When In Rome

Stiamo andando a Roma!

We're going to Rome!

"How do you feel about homeless people?" Miley slid into the seat opposite Oliver, and put her smoothie down on the white plastic table.

Oliver glanced at her. "Well, I wouldn't want to be one," he said, making me laugh.

"Agreeing with Ollie here. I would not want to be a homeless person. Give me a home and a place to live any day of the week," I said.

Miley rolled her eyes. "I mean homeless people in Italy."

"You're asking me if I'd like to be a homeless person in Italy?" Oliver frowned, looking at my other best friend like she'd sprouted an extra head.

"I would definitely not want to be homeless and be in Italy," I said. "Not that there is anything wrong with Italy, I just don't speak Italian - unlike Ollie here - and there's a possibility that not understanding anything may decrease your chances of getting a house, or at the very least a room."

Oliver snorted with laugher, and I deliberately kept my gaze focussed on Miley.

"Okay, enough with the lame stuff." Miley rolled her eyes again, looking at us impatiently. Her eyes darted from side to side, presumably ensuring that the coast was clear, before leaning closer. "Hannah Montana is doing a benefit concert for the homeless in Rome this summer, and Dad decided to make a family vacation out of it. It's Jackson's first summer out of college so he's tagging along because it's free. But that isn't important. What is important, is that Dad has booked a holiday home that has beds for seven people. Which, for Oliver's benefit, is four more people than we actually have."

Oliver rolled his eyes at the deliberate mention. I guess he's used to it. Miley's been saying stuff like that to him for years, but he knows she doesn't really mean it. At least... I think she doesn't really mean it.

"Okay, are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked, turning away from Oliver, and looking at Miley.

She smiled. "Depends what you think I'm saying."

"I think you're saying that me and Oliver are invited to Rome. On vacation. With your family. And I'd better be right, because I'm going to feel like an idiot if I'm wrong," I said.

"Good job you're not wrong then, isn't it?" Miley grinned. "My dad is working on persuading your parents now. You think that they'll agree to it? Please say they will."

I shrugged. "I guess so. I mean we're seventeen now. How are they going to stop us. Plus, we're totally responsible, right?"

"Of course," Miley replied. "What about you Oliver?"

Oliver looked from me to Miley, before shrugging too. "Sure. If Lilly's parents say yes, then mine won't say no. To be honest, they'll probably be glad to get shot of me for a while."

"And in order to get shot of you, they'll willingly force you upon somebody else?" I laughed, biting my straw. Bad habit of mine.

"Force me?" Oliver raised his eyebrows at me, and pretended to look threatening. I stared right back, my brain instructing my mouth that if it laughed, it'd do something to it. I don't know what.

"Okay you guys," Miley rolled her eyes, and drained the last of her plastic cup. Then she stood up. "If you can stop staring at each other for like, a second, then we can go and find out how my dad is getting on. But that's only if you two can tear your eyes away from each other for one minute!"

I looked at her, knowing what she was implying and also knowing that if she went a step further, she probably wouldn't be able to go to Rome. Not in perfect health anyway. Although I wouldn't be able to hurt her, so she'd probably just be going without me.

Miley didn't pick up on the 'shut up' signals that I was mentally sending to her. I guess she doesn't have Jedi mind powers. "So are we going?"

"Yeah," I nodded, pushing my smoothie away from me and standing up. "Come on Ollie."

"But I'm not finished," Oliver protested, gesturing at his drink.

I rolled my eyes, and turned to him. "If you come now, I promise that in Rome I'll buy you five Italian ice creams. Is that persuasive enough?"

"Works for me," Oliver said, getting up. I laughed, and grabbed his hand, pulling him along the beach after Miley as we made our way to my house.

---

"Please?" I begged once more, as I sat behind the breakfast counter in the kitchen. Mom was washing up after dinner.

Her initial reaction to Mr. Stewart's vacation proposal was no. No, no, no. I could not go to a foreign country that was so far away, because I was too young. Plus Mr. Stewart was never going to be able to keep track of all of us, especially while Miley was doing concert run-throughs and appearances. No.

"Mom, why can't I go really? Because you can say that 'too young' rubbish all you want, but we both know that that's not why you're denying me this," I said.

She turned around and looked at me, her mouth open as though she were about to say something, before turning back to the dishes.

"What? What is it?" I asked, suddenly curious. And slightly angry. I mean, she was being totally unreasonable. Totally unreasonable. Why couldn't I go to Rome? We had adult supervision, and we practically were adults now anyway...

Mom put down the dish she was washing, and turned around fully. "Lilly, I just don't think it's a good idea."

Which basically means: "I have no other excuse, so live with it".

"Mom, jumping off a cliff isn't a good idea. Asking Mike to think about something, isn't a good idea. Taking a fortnight's vacation in Rome, one of the most beautiful and educational cities in the world is a very good idea, so can you please tell me why you don't want me to go?" I said, staring at my mother.

"Lilly... you're seventeen. Three seventeen year olds... aren't going to be easy to keep track of. And when one of the trio is a boy..."

Excuses, excuses.

"Is it because you're afraid?" I asked, reading the anxious expression on her face. "Afraid of something bad happening... or afraid that I'll come back a different person? Mom, do you think that in the space of two weeks, I'll grow up to somebody unrecognisable?"

She shook her head. "I just don't want..."

"Mom, I'll be fine. And think of it this way: in two weeks I'll come back, and be so glad to see you. I can tell already that I'll miss you. But I can't miss you if you don't let me go anywhere, can I?" I said, interrupting her but not really caring.

My dad, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen laughed. "She's not giving this one up Janie. And I have to admit, she makes sense. Why don't we give it a try? Lilly knows what she can and can't do. Robbie Ray said that he'd be perfectly happy with having them. Plus, her friends are good kids. Miley has a level head, and Oliver... well, he's a good kid."

"Please, mom," I said, looking over at my dad gratefully. One parent down, the other cracking. Come on... come on...

"I... I don't know," Mom resigned, sighing heavily.

I stood up and walked over to her. "Mom, I love you, okay, and I'm totally sure that this hesitation is your way of showing that you care. I really want to go to Rome, mom. Really. Please. Whatever doubts are in your mind, I assure you that I'll come back from Italy as me. The same person. I don't want to be anyone else anyway."

My mother looked from me, to my dad before sighing and raising her hands. "I guess... I guess you can go to Rome."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" I gushed, hugging my mom swiftly, before running over and hugging my dad. "You guys rock. Thank you. Stay off the phone, I'm ringing Oliver and then Miley."

My dad laughed, as I grabbed the phone and ran out of the room with it. How awesome was this?

Pushing in Oliver's phone number, I ran up the stairs and flung open my bedroom door. He answered almost straight away.

"Lilly?"

I smiled. "Yeah. The parents caved. I am officially allowed to go to Rome with you and Miley!"

"That's awesome! It wouldn't have been the same without you Lills," Oliver said, and I could tell that he was pleased. I've been friends with him too long.

"You say that like you would have gone if I'd been banned from going," I joked, pretending to sound disgruntled at the very idea.

"Of course I wouldn't," Oliver replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Then you'd be stupid. Turning down a practically free trip to Rome, because I couldn't go? What is wrong with you, Oken?"

Oliver laughed. "What about me?"

"What about you?" I queried, sitting down on my bed after making sure that the door was firmly closed. "You're seventeen, weird and in dire need of a haircut. That the info you were seeking?"

"No. I meant; if I couldn't go to Rome, would you still go?" Oliver asked, trying to force his voice into a joking tone. I wasn't fooled.

"Of course not. What entertainment would I have when Miley was off being Hannah? Jackson? Please. Give me Oliver Oscar Oken any day," I smiled, hoping that it was the answer he was searching for. And even if it wasn't, it was the truth.

Oliver hesitated for a second before replying. "Awesome. Have you told Miley the news yet?"

"Nope. I decided to bless you with the information before her. Aren't you the luckiest guy in the world?"

"Yeah, I am," Oliver said, sounding way out of it. If he had been here, I would have snapped my fingers in front of his face, but the only thing I could do over the phone, was clear my throat. Luckily, it worked. "I mean... yeah, I guess I am."

I raised my eyebrows, but said nothing of his extra weirdness. "Well anyway, I'd better go and ring Miley. Just don't tell her I called you first. She might get jealous."

"It'll be our secret," Oliver said, sounding normal again.

I laughed. "And keep it that way. Talk to you tomorrow Ollie."

"Bye," he said, before hanging up.

After staring at the phone for a minute or two (why, I have no idea. I spaced out for a bit, I guess) I dialled Miley's phone number, and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" Robbie Ray answered.

"Hey Mr. S," I said, ignoring his earlier protests to call him Robbie Ray. He was Mr. S, and always would be. "Guess who got their loving parents to agree to this vacation you're very kindly taking us on?"

Mr. Stewart laughed. "I'm guessing her name begins with 'l' and ends with 'y'. Tell me if I'm close."

"You are so close, you're practically on fire!" I grinned. "Miley there? Thought I'd break the good news to her."

"I'll put her on now," Mr. Stewart said. "Tell your parents that I'll drop by tomorrow, just to talk things over."

"Will do."

Miley came on the line only seconds later. "They said yes?"

"After a lot of begging and reassuring, and some help from my father, she said yes!" I cheered, throwing myself back onto the pillow. "It took some time, but it'll be worth it."

"So worth it. Can you believe this, Lilly? We're going to Rome!"

So this is the product when you put me in a villa for two weeks with nothing to do. I got bored, started writing and this was the outcome. It shouldn't take long to write (I'm only planning about 14 chapters) but I'm hoping it'll be good.

Anyway, it's good to be back, and I'll go and read the stories that I've missed in the last fortnight or so.