Just then, a bolt of lightning struck a cluster of neurons in Cordelia’s brain. “Wait a sec. Can Julian get an important message to a plane that’s already in flight?”
Molly knew exactly where Cordelia’s thought process was headed. It was rare when this happened, but when it did, it was magic.
They both dashed out of the bathroom and cornered a tall, buff, and gorgeous Julian, who was wearing Molly’s yellow bathrobe. They begged him to call a bunch of people who might be able to get through to Jake, and he happily complied. After being put on hold eight times, Julian hung up his cell phone and smiled at Cordelia.
“This is your lucky day,” he said.
“Why?”
“Your friend’s plane was delayed because of inclement weather. It’s scheduled to take off in an hour, so he should still be at the airport.”
Molly hugged Cordelia in her excitement. “Julian, what’s the quickest way there?”
Cordelia feared more for her life now than she had when Paul had forced her on that helicopter at Yosemite. Molly was tearing up Route 101, and each passing car was reduced to a flash of light. Twenty minutes before, she’d gunned the Ford Focus down side streets in town and averted traffic by whizzing along the shoulder of the road. Cordelia was clinging to the dashboard and hoping that she’d make it to Arcata-Eureka Airport intact.
“Molly, are you sure it’s safe to go eighty-five here?” Cordelia asked warily.
“Don’t get all wussy on me, babe,” Molly said while adjusting her fake Gucci sunglasses. “Missing Jake isn’t an option.”
Cordelia affectionately put her hand on Molly’s megatanned leg. She was being so great about everything. In fact, it occurred to Cordelia that she hadn’t even asked her sister whether or not all of this bothered her.
“Hey, Molly, are we cool?”
Molly took Cordelia’s hand and gave it a soft tug.
“Oh my God, yes! What, were you worried about me being upset over Jakey?”
Cordelia chuckled. “Remember when I borrowed your OutKast CD and you nearly ripped me to pieces?”
“I was so immature a few months ago,” she said jokingly. “Really, Cordy, it’s a little weird and all. But it looks like Jake and I are meant to be friends, which is fine. And honestly, I’ve known him a long time and he hasn’t seemed happier than when he’s talking about you. God, I wish I was kidding!”
Signs for Arcata-Eureka Airport were upon them. They were almost there.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever told him how talented he is, Cordy,” Molly said as the Focus pulled up in front of the airport entrance. “Not even me. It seemed like it meant the world to him. He’s going to audition for some bands in Seattle. He never would have done that before you came along.”
Cordelia gripped the armrest on the door in sheer exhilaration. Holding Jake in her arms could be only minutes away.
Molly leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, make me proud, girl!”
She rolled her eyes. “Could you be any cheesier?”
“Fine. Get out of here and steal my ex-boyfriend or else I’ll kick your ass!”
Cordelia laughed. “Much better.”
And then she bounded out of the car. Once she made it through the security check, she sprinted ahead to the main lobby. She looked around and noticed that the airport wasn’t very large. Cordelia was relieved—finding Jake in here probably wouldn’t be too hard. She scoured the terminal and grabbed a total of five different guys with dark disheveled hair and T-shirts, but they turned out to be Frank, Bill, Scott, Rich, and Todd—not Jake.
She checked the departures list and saw that there were no direct flights to Seattle. There were a bunch of other destinations throughout California, though. Still, she had no idea which connecting flight was Jake’s. She cursed herself for not thinking to ask Julian more info about Jake’s flight details. Molly had rushed her out the door so fast that she had barely had a chance to say thank you.
Cordelia shifted into problem-solving mode. She looked at all the ticket counters, but they were swamped with people. So were the information kiosks. Then Cordelia grabbed her purse and rummaged through it until she found her savior.
The Treo.
Although it hadn’t brought her much joy lately, she couldn’t be happier to see its face. Cordelia typed on the keypad furiously and got online to check out which flights had been delayed at the Arcata-Eureka Airport in the last twenty-four hours. She watched the little blinking cursor turn into an hourglass and waited for the tabulation. There were two—Flight 336 to Los Angeles and Flight 61 to San Francisco. She did a little more researching and discovered that both of them could have connections to Seattle. Then she checked the departures list once again. Flight 336 had taken off an hour ago, but Flight 61 was on its final boarding call at Gate C.
Cordelia spotted it straight ahead of her. She dashed toward the people who were guarding the entrance to the plane’s passageway, and of course, they stopped her from getting by.
“Ticket please, miss?” asked a skinny woman with wire-rimmed glasses.
“I don’t have a ticket, I just need to speak to someone who may or may not be on this plane,” Cordelia said in between breaths. “It’ll only take a second.”
“I’m sorry, that’s against regulations,” the woman said apologetically.
“Well, can I write something down and maybe you could deliver it?”
The woman was getting less patient. “They’re closing the doors now, miss. And I’m not working as an attendant on this flight.”
Cordelia was beside herself. She’d gotten this far, she couldn’t possibly get turned away.
“I think you can make an exception this time,” a saucy British voice said from behind.
Cordelia spun around and there was Julian in all his gorgeous uniformed glory.
“Trailing your sister’s car nearly killed me,” he said. Then he waved to the woman, who stepped aside as if to let her by.
She gave him a quick hug and darted down the tunnel that led to the plane. Once she got on board, she rushed down the aisle, checking the faces of each passenger in the hopes that her eyes would connect with Jake’s. The flight was only half full, so there were a lot of empty seats. Thankfully, it made everything go much quicker.
It took less than a minute for Cordelia to reach the back of the plane, and Jake was nowhere in sight. Her knees were wobbling so much that she was certain they would buckle underneath her weight. She felt heavy and tired and unbelievably sad. Jake must have been on that other flight, and after all she’d gone through, she’d missed her chance with him.
She was on the verge of bursting into the biggest crying fit of her life, when a loud flushing sound startled her.
Cordelia glanced over her shoulder and saw the person who was emerging from the bathroom and zipping up his pants.
When Jake finally looked up at her, he had a shocked expression on his face—and then he grinned. “Taking a calculated risk, I see.”
A part of her wanted to play it cool and a part of her wanted to say something that could only be heard in a Cameron Crowe movie.
She didn’t do either. Instead, she just threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him like she was saying good-bye rather than hello. She was deliriously happy that Jake was holding her just as tightly.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered. “You’re afraid of vehicles that fly.”
“I know,” she replied. “But that wasn’t going to stop me from not letting you go without doing this.”
And with that, Cordelia stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. As his lips gently massaged hers, there was no worry or anxiety—a sense of utter peace enveloped her in a way that she’d never experienced before.
As for Jake, he didn’t pull away this time. He just lingered there with her in blissful smooching harmony until an attendant interrupted them and said they were about to take off.
Jake cupped Cordelia’s face in his hands and gazed at her
adoringly. “Well, now I don’t want to leave.”
“So don’t,” she said, grinning. “We’ve got all summer to do this.”
“I think you’re incredible,” he said, chuckling.
Cordelia kissed him delicately on the chin. “You are too.”
“And I think we’re moving,” Jake said.
She quickly turned her head and saw that the plane was slowly edging away from the gate. An irritated attendant approached and ordered them to take their seats.
Jake ran his fingers through Cordelia’s hair. “Are you going to die on me now?”
Cordelia laughed at the absurdity of it all and realized something amazing. She wasn’t afraid. Not of the plane lifting into the air. Not of it crashing down to the ground. Not of the uncertainty of what lay ahead with Jake. Not of missing out on life. She was perfectly balanced and centered and pleasantly, surprisingly, in love.
Jake led her down the aisle, and when they got to their row, she said, “Is it okay if I’m next to the window?”
He leaned in and kissed her sweetly. “Yeah, I don’t care as long as I’m next to you.”
A few minutes later, the plane was finding its place on the runway. Jake gently massaged Cordelia’s left leg as he began to tell her about everything that was going to happen during take-off. Cordelia quickly texted Molly on her Treo that she and Jake would be taking a trip to San Francisco, and from there, who knew what would happen? She got a rapid response from Molly that read: YAY U! DONT SPAZ THOUGH. WILL GET U BACK 2 EUREKA VIA DAD’S AMEX.
Cordelia just rested her head on Jake’s shoulder and smiled. Getting back was the last thing on her mind, especially when the plane ascended above the clouds and California’s beautiful landscape.
About the Author
Hailey Abbott grew up in southern California, where she split her time between creative writing and creative beaching. She is the author of SUMMER BOYS, NEXT SUMMER: A Summer Boys Novel, THE BRIDESMAID, GETTING LOST WITH BOYS, and THE SECRETS OF BOYS. Hailey now lives in New York City.
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Credits
Cover art © 2006 by GettyImages
Cover design by Sasha Illingworth
Copyright
GETTING LOST WITH BOYS. Copyright © 2006 by Hailey Abbott. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition SEPTEMBER 2009 ISBN: 9780061971501
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