They Bet On My Flight, So I Booked One To Iceland Chapter 02

They Bet On My Flight, So I Booked One To Iceland Chapter 02

“Don’t freak out.” Chloe pouted as though I were ruining her fun. “I even added a funny little Easter egg for you. I put an eye-rolling frog meme watermark in the corner of your favorite piece. It was hilarious.”

She winked at Mason.

“Mason and I even bet on whether you’d notice. We were going to wait until you won to tell you. It would’ve been the perfect surprise.”

A sharp ringing filled my ears.

All entries for the Northstar Emerging Artist Prize were judged anonymously. Submission files could not contain any unrelated layers, much less joke graphics or meme watermarks.

I hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in two weeks because of that final-round portfolio.

I was the only student my school had nominated.

I grabbed my phone and opened my email.

The newest message was from the competition committee.

[Your submission has been disqualified from this year’s competition because it contains extraneous material that compromises the visual integrity of the work and violates the rules for blind judging.]

I held the screen up in front of Chloe.

Her smile slowly froze.

Then her eyes turned red.

“Do those judges seriously have no sense of humor? How was I supposed to know they’d be so uptight?”

She sniffled, her voice growing more aggrieved by the second.

“I was just trying to help you loosen up. You’ve been wound so tight over this competition. Who could stand it? Avery, stop looking at me like that. Fine, I’ll pay you back for the entry fee.”

Mason pulled Chloe behind him.

He did it so naturally that it felt as though the moment she cried, I automatically became the one who had to give in.

“Avery,” Mason said, his voice turning stern. “Chloe didn’t mean to do it. She messed up, but she was trying to do something nice.”

I looked at him.

“I’ve been disqualified.”

“Then enter next year.” Mason frowned. “You’re talented. Would waiting one more year really make that much difference? Do you have to make this ugly for everyone right now?”

Hiding behind him, Chloe added quietly, “I already said I’d pay you back.”

The room suddenly felt too small to contain their entitlement or the last scrap of dignity I had left.

I looked down and took screenshots of the cancellation record, the group chat, and the disqualification email one by one.

Mason saw what I was doing, and his expression darkened further.

“What are you taking screenshots for? Are you planning to put us on trial?”

I put my phone away, walked to the entryway, and removed my spare key from Mason’s key ring.

His hand closed over the ring on instinct.

“Avery.”

I yanked hard, and the key dropped into my palm.

“You both disgust me.”

Tears clung to Chloe’s lashes, and she looked as though I had slapped her.

Mason finally ran out of patience.

“If you walk out that door today, don’t expect me to chase after you this time.”

I opened the door and dragged my suitcase into the hall.

Before the door closed, I heard Chloe ask him through her tears, “Isn’t she taking this too far?”

Mason did not answer right away.

The moment the elevator doors slid shut, a message from him appeared.

Mason: [Come back on your own when you’ve calmed down.]

My rideshare stopped outside the terminal, and I pulled my suitcase out of the trunk.

The driver asked whether I wanted help, but I shook my head and held my phone to my ear as I listened to a voice message from my mentor.

“Avery, there’s still a spot for you in the artist residency in Iceland. If you’re sure you want to come, I’ll have the studio send you an invitation tonight.”

I held down the voice-message button.

“I’m sure.”

After sending it, I forwarded her the disqualification email.

Her response came almost immediately.

My mentor: [Come here first. Having your work ruined isn’t the end. You’re still here.]