Chapter Two- Costa Rica

My suitcase was jam-packed full of all the clothes I wanted to bring. Skirts that were pinned up, shirts that barely covered my shoulders and midriff, pajamas, jeans … all the things I knew I needed.

"All right, everyone," Mrs. Clueney, the principal, was saying. "Get ready to go to Costa Rica!" Everyone cheered. No middle-schoolers were coming on the trip and only a few ninth graders were. About eleven tenth graders, five eleventh graders, and two twelfth graders were going. I was very amazed at how small our group was. After all, our school did have 2,800 kids attending.

"Now, let's load up and move out!" Mrs. Clueney yelled. Again, the group cheered. We all plowed into the busses.

Sighing, I readjusted my pillow. We were an hour away from landing and it was five in the morning. I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the whole flight. Looking around, I noticed a woman nursing her baby. Eric was sitting right next to her and pointedly looking out the window.

I blushed when the woman saw me staring and turned away. Leaning farther into my seat, I closed my eyes. Sleep – at last! – claimed me.

Ding.

"All right, everyone. We will be landing in ten minutes. Please turn off any…"Captain Croot's speech was drowned out by Carley Peter Boarding School's cheering. Our long flight to Costa Rica was finally pulling to a close.

The cheering continued until the flight attendants quieted the producers, telling them we wouldn't land without silence. After the loud ruckus, the stillness was almost deafening.

Of course, once we had landed safely on the ground, it started up again. The baby across the way began to cry and didn't stop until she was out of my knowledge. Who knows; maybe she never stopped. We all grabbed our bags and dashed out of the plane as fast as we could. The hot air greeted us as we stepped out into the open and down the stairs.

"WELCOME TO COSTA RICA!" A man was yelling. The boarding school group headed over to him. "I HOPE THAT YOU ALL HAD A NICE FLIGHT?" The cheers must have satisfied him because he began talking again. I looked around the group, ignoring the ramblings of the annoying fat man. Everyone seemed to be standing in groups. There was the popular group, which consisted mostly of Sally, Cassy, and Kimmy. Then, there were other people and their friends, which included my two best friends, Tina and Hannah. Next, there was Eric. He was standing all by himself in the back. Of course he was paying attention. I scoffed and redirected mine in time to hear, "AND THAT'S THE END OF MY SPEECH! HAVE FUN!"

The hotel room had two beds. Luckily, Tina, Hannah, and I got the room all to ourselves. None of us had ever been very good at sharing a bathroom but we made an exception. What was that exception? COSTA RICA!

I opened the window and gulped in the fresh air. The ocean was perfectly visible: the surf gently sloshing up on the white sand, the people tanning … All seemed peaceful and welcoming.

RING!

I jumped in surprise at the sudden noise protruding from the small hotel phone. I dashed over to it and picked it up. "Hello?"

A voice came over the other end. "Yes, is this Tina, Hannah, or Lane?"

"This is Lane. How may I help you?" I answered back.

"Hello, Lane. This is Mrs. Dorft. I have planned this morning's P.E. schedule. Did you and the other girls get some sleep?"

"Yes we did, Mrs. Dorft. Thank you for asking."

"You're welcome, dear. Please dress in your school uniform and come down to the lobby."

"Yes ma'am. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

I hung up the phone and relayed the details to my companions. We all changed and rushed downstairs. Most of the group was already assembled.

"What do you think we're going to be doing?" Tina asked.

"Maybe we'll go horse back riding or swimming!" Hannah exclaimed.

"I hear we're going to be pulling the hairs out of your head."

The voice startled me. From the looks on the girls' faces, I knew who it was.

"Yes, Eric?" I asked, turning around. I put on my best annoyed face. Of course, this almost made him laugh. I could tell by his eyes.

"You have a comment on a conversation you have no right to be listening to?"

He smiled again and shook his head. "You're too much for me Lane. Guess I better leave you alone before you tear me limb from limb."

"Don't worry, Eric," I said sarcastically. "I wouldn't act like one of your dinosaur friends."

Immediately his smile vanished. He didn't seem to be mad at me, just re-living a moment in history. After about a minute he smiled weakly, nodded at us, and walked away.

"Can you believe that guy? Who does he think he is, talking to us like that?" I heard Tina say behind me.

It all seemed so faint, though. Why had I acted like that with Eric? I mean; I know that he used to act like that to me many times and made me feel bad. So why did it hurt me so much when I hurt him?