Summary: Blossom Merangue is an American student on a summer-long tour of Europe with Cornelius Wilmington's Political Institute, and the first female to attend. B is hoping to take full advantage of this opportunity to make pre-mature political ties, but does not anticipate the Dean having a son, and certainly didn't expect what was to come. Will she be able to stay focus and accomplish what she came here for? And will she discover a revelation that nobody could have seen coming? AU, probably a little OOC at times.
A/N: My original plan was to write this story before I published it, but I would rather receive feedback for each chapter. I will update this as often as physically possible, and since it is nearing the end of the year, I will have PLENTY of free time. Also, BPOV= Blossom POV, BrPOV= Brick's POV, other POVs will be added as the story moves on. And now, enjoy!
Takeoff
BPOV
"B!" sobs a usually chipper and over-excited voice, now wailing over dramatically coming towards me, full speed ahead.
"Cals, seriously, chill." I say, trying in vain to loosen the vice-grip my best friend on my chest.
"But what if one of us dies sometime over summer before we can see each other agai- OMG WHAT IF YOUR PLANE CRASHES OR MY PLANE CRASHES OR BOTH OF OUR PLANE CRASHES AND WE BOTH DIE!" She yells, trying to be rational, even though the only thing she's doing is drawing attention to herself and making it extremely tempting to slap her on the spot.
"Then I'd look you up in heaven and kick your butt for jinxing us, now please get off me and calm down before either I permanently lose feeling in my torso or you bust a blood vessel." I somehow mange to choke out.
We are in the middle of Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Georgia, the world's busiest airport, and let me tell you, they don't call it that for no reason. The current situation is, I'm in the world's busiest airport with the world's loudest teenager. Not exactly an ideal combination. After she quieted down to the point where she only managed to arouse the suspicion of the closest fifty people to us, I let her talk again.
"But I'm not going to see you for the whole summer! If I weren't on my way to Cali, I would be committing suicide right now." She says, placing her small hand over her heart. She's also extremely hyperactive, so my fellow sophomores cleverly dubbed her 'The Hummingbird of Heather High' otherwise known as Hum, but to me, she's just Calla Grey Arnolds.
"Yeah sure, until you turned on E.T. and found some kind of hot new gossip." I say, rolling my eyes.
"B! I can't believe you'd think me so shallow! But speaking of hot new gossip, did you hear about Gaya's fling with Jason! They say she's pregnant and that's why she was out for eight months!" she says, whispering so animatedly clandestine you would think we were discussing the location of unknown nuclear weapons or something.
"Everyone knows she was on a foreign exchange trip to Holland, much like I'm going on right now." I say not even looking up as I settle comfortably in one of the plush grey waiting chairs as I waited for them to call my gate. At the time my mom was off in some gift shop and my dad was checking out an airport restaurant.
"Only you, B, would turn the ultimate adventure into a political thing." She says, rolling her mocha eyes at me, her flawless coffee skin not wasted on a group of guys not far from us.
"Well, sue me for caring more about my future than the hottest new fad that's going to be out the window by the time I get a chance to where it." I say for no doubt the billionth time.
"Whatever just make sure you are steady sending me photos every week, and updating me on you current relationship status." She says, winking at me.
"Yes, I'll be sure to keep you informed on my torrid affair with the Grecian Adonis I am bound to fall in love with." I say in a mocking tone.
"What?" she replies, dumbfounded. Everyone wonders how a girl who is more concerned with the next new Liplicious flavor than current natural disasters and vice versa would be best friends. Unfortunately, we don't either.
"Never mind. I'll make sure to send you pictures of Europe." I say noncommittally.
"And I'll make sure to tell you all about my Californian prince." She says wistfully "Right, you make sure to get on that." I finish sarcastically just as they call her gate to California.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye." She says, already in tears and the concierge didn't call her gate not two seconds ago.
"Temporarily, remember that Callie." I choke out again as she locks me in another bone crushing hug, finding myself close to tears as well.
"Come on Callie, we'll be late for our plane!" Ms. Arnolds says as she pried Callie away from me, "Goodbye, Bloss, we are going to miss you!" she says, as she gives me a hug in tears as well. I'm telling you, Callie's theatrics had to come from somewhere.
"I'll miss you guys too." I say, teary eyed as well now. When my parents come over and bid them farewell, they finally run to their plane, and I am left with nothing but my luggage, ADHD parents, and my thoughts.
I'm on my way to Europe for a tour of the sites with a very large group of males. I'm the first female there, and it isn't because they didn't allow girls to join, it's because girls just primarily aren't interested in touring some of the most romantic places in the world simply to talk politics. Well I'm a born diplomat, so I can't think of any reason to go besides to talk politics. Even though I'm very focused, I'm still a girl and I can't help but wonder what the boys will be like, and if there would be any hot ones.
Wondering about my first girl-free summer, switch on my kindle and pull out my MP3 player, settling in to read TIMES magazine.
BrPOV
The Next Day
"Ow, damn it Kent it is too early in the morning for all that!" I groan as I turn to the other side of the bed.
"Brick, it is nearly twelve o'clock, so I advise you to get up and get dressed. As you know we're leaving today." He says in the strange monotone voice of his.
"Come now, my boy, do you really want to be late for summer vacation?" He says, this time the slightest hint of humor slipping into his metronome like voice.
"Oh joy another 'summer' with those boring chaps." I groan once again. I live in Essex, England, the most scenic place on Earth, but it takes two hours to get to my father's building, where everyone involved goes to to meet up and dismiss. Lucky me, I've gone every year for the past five years.
"Well, I have heard that we have an American on our hands this year." He confides.
"Oh yes, a loud, rude, greasy, hypocritical 'Patriot' is exactly what the doctor ordered." I say, groaning for the third time in as many minutes.
"Yes, yes now tarry not, Brick, your father will meet with you in two hours so I beseech you to rise for the day, or should I say past noon?" he says, his voice returning to it's previous state as if the smirk that graced his features had never existed at all. How does he do that?
"Kent do you ever speak like someone from the twenty-first century?" I ask
"Now Brick, where's the fun in that?" he says with a wink and leaves the room. The young butler never fails to leave me in wonder. Everyone always finds it strange that the twenty-seven year old is so stern, but they hardly know him as I do. While I admit I have never heard him laugh, I have seen him smile, and you wouldn't believe how many cannot say the same.
Well, I'd better go find Olana, I thought, because the one thing I have seen from him, anger, is not something anyone would want an encore of.
"Brick."
"Dad."
"I would like to tell you a surprise."
"Like?"
"Well for the first time-"but he couldn't finish because our driver hit a ferret-sized bump in the road.
"Blast it Samuel, I'm a politician, I cannot afford to have PETA on my case for turning a ferret into road kill!" he said in mock exasperation to our driver. We had been driving for almost two hours and were nearly to the meeting center. At the time had been staring out the window, taking in the never ending majesty of the wide, green rolling hills.
"You were saying?"
"Oh yes you see, this year we have our first-" but I cut him off.
"American, I know dad. Kent told me." I say, uninterested.
"Yes, that too, but-" he was cut off again, but this time by mom. I can't tell you what they were talking about, not because it's a secret or anything, I just didn't care enough to listen. It was probably something important though.
Our bodyguards, Gavin and Sikes, escorted us to the Cornelius Wilmington Trading Center, good for clandestine conferences, high profile stock exchanges, and bar mitzvahs! The place and program is named for my great, great, great grandfather, Cornelius Wilmington (obviously), one of the greatest diplomats the world has ever known. The institute was lost when my grandfather joined the peace movement and became a hippie. One day, when Grampa Jo and Gramma Maggie were really high they decided to change their names to Raine and Moon and decided to change their last names to JoJo. I did say they were really high, didn't I?
Well, they had a son, or my dad, and decided it would be a wonderful idea to name their son Rainbow. So yes, originally my father's name was Rainbow JoJo. Now my father, being born with a naturally clear head, found his parents silly and infuriating, so the day he turned sixteen he walked right into the deed poll office and got his name changed to Raymond Jones, because while he thought his parents were ridiculous, he didn't want to completely cut them off, and changing his name completely felt like he'd be doing just that.
As I mingled in with he small group of people that were there, my friend Mitch paraded over to me. Wearing his favorite black shirt and tussled brown hair everyone wonders how in the world he got in. truth is, the guy's a genius, just not in the conventional way.
"Hey dude, did you here the rumor? We're supposed to get this greasy, fat American wise arse." He says in the way only he can.
"Yes, I heard we were getting an American." I reply, hardly interested. About twenty minutes later with the fat, greasy American nowhere in sight, the orientation meeting began.
BPOV
I was kind of late for orientation because of some confusion that went on, like waking up really late cause the alarm clock you brought is about five hours late, you come very close to being arrested for driving erratically because you forgot what side of the road you're supposed to be on, and end up having to stop for directions five times because you don't speak 'cockney'. I tried to come in very quiet so I didn't interrupt the meeting so I came in quietly though the back door and went to take a seat. Unfortunately, nobody was paying a hint of attention to the person speaking so the second I came in all heads snapped towards me. Even the speaker stopped talking.
I gasped when I realized something. I already knew I was going to be the only girl there, but when I was met first hand by a sea of guys it made my breath catch in my throat, and Blossom Aurelia Merangue does not get shy. I quickly took a seat, but I knew all the boys were still watching me.
"Ms. Merangue, it's a pleasure to have you here," a voice calls to me over the microphone that I recognize to be that of Mr. Jones, "we welcome you to The Cornelius Wilmington Political Institute and hope you enjoy your summer with us." He finished, making a wide gesture around the room on the word 'us'. I nod and take a seat and pick up the schedules, water bottles, I.D., and etc. This ought to be good.
BrPOV
As Professor Blake descended into his sermon-like orientation, I felt myself start to doze. Right as I was about to find comfort in sleep, I heard a noise that woke me from my strange mental state. The doors opened and I turned my head to see who dared interrupt Blake's preaching when a face I had not been expecting to see appeared like an apparition at the threshold.
The most gorgeous girl I had ever seen passed through the doors and paused when she realized what she was interrupting, as if it mattered compared to her. She had fiery auburn hair, a face that could most certainly rival an angel, deep eyes the color of a pink like that of a sunset, and a natural grace about her. Her eyes twinkled with the sparkle only intelligence can give and she held her self in a way that only a true leader of men can. All in all, she was pretty damn hot.
I took note I definitely wasn't the only one appreciating her beauty- and her very nice arse. In fact, I noted many were starting to salivate and it appeared as though Tony Howard had forgotten how to breathe. I check myself to see if I my mouth was watering as well, and it had. My God, who is this girl?
"Bloody Hell." I hear Mitch whisper; his eyes glued to her long legs, which under her pink sundress seemed to go on for miles.
"…Ms. Merangue..." unfortunately that's all I caught because I was completely tuned out, but I did manage to hear that part. Funny, Lemon Meringue is my favorite pie.