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Soundtrack of Life 2

The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony

Flying home from a class trip to Paris, 20 million hours spent on an airplane, personal televisions with channel options and radio options. Bitter Sweet Symphony seemed to play on the radio every three minutes, but in reality it may have only played a handful of times during the flight.

I had become closer friends with Bryce, a boy before which I hadn't paid much attention. He was fun and as sarcastic and witty as I could be. The instructor made passing suggestion of Bryce and I going to a dance, immediately making me realize that I was flirting. And, more importantly, he may also be flirting.

We had arranged it to sit next to each other on the flight home. I started to do my nails when Jon, sitting in the row behind me, asked about all the tools in my manicure kit. I showed him what they all did and he wanted me to give him a manicure.

You stick 20 teenagers on an airplane for 20 hours after spending ten days together in a foreign country, and they can do some pretty weird stuff.

For this manly manicure, Jon needed to sit next to me. He asked Bryce to move, but Bryce refused. He punched the back of Bryce's seat until Bryce finally switched seats with him.

I felt bad that Jon had treated Bryce so badly, but I felt oddly happy that Jon wanted me to do his nails. Jon was a year older, a senior, and while I didn't like him I knew a few of the other girls did.

On the rest of the connecting flights, Bryce sat next to me either sleeping or in silence. Whatever friendship we had created on French soil would stay there; we rarely spoke again.