The hum from the engines that had been droning for hours on end was now reduced to white noise. A fussy baby in the back had finally settled down, and hushed conversations were going on in various areas. The light snores coming from a stranger sitting close by was enough to drown them out. Once in a while a passenger would pad softly down the aisle, but other than that the general activity on the plane was kept at a minimum.

That was still not enough for Tristan Milligan to succumb to slumber. It's not as if this was his first time on a plane. The school trip to Paris with Tori, Zig, Maya and Cam was quite the experience full of laughter and bonding. Even though he didn't find love, he did manage to score a stylish blazer among other exquisite articles of clothing. Nonetheless, fashion wasn't going to put him at ease now. Too many thoughts were whizzing through his head. His palms were sweaty and he was on edge because this time he was alone and diving headfirst into the unknown. At the very least he was comforted with the fact that he was making the right decision.

He thought that after slimming down (thanks to training with his brother) and then dying his hair platinum blond was going to be enough to elevate him in the dating scene and the boys would be attracted to him like a moths to a flame. No such luck. The first half of grade ten rolled by and nothing was happening. To add salt to the wound, all of his friends were neatly paired up with their other halves for what seemed like forever while more often than not he was the awkward fifth wheel.

So when the handsome new English teacher started making approaches towards him, Tristan saw it as his only ticket for an epic romance that he craved for. Heated make out sessions in the supply closet. The exchange of looks that held a secret that only the two of them shared. Unlocking the sensual side of himself that he didn't even know existed. But somehow the Degrassi grapevine caught wind of the illicit affair, and after being under the scrutiny and judgement of his classmates, Tristan had no choice but to beg for an alternative method to complete the school term, even if it was a temporary solution until the summer. He closed his eyes and his mind drifted off to the memory of why he was in this situation.

"Please, Mr. Simpson. I can't stand the stares or listen to all of this gossip about me anymore. Is there anything you can do to help me? Home schooling? Private tutor? Online classes?"

"Tristan. I know that you are in a difficult position. And you don't have many options—"

"How about a suspension?"

"No, that won't work either. But I do have one suggestion."

"Anything."

"I have a contact in Sweden. He's just about to start a workshop for aspiring young actors on the condition that the candidates can keep their grades up. How does being a foreign exchange student at a boarding school sound to you? We could then transfer the credits by the end of the term before you come back home."

That was the one option that Tristan did not see coming. Even if he was only going to be there for the duration of the second half of the school year, he wouldn't be lying to say that completely uprooting himself from the familiar to settle down to the foreign didn't make him feel uneasy. It was a serious, life-changing decision that was not to be made lightly. Tristan couldn't stop the feeling of fear that settled deep into the pit of his stomach like a stone. He didn't know the first thing about speaking Swedish even if Simspon did assure him that he was going to an international school where classes were taught in English and other students would be coming from abroad. Would his future classmates have a problem with him being gay? He knew very well that he was lucky enough to live in a country who happened to be quite advanced when it came to LGBT+ rights. How accepting was Sweden? He didn't even have a girl friend at his side to pass off as a fake significant other. He was going to have to deal with facing this challenge all on his own.

But simultaneously, he couldn't be more grateful for the temporary escape. He was just sixteen and already he was going to be able to bulk up his resume in a unique way that would be sure to make him stand out from the rest. Above all, he just needed a fresh start. Tristan knew that he should have just sucked it up and powered through the whispers and the stares. It's not as if he would have faced things all by himself. As soon as the truth was revealed, his friends poured out their support and stood by his side to stare down any condescending looks that were shot his way. They were the first ones to learn about the school exchange and were quick to laden him with advice.

"Listen to me. What you need is a hot and spicy torrid fling."

"Um, that's what got me in this mess in the first place, Tori."

"But everybody knows to get rid of the burn from one relationship is to distract yourself with another! Think of it as the pliers to take out the nail."

Tristan couldn't help but chuckle as he thought over his best friend's advice. What are the odds for a new kid such as himself to strike up a relationship considering his time in this school was limited? As always, Maya's words of wisdom were a lot more sensible.

"Tristan, you have to promise me that you'll stay focused on your studies. The last thing you need is another distraction. A workshop like this is a one-time opportunity, especially at a high school level. Think of the international contacts that you'll already be building! After all, you're representing all of us here at Degrassi, so show them up with high grades. Those egg-heads wouldn't know what hit them."

She did have a point. By joining the class he would be representing Team Canada in a way. He smirked over the thought of coming out of nowhere only to be the best in the class. Those preppy boarding school kids wouldn't even see him coming. Along with the new environment, hitting the books would seem to be the best thing to keep his mind off all things Yates and secure his spot in the actors' group.

The captain's request for the passengers to return to their seats and fasten their belts snapped Tristan out from his thoughts. Butterflies were darting around his stomach and he was feeling lightheaded from the lack of sleep. He was told that a fellow student would be the one to pick him up, and he scoffed when he pictured a short and gangly teacher's pet that would most probably be the one to greet him since obviously the cooler kids would have better things to do on a Friday night. Then again, it might not be a bad idea to befriend the nerds. They would surely keep him out of trouble even if signing himself up for unpopularity would be a serious drawback.

He got through customs and after being eyed by a scary looking security guard, he wondered if the person bringing him to the school would be equally as terrifying. A wave of panic washed over him after realizing that this mystery person would think of it as a hilarious prank to just not show up at all, thus leaving Tristan to fend for himself from the start. Did he even have enough cash for a cab? Did they take Canadian money? What was the name of the school again? Did he even have a copy of the address with him? Deciding that there was no use to think of the worse before it actually happened, he collected his luggage and headed towards Arrivals. He decided to distract himself from his troubling thoughts by scoping out the cute guys. He nearly stopped dead in his tracks when he laid his eyes a boy who was so stunning that describing him as handsome was not enough to do him justice.

Tristan wasn't sure what caught his attention first. It could have been the way that his bangs fell loosely over his brow. Or the sunglasses resting on top of his head. It could have been how his eyes just popped when combined with the green button-up that was coincidentally the same colour. Or his cardigan that really seemed to complete the look. How about he just call it like it is and say all of the above? Tristan's heart leaped for a second when he saw his own name written on the card that the gorgeous stranger was holding, and he went weak in the knees once he realized that he had to go up and talk to his sudden object of attraction. His heart was beating so loudly that the sound resonated in his ear drums.

"Hi. T-that's me," Tristan said quickly, hoping that the quiver in his voice was not as evident as it seemed.

His fellow classmate gave him a swift once over and cracked a lazy smile.

"Hello, Tristan Milligan. The name's Miles," he drawled. "Welcome to Sweden. I'm here to make your stay… comfortable. We'll get you settled in and you'll meet the gang. Just know that you could come to me about anything. And I mean, anything."

Tristan gulped. He didn't even step foot out of the airport, but he had a feeling that things are gonna get a little more cray-cray than he expected.