The humid New Connecticut air brushed against my tan skin. It had been a  long summer but I never wanted it to end. My family didn’t have much money but they decided to suck it up and send me to boarding school in Chicago so I could get a look at college ncase we didn’t have enough money to send me to college. My brother Charlie was going to college next year but we didn’t know if I could. I didn’t know anyone at the school and I wasn’t really the friend type. My mind was packed and ready to go but my heart wasn’t. I only had one friend whose name was jan and I had to leave her, she asked her mom if she could go but she said Chicago was too far.i didn’t know much about the school but i new it was top notch amazing explaining it was only 19.99 a year i heard that every year they changed their  prices based on what year it was and as you could probably guess this year was 1999. I was only 11 years old but I was smart enough to know that 19 dollars was too little money to pay for boarding school.

    The squeaky lawn chair squeaked as I sipped my orange crush soda. The bottle was sticky and smelled like sugar. I remember when I got my very first soda, I was over at Miss Violet’s house across the street. She poured it into a small cup and told me to take a sip. It was fizzy and sweet, I LOVED IT!! I was going to miss Mrs. Violet. She was my first babysitter, she was the one my family loved the most.she was nice and responsable but now she had two kids one six and one three she was a great babysitter my mom said when i was older i could help her babysit but i never asked her.

The pale blue sky got darker and darker and the stars peaked out from behind the clouds I mopped inside the house as I entered the door, I saw two red bags stuffed full with clothes with a golden prufrock pin on the front. Mom really wanted it to look like our family had a lot of money but anyone who went to prufrock preparatory school did NOT have much money. As I walked into my room I saw my red and black  uniform that read prufrock prep on the front pocket. I never liked uniforms, I always thought it was rude to make someone wear something and the fact that they made the uniforms so ugly was just wrong.

   I moved the uniform into the back of my closet. I tried to forget it was happening but I just couldn’t. I slipped on my pajamas. Their ends were dirty from playing in the rain with Charlie as kids. I didn’t get them dirty anymore, in fact I couldn’t. They were too short! I was offered a new pair by my parents but I said No. I didn’t want them to waste the money. Mom had made my favorite dinner but I wasn’t hungry. My parents were sending me to boarding school for me to get a look at college but at college you were following your dreams but at boarding school you werent. I wanted to be a writer but prufrock didn’t even have a writing program!! 

My eyelids closed and the next thing I knew was getting shaken awake by my mom! Mom what is it WAKE UP YOU HAVE TO LEAVE FOR THE AIRPORT!D!! She screeched I FORGOT!! The plane was leaving at seven in the morning. I must have forgotten to set my alarm last night! I rushed out of my bed to the bathroom. Charlie had left the light on the water running and his toothbrush out of the holder! This was the bad part about sharing a bathroom with your older brother. I brushed my teeth  and braided  my hair. I always like putting my hair in braids, I kept my hair out of my eyes and they were easy to do. I took the uniform out of the back of my closet and bottened it up tightly. It was itchy and too small. They only made the uniforms in ONE SIZE!!  The skirt was long and loose and the jacket was tight and itchy. I walked down stairs touching every single family picture ever taken. I was going to miss home. I never thought I would leave it. JORDAN!!! My mom screamed the plane is taking off in 45 minutes!!! I rushed down the stairs passing by pictures of my 6th birthday Mrs violet holding me and charlie as a little baby. Charlie was cute but I was cuter. Mom had packed breakfast , lunch and dinner for me which was weird because I was going to eat now. Get in the car we’re driving to the airport right now, she said in a hurry. The bad part about living in  New England was you lived 30 minutes away from the airport!!!! 

    I hopped in the car as my mom started it MOM DONT LEAVE WITHOUT ME i screeched.  I wont dont worry i am just rushing so we won’t be late. That plane ticket was expensive. okay if you say so i said slowly. Charlie and my dad were already in the car and ready to go. The car was slow and bumpy. We have had the car since Charlie was born. The car was 17 years old!!! 

   Mom jerked the car at terminal number 2. I loved the terminal . It was fancy and made me feel like a princess. Mom gave me a tight teary hug. I can’t believe you’re going to college, she whined. MOM I am not going to college, COLLeGe has a writing program I said annoyingly. Charlie gave me a slight hug and said see you later weirdo and have fun at college he said with a smile. I groaned, dad hugged almost as tight as mom Dont you dare say i am going to college I forced. Don’t worry I wont have fun and we’ll see you at your birthday but make sure to call everyday. I walked into the line in front of the terminal  but you do have to  call every day my mom yelled can make any promises I replied.

   The flight attendant  scanned my boarding pass and took my suitcase. I walked through the silver automatic doors as my stubbed shoes clicked on the floor. I picked up a magazine and a pack of gum at a small store in the airport. The shop smelled like fruity gum and chocolate.

Terminal two had clear glass windows and shiny tile floors.  I LOVeD it. The airport was filled with hundreds of people from all over the world i loved hearing all of the different languages that people were speaking  the flight attendant scratchy voice said flight number 2340 boarding now, i peaked down at my boarding pass it read 2340 in the front of the paper i rushed past the stores and restaurants to gate B3 i handed the flight attendant my boarding pass and walked through the dark jetway it was decorated with black and gray stripes it had hazard marks on each step down to the plane as i boarded the plane i saw all of the complicated buttons and controls in the pilot seats i looked down the crowded isle as I saw people from all over the world like  i saw in the airport. It always amazes me how many people come to an airport. I loved how you could never tell if they were from that place or traveling to it. I sat down  seat number 17 right on the edge of the wing of the plane. The seat was sticky and uncomfortable. I was scared about what my future  would be like when I went to boarding school. Would I have any friends? Was I going to see my family? Would i even become a writer 

I heard the deep voice of the pilot telling us we were going to take off soon and just like that I felt the plane start to move to the runway. The plane speeded off the ground and up into the air!! 

     I could feel my stomach drop as we flew over  New England. It was a small place with many houses and not many shops. As we got further and further above New England all that people,cars and shops seemed to look like ants. I settled into my chair and thought of home. I missed jan and was ready for her to just show up and come on the plane to Chicago with me. I thought of how many great things had happened when I was with Jan and now i didnt think they were going to happen again. My ripped neck pillow never felt more like home. My mom got my neck pillow for me when I had an ear infection on the plane to visit our grandpa. As i finally dozed off i felt a tap on my left shoulder HUH it must be jan i thought!!!!!! The tapping continued and then stopped. my eyes shot open. May offer you a drink? Ugh it was just the flight attendant it was such a letdown knowing that Jan wasn’t coming. I’ll take a ginger ail I groaned. I loved ginger ail charlie and i used to drink it as a kid and pretend we had magical powers to make it fizz. The flight attendant poured the ginger ail into the plastic cup. I lifted my fingers to make it fizz and then lowered them. It just wasn’t the same without Charlie here.

    I sipped the cold ginger ale as my brain froze cold from the ice cubes. Attention passengers we are entering the second half of our ride so if you would please keep your seat belts on for the duration of the flight thanks so much. The captain’s scratchy voice reminded me of my dad’s voice. How it was always so low but soft and friendly. The second half of the flight was my cue to take a nap. As I fell asleep I could see my mom telling me to have fun! We were on a plane!! But I didn’t want to. I WANTED to go home. 2 hours passed and we still hadn’t  heard the captain announce we were landing soon. Usually the captain’s announcements would wake me up, but I was still dreaming.

    I felt a huge THUD to the ground. I shot up! Did we crash? I asked. But then I saw the airport workers waving the bright orange lights and unpacking our luggage from the back of the plane. I DIDN’T WAKE UP WITH THE CAPTAINS ANNOUNCEMENT?????? I thought to myself then I realized I remembered the captain’s announcement that I was having a dream that Jan and I were going to school in italy. But it was a letdown to see myself sitting in a fabric chair by myself with an empty ginger ale cup. Plus I was going somewhere I didn’t even want to go!!! 

   I walked off the plane to the striped jetway. It didn’t seem as exciting as it was at home. My smile dropped to my chin, a family of nine people were  gathered outside the plane. Waiting with a sign that read WELCOME HOME JACKSON!! It seemed like they were more than pleased to have their son back. I walked past them with a faint smile and then frowned again. I kept walking past all the Chicago restaurants and shops until I saw a sign that said PRUFROCK PREP BUS THIS WAY. That was me. I sure wasn’t excited to see what a stingy stinky bus they had for their 19 dollar boarding school.

  My black heeled shoes clicked on the hard graphite floor. As i walked outside into the chilled chicago air i saw six busses waiting outside the airport that all said prufrock on them they were beat up and all looked different, it seemed they were the cheapest busses at the dealership and they had used them ALOT. I stepped on to the first bus I saw out of the long line. The bus was missing a step and they had taped a piece of paper to it that said “watch your st p” the e was scratched by kids feet. It sat down in one of the ripped chairs at the back of the bus. It was a quiet ride. It seemed like everyone there was new. But it was still awkward by the time the bus started moving it was already 7 o’clock and it was a two hour drive the light of the bus turned on. They were purple and shiny but only two of them worked. My eyes gently closed as I started to dream of home. The next thing I knew there was a big honk that sounded like a clown nose. It sounded rusty and broken.