AATC: Territory
Hello everyone, and welcome to the tenth chapter. It's been fun, and still is. I, currently, am going through a couple of 'issues' (as do everyone else at some point) but I'll be back in around thirty days…you know what, just wait for an email that tells you that this was updated. It'll be part of another UNIVERSAL update.
This is more of a transition chapter for them, so…yeah. Let's get right to it. It's just one this week…sorry. I'm just saying, so you don't wait around looking for a follow-up.
10.
"What if he turns out like your sister last year?"
"I don't think that'll ever happen. He's too boisterous."
"Jeanette…he's been silent for two days, and has been ever since he stormed out of the room. And then Brittany claimed to have spoken with him, but won't give details. I have a right to be worried."
"He just needs some time to himself. Maybe the whole situation will smooth over." Jeanette answered her companion. Simon, on the other hand, still felt put off by the whole situation. "It's not catatonia; he just looks as if he's just thinking a lot." She saw Simon about to speak up about what she said, and she shut it down quickly. "Simon, please. Just…don't say that him thinking is bad for his health."
"Aw, you know me too well. But sure, I can understand why he would and could be lost in thought, but not for so long. And why's Brittany quiet about it? Can't you ask her? She's bound to talk to you." Simon took off his seatbelt as the plane settled into its flight, now that the takeoff had been accomplished.
First Class, while suitable for people of their social caliber, wasn't expected of their…penthouse popularity, not to mention what people believed that they earned. They were humble in their purchases; First Class on a fairly commercial flight was just right. And by some weird miracle, Simon and Jeanette had gotten seats next to each other, as well as their younger siblings. Alvin had gotten a window seat and sat beside Valerie who chanced along at Dave's suggestion and invitation, and Brittany and Dave sat together five or six rows ahead of him. They had already gone through the Fan craze that was the boarding of all the passengers who saw them, and mobbed them before they were told to seat themselves and buckle in for takeoff.
Alvin, like the others had entertained them with cheery countenance, but his and Brittany's were false. All privy to the five others who were related to them could see that clearly, and worried for them. Dave, on a whole, had been eager to get out of Richmond to help ease them out of that setting which could hold reminders. Perhaps it was too early to judge whether or not if it worked; they were still in the state, but rapidly ascending miles above it to travel to the next State.
That concert wasn't for nearly two weeks in all actuality, But Dave's blundering through excuses why they didn't make the concert in Jersey during this week as planned, and then fly to Florida. Eventually, they all left it alone. Truth was, the man would have preferred to go to New Jersey than Florida, but that concert in Miami was too exclusive, and far too important to just say 'It's a shame we won't be performing.' Not to mention that several political and musical aristocrats would be there. If it were cancelled, 'C and C' would be tarnished, and Dave himself to be as credible as a finicky toddler.
Not in this lifetime.
Stares occurred, glances happened, and darting eye movements were all over as all eight travelers sought to look at each other every now and again. To be honest, it bugged Valerie the most, and she barely knew why. Well, she knew something must've happened between Alvin and Brittany, what with the way they were carrying on, but apart from that, she knew as much as everyone else.
Nothing.
She had had her novel handy, and her phone's music player already tuned to her favorite playlist. She was about to hit play, when she heard some kind of music. Listening more closely, she realized that it wasn't a fault in her music player, but in fact humming. She glanced around in an effort to find the source, but her eyes snapped to look at Alvin as he seemed to tug on a lock of his hair that protruded from under the shade of his cap.
"Which song is that?" He muttered. He then began again, and Valerie listened to him, only to stare at him seemingly frustrated with himself. "I must be losing my mind."
"Well, talking to yourself is a good first sign." The technician voiced. "But if you're not crazy, you're not too far." She waited for his response, but instead, he huffed and went back to staring through the window. And she waited for perhaps a few more minutes before she spoke again. "I'm like a complete stranger. You can tell me, and it won't benefit me. What's bothering you, huh?"
"Why would you care?"
"Well, if you carry your bad mood on stage, you're going to let a lot of people lose their jobs, like me for instance. Then charities depending on you for donations get disappointment. Continuing that worse-case scenario, people go hungry, children go unloved, and the people the charities support will start to think that no one cares."
"I just go up there and sing." He said shortly. "Who cares if I smile or not? Why would I smile after what's happened?"
"It's your job, now, is it? I thought all of you did this because it's your passion. And a lot of people care if you're smiling. 'Cause if you don't, paparazzi start digging around, then some reporters, then private investigators, and then rumors, news leaks, and forums will start thinking you're depressed or something," she rattled off quickly. She looked down at him create a smile, but it never came close to touching his eyes. "That fake one is going to scare little children, I'm sure."
"You're like Simon."
"Nope. I ain't that smart. But I've been told that I'm an over-thinker, and it makes me a bit of a perfectionist, sometimes." She answered simply. "Now what's up, huh? You can just tell me that you don't want to tell me, and I'll leave you alone. But you should know, Brittany and I switched seats. Are you sure you'd want me to switch back?"
"No! Wait…switch? You could switch?"
"I'm here, aren't I? Don't you think it's weird for everyone else to sit together? Dave arranged it, but Brittany freaked a bit when she saw that she was to sit next to you. He did that so everyone could relate to each other by conversing. Like Jeanette couldn't really talk to Theodore about science, or Eleanor trying to tell Brittany recipes. Dave and me would've probably talked about set-ups and so on, I believe. If no one sat together, you'd all be humbugged by a fan next to you, or someone unreasonable."
"I…uh...don't switch." He said the last more timidly. "I…I got a lot on my mind, that's all. Maybe by the end of the day, it'll be fine." He grunted as he felt his forehead. "And this headache I've had for the past two days."
"Painkillers?"
"Don't work."
"That means that you are the cause of it. I've read of that when I got bored one day and read up on Horoscopes and Mysticism."
He stared at her blankly. "You're…what's the word...?"
"Eccentric and unique." She offered. "Point is, from all that you've said, you're over-thinking something that happened between you and Brittany, and it keeps circulating about that song you were just stressing over. Am I right?" She asked in trepidation.
"Yep." He turned back to the window. "Drama…" He said in singsong.
"Yeah…I'm getting Brittany." She said firmly. "Then the two of you can hash it out until you resolve this."
"No!" He exclaimed in a hushed voice to keep discretement. "Err…fine, I'll tell you. But this stays between us."
"A secret? Meh, fine. But just this once."
"…" He hesitated as he stared through the window for another moment, before turning back to Valerie. "People have always thought that Brittany and I would be a couple. And…well, I don't know how to feel about that. Good friends, sure. But a couple…I dunno. But for a long time, people have dropped hints that I like her more than just friends, and I'm wondering if they were right. Not that I'd want them to be."
"Well…you did beat a guy half to death over her in anger." She said in deadpan.
"That's just it!" He hissed in a whisper. "It's like I lost control of myself! And it's not just that, I mean, why would I be so eager to please her, huh? Me, of all people. People tell me that my ego is as big as a mountain-"
"Several mountains." She interrupted.
He sighed deeply as he turned away. "She said that too."
"Great minds think alike." She said offhandedly. "But basically, you're confused as to how you feel about Brittany, and-"
"It's not just that…" The red Seville interrupted. "She even went as far to say that if anyone were to be with me that they'll be sorry for being with a wimp. She doesn't care for me like that. Why should I…?"
"She's gotta be joshing you. To nearly kill someone with brutish strength and then carry her from that distance while running; you must be in horrible shape," Valerie laced her statement with sarcasm.
Alvin stroked his forehead lightly. "It just got worse. Somehow, for some reason, my headache got worse. What am I supposed to do, huh? Hmm…you know what? Never mind. Girls are too confusing."
"Yup." The redhead answered with a nod. "We are convoluted and intricate beings, and we lack the straightforwardness of men. While men answer 'yes' or 'no', girls answer with 'maybe', 'almost', 'probably', 'sometimes', and the popular 'kinda, I dunno, could be'. While males have pockets for money, kerchiefs and phones, females carry half their houses in handbags. While males can get ready to go somewhere in five minutes, girls take at least twenty. Basically, the two genders are trying to get to the same place on a hill. For some reason, guys are coasting down to it, while girls are pedaling like crazy to get there."
"I understand…completely." Alvin finished the last after a pregnant pause. "Girls are crazy."
"And guys are blunt." Valerie said simply. "And sometimes say things that they don't mean. It's not your fault though, its just-"
Alvin grabbed the woman's arm. "Oh my God…"
"What?" She asked curiously. "What now, oh great befuddlement of the Seville Chipmunk wonder?"
"You just said that 'it's not your fault'." Alvin responded with a blank look.
"Heh heh. I said that it's your fault, not mine, little man."
He ignored her and felt his pockets, trying to find his cell-phone. However, he didn't find it, and started worrying over the woman next to him. "I need a cell, laptop, something! Connect to the plane's Wi-Fi, data plan, help me!" He scream-whispered. Eyeing her phone, he lunged for it, but she quickly held it out of his reach. "Please!"
"Nuh uh. Why do you want it?"
"Please! I just found out what I think is an important part of the song I was humming! It's been like, ugh! It's haunted me this whole time! Just search for that online, or something!" He started humming it again, but in every other line, he spoke the words 'It's not your fault' to the same tune. "Get it?"
"Yeah. I take back what I said. It's actually the boys who're crazy." She said matter-of-factly. Alvin pleaded for another minute, creating a scene in that little area. When the others of their travelling group started staring at them, he didn't relent, and it was beginning to shame her. "Alright! Fine!"
She gave him the phone, and he took it from her with a hasty 'thanks'. Without missing a beat, he connected to the plane's Wi-Fi and began searching for the tags he just found out. He instantly began getting a lot of trafficked information in the search results, and it all came back to a song titled 'Not Your Fault' by AWOLnation.
She looked over his shoulder and saw the search results. "'AWOLnation'? I love their songs. A bit puzzling sometimes, but why did you want to find this? How would you even know the tune?"
"I must've heard the song once a long time ago. I've a good memory for remembering tunes or beats, or something like that." He figured as he found a good quality track of it. He was about to put on her headphones, when she snatched one of the plugs.
"I wanna hear it too. Just take the other one."
They, by now, just had one in each ear as to how people typically shared headphones next to each other in alternate ears, and Alvin pressed play.
AWOLnation:
She was built with a brain and some swagger.
A little scream, a little cry, little laughter.
She's a ten, I'm a joke in my own mind.
But she still loves to dance to my punch-lines
…
This love found us,
Now I see it.
This love, up down,
Please believe.
…
Baby, when I'm yelling at you~
It's not your fault, it's not your fault, yeah.
Baby, 'cause I'm crazy for you~
It's not your fault, it's not your fault, yeah.
Maybe I'm a little confused~
It's not your fault, it's not your fault, yeah.
Baby, it's some wonderful news~
It's not your fault, it's not your fault, yeah.
Oh~, it's not that you should care, I just wanted you to know.
…
After that, Valerie heard an abrupt stop and turned to Alvin to see what was wrong. Instead, she saw that he was the cause of the problem. He had yanked out the jack to the cable, as well as to leave the site with the music.
"I've heard enough. Thanks." He grunted. He turned back to the window and started staring through it deeply. "Not your fault, huh? But the song bothered me before that time. Was it because of when she warned me?" He muttered.
"Well," Valerie sighed. "Your little song just told you that you're 'crazy for her'. What do you intend to do, huh? You going to tell her, Romeo?"
"I...can't. She must hate me. You even said that she wanted the switch." Alvin replied sternly. "I'll just let it be, and what we just talked about…every part of it…" he trailed off in all seriousness. "Never happened, and no one else will know. It stays between us."
"Geez." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I promise I won't tell. Do you want me to pinkie-promise too?"
"No. But if you could cut your palm, and I cut mine, and then we shake on it."
"What world do you live in?" She asked in incredulity.
"...I saw it in a movie once."
"…"
"Well?"
"…I'm not doing that. Just take a promise like regular people."
He didn't respond straightaway, but he did after five minutes. "'Wonderful news', huh? My life's over. I am not in love with Brittany Miller."
"Did you happen to know that today's 'Opposite Day'?"
"Ha ha." He said in monotone. "Currently, we're just friends, and I'm going through a rough patch, and…"
The woman became stone-faced when she heard that. "You? A 'rough-patch'?" She pinched him as hard as she could, and he had to stifle acting up. "You have no idea what she's going through, do you? You're always running away to mope about your little 'rough-patch', and you don't even know what's going on with her."
"What? What's wrong? I didn't do anything-"
"Did you yell at her?"
"Yeah…a couple of times." He admitted. "But how'd you know-"
"Know? Your little song, 'baby when I'm yelling at you'," she spat. "She looks like she's been losing sleep, and according to Dave, he suspects that she's crying herself to sleep at night. Did you cause that?!" She whispered fiercely.
"What? No! At least, I don't think so. I never said anything hurtful. I just told her to leave me alone. I'm the victim here."
"Sure you are," the sarcastic comment had been thoroughly implied, and as such, Alvin began to fret a bit.
"She looked like she lost sleep before that. It couldn't have been me. Unless-…oh no." He realized. "She's grieving again."
"Grief? For who?"
"Ms. Miller."
"If it were only that, it wouldn't be a problem. But every time that you are around, she glances at you as if she's trying to figure you out, and then you glare at her. I'm sure that you're only sending out the right signals."
"Alright, easy on the sarcasm. You're starting to sound like Simon. And I don't glare."
"Good. At least he's smarter, and he hasn't been an ass to his friend." She said straight-arrow. She held off, however, when Alvin slapped his own forehead and he looked regretful.
"I'll apologize, okay? I'll make it up to her, and we'll sort it out. Just like last year when this happened for the first time." He answered unsurely. "Now leave me alone, okay? I've got a lot on my mind."
"Fine." Valerie took up her novel, and started reading. "So long as you're starting to deal with your problems and stop taking it out on the girl you're most likely to be in love with, it's alright by me." Right away, she saw that he was about to tell her off, she plugged in her earphones and turned up the volume. 'Ah. Now to begin that book. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…'
Getting frustrated with his closed-up companion who was obviously ignoring him, Alvin turned back to the window, trying to distract himself with the sights of the country below him. It was a monotony of grays of steel and concrete, dotted by the blues of pools and the assorted greens of grasses. 'Me? I don't love Brittany. We…we're friends.'
His headache which had been lowering in intensity returned in full force in a pulse as a tsunami-like myriad of memories coursed through his mind. As he had expected, it consisted of all of those he had spent with, around, or centered around the chipette. He tried to fight it back and was only mildly successful.
'…I must be losing my mind…'
=X=X=
He easily picked up his red suitcase by the handle in his left hand from off of the conveyor belt. By now, he could see that the others were doing so as well; their suitcases were corresponding colour and first initial emblazoned on both sides. They were all lined up to collect their luggage, and it was only Brittany's that was yet to come out.
Dave was surprisingly mellow; in fact, they all were. No sense of urgency, sure, but it was surprisingly quiet among them, while the entire airport droned with the din of chatter, and the takeoffs and landings of aircraft.
Then Brittany's suitcase came out, and Dave and Valerie allowed it to pass them to get to her. She was fourth in place after Eleanor, and the blonde nudged her to ensure that she was aware of it. There was no need for that, as Brittany grasped at the suitcase handle.
And she lost her grip.
It was amusing to watch as the suitcase 'sped' along at a fairly slow speed, and she jostled around the others to get to it. Their hands were full with their own suitcases, and she was still the only one to get hers, so she was fully expected to get it herself.
It passed her, then Jeanette, Theodore who actually tried to stop it but failed ultimately, then Simon.
It was nearly at Alvin's place and when she herself noticed that fact, she made an obvious hesitate in her locomotion to get to her suitcase. She tried to avoid eye-contact with him as she tried to get to the luggage, but for the briefest instant, their eyes held each other. One set was a cerulean blue that spoke tales of the mighty and imposing sea; and the other, a stark pair of arctic ice that possessed numerous sonnets of labyrinthian emotions.
And then the moment passed.
She was now at his side, and still missed the case. Noting that fact, he absently reached out with his right hand and took up the suitcase, and yanked it off the conveyor belt. He sidestepped a bit out of the way and held it out to her; the palm holding the grip nearly lax and relaxed to show that the case was far from strenuous to him.
"Here you go, Brittany," he muttered.
She blinked stupidly, before deciding to take the offensive. "I didn't ask for your help. I don't want it."
He allowed her to take (grabbed) it from him, and he sighed deeply when it slipped from her grip. Presently, he recalled that it was in fact his adoptive father who had carried it for her in the beginning, and apparently, he (Alvin) really was stronger than he must've looked. Simon was right about his physicality.
As the suitcase clattered unto the floor, he took it back up easily. "Well, it's obvious that you don't want it. In fact, you need it." He spoke in a near deadpan. She was nearly going to fight him for it when she saw that the others were walking now to the exit, and leaving her and Alvin still standing. As Valerie passed them, the pink chipette caught a hint from the redhead's shake from her head; to 'let it be'.
She gave a long exhale, but remained cautious. "Fine. T…thanks anyhow."
"You're welcome." He hefted both suitcases now but it didn't bother him; after so long of making his whole body what it was now, he felt able enough to toss the cases a good distance. He was certainly capable of simply carrying them. "So…how've you been?"
"Fine." She answered shortly.
"Sure?"
"Sure."
"You don't sound too sure." The red Seville hazarded, and as he expected, she lost her patience.
"I'm fine! Alright?!" She yelled. She was pulling attention now from most now, and certainly from the others in their group turned to stare at them, as if asking 'what's the drama now between you two?'.
Alvin had the nerve to grin at her. "And that's the kind of behavior that says that you're not."
Her face fell and her chin slightly dropped. He had turned her very words back on her, and it was he who had made her excessively emotional. It was a vast change from her being superior to being inferior to Alvin in being stoic and calm. To ALVIN, of all people.
She gave a wry smile. A very small one, but a smile none the less.
"Well played, Seville. Well played."
"Ah well. You learn more from mistakes than from winning all the time." His grin grew wider, before he frowned as they started walking again to catch up to the departing others. "Sorry about yelling at you."
"What? Sorry?" She asked, confused. "I thought you were angry at me for…being me, I guess."
"Nah." He would have literally waved it off as if he didn't care, but his hands were full. He actually passed the left suitcase so both handles sat in his right, before doing so, making her stare at him in disbelief as he did. "What?"
She shook her head. "Err…sorry for calling you a wimp. You're definitely not a wimp." She risked a playful fist-bump on his shoulder while stating her speech.
"Gee, thanks." He mumbled sarcastically. "But you are fine, aren't you?"
"Meh…could be better," she admitted. They, by now had reached up to the others at the exit. "But nothing I can't handle."
Well, yeah. That's it. I figured I might as well leave the fic open on a better note than an angst one from last time. It can be argued that I shouldn't have made them reconcile so soon as it makes the story too idealistic and 'mushy', but it's not really. I don't have much planned for the plot for that kind of teen drama; it's mostly for the adventure/hardships parts and such. Romance was to be developing on the sides, and finalized by the end.
What did you guys think of the song? I found it very apt for what happened to them. As for AWOL's themes, I suspect it to be 'unsettling' at times in their second verses. Other people just call it deep, but uh, opinions-opinions.
Nailed it…I made no spoilers.
Also, as you can see, Valerie is going to be an important OC, so no wishing for her to leave. Anyway, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review and such; it'll make my day…or night as it usually is.
Valete omnes,
MRAY 4TW.