I didn't even need an alarm to wake me up. As soon as I felt the slightest hint of sunlight shine through my curtains, my eyes were already wide open. If it were any other Monday, I would have groaned and rolled back to bed, but today wasn't just any other Monday. Today is our trip to Europe.
Sliding off the bed, I skipped my typical morning routine and headed straight to the bathroom. There wasn't any time to mess around. I half-curled the ends of my hair and changed into some comfy sweatpants and a v-neck shirt.
I was, without a doubt, the most forgetful person in the world, which meant I had to double-check everything before I left the house. Rummaging inside my suitcase and mentally ticking off all the things I needed, after feeling satisfied, I went down to the kitchen for the most important meal of the day.
I poured some coffee from the counter and checked my phone.
Eighteen unread messages from Leah.
Apart from reading the very first message she sent at 4 am saying she couldn't sleep because she was too excited, I ignored the rest and just called her. It was too early for any reading or thinking.
Leah picked up almost immediately.
"Oh my god," she shrieked through the phone, "it's finally happening!"
I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it is."
"Have you packed everything?"
Leah scoffs. "I already started packing two weeks ago."
"The packing checklist wasn't even given out two weeks ago."
"Who cares? I just used common sense."
She doesn't allow me any time to reply before cutting me off. "Anyways, I'll pick you up in 20 minutes!"
I didn't even realize my mom was standing at the island, her chocolate-brown hair a little messy. She grinned, her eyes brightening as she smiled.
"Good morning, darling."
"Morning, mom."
She turns off the coffee machine after pouring herself a cup. "Since when did you drink coffee?"
I rolled my eyes and sat down next to her on the island. "It's normal for teenagers to drink coffee, mom."
"Are you excited about your trip?"
I nodded excitedly.
For the next ten minutes, I sat and listened to my mom ranting about how I always need to stay with the group and not wander off by myself. She gave me a paper with a list of emergency contacts just in case anything happens. There was her, my dad, my aunt, my uncle, my other uncle, and Ms. Wilson's number on the paper.
Aside from being overprotective, my mom could be very demanding and frightening when she needs to be. I folded the paper just enough to fit my pocket before giving my goodbyes.
I give both my parent a kiss as they remind me to call and update them regularly. I looked down at my phone to check the time, and it was exactly twenty minutes since our phone call.
Almost immediately, I heard a car honk in front and smiled. This is why I love the fact that we're both punctual people. I pushed open the front door and dragged my suitcase behind me.
We were all supposed to meet in front of the school gate at precisely 7 am.
"Do you have everything?" Ms. Wilson asked, simultaneously ticking off our names on the name list.
I nodded.
An hour after seven, everyone was finally here. Ms. Wilson muttered something under her breath as she called everyone over. She was irritated about the students that showed up late.
"I see you don't own a watch?" Ms. Wilson said to Leighton. Not at all bothered, she pushes a wisp of blonde hair from her face. "When fashion calls, you have to answer."
"The next time you don't answer when I call, I'm leaving you behind with the rest of the people who came late."
Leighton's eyes widened at Ms. Wilson's harsh tone.
She pointed at the bus and told everyone to get in. That was my cue to follow. The bus door opened and I stepped onto the stairs. I tried to get on the bus before all the seats got taken so I could sit in the front. The once empty chairs were now filled with students. As Ms. Wilson does the attendance for the last time before we head to the airport, a series of "present" or "here" came up after she called out a name.
Leah pops up over to the seat next to me, a huge grin plastered onto her face. "I can't believe this is happening!"
I mirror the same excitement she gave me. "I can't believe I'm going to Rome for the first time."
"You'll love it," she says, "I've been quite a few times, and I must say, it's favolosa."
That was the difference between us. She was funny, charming, and traveled to many places. Her mom is like one of the most famous dentists and is responsible for the smiles of many famous Hollywood celebrities. To say the least, she was loaded.
She laughs and holds her fingers together, kissing it like what you see the Italians did in the movie.
"What does that mean?"
"It means fabulous!"
We spent the next twenty minutes planning what we were going to do during our free time. Ms. Wilson went first, as always, and told us to get our suitcases and head inside.
My eyes followed the direction that Ethan was walking. Swallowing, I met his bright eyes, and my stomach sunk. I'm at a loss for words. He was wearing dark sweats and a white v-neck shirt. I tried not to stare, but our eyes met for a second time. Dear God, I hope I wasn't turning into a tomato.
"Of course, it makes sense that a literature major would go on a trip to Europe," Ethan said, granting me a dimpled smile
"What does that mean?" I raised my eyebrows.
"Well you know, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Jane Austen, they're all famous European writers."
I didn't know what surprised me more, the fact that he knew all those names or that he made names of 19th and 20th-century writers sound so sensual.
"What?" he spoke again, "are you surprised that I know who those writers are?"
"Maybe a little."
"As you said, don't judge a book by it's cover," he said, sending me a wink.
Ethan was no longer looking at my direction, but I could see Leighton turning to stare at us with a growl. She whispered to her friends, and I could feel them turn to stare at me.
I sank on my seat to avoid unwanted attention.
Our gate finally opened, and we all lined up with our passports ready. I was still busy thinking about how he knew all those names. With a shove from Leah, I move up the boarding line. My passport clenched between my hands as we all waited to board the plane.
The flight attendant grabbed my carryon bag and shoved it up the cabin along with the other bags. We moved forward to clear the aisle. I moved away from the seat to let Leah go first as she slid into the chair beside the window.
I remember she told me she always liked sitting next to the window to look at the clouds because it made her feel like a bird. I didn't quite understand it, but as long as she was happy.
Her fingers intertwined with mine as our plane took off. I look over to see her eyes squeezed shut. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her nervousness. Even after being on hundreds of flights, she was still scared of them.
Before I knew it, I was fast asleep on Leah's shoulder as she rested her head on top of mine. After a long eleven hours, we finally landed in Rome, Italy. I didn't even notice how quick it took, mostly because we slept for the whole flight. By the time we woke up, everyone had already eaten and was full and fast asleep. Us, on the other hand, had to put up with our rumbling stomachs.
Leah had a massive grin on her face, and I smiled at her excitement. We both strolled through the aisle, and moments later, we were standing in line outside the immigration. The tour bus was waiting outside for us as the driver put our suitcases inside the trunk. It was a cute bus, bright red with the words "I heart Roma" printed on the side.
Ms. Wilson tore through the group of students and stopped next to the tour guide. "Everyone standstill, I'm going to count you off."
After she confirmed that everyone was here, we all went onto the bus and drove to the hotel. Another thirty minutes later, we arrived in front of a large white hotel that had a Moorish fountain placed in the middle. Around it were arches of roses, hibiscus, jasmine and about twenty other types of flowers. It had Renaissance-style architecture.
As we got off the bus and gathered our suitcases, a beautiful woman opened the door for us and greeted us. She was holding a tray full of drinks.
Before any of us managed to grab it, Ms. Wilson cut us off. "Is there any alcohol?"
"No ma'am, its lemonade."
Our tour guide gave us a quick tour of the hotel. The hallway was a dark red color with some green detailing which complimented well with the creamy white walls.
I was finding it hard to wrap my mind around how beautiful Rome was, and we haven't even gone anywhere yet. The hotel was already enough to amaze me. My head was moving in all sorts of directions as I tried to soak in the beauty of the city. I couldn't wait to find out more about the culture and history.
Our tour ended back in the lobby as Ms. Wilson was sorting out the rooms and giving us our keys. Room 304.
"Get some rest, or explore the hotel. We will meet back here tomorrow at 7 am for our first activity."
300. 301. 302. 303. 304.After Leah swiped the card, it made an electronic beeping sound. I ushered her inside and followed her inside the room. We threw out suitcases to the side.Leah sat on the edge of the bed."God, that was almost fourteen hours of traveling.""To be fair, we slept for the whole 11-hour plane ride."One of the first things I did was set a timer for 6 am. Despite knowing we had to meet at seven, I definitely did not want to be late, especially after seeing Ms. Wilson's angry outburst to Leighton. I fell into bed a short time later, my mind fading out to the sound of Leah's voice rambling about how excited she was to go to our very first destination of the trip.As soon as I heard the high-pitch sound coming from my phone, I woke up briefly, feeling disoriented. I blearily raised my head, my eyes checking the time. 6:00 am. I called Leah and told her to wake up, but all I received was a silent groan as she turned around with her back facing me. She snuggled into he
Maya's P.O.VAlessandro leads us across the road and into a narrow lane. About a hundred meters in, he stops in front of an Italian restaurant called Mama Leones.The building was a shade of brick red with a few cracks on the wall. Must've been an old place. The place was wide and open, not crowded tourists or anything. On the other end of the restaurant, there was a small garden. It was beautiful. Clusters of daisies were peeping through both sides of the fence, and the sun was shining through the trees. There was a welcoming of scents in the air as we walked inside.I stood and gazed at the building before me in awe. It radiated a warm feeling that made it seem like you were eating at home.The room was split into two big tables of eight chairs. Everyone moved steadily around the room and took their seats while I stayed standing and hesitating. Unlike the rest, I didn't have any friends here while everyone had their individual groups.I decided to wait for all the seats to be taken
To say I didn't think much about what Ethan said was a lie because I thought long and hard about it. No matter how hard I tried not to, I just couldn't. I was definitely becoming crazy. Replaying and evaluating his every move and searching for small signals.After we finished lunch, we went back to the hotel for some free time. Once again, I sat alone on the bus. But this time, every time I was caught staring at the buildings that we passed, Ethan would occasionally give me friendly grins as our eyes met.Leighton hesitated at first but decided to sit next to Ethan, even after his sudden outburst. She apologized with a pout, and he said it was okay — it wasn't — but I wasn't going to say that out loud. I mentally curse at Ethan for being way too kind and forgiving her way too quickly.I was currently sitting alone in the lobby, waiting for Leah to come back. The bright light in the room acted as the perfect reading light as I tried to escape the loneliness by burying myself in Gone wi
Maya's P.O.V"Does everyone know which role they're playing?" Gabe asked.He was also part of the football team, playing as the left tackle. His job was to protect the quarterback's blindside, which was Ethan, to prevent him from getting tackled. Being almost 6'5" tall, everyone referred to him as the mountain.His hair was an unusual mix between a light brown and dirty blonde, slightly ruffled, but he didn't look like he cared. Gabe was reasonably quiet compared to the rest of the team, always did his own thing and minded his own business. He was one of the bearable ones."We can't win if our team is unsynchronized. Everyone needs to know precisely what they're doing." He repeats.The team nods as he goes over the roles of each person again, probably for the fifth time now. Once he's done, he huddles us close together for a final pep talk before the real thing begins."The New England Patriots wouldn't have been able to win so many games if their team didn't know what they were doing
Maya's P.O.VIt was currently two in the morning, and I was standing by the balcony, watching the glint of starlight and the radiating moonlight. Nobody was here to accompany me, not even the wind. The streets were quiet and empty, and not a single person was outside. Damn, this is what loneliness must feel like.here were a lot of things I enjoyed doing alone, such as reading, listening to music, or going to the park. But despite my introversion, this very moment made me realize that although I liked being alone, I don't fancy being lonely.The only sounds that filled my eyes were the sound of chirping crickets. It was like they were mocking me because even they had someone to accompany them. Leah was fast asleep after spending hours comforting me. I found it quite amazing that I didn't even have to tell her that something bad happened. Just with one look at my face, she could automatically tell that something was off.I was too busy crying to remember what she said to me accurately,
Maya's P.O.VOnce our curfew was up, Ms. Wilson came by all of our rooms to check on us before wishing us goodnight. We both pretended to lie in our beds with our pajamas, telling her to turn off the light to make it seem like we were going to sleep.As the door shuts, my eyes go wide open as Leah hops off her bed.I had spent hours going over in my mind about my outfit choices, wondering if the night of freedom was worth the risk of being caught. As the goody-two-shoes I am, breaking the rules was a big no-no for me.I knew people judged me for being the way I am, but it was nothing new. It bugged me at first, but Leah would tell me to ignore any opinions that didn't come from someone who cares about you. At this point, I've gotten used to the constant criticism and was now letting it roll off my shoulder. Not like I needed that negativity in my life anyways. As they say, misery loves company.Digging through my suitcase to find something appropriate to wear, I mentally cursed at mys
Maya's P.O.VInstead of deciding to go back to the hotel, I stayed and waited for Leah as she prances around the dance floor, arm-in-arm with Connor. They looked like they were having the time of their lives.Meanwhile, I've decided to kill as many hours as I can by sitting at the bar alone and drowning myself in drinks. It's kind of funny that although I'm sitting in this crowded nightclub, it hits me that I still feel immensely alone.I guess that's what you get for being insecure. I've always lived in fear of judgment, avoided meeting new people, and never thought that I was good enough for anyone, even my best friend. I've never done anything exciting, stuck by the rules, and always did what I was told.Leah, one the other hand, learned how to not give a fuck since forever. She got along with everyone, and her confidence radiated through everything she did.Maybe if I were a little more like Leah, I'd be easier to handle, and I'd be a better company.I grab the drink in my hand, s
Maya's P.O.VBeing my second night in a row that I'm unable to sleep, I'm surprised I even had the energy to stay up after tonight's hectic event. By the time we stepped foot into our room, Leah immediately jumped onto the bed and passed out. Meanwhile, I'm sitting on the couch and having a quarter-life crisis about a boy that I barely even knew. What the fuck was wrong with me?It was almost three in the morning when we got back, which meant I had no more than three hours of sleep before we had to get up for breakfast. There was no point in sleeping, especially when I had the urge to throw up every fifteen minutes.I go to the toilet to check myself in the mirror. Unlike how I looked like when I left the place, my hair was bundled up on one side of my head, and mascara was streaking down my face.I decided to take a shower to wash off the nasty scent of alcohol and people, which I thought would be the first step in solving my problems. After a good fifteen minutes of drowning myself