The Outliers
Page 15

"No. I had a good talk with my mother when she was with it for a bit and then Critter and then Finn. I think I'm all talked out for now."
And all cried out. And emotionally exhausted.
"Good because after dealing with Miss Prissy Pants I could use some damn silence." Josh argued.
"I heard that!" Miller called out. "Save me, Sawyer. She's sooooo mean."
"These walls are too damn thin," Josh said. She squeezed my hand. "Well, you know that I'm here for you, Sawyer. No matter what you need. I'm here. Finn too."
All I could do was nod in response. Josh was really a great friend and I was truly lucky to have her. I made a move to stand up when I heard Finn's truck pull into the parking lot but swayed and sat back down when I suddenly felt dizzy.
"You okay?" Josh asked. She pressed the back of her hand to my head then felt my pulse in my neck. "No fever. Pulse is a little quick."
"I'm fine. I think I stood up too fast or maybe I'm just getting the same cold you and Miller have."
She moved her fingers around my throat pressing up and down in various spots. "No swollen glands either. Answer me this, do you have the urge to complain about simple sneezing and coughing? Do you feel the need to be coddled while whining incessantly for no reason whatsoever?"
I shook my head. "No. None of that."
Josh looked to the bedroom door and grumbled. "Then you definitely don't have what Miller has."
"I heard that too!"
Josh ignored him. "Anyways, where do you think Finn is taking you?"
I racked my brain. "I have no idea at all."
"I can't wait to find out where. Call and tell me as soon as you know. Don't you just love surprises?" Josh bounced on the cushion excitedly.
I loved that Finn was planning a trip for us, but I came from a place where surprises ended in black eyes, bruises, and bleeding. So no, in all honesty I couldn’t say that I didn't like surprises.
Not at all.
Especially, the kind we never saw coming.
 
 
Chapter 9
 
 
Finn
 
 
As the small twin engine plane ascended the look on Sawyer's face was one I will remember for the rest of my life. She paled as we gained altitude and her head stayed plastered to the back of her seat.
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked.
"I've never been on a plane before. She said, her voice a much higher pitch than usual.
Ethan, my parent's neighbor, who they've known for the last three years, turned around from the front seat of the plane. He took one look at Sawyer’s face and said, "First time on a plane?"
"How did you know?" she asked shakily. Her hand squeezed mine tighter and tighter with each bump and jolt of the plane. I didn't even care that I was losing circulation. I was too excited that I got to share in Sawyer's first plane ride with her.
"Just a guess," Ethan said with a smile. "You are doing great!" He turning back around to the controls.
We entered a puffy white cloud. The plane began to shake like a bus driving over a rocky road.
"Is this normal?" she asked. Her knee bounced furiously until I place my hand over it before she bounced herself right out of the plane.
"You are doing great, baby," I reassured her. "And yes, this is all normal."
"Do you remember when you told me all of those facts during the storm to distract me?"
"Of course," I said. How could I ever forget? It was on the best nights of my life. It was the first-time help Sawyer in my arms. In my bed.
"Do you have any more of those? I could really use them right now." The plane dipped to the left. A smooth turn. Sawyer jumped as if someone had scared her from behind.
I lost all feeling my hand. I still didn't care. "Did you know, that in the history of aviation, that turbulence has never taken down a plane before?"
She shook her head in response squeezing her eyes shut.
"it's true. Turbulence is perfectly normal. Is not an indication of engine trouble. Think of it like a car on a bumpy road. These planes were made to drive on bumpy roads. Or bumpy air I should say."
The plane leveled off. Sawyer grabbed her midsection.
"Are you going to be sick?" I asked.
Sawyer shook her head furiously from side to side.
The bumps subsided. The ride became smooth. "Look," I told Sawyer. "Open your eyes."
"No!" She exclaimed, placing her hands over her already closed eyes.
"Do you feel it? No more bumps. It's beautiful down there. You need to see it." When that didn't work I tried another tactic. "Where is my brave girl? Where is the one who wouldn't let anything stop her. Who was fearless when she should've been afraid? I need that girl to open her eyes and look because I know she would be upset when she found out what she missed. Because right now from where I'm sitting the view is incredible."
I lightly tugged on Sawyers rest removing her hand from her eyes. Slowly and reluctantly she opened her eyes and squinted from the sun. Once her eyes adjusted I leaned over her toward the window forcing her closer so she could see the ground below. "Isn't it amazing?"
Sawyer only nodded. Her lips parted. Wonder replaced the fear in her eyes. Her knee stopped bouncing. Her hand released mine as she pressed it to the window, trying to get a better glimpse of the earth beneath us. "It's so...wow."
For the rest of the flight, Sawyer could not peel her eyes from the window. Right before we landed, she turned to me and said, “It makes you think, doesn't it?"
"About what?"
About how unimportant it all is. And at the same time how important it all is."
I didn't know exactly what she was trying to say. All I knew was up most important thing in the world to me was sitting right next to me, squealing with joy as the wheels hit the tarmac.
 
 
Chapter 10
 
 
Sawyer
 
 
“Where are we exactly?” I asked as Ethan dropped us off in the driveway of a cabin style home built into the side of a mountain.
Finn thanked Ethan who pointed to his own home across the narrow path. "That's me, if you need anything."