"Okay," Mr. Schue said, turning to us, "Matheus, your foot's doing this weird thing and Alex you're doing this head roam sort of deal. Lindsay, you've got the moves down but it seems like you're trying too hard and it looks forced. Marissa, put your hair up, you're driving me crazy!" Mr. Schue looked totally stressed out.
Sam handed me a giant elastic band made for dreads but it worked fine for my enormous amount of hair. I tied it up into a bun at the top of my head.
"Let's run through this again," Mr. Schue said, starting the music. We ran through the routine again and again and again. When it was five o'clock we had to clear out for another team to rehearse.
By the end we were all sore and tired. Mick, Lindsay and I went back to our room and took showers then fell asleep. When I woke up it was seven. I looked outside to see Cameron and Samuel in the pool so I got in my bikini and walked down there.
"Just woke up, Mars?" Sam asked, looking at my bushy hair. It was always like that when I fell asleep and tried to brush it.
"Don't mock the white girl fro," I said, slipping into the pool.
"Hey," Cameron said, "Do you and your roomies wanna take helicopter rides with us? They're fifteen dollars each and an hour long ride. We figured we'd go before rehearsal."
I smiled. "That sounds fun!" I said with excitement, "Mick won't do it though. She's terrified of heights."
"Right," Samuel said, thinking, "But you and Lindsay would be up for it right?"
"Lindsay's got a date with Jared," I told them.
"So just you?"
"Just me I guess."
Cameron's phone rang from one of the pool side tables. He got it out and answered it. "Yeah," he said into it, "Yeah. Yep. Uh-Huh. Yeah. No. Sounds great, see you. Bye." He returned to the pool. "I'm bailing too, guys. Catherine, the girl from the party Friday, just called I want to hang out with her before she hates me for crushing her blonde ass at National's." We saluted him and he dived back into the pool.
After about thirty minutes, Ellis and Alex walked down, Matheus trailing behind. Emily and Bryce came down soon after that.
Damian walked down in his PJ's. He sat at the poolside table where all our stuff was and put his feet up. "Morning!" we all shouted.
"Morning," he said, rubbing his eyes. We went back to playing in the pool. "What're we doing tonight?" Damian asked.
"We're going to bed early," Samuel said, "Because were going on a helicopter ride."
"Sounds fun," he said, smiling, "What time?"
"Nine," Sam said, "I already made reservations but I'll have to call due to the cancellations," he said, looking at Cameron and nudging him. "Cameron's got a date, Mick's scared of heights, and Lindsay's seeing a dark skinned surfer boy." I laughed at his explanation. "You know what," he said, getting out, "I'm going to go do that."
I got out too. "And I'm going to curl up and watch TV," I said, drying off and going back to my room. I walked up to my room and washed my hair out. I put it up in pin curls and wrapped it in a scarf. I laid down and turned on the TV.
Mick woke up and took a shower then laid down next to me. "I heard Emily talking about you and Damian sleeping in the same bad," she told me, "You should tell Lindsay before she hears from the wrong person." I nodded and continued chewing my gum. "Marissa?"
"Samuel, Damian and I are going on a helicopter ride…" I said, trailing off at the end.
She looked at me curiously. "I don't see the problem," she told me.
"I just, don't have very fond memories of helicopters," I told her, getting up. I shook my head and got up. "I'm going for a walk." I closed the door lightly behind me, feeling slightly guilty for not opening up to Mick.
I walked to Damian's room and knocked on the door. Sam answered. His hair was yet and he was wrapped in a fluffy white towel. "Hey, Mars," Sam said, opening the door and letting me in.
"Damian here?" I asked, looking around.
"Shower," he answered, "I'll be back in a minute." He went into the bathroom and got dressed. When he came back he told me Damian knew I was here. "Want to watch TV?" I nodded and he turned on the silver flat-screen. We watched some dirt bike show set in Hawaii. "We should go see that," Samuel said.
"That's not Honolulu," I said, pointing at the bottom of the screen where it read Molokai. I went off on the history of Molokai, boring Samuel to death. Cameron walked in to interrupt me.
"Hey," he said, waving. I nodded in acknowledgement. He changed and sat down next to me.
Damian stepped out of the bathroom and sat down next to me and Cameron. "What's up?" he asked.
"C'mon," I said, taking his arm and leading him to the beach from the screen door. I held his hand and we walked down the beach for ten or so minutes before laying down in one of the hotel's hammocks.
"So what's up?" he asked.
"I'm scared to the sound helicopters make," I told him, blushing when I said it. Thankfully it was dark so he couldn't tell.
"Why?"
I sighed. "Well, when I was fifteen I collapsed because I hadn't eaten in three days. I had to be airlifted out of the amusement park I was in. When I woke up the propellers were the only things I could here. It was surreal…"
He kissed my cheek. "I'll be there," he said. I put my head to his chest and listened to the sound of the ocean. Damian started singing softly.
"They say the skies of Lebanon are burning
Those mighty cedars bleeding in the heat
They're showing pictures on the television
Women and children dying in the street
And we're still at it in our own place
Still trying to reach the future through the past
Still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstoneBut hey, don't listen to me
This wasn't meant to be no sad song
We've heard too much of that before
Right now I only want to be here with you
Till the mornin' dew comes fallin'I want to take you to the island
Trace your footprints in the sand
And in the evening when the sun goes down
We'll make love to the sound of the oceanThey're raisin' banners over by the markets
White washing slogans on our ship yard walls
Witch doctors praying for a mighty showdown
No way our holy flag is gonna fall,"
I snuggled closer to him. "
To feed the worn out dreams of yesterday
And teach them dying will lead us into gloryBut hey, don't listen to me.
'Cus this wasn't meant to be no sad song
I've sung too much of that before
Right now I only want to be here with you
Till the mornin' dew comes fallin'I want to take you to the island
Trace your footprints in the sand
And in the evening when there's no one around
We'll make love to the sound of the oceanNow I know us plain folks don't see all the story
And I know this peace and love's just copping out
And I guess these young boys dyin' in the ditches
Is just what being free is all about
And how this twisted wreckage down main street
Will bring us all together in the end
And we'll go marching down the road to freedom
Freedom
Freedom…"
