Who We Are

I grunted slightly as I pulled my suitcase from the return track. It landed on the ground with a thud. Sighing, I turned the bag over onto its wheels and swiveled around, scanning through the countless faces of those who were both on my flight and those picking them up. I squinted. I knew I should’ve worn my glasses instead of packing them, but it’s too late for that now, not to mention I only knew Anna Bennett from the pictures of her and I that were taken when I was barely a year old.

“Elodie!” Someone called to my right. I took out one of my earbuds blasting music and saw a woman frantically waving toward my direction. She looked just like Anna, except way younger. As I walked toward her, I dragged my luggage behind me and adjusted the straps on my backpack.

“Oh my god, hi!” she exclaimed, engulfing me in a hug. I stiffened at her touch. “Oh, sorry! You probably don't remember me. I’m Maggie, Anna’s daughter.” Oh, right. She was the oldest in the family, the one getting married. My mom briefly explained that she was getting married soon, and I felt bad coming here when there was still so much to get ready before her big day. On the other hand, I didn't have much of a choice.

“Not a big talker? That’s okay. We should probably get going, though. We have to pick someone up on the way. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” I replied. It was then that I realized my music was still playing in one of my ears, so I paused my Spotify playlist and wrapped my earbuds cord around my phone as we walked outside toward the car.

...

Maggie fiddled around with a couple of coins and a parking meter on the side of the road where we had just stopped and gotten out. I was so happy I wore leggings on the plane. It was so much colder here in Ohio than back home in L.A., not to mention the cloudy sky making it feel even more like autumn without the sun to warm me up.

Looking around, I scanned the small shops going up and down the street on both ends. A small crowd was gathered around two street musicians as they sang and played guitar together. The rest of the street seemed to be bustling with people. Well, relatively. It was busy for Ohio, but the streets had nowhere near the crowds I experienced back home.

“Come on,” Maggie smiled, putting her wallet back into her floral purse. I followed her, suddenly regretting leaving my backpack in the car. The only thing I had to fiddle with was my phone, so I tapped the case with my fingernails to get rid of some of my nervous energy. Mom always said I was as skittish as a flightless bird, whatever that meant.

We only walked for a few minutes before Maggie stopped to listen to the musicians. I stood next to her, not paying too much attention to them. We were standing behind a rather tall couple, so I didn't get a great look at the musicians, but they were really good. They sang a cover of a song that I couldn't quite place.

The couple in front of us decided to leave, and I figured Maggie and I would leave soon, too, to go pick up whoever we were there for, but she remained standing there, listening to the duo, so I stayed right with her. When I finally got a good look at the musicians, all I could think was, “Holy shit.” The two guys had to have been right out of high school. Both were way too hot for their own good, but the one on the right, in particular, caught my eye. His bright green eyes were vibrant against his stylishly-messy dark brown hair. Regardless of the slight chill of the wind, he wore a sleeveless tank of a band I didn't recognize, paired with black ripped jeans.

“Like what you see?” Maggie joked, nudging me. I laughed awkwardly before clearing my throat.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” I replied weakly. We both knew exactly what was going through my head. Before I knew it, my eyes were back on his. Wait, what? The sudden eye contact between us startled me. As he continued to sing and strum his guitar, he shot me a dopey grin and a wink. My cheeks turned red, and Maggie just smiled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Before I knew it, the duo stopped their song and thanked everyone for watching. They started to pack up their guitars and equipment as the small crowd dispersed, and a few tossed a couple of bucks into the empty hat in front of them. I took a few steps to leave before Maggie wrapped her arm around my shoulders, stopping me.

“I think they’re done playing, Maggie. We should probably get going,” I told her.

“Wow, for a Harvard-bound kid, you sure aren't that bright.” My cheeks glowed once again, but this time, it was from embarrassment. What the hell did she know anyway? I was plenty smart. I’ll prove it to her somehow, I have to. I need to be taken seriously here or else I’ll never survive.

The two guys, now fully packed up, started to head our way. The blond, somewhat less hot but still very attractive, guy picked up the hat and started counting the money as they approached us. Oh god. Please, no. Anything but this.

“Elodie, I take it?”