
The answer hit me harder than she realized. Because I had heard something very similar before. Just from a different side.
“So, what happened?”
She shrugged. “I kept sneaking out to be with him.”
I laughed. “Oh, you were a bad girl.”
“I was a girl in love,” Sahara admitted.
The correction made both of us laugh. Then she smiled. “So, what’s your story?” she inquired.
Immediately my thoughts drifted to Dylan, to Atlanta, to the airport and to the goodbye. My heart hurt all over again, but for the first time since my arrival, I didn’t feel completely alone.
Maybe because sitting across from me was another thirteen-year-old girl who knew exactly what it felt like to have somebody decide your future for you.
And for some reason, that made Switzerland feel a little less scary.
The second Sahara asked about Dylan, my phone lit up and my heart immediately started racing when I saw it was Dylan. I didn’t even try to hide my smile.
Sahara noticed instantly. “There he is.”
“Oh my God.” I laughed.
I opened the message.
Dylan ??: Did you make it to the school?
The knot in my chest loosened a little.
Me: Yeah
The three little dots appeared almost immediately.
Dylan ??: How is it?
I stared at the question for several minutes because the truth was it was cold and beautiful but lonely and terrible.
All at the same time, but instead, I replied…
Me: I hate it
His response came so fast it made me smile.
Dylan??: That’s dramatic
Me: I’m so serious
Dylan??: You been there for like an hour
Me: Exactly. The worst hour of my life ??
Sahara looked at me and asked, “What’d he say?”
I looked up. “He asked how it is here and I said I hate it. He said I’m being dramatic.”
“You are.”
I gasped. “Whose side are you on?”
She shrugged. “The boy’s.”
“Traitor,” I joked.
My phone buzzed again.
Dylan ??: You make any friends yet?
I looked at Sahara then back at the phone.
Me: Maybe one
Dylan ??: Already?
Me: Don’t sound jealous
A few seconds passed.
Dylan ??: I ain’t jealous
Me: You are
Dylan ??: I’m not
I smiled. For the first time all day, the sadness eased a little but not completely. Just enough for me to relax a little.
Dylan ??: What’s her name?
Me: Sahara
Dylan ??: Like the desert?
I laughed.
Me: That’s exactly what I asked ??
Across from me, Sahara narrowed her eyes. “Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing.”
“You lying.”
I laughed harder as my phone buzzed again.
Dylan ??: You still crying?
The question made my smile fade because the answer was yes… a little. Not as much as before but still.
Me: Maybe
The dots appeared then disappeared then appeared again. Like he was trying to figure out what to say. Finally…
Dylan ??: Don’t cry, Dev
That almost made me cry again because I knew he meant it. Because I knew if he could somehow fix this, he would.
Me: Too late
Dylan ??: You know I’d come get you if I could
My chest tightened. I stared at the message for several seconds then typed back.
Me: I do know that
Sahara’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “So how long y’all been together?” she asked.
I nearly dropped my phone. “What?”
She laughed. “Girl please. You heard me.”
“We’re not together.”
“Uh huh. Okay.”
I rolled my eyes. “We’re not,” I repeated.
She nodded dramatically. “Sure.”
My phone buzzed again.
Dylan ??: What’s wrong?
Me: Nothing. My roommate thinks we’re together
The response was immediate.
Dylan ??: ??
Me: It’s not funny
Dylan ??: It’s kinda funny
I couldn’t help but smile, but it made me sad too. Because for the first time since landing, I realized just how much I missed him… not Atlanta or home but Dylan himself.
The way he made me laugh. The way he always knew what to say. The way he somehow made bad situations feel less terrible.
Me: I miss you
I stared at the message after sending it. My stomach immediately twisted because it felt vulnerable, honest and scary.
The reply took longer this time… a lot longer. Then finally…
Dylan ??: I miss you too
Tears instantly filled my eyes again. I was getting really tired of crying.
Me: Promise you won’t forget me
His response came so quickly I knew he didn’t even think about it.
Dylan ??: Never
I swallowed hard then typed…
Me: Promise?
Dylan ??: Promise
The certainty in his answer made me feel better. At least for the moment. Then a knock sounded on the door. Both me and Sahara looked up. A woman wearing a staff badge smiled from the hallway.
“It’s dinner time, ladies.”
Sahara groaned dramatically. “Good cuz I’m starving.”
I laughed because that was the most normal thing anybody had said all day. My phone buzzed again.
Dylan ??: Go eat
Me: How do you know where I’m going?
Dylan ??: Lucky guess
I smiled.
Me: Text me later
The answer came immediately.
Dylan ??: Always
My chest tightened, but this time it wasn’t from sadness… not completely. Because for the first time since arriving in Switzerland, I finally believed something. Maybe being here wasn’t going to be easy. Maybe I was going to hate it for a while. Maybe I’d cry myself to sleep tonight.
But Dylan was still there. Even though he was thousands of miles away, somehow, he was still right there. And for now, that was going to have to be enough.