Drabble || Amanda vs Paparazzi
(Stuart Trio & Amanda)
These little cakes and sandwiches are delicious Julian admits. They go wonderfully with the Earl Grey tea they are having. And there are even macrons!
Julian lounges in the sun, trademark sunglasses perched on top of his head. He's studying a script on his iPad. It's a small cameo for an episode on one of those popular crime series on TV. His first acting gig since his medical sabbatical. It shouldn't take more than a few days so it wouldn't disrupt his studies too much.
His date for afternoon tea kneels in her chair, slurping her tepid tea from the pretty china. Her star shaped sunnies also perched on her head. She toys with the menagerie of little plastic animals spread out on the table before them. Julian watches as she pours some tea into a saucer and arranges her animals around it.
"Amanda, what are you doing?"
"They're thirsty." She dips the camel's muzzle into the tea.
"Why do you have so many animals anyway?" Julian's curious. Derek has been scouring toy and model stores the past month checking out pieces for her. He remembers the magnificent African elephant he got her; gigantic flared out ears, trunk held high and tusks 3 inches long. Too finely detailed to be a child's toy but he bought it anyway. It quickly became the pièce de résistance of her collection.
"When I grow up, I'm going to live in a zoo. Like Bindi the jungle girl." She explains.
"I'm going to have best friend Oliphant." She has a little leather band tied around the toy's neck, the other end to a Han Solo lego minifig from her Star Wars collection, presumably representing herself.
"Why an elephant?"
"Cos he's big! No one is gonna mess with us. He'll use his trunk and he's going to go like this (she makes a swiping motion); and everyone is going to run away. We're going to take over the WORLD!" She declares loudly, standing on her chair.
"Okaaay…." Julian eyes her suspiciously. This phase of hers is getting weirder by the day. "I think, no more sugar for you." Julian moves the three tier serving stand further away from her.
Amanda doesn't seem to care. She's back to playing with her animals, dunking their snouts in tea. He leaves her to her toys and goes back to his script.
An hour later, Logan calls. He and Derek are done shopping for camping equipment for their upcoming school trip. They'll swing by to pick them up. Finally! Julian has been getting increasingly antsy the last 20 minutes. There is a white SUV parked across the street, Telltale telephoto lens sticking out of the front window. Julian is OK with it, as long as they keep their distance. But the crowd of paparazzi has been growing steadily. Word got out apparently.
Julian pays the bill and helps Amanda collect her toys. She's exacting in her requirements, the herbivores go in a plastic ziplock bag separate from the meat eaters, except the elephant which she likes to carry. What kind of zookeeper would she be if she let carnivores eat the other animals? Her toys and his iPad goes into her Star Wars Wookie backpack.
They exit the cafe. Julian carrying Amanda and walking briskly towards the corner where Logan and Derek will pick them up. The paps follow and keep their distance at first. Amanda is puzzled. "Who are those people? Why are they following us?"
Julian tries to assuage her worries,"They're paparazzi. They just want pics of me…and you, since you're with me."
"Oh… That's cos you're on tv right?" Amanda's heard Julian complain of them many times before to Derek and Logan. It takes a moment for her to understand. To her, Julian is Julian. Just like how Logan is Logan. Her brother's silly friends. The ones that messes up the playroom then scramble to clean it up before her parents get back. The same ones that push each other into the pool or eat too much then get sick after jumping around on the trampoline with her.
"Yeah sweetie." Julian sounds distracted. One of the paparazzi has broken away from the pack and is quickly approaching them. All it takes is one person, and the whole mass surges forward like lemmings.
They swarm him:
Julian! How are you feeling?
Who is the girl?
Are the rumors of a stalker true?
What happened in your school?
The more brazen ones just come out with it:
Did you try to kill yourself?
Was it true a teacher found you unconcious?
Did you spend the last months in rehab for coke addiction?
Julian! Julian! Julian!-
He feels a migraine coming on from the screaming and flashing lights. The paparazzi are unusually insistent. Maybe it's because it's the first time Julian is recognized in public since the incident. The media lockdown orchestrated by his mother left everything to speculation and imagination. And the vultures are hungry for any morsel of news.
They jostle him about. He tries his best to shield Amanda form the lights, pressing her face to his chest. Some over eager idiot tugs his arm to make him turn to face him. Julian nearly drops Amanda. "AAh!" A flash of light goes off right in his face. Blinding him.
It's only because of his quick reflex that he catches her awkwardly with his other arm and puts her down. It's first time he gets verbally mad at the paparazzi, "Mother fuu-! Are you insane?" He wants to shoot the bastard dirty look, but he can't see jack.
To everyone's surprise, it's Amanda that gets mad. "Go away! Go AWAY! Leave Julian alone!" She scolds, little hands physically beating and pushing the men away. All she can see is a forest of legs. She rages, little spitfire kicking furiously at vulnerable shins and stomping at toes with her sneakers.
"I'm going to tell my brother! And Logan! They will kick your butts!" Her high pitched threats are followed by the sounds of a hard plastic elephant connecting grievously with expensive camera equipment.
Julian desperately tries to pull Amanda back before she gets lost in the throng. He zones in on her voice, the only clue to her location. When he feels her wooly Wookie backpack, he latches on and yanks her back.
The situation quickly deteriorates. When he bends over to pick Amanda up again, the collar of his shirt catches, exposing the thin white line of scar tissue on his neck. The flashes intensify as the men clamor over each other to get a better shot. Julian nearly gets knocked over and he braces himself with a hand on the ground. With the other hand he holds on tightly to Amanda.
Logan and Derek arrive at the corner the same moment and sees Julian disappear as he nearly falls over with Amanda. Derek swerves the car to a park on the shoulder and they both jump out.
They are both pissed mad. The paparazzi has gone too far this time. Julian has a kid with him and the paps still don't seem to care. Together they shove the scavengers out of the way, mindless of bruised limbs, eliciting indignant cries from the men.
Derek picks Amanda up as Logan pulls Julian off the ground. They barrel through the throng before they have time to realize what's going on. Logan opens the back passenger door and Julian dives in, Amanda gets thrown in after him and the door slams close. The other two hurriedly get in and lock the doors.
Logan guns the engine menacingly, inching their way out. He would gladly run them over if not for the little technicality called 'grievous bodily harm with a vehicle'. Finally they get out onto the street and speed away. The more persistent of the paparazzi tailing them. Logan isn't worried. The security detail at his father's penthouse will stop them once they reach the garage. Derek calls the security desk to inform them of their predicament.
There is something terribly wrong with Oli the elephant. "Oh NO!" Amanda shrieks, startling the three boys. "Panda you ok?" Derek turns in his seat to check on her. Julian does same, pulling her backpack off.
"OLI! His tusk! It's gone!" Amanda looks like she's about to cry. She's faced down a ravenous pack of paparazzi, but it's the damage to her elephant that breaks her.
She holds the elephant up for them to see. Indeed one of its majestic tusk has snapped clean off and he looks a little banged up. Derek exhales in relief. "Don't worry sweetie, I'll get you a new one."
Amanda is scandalized by the idea. "NO! You cant replace Oli! He's my friend! Just cos he's got one less tooth!" Her sentiment is not lost on the boys and they are silent for a beat.
"Alright. Alright. We won't replace him." Julian soothes, before she gets hysterical. "We'll see if we can make him a new tusk, okay?" Julian takes Oli from her and examines him. "Ah, he'll live. We'll take him to the dentist tomorrow okay?"
Julian pulls her into a hug and drops a kiss on her head. Amanda nods in agreement. "Meanwhile, Derek will kiss Oli better." Julian hands him to Derek.
Amanda watches expectantly. Derek brings the elephant to his face and tentatively presses his lips to its head. "And so will Logan." Derek is not going down alone. He holds the elephant up. Logan shoots him an incredulous look.
"I'm driving." Logan dismisses him. "Just a tiny kiss. Oli's hurting!" Derek insists, pushing the toy closer. "Please Lo?" Amanda pouts. "Fine!" Logan huffs and grudgingly pecks the plastic elephant on the ear.
Amanda takes Oli back, pleased by the turn of events. "Okay. Now kiss Julian." She instructs imperiously, completely serious. "What?- Whatever for?" Derek sputters.
"He fell down,"Amanda explains. Julian finds the entire situation amusing now that they are safe in the car. "Yeah. I did fall. Hurts…" He pouts and sticks his face between the front seats.
"KISS HIM." Amanda commands. No room for negotiation there. "Ugh fine! Come here," Derek grabs Julian's head and plants one on his forehead. Logan opts for a quick peck on the cheek. Julian slips back into his seat.
Amanda is finally satisfied. She shifts to lie in Julian's lap, tired out by the excitement of the afternoon. A nap is in order. All is right with the world again.