"Well, here we go, again," I muttered to myself as we boarded the plane.
I looked around to find many unfamiliar faces surrounding me, just as I had many times before. No matter how many times I'd done this within the past several years, it just never seemed to get any easier.
I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest as my nerves finally began to settle into panic-mode.
"Aunt Brooke, I can't do this... Not again," I said, tapping the blonde-haired lady in front of me on the shoulder. "I can't handle... I just want to feel like a kid every once in a while."
"Calm down, we're just moving, it's not the end of the world." She said, pushing through to our seats. "Besides, I'm sure you'll really like it there."
"Alright." I swallowed deeply, my nerves refusing to let up. I wanted to avoid another antagonistic fight – they were never worth it. No matter how right you were, you were always wrong.
"Hey," I heard my younger cousin, Hazel, say in an attempt to gain my attention. "It's going to be okay," she said, flashing me a huge toothy grin. No matter what was going on, that smile never left her face. That smile always had a way of giving me a needed sense of comfort in the most trying of times.
"You're completely right, Hazel." I returned her smile.
I was still anxious, but the anxiety subsided long enough for me to lean back in my seat and try to relax. I pulled my phone out and shoved my ear buds in, as I carefully selected a song to listen to. After several songs played from start to finish, I finally found myself beginning to calm down as I drifted off into a sound sleep.
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'Kaitlyn, wake up!' were the very words I was awoken by, as my aunt nearly shook me to death.
"We're here, Kaitlyn!" Hazel shouted, over-excitedly.
"Yay," I muttered, throwing my hands in the air, half-heartedly.
"Can't you at least pretend to be happy?" Aunt Brooke glared at me.
"I am." I faked a smile, before rolling my eyes to convey my annoyance.
"Let's go, guys!" Hazel said, a little less enthusiastically, attempting to at least lessen the tension between her mother and me. I grabbed her hand and we left my aunt behind.
"Why don't you and Mommy like each other, Kaitlyn?" she questioned, with big eyes, as we walked away.
"It's not that we don't like each other, Hazel. We just don't always get along."
"But... Why don't you always get along?" she asked, sounding upset.
"I don't know... That's kind of hard to explain."
She shrugged before running off toward a tiny food establishment, directly across from us.
"Hazel! Get back here! You have to stay with me!" I shouted, running after her.
Not even a minute later, I caught up to her. I shook my head before buying drinks as a final peace treaty.
"Promise you won't do that again, Hazel?" I looked down at her, as we walked away.
Not paying any attention, I walked into someone's barricade of suitcases, leaving me painfully on the ground and my soda completely airborne. Fortunately, not a drop of soda spilled on me, but I can't say the same for the owner of the suitcases: he was soaked and half of his belongings were now strewn about the floor.
