June – Juniper
Jane Eden – Jennafina
Mat Daniel – Insomnia
Sophie Doorbell – xX_white_shadow_Xx
Jon Wise – Jon
Hope Lewis Taylor – BondGirl007
Holly Hansen – Bittersweet
“Are you sure they’re gonna be okay?”
I smile at my mom, who was still worried about me getting raped or attacked by an YWS member while I was hosting. Even though, she’d talked with June—the co-coordinator—and had been contacted by all the members reassuring her of their identity in some way, she wasn’t reassured.
The funniest incident of the identity reassertion had been Sophie, who had simply sent her a picture of a nut. It had sent me into hysterics and my mom had been speechless.
“So, I assume they’re all like this in some way,” Mom had said back then.
I had nodded, “Big time, Mama.”
She’d simply smiled and had been easygoing from now on, even giving me extra spending money last night. But this morning, she was wound up, muttering under her breath.
“I’m gonna be fine, Mom,” I now reply. “I trust June, Hope and the other members completely.”
Mom nods, taking the exit for Sea-Tac Airport, “So, tell me, Mat’s the farthest from home, right?”
“Yeah. New Zealand.”
“And then…”
“June, Hope, Jon, Holly, Jane and then Sophie.”
“June and you arranged the flights…”
“Right. The longest we’ll have to wait will be an hour.”
“Jane and Sophie are driving?”
I make a noise of agreement.
Mom clicks her tongue as she enters the pick-up area, saying slowly, “And the hotel rooms…”
“The hotel rooms are gonna be in pairs. Sophie and me, Mat and Jon, Hope and Jane, and Holly and June.”
“Sophie’s okay with the arrangement?”
“Yes,”
Mom glares at me, “And this hotel is where…?”
“June picked it out.”
“Payment?”
“I managed to convince June to make it affordable. Each person will be paying their share.”
Mom nods, “Okay.” She stops at the Southwest part of the airport and I get out. It’s a warm day and I’m wearing simple sweatpants with a t-shirt. My stomach has butterflies. I square my shoulders, though, and walk in.
I wait by the gate, pacing and glancing at the security guards every five seconds. Then I sit. On a black bench. I instruct myself to be calm.
I see a guy staring at me, through the gate. It’s Jon.
I smile and wave at him. He’s carrying all his luggage and he drops it all at my feet before throwing his arms around me. I hug him back, smiling.
He drops his arms instantly, though, shooting me a forced smile, “Ross.”
I raise my eyebrows, “That’s all I get?”
He blushes, “Well…”
“I’m kidding, wise guy,” I nudge him and he chuckles. Jon’s brown-haired, green-eyed, and simply adorable. He keeps grinning every time he catches me glancing at him.
“Ross?” a redhead girl is with us ten minutes later. She beams at me.
“Hope?” I gasp dramatically, and then tackle her in a bear hug, my grin growing in a full-fledged beam.
“It’s wonderful to see you!” she says, hugging me back. She’s beautiful, with clear skin and a bright smile. She looks tired, though, with her hazel eyes half-closed.
Holly joins us shortly, giving me a light hug and shooting Jon and Hope smiles. She’s fiddling with her camera when Mat appears, blond-haired and geeky as I am. He makes a beeline for Jon, hugging him tight. And then he hugs me, with a generous heaping of thank-you’s.
“Where’s June?” Holly speaks up.
I bite my lip, “She should be here soon-ish.”
And then I see her. She’s dragging her baggage on the floor and looks dead tired. But she barely makes it through the gate before Holly hugs her, smiling.
A lot of smiles. Mat picked her up, Jon twirled her around and then she was facing me.
“Writepicbuddeh!” she says.
And then I am simply…glomped. My vision is full of black hair and she holds me tight, and she plants a kiss on my cheek before releasing me. She’s gorgeous, with smooth, chocolate-colored skin and almond-shaped dark eyes. She won’t stop smiling, revealing a mouth full of straight, white teeth.
“So!” I say. “Baggage?”
“We all got it?” June adds.
A chorus of nods answer us.
“Cool. Let’s go.”
