Chapter 7: Oops.
Portman's POV By StarI hop out of the van and stretch, feeling my back crack.
"Do you have to?" Fulton winces.
"Can't help it. Those vans aren't designed for someone as big as me. I'm all scrunched."
I stop stretching and take his hand as we walk over to the diner for lunch. We're all heartily sick of eating potato chips instead of meals and it's only day two.
"I was thinking that we should have Charlie in the van for the next bit of the drive. Just give him a break from Julia for a couple of hours before he flips out and kills her." Fulton suggests.
"Sounds like a good plan."
I snort as I see Annie and Luis hurry towards each other, cheerfully ignoring everyone else. "Oh yeah, they're not in love."
"Well, they've got the whole summer to figure it out." He says. "Come on, I need real food."
We catch up with the other, and, as usual, there is another debate about who is in which van.
Annie wants to be back with Luis, since the ESP thing didn't work out at all. Luis is looking very smug about it. Peter wants to be with Annie, but can't think of a reason to change vans again without attracting attention.
Guy wants to be back with Connie, who is furious with him for leaving her with Julia. Julia looks like she wants to be annoyed with Jules, but has decided better of it, and is being nice to her.
Charlie looks two seconds away from either breaking down in tears or picking up an axe and slaughtering us all.
The rest look fairly indifferent to which van, although I overheard Annie confide to Luis that she'd rather not be with Julia.
We enter the diner and have to wait several minutes while they find a place where the thirteen of us can sit together. Fulton and I move over to stand near Charlie, making a conscious effort to put ourselves between him and Julia.
"Why don't you come in our van for a change?" Fulton suggests. "Just a couple of hours away from Julia and Adam?"
He gives us a grateful look, then frowns. "Do you think my van will be ok with the hellcat in there?"
I pat him on the arm. "I'm sure it will be fine. Why don't you ask Jesse or someone normal to drive it?"
He nods, again looking relieved.
We finally get seated and I'm glad to see that Julia and Charlie are at opposite ends of the table. I don't fancy being in the middle of a blood bath as I eat, especially since I've been vegetarian for the last seven years.
"So, who's going in each van?" Jesse asks conversationally as we wait for our food. "Just for the record, I don't care where I go."
Naturally, his question starts off wails of "I want to be with…" and "I'd rather die than get in a van with…"
I sigh and roll my eyes at Fulton. He bangs his head on the table in response.
"SHUT UP!"
I look up and see Terry, looking highly annoyed – but rather proud of himself for yelling at us all.
"There are other people in this diner but us, so how about we all shut up?" He adds.
I can't help it, I start clapping. "Nice one, Terry."
"You wanna take over? You're the biggest, I think they might be scared of you if you glare enough."
"Ok." I nod cheerily. "I want to be with Fulton, and Charlie is in our van." A couple of people open their mouths to say who they want to be with, but I hold up a hand to silence them.
"Jesse, why don't take Charlie's van? A bit of sanity in there wouldn't go amiss."
Jesse nods, happy with the arrangement. I like Jesse, he's low-maintenance, and when you're around psychos like Adam and Julia, it's nice to have a few people like that.
I turn to Guy who's on my left. "Who do you want to go with?"
"Connie." He replies promptly.
Connie opens her mouth, but I beat her to it. "Yes, I know you want to be with Jules, but I think Guy would like some sanity. You two are with us."
"Luis? What about you?"
"I don't care which van I'm in, as long as I'm with Annie." He replies, giving Peter a venomous glare.
Fulton and I exchange a look. It's so tragic that they just can't see it. It took Fulton and I months to get together, but these two have been best friends for four years. "Why don't we take the ESP just-good-friends too?"
"Works for me."
"Fine, Terry, Adam, Julia, Peter and Jules, you're with Jesse."
Connie completely misses the little glower of satisfaction that Julia sends over because she's busy making up with Guy. Bless, true love conquers all.
Jesse grins at Peter. "If you hit my brother even once while you're in the van with me I'll throw you out of the window."
Deep sigh. Very deep. Everyone, even low-maintenance-Jesse, is a lunatic.
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Terry's POV By Charisma
"Where do you think you're going?" I ask Peter as we leave the diner.
"With them." He shots back and shrugs off my arm.
"It wouldn't be because of Annie would it?" I ask.
"No!" He looks away. "You'll understand once you get into that van with Adam and Julia."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." I shrug. "Just remember, it's not that hard for Portman to squash you with his pinkie finger."
He glares at me and turns left, towards Charlie's van. He doesn't like to admit it, but he find Portman a bit terrifying.
"We're out of fizzballs!" I hear Adam exclaim he turns to Julia accusing. "You ate them all."
"Get real. I don't even like fizzballs!" She jabs him in the shoulder.
"This is what we're going to put up with." Peter mutters to me.
"So who's driving?" I ask, throwing an arm around Peter's shoulder.
"I am." Adam holds up the keys. That'd be right. Charlie only trusts Adam with his van.
"No I am!" Julia grins, climbing over Adam. She hands him a bag of m&m's.
"Good luck." Charlie grins walking past us. He looks startled as he spots Julia in the front seat. "What the-?"
"It's okay!" She calls out cheerfully. "I don't have my drivers licence, but I've only wrecked three cars. I think I'm a good driver!"
"She's kidding Charlie." Adam notices Charlie's dismayed face. "Right?"
Julia just grins.
"We already agreed I would drive!" Jesse gives Charlie a pat on the shoulder.
"Aaaaaaaaaargh!" Peter screams. "I can't believe I forgot my discman!" He's mentioned that at least five thousand times. I sigh.
Adam and Julia's singing voices are terrible. I mean, I already know what Adam sounds like, and he never sings, mainly because of how terrible his voice is. But I have a feeling Julia is doing it on purpose.
"Is Julia really that bad?" I lean into Julie.
"She just gets more off key as she gets louder." She throws an apple at Julia. "Shut up!"
"I'm supporting Adam!" She throws the apple back. "Be quiet. The next one is a good one."
"Noooo!" Peter screams covering his ears as Britney Spears sings the starting line of 'Oops, I did it again!'
"It won't be bad if you join in." I suggest. I cover my legs, in case.
Julia has stopped singing and is swaying from left to right, like Jay in Mallrats.
Jesse is the driver and he's actually playing Britney Spears? As if he reads my mind, he switches it off.
"But-!" Adam starts.
"We've been listening to her for half a hour!" Jesse tosses the CD aside, and pops in another one.
"An half of hour that I won't get back." Peter glares at Adam. He gives him a wide eyed look and turns to Julie.
"Didn't you use to like her?"
Before she can answer,
"Don't play that crap!" Peter calls out. "Play some Eminem."
"No Eminem!" I cut in.
"Okay!" Jesse stops the CD. "No music. Play a game."
"Do we look nine?" Peter asks. Jesse grins.
"In your case…."
"Shut up!" He sulks. Julia comes to his defence.
"You shouldn't pick on people because of their sizes."
"Thank you!" Peter swings his arms over his head.
"It would be like me picking on you for, uh, being you?" He asks, watching Julia in the mirror.
"Me? Me being me?" Julia demands climbing into the front seat. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, you know…" He trails off, shrugging and keeping his eyes on the road. Something breaks as she sits down.
"Uh-oh." She picks up the broken Britney Spears CD.
Peter finally grins.