NOVGO.NET Chapter 96: Forty Minutes Too Late
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Forty Minutes Too Late
Audrey did not care about the layout margins. She did not care about the newspaper.
She ran out of the journalism building and completely ignored the cold autumn wind whipping her hair across her face. She sprinted down the concrete campus paths. Her chest burned with every heavy breath, but she did not slow down.
She needed to see Mason. She needed to look at his dark eyes and tell him she was an absolute idiot.
She reached the athletic complex. The massive metal gates were pushed wide open.
Audrey ran through them. The football pitch was incredibly loud. Whistles were blowing. Junior players were running laps. Dozens of black and white balls were flying across the green grass as the team practiced their shooting drills.
Audrey did not stay on the sidelines. She stepped directly onto the wet grass.
She scanned the massive players in their gray practice jerseys. She looked for the tallest guy on the field. She looked for the broad shoulders and the fierce, focused expression.
She spotted Jackson first. He was yelling at a midfielder. Leo was standing right next to him, practicing his defensive blocks.
Audrey ran straight toward them. She dodged a rolling black and white ball and completely ignored the coach who blew a sharp whistle in her direction.
Leo! Audrey yelled.
Leo completely froze. He lowered his arms and turned around.
When he saw her, his usual goofy expression vanished. He looked completely shocked.
Audrey? Leo asked. He took a few steps toward her. What are you doing on the pitch?
Where is he? Audrey gasped. She was breathing so heavily she could barely form the words. She looked around frantically. Is he in the locker room? I need to talk to him.
Jackson jogged over. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. He looked at Audrey. His expression was not friendly. It was incredibly hard and completely protective.
You need to leave, Audrey, Jackson said strictly. You already did enough damage.
Audrey flinched, but she did not step back.
I made a terrible mistake, Audrey cried out. She looked between the two massive defenders, pleading with them. I know I hurt him. I was just so scared. I thought I wanted a safe life. But I was wrong. I want to fix it. I have to tell him.
Leo’s broad shoulders completely slumped. All the fight left him. He looked over at Jackson with incredibly sad eyes. Jackson just shook his head and looked away at the grass.
You cannot fix it, Leo whispered softly.
Yes, I can, Audrey argued desperately. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes. Just tell me where he is. I will go to the dorms and wait outside his door. I do not care how long it takes.
He is not at the dorms, Audrey, Jackson said flatly. His deep voice carried no emotion. His room is completely empty.
Audrey felt the entire world violently tilt on its axis.
What do you mean? Audrey gasped. Empty?
The London club called his agent last night, Leo explained. His voice cracked slightly. Since he signed the direct contract, they wanted him to fly out early for the pre-season medical exams. He didn’t have a single reason to stay on campus anymore. So he signed the early release forms this morning.
He left? Audrey breathed. The words sounded completely impossible.
He packed his bags and left, Jackson confirmed. He checked the massive digital clock on the stadium scoreboard. His flight takes off in exactly forty minutes. He is already at the airport.
Audrey shook her head violently. No. No, he can’t leave yet.
She did not say another word to them. She turned around and sprinted back across the pitch.
She ignored the shouting coaches. She ignored the burning pain in her lungs. She ran out of the metal gates and onto the busy campus street.
A yellow taxi was idling near the curb, dropping off a student.
Audrey ripped the back door open and threw herself inside before the driver could even pull away.
The international airport, Audrey begged, leaning forward over the seats. Please. I will pay you double. I will pay you triple. Just drive as fast as you legally can.
The driver saw the absolute panic on her face. He hit the gas immediately. The taxi lurches forward, merging aggressively into the busy city traffic.
Audrey fell back against the seat. She gripped the fabric of her coat with shaking hands.
The world outside the window blurred into streaks of gray and red. The traffic felt entirely too slow. Every single stoplight felt like a physical punishment.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket. She stared at the blank screen.
Why did I tell him to leave me alone?
The thought repeated over and over in her head. It was a completely agonizing, endless loop.
What was I thinking?
She thought she wanted peace. She thought she wanted a normal guy who drank coffee and looked at art galleries. She thought a quiet life would keep her heart safe.
But sitting in the back of the taxi, her chest felt entirely hollow. She did not want peace. She did not want quiet. She wanted the loud, chaotic, fiercely protective boy who fought a corrupt billionaire just to come back and hold her hand.
Please, Audrey whispered to the empty car. Tears spilled over her eyelashes and rolled down her cheeks. Please let me make it.
The taxi finally pulled onto the massive highway leading to the departure terminals. It screeched to a halt outside the main glass doors.
Audrey shoved a crumpled twenty dollar bill onto the front console. She pushed the door open before the car even fully stopped moving.
She ran through the automatic sliding doors and completely crashed into the chaos of the airport.
It was massive. It was incredibly loud. Hundreds of people were dragging rolling suitcases across the tile floors. Families were crying at the security gates. Speakers blared confusing announcements overhead.
Audrey spun around. She frantically searched for the international flight screens.
She saw a giant blue digital board stretching across the ceiling in the center of the terminal. She pushed past a businessman in a suit and a family carrying massive backpacks.
She stopped directly under the board.
She tilted her head back and stared up at the glowing yellow letters. Her eyes darted wildly across the rows, searching the destinations.
Paris.
Tokyo.
Dubai.
London.
Flight WFA-408.
Audrey found the row. She dragged her eyes to the right side of the screen. She looked at the bright yellow status column.
The letters spelled out a single, absolutely devastating word.
DEPARTED.
Audrey completely stopped breathing.
She stared at the board until the glowing letters blurred together. The massive plane was already in the air. He was thousands of miles away, flying toward a completely new life in Europe. A life she had specifically refused to be a part of.
She was too late. The hurricane was completely gone.
Her legs suddenly felt incredibly weak. She slowly turned around and walked over to a row of uncomfortable plastic chairs near a closed ticketing counter. She collapsed into a seat.
The busy, loud crowd moved around her like a fast river, but Audrey sat entirely still.
She reached into her coat pocket with trembling fingers. She pulled out her phone.
She had to try. She had to leave him a voicemail. She had to tell him she was wrong, and she was sorry, and she would fly to London tomorrow if he just gave her one more chance.
She opened her contacts. She tapped Mason’s name.
The phone connected. She pressed it tightly to her ear. She closed her eyes, praying to hear his deep, rough voice on the voicemail greeting.
The line clicked loudly.
The call went straight to voicemail.
Audrey slowly pulled the phone away from her ear. She stared blindly at the dark screen.
His phone was switched off.
She tried calling again.
Nothing.
She lowered the phone into her lap.
He wasn’t rejecting her. He simply wasn’t there.
He was already thousands of miles away.
Audrey let the phone slip from her fingers. It landed softly on her lap.
She dropped her face into her hands and finally let the terrible, absolute heartbreak consume her.