A Walk On The Beach

Chapter 8

Boy

I JUST FOUND out that Stephanie is going to be going to Hong Kong with us! Oh. My. God. How can this holiday get any worse? I mean, first I meet her; second the girl who I ‘obviously like’ moves away (two days now); and now I have to be stuck with Stephanie for four weeks until I go back to London. Tyler and Evelyn aren’t that happy about it either. Caitlyn says that as long as that bitch doesn’t talk shit to her then she’s good. Zoe is nowhere to be seen.

Stephanie is screaming in my ear. “Oh, my god! Isn’t this great, Jordan? JORDAN?” What is wrong with women yelling my name? I have yet to be one of those famous stars, thank you very much!

“Jordan!” that’s Caitlyn.

“Yes, Cait?” I shout over Stephanie’s squeals.

“Letter for you!”

I take it and go up to my room, which is packed up. The hammock’s gone and the bed is back where it was a week ago. It’s from the girl. I recognise the handwriting.

Hello stranger. It’s me again.

I’m very bored here on holiday. It seems all I can think about is you. Does that seem overly queer to you? I’m sorry if I’m frightening you with my words. It’s just I’m slightly lonely here. My brother is ignoring me. One of my 12 cousins, Diana, is the replica of Stephanie. She’s been challenging me to say mean things to her. But I can’t. I’ll feel bad about it afterwards.

Anyway, the other night I was walking by myself in the busy streets of where I am. I almost got run over by a car! That’s when I realised that I will not be able to survive cities. I want to go home, the Island.

Send me sunshine, Mystery Girl.

I want to write back but there isn’t a return address. Will she be writing more letters to me? I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I won’t get it if she does. That is, if she can write another letter before she gets killed in some way. I wonder where she is...

Anyway, Zoe is calling for me. I bet she’s got something to bribe me with. She wants to stay on the Island – boys, boys, and boys! Now, I feel the same, only I’m waiting for letters. I slip the letter into my suitcase and go downstairs.

Zoe ambushes me at the bottom of the stairs. “Jordan!” she cries. “I won’t tell Stephanie you got secret love notes if you help me!”

There it is. “Zoe...”

“Come on! You have to help me! I mean, I have to stay!” she whines. “You’re the only one who can help me.”

I’m about to step into the living room when I hear Stephanie giggling. I turn a sharp turn and go out the door with Zoe at my heels. The hot sand singes my bare feet. I hop onto the slightly cooler pavement and my nineteen-year-old sister follows.

“But you don’t understand, Jordan!” I ignore her. She walks ahead of me and grabs at my arms. “Jordan. Okay, listen. It’s like taking away your PlayStation 3 and replacing it with a PlayStation!”

I stop in my tracks. “Why would anyone do that? A PlayStation 3 has everything – why replace it with a crappy version?” Then I immediately regret saying that.

Zoe raises her arms and slaps them down to her bare thighs. She’s totally into this whole beach holiday thing. She’s wearing a loose shirt over her bikini. “Finally! Someone gets it! Why would anyone replace this beautiful Island with a polluted place like Hong Kong?”

“It’s not the same,” I say, trying to turn things around, even though I kind of understand now.

“Yes, it is!” she exclaims. “They have the sun and the sea here!”

“You’re only here for the dudes,” I tell her.

She sighs.

I go to the side of the house and grab a pair of shoes. I take the scooter key and start the thing. But Zoe is persistent.

“Jordan!” she yells. What is wrong with these girls? They’re all screaming my name. And the only one I want to actually hear is not here. “You have to help me!”

“Or what?” I snap.

I ride away, ignoring my sister. I don’t turn back even when she’s screaming my name and crying. I don’t care how much it means to her to be here on the Island. All I want now is to get off it.

Stephanie is sitting on my right on the plane. Evelyn is on my left. Stephanie is snuggling into my arm. Evelyn raises her eyebrows, saying Okay...

I can’t exactly yank my arm away, because that would be rude and I have four more weeks of her. Evelyn widens her eyes and return to her cartoon.

“Hey, Stephy?” I say, clearing my throat. “I have to go...”

She blinks at me blankly. “Go where?”

“The toilet.”

Obviously, Evelyn is listening to us even though she has her headphones on. She tries to stop a laugh but fails.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” Evelyn mutters. She’s trying to cover a smirk. She totally fails that.

Stephanie narrows her eyes. “Shut up.”

I look at her but she doesn’t look at me. She goes red instead. I escape the grasp of Stephanie Holmes. I’m passing the other first class area when I see the Island girl. She’s got black hair, tied up in a ponytail. She’s looking through the window. I can only see her profile. But she can’t be her. She had gone two days ago. I’m staring until some dude asks me if I’m in the queue for the toilet.

“No,” I tell him.

When I look again, she’s gone. How does she do that?