Chapter 8: A Lost Cause
It felt so good to be back in America. It was a warm day, and our group had just gotten off of the plane. We were now outside the airport.
Fletcher was carrying both his and Camilla's bags. I truly felt sorry for him. For a 2 month trip, she did have way more than enough.
"Ok, kids, gather round," The ANT Director, Louis, called.
Everyone looked up from what they were doing and did as Louis said.
"We're all going to get on the bus and then head over to the hotel. Then we'll seperate into our suites." I nodded. One girl, Ella, raised her hand.
"Yeah?" Louis asked. "Can boys and girls be in the same room?" Ella asked.
Louis shrugged his shoulders. "Do whatever you want."
Ella smiled and turned to her boyfriend, Junior. She whispered in his ear and he smiled, too.
A silver tour bus pulled up in front of us. The driver opened the door. "Japanese team?" he asked.
Louis nodded. "Yep."
"Right this way!"
Louis snapped his fingers and everyone reacted. I picked up my bags and followed the line onto the bus.
It was huge. I went all the way to the back, where I could have a little peace and quiet.
I light buzzing brought me out of my peace.
I took out my phone from my pocket. I had just recieved a text message from...Olive.
Where are you guys?!
I grinned and rolled my eyes.
On the bus. We'll be there soon, I think. How did you guys get there?
I looked up from my room. A few seats ahead of me, Camilla was talking up a storm. I laughed when I saw Fletcher with his personalized headphones over his head. He was scrolling through his iPod playlist.
My phone buzzed again.
Skidmore and Gibson worked up a plan...
Yeah...?
So we just took a yellow schoolbus. It took us a whole day to get there because Skid wanted to stop by at a motel to visit her ex. Let's just say, it didn't turn out so well.
I burst out laughing and brushed my hair out of my eyes. It had grown much longer since I was a little kid. It usually got in my way if I didn't clip it back.
LOL! XD Do you guys have a suite, though?
Of course! That was FREE!
OK, great then. Who's there?
Olive took some time to reply. While I was waiting, I looked up at the small screen above my seat. There was a little count there, and it showed how long it would take to get to the hotel. Right now, it said 5 minutes. Good.
You mean from Webster? Just me. But Angus sent me good wishes.
Why didn't he make it?
He was too busy eating buffalo wings that he forget to fill out the application.
The bus stopped. I looked up. There was a building outside, and kids in the bus were getting up.
I grabbed my bags and climbed off the bus. Louis was standing in front of the door of the hotel. It was huge. It was pretty elegant, too.
Louis opened the door and we were all awed. It was like a rich person's palace. There were other groups there, their bags in hand, talking to each other. It was pretty loud. A lady in a deep shade of orange rushed up to us. Her red hair was pulled into a bun, but it was so messy that you couldn't even tell it was a bun anymore.
"Is this...Japan?" She asked.
Louis nodded.
The lady smiled, but she had annoyance in her eyes. "I'm Wilma Tator, and I'm the advisor of all the teams this year. Can I show you to your rooms?"
And then, under her breath, she said, "Before things get even more hectic around here?"
"OK, then. Come on, kids!"
We followed Louis and Wilma to the elevator. All of us piled inside, and she pressed the button to the 50th floor.
"That's the last one," Wilma said.
The elevator was so fast that my stomach dropped. Then it stopped. The door opened and we saw a lounge that was bigger than my living room (in Japan). And that's saying something.
There was a hallway with a bunch of rooms. "Pick one, any one," Wilma said. Louis turned to her. "Which one is the smallest?" he asked her.
Wilma pointed to one seperate from all the other ones. "Saved it just for you." She smiled at him, and he smiled it back.
Ooh, old love.
I walked down the hall to a room and opened the door. Then I immediatly regretted it.
"Camilla."
"Look's like you're out of luck, Mongolia. All the other rooms are full. Looks like you're stuck with me."
I sighed and put my suitcases in the closet opposite of hers. Then I left the room and the suite, looking for the one America was in.
Which floor?
48th.
I took the elevator down to the 48th floor and was greeted by a hyper Olive.
"Chyna!" she yelled, enveloping me in a hug.
"Olive! It's so awesome to see you!"
"How's Japan?"
I sighed and sat down on the couch. The rest of the American team took one look at me and retreated into their rooms.
"Not so good. You know about the breakup."
Olive nodded and sat next to me. "I know, Chyna. But it's life. Plus, Fletcher's loved you since you first met. He can't give up that easily."
My eyes lit up. "You're right! I think we might actually still have a chance!" But then my eyes dimmed. "Oh. Camilla."
Olive snapped her fingers. "How abut some ice cream? There's a Gelati's around here."
I smiled. "That's a great idea!"
Olive and I left the suite, got on the elevator, and then left the hotel. There were still plenty of teams arriving, but we managed to dodge them and catch a cab.
"How are my parents, Olive? Are they good?"
"Yeah, most definitly! They think it's easier without you there, paying for Cameron and all."
I nodded my head. The cab stopped and Olive paid. We ran into the shop before it started raining.
"Well," Olive said, "Looks like we're stuck here 'till the rain stops. Let's try something new."
I nodded and looked up at the menu. Everything there looked disgusting.
"Um, Olive, I'm not sure about-"
"I'll have the apple grove. What about you, Chyna?"
I sighed. "Stale Bread Chunk."
The person at the machines nodded and got our orders ready. Olive and I sat down at a booth not to far away. About 5 minutes later, we recieved our ice cream.
I picked up a spoon and dipped it into the ice cream. Then I put it in my mouth, stale bread and all.
"Mhmm, this is good."
"I know! Apple grove is delicious!"
I felt a vibrating ijn my pocket. I looked at the caller ID. It said Home.
"Mom, Dad? Is that you?"
"Chyna! You're back! I can't believe it! Darryl, it's your daughter!"
I heard someone rushing to the phone. "Chyna, my baby, how's everything?"
"Oh, it's great."
"Your career."
"Awesome."
"Fletcher?"
I coughed and had to spit out the ice cream. Olive gave me a look, and I mouthed what they had just asked me.
"I hope he's treating you right. If he did one thing that made my girl upset-"
"Oh, no, no, no! He's fine! We're fine! Everything is fine!"
"Ok...I want to see you! You and Fletcher should meet us at the Imperial Palace."
"The fancy chinese restaurant?"
"Yeah! I want to see my honey and her honey again. C'mon, you won't be busy, right?"
"Um...no. I've got to go, OK?"
"OK, then. Bye bye!"
"Bye!"
I stuffed my phone in my pocket. "Oh, no," I groaned.
Olive swallowed a bite of apple. "What you have, sista, is one huge predicament."
"You think?"
I slumped down in my seat, trying to think about my situation. What was I going to do? Fletcher and I were no longer dating, and if my parents found out they would kill him! And, trust me, I didn't want him killed.
I knew what I had to do. I stood up from my seat.
"Where are you going?" Olive asked me.
"To solveh this problem." I answered. I was almost out the door when Olive held me up.
"Chyna!"
"Yeah?"
"You gonna finish that?"
I sighed and pushed open the door.
"Whatever you want, Olive. Whatever you want."
I knocked on the door of the room down the hall and waited. Finally, the door opened.
"Chyna? What's up?"
"We have a problem."
Fletcher had a questioning look on his face, but he opened the door wider anyway. He was so cute when he was confused.
I sat down on the couch and opened the mini fridge next to it. I grabbed a beer and opened it.
"What the heck, Chyna? First you drive, next you drink, at 14? You must be pretty upset."
I put the bottle up to my lips and took a long sip, gulping down half the bottle. Then I dunked it down on the coffee table.
"My parents want to see us."
Fletcher smiled and brushed the hair out of his eyes. He grabbed a beer, too, and took a sip. "So? What's so wrong about that?"
I took the bottle into my hands. "You don't get it! If they find out that you broke up with me, they'll snap you're neck and throw you in prison!"
Fletcher gulped. "That bad?"
"Yes, that bad." I took a few more gulps until the bottle was empty. Then I put it back on the table and headed over to the kitchen area.
"What are we going to do, then?" he asked.
I shrugged my shoulders and grasped the counter, my head spinning and different directions. "I don't know. Any...any..."
"Any what?"
"Any..." My feet slipped and I almost landed on the floor. Luckily, Fletcher kept me from falling.
"Woah, there! You okay?"
I looked up into his deep blue eyes, and suddenly felt like I wasn't there anymore. Like he had stolen my heart and kept my brain where it was, and I could only think but I couldn't live. Something like that.
And then I couldn't help it. I just couldn't. I crashed my lips onto his and grasped his neck, holding on for dear life.
But when I realized what I was doing, I quickly pulled back and rubbed my eyes, not believing what I had jsut did.
"Ugh!" I yelled, pulling at my hair.
Fletcher grabbed my arm, but I shrugged it away. "What's wrong, Chyna?" He asked.
"You know what's wrong. We're what's wrong! We can't keep doing this! You have a girlfriend, and we're no longer together. We shouldn't be doing this, Fletcher. We;re not just friends anymore."
Fletcher sighed and put his head down. Then he walked up to me and started to stroke my cheek. "Bue maybe," he said.
"Maybe, we don't have to be just friends." And then slowly, as if it was a dream, his lips met mine, and sighed deep in the kiss. Then we pulled back and I smiled.
"But what about Camilla?"
Fletcher chuckled. "I think she's had enough of Jeremy."
And then I knew, all those times when I had seen Camilla with Jeremy, it was not just a friendship.
"I'm happy."
"Why?"
"Because I can finally be with yoou again." And then I attacked him, as we laugh until we have no more breath.
Camilla almost slapped me when she found out the news, but Fletcher grabbed her arms just in time. And when she found out we knew about her relationship with Jeremy, she stormed off to his room without another word.
I had told Louis about meeting my parents, and I had told Olive about Fletcher and I getting back together. And, let me tell you, my ears almost bled!
I was now sitting on my bed, digging through my suitcase for the perfect dress to wear.
"Too blue."
"Too bloody."
"Too foresty."
"Too Fletcher."
"Too Olive."
"Too Angus."
"Ugh, too me!"
"Cameron? How did that get in there?"
"Too Madam Googoo!"
"Too techy."
"Ahh, the perfect dress!" I pulled out an orange dress. It reached just above my knees, and had a yellow sash that tied around it. I put it on and then tied my hair in a ponytail so I could keep it out of my face. Then I heard a knock on my door.
"Chyna? You ready?"
I smiled and grabbed my phone throwing it in my purse. Then I opened the door, and Fletcher and I gasped at the same time.
Fletcher was wearing black dress pants with sneakers that had paint splatters on them. He also had on a red button down shirt that was rolled up to his elbows.
"You look good," we both said at the same time. And then we burst out laughing.
I followed him over to the elevator, where we took it down to the first floor. There, waiting for us, was a cab, ready to take us to the Imperial Palace.
The drive was silent and awkward. I didn't feel like having chinese food, and Fletcher didn't either, so we stopped at a McDonalds and got some milkshakes, fries, and burgers, and then shared everything.
When we got to the Imperial Palace, a whole hour away, my stomach was full.
"You ready?" I asked him.
"Yeah," he said.
I heard my phone ringing. I dug through my purse, and finally found it all the way at the bottom. I flipped it open and held it up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Chyna?"
"Mom? What's up? We're outside."
"Oh, honey. We're so sorry."
I looked at Fletcher, a confused look on my face. He just shrugged and I put the phone on speaker. "What happened?"
"Your brother...Cameron..."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?"
I swear I was starting to hyperventilate. Fletcher noticed and led me over to a seat outside, where I sat down and gulped down some water.
"He was in a carf accident earlier today. But don't worry, he's fine. Just a broken arm, is all."
I sighed in relief and Fletcher rubbed my back. "OK. OK."
"But we won't be able to make it today. But we'll be sure to see you soon, we promise."
I nodded, but then realized she couldn't see me. "OK. Bye, mom."
"Bye, honey."
I shut my phone and put it back in my purse, giving Fletcher a sly smile.
After calling another cab, Fletcher and I stood in front of the Imperial Palace, waiting for the car to come and pick us up. I was tired - we were both tired - and I slumped against his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his strong muscles.
"Fletcher?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you love me?"
There was silence.
"Do you love me?" he answered.
I didn't hesitate to answer. "NO."
Fletcher got up and stared at me. "WHAT?"
I giggled. "I'm just kidding! Of course, I love you, silly!"
Fletcher grinned. "Always, have, always will."
We saw the car pull up across the street and we both headed over to the crossing, where the light had just turned green.
I grinned and got ready. "Race you to the cab!" I yelled.
"Oh, no you don't!" Fletcher replied, but it was way too late. I was already halfway there. Fletcher went around, leaving the lines that were meant to show the cars where to start. I kept going and turned my head, and that's when I saw it.
Two huge yellow headlights.
That's when I heard it.
The honking of a huge horn, a huge truck horn, and it's brakes slamming, screeching against the wet pavement from the earlier rain.
And that's when I felt it.
Fletcher's pain as the truck hit him hard, so hard, and he was thrust into the air, flying like an eagle, and then landing, yards away.
And that's when I screamed.
