It's finally Saturday. The cold morning air attacks the poor fragile skin on my cheeks.
"Why'd you pack so much stuff? You're just going to be there for a week, right?"
Ace whines as he carries my bag for me while we walk into my school.
"You're the one who offered to carry it, plus, I need all my different dance costumes and my clothes so..."
I feel my phone buzz and immediately pull it out to check if its another message from my mom. She's been checking up on me every five seconds. It's sweet but it needs to stop.
...Alverez...
Just wanted to wish you a safe trip! Wish i could come with you. But I'll be cheering you on from the comfort of my bed by watching the competition live stream. Can't wait to watch you blow the judges away with your mad skills.
Oh... it's just Dez.
"Sarah!"
I look up to see Mrs Barlowe waiting at the school entrance.
"Mrs Barlowe?"
"You're the last one to arrive, that's unusual..."
"Sorry, my dad and mom were being dramatic and i had to listen to their list of Do's and Don'ts"
"Oh... I see. Well, no harm done."
I turn to Ace and stretch out my hand, cueing him to hand my bag over.
"I guess I'll see you in a week."
I state as he hands over my bag. Ace pulls me into a hug that i'm forced to endure because of his monster grip.
"Be safe, okay. Come back in one piece. And if anyone tries to hurt you or if anything happens, anything at all, just call me. I'll be there in a heartbeat."
"I'm going to L.A for a week to participate in a dance competition. You're acting like I'm being shipped off to a military red zone."
Ace releases me from his death grip and looks me in the eye.
"Promise me you'll be fine."
What's up with people and making me promise them weird stuff these days?
"Yeah, I promise."
"Good. See you in a week sis."
"See yah."
___
I observe the world from my window seat with my ear pods plugged into and allow my mind to wonder. Despite my most desperate efforts to think of something else, the topic of Dez and Zac is stuck in my mind. The sadistic mini me in my head just keeps alternating between replaying the memories of the time Dez and I kissed and when Zac had a breakdown in my room. Why am I fussing so much? Both of them are just idiots who don't deserve a second thought. Hormones really are a nuisance.
"Hey!"
I turn my head to see Zaccai standing next to the empty seat beside me.
"Where are you going Zac?"
Audrey whines from one of the seats behind me.
"To sit with Sarah."
Well that was blunt. He plops down next to me and watches me with a smile.
"So, is there any particular reason you interrupted my peace and basically placed a bounty on my head?"
"I was getting bored..."
"So the price to cure your boredom is my life?"
"They won't do anything to you, not while I'm here anyway."
I scoff at his naïve attitude and look back out the window, but before I can transport myself back into the fantasy world I was living in, the bus comes to a sudden halt.
"Here we are! Now, it's two people per room so pick your partners. No mixed gender roommates."
"Awe, come on Mrs Barlowe!"
Mike complains jokingly.
"That really is too bad..."
I hear Zaccai whisper.
"What was that?"
I tease.
"Hm?"
I know he knows that i heard what he said but he has decided to play dumb.
"I could've sworn that I heard you say something just now..."
I push
"Me? No, maybe it's the California heat getting to you."
I shake my head while turning back to the window, choosing to let it go.
"Exit the bus in an orderly fashion and please do not embarrass our school. This is a really good and classy hotel, don't do anything foolish. Yes, I'm looking at you Mike"
Mrs Barlowe announces
___
The building is huge with multiple stories; fifty stories at least. Mrs Barlowe checks us in while we wait in the lounge.
"Alright, I have six keys. I hope you've all picked your partners?"
She announces as she enters the lounge holding the keys. The pairs were pretty obvious. Tess and Eliana, Ezra and Mike, Audrey and Hope, Oscar and Ryan. Then me on my own- Wait a minute.
"Uhm... did you say... six keys? As in, five for us and one for you?"
I point out.
"Yes Sarah? Is there a problem?"
Heck yeah there's a problem!
"You realize we're five girls and five boys?"
I emphasize
"Yes Sarah, I know that. I can count. I know you don't like sharing but we can't afford a single room for everyone."
Her arrogant tone will just make it all the more embarrassing once she realizes.
"Yeah Sarah, don't be such a brat!"
Audrey adds, enticing Tess and Mike to join in. Zac laughs silently, having already caught on.
"IDIOTS! If the number of girls isn't equal and the number of boys isn't equal then that means a boy and a girl have to share a room. And seeing as how all you morons have already chosen your partners, that means I'll have to share a room with Zac! And there is now way I am doing that, over my cold dead rotting body!"
As I predicted, Mrs Barlowe falls silent in shame and the irritated looks on Audrey, Tess and Mike's faces soothes my frustration a little.
"Ouch, that really hurt my feelings."
Zac lets out.
"Shut up Zac!"
He gasps suddenly and puts his hand over his mouth while staring at me in shock.
"What?!"
I demand.
"You just called me Zac. Twice!"
He points out in a weird, proud tone. Eww! I did just call him Zac! Out loud! What the actual heck!!!! Maybe the heat has gotten to me after all.
"Ugh! You're so annoying! All of you!"
I storm out and decide to call the one person I know can fix this. I don't usually like pulling this card but this is an emergency. Life or death; and by that i mean I'll be sentenced to life or death for the sadistic torture filled murder i am plotting im my head.
"Hey sweetie! Is everything okay?"
"No dad! Could you please get me a room at this hotel?"
"A room? What, did the school not pay for yours?"
"Oh, they paid alright! But these morons forgot to account for the fact that the number of girls and boys on the team aren't equal. Now I'm stuck with Dalton as my roommate!"
"What! Not on my watch! I put an emergency Black Card in your mini bag, should be in the front pocket. Use that to pay for a room. Get a good one too"
"I don't need a fancy room, I just need my own. Thanks Dad! You're the best."
"Anything for my baby girl! Love yah!"
"Love you too dad. Talk to you later!"
After the phone call, i march back into the lounge and grab my mini bag.
"So, we have a solution. You can stay with me-"
"-My dad's already offered to pay for my room so don't worry about me."
I relay as i pull out the black card.
"Is that a-"
Tess whispers to Audrey.
"So you're just going to spend daddy's money because you can't stand sleeping around us peasants? Is that it?"
Mike protests.
"I was perfectly fine with sharing a room until this mix up happened and the only reason you feel I think I'm superior is because of your fragile ego and inferiority complex, that's not my fault."
With that, I grabbed my stuff and, once again, left the room in dead silence.
___
As I lay down on the hotel room's comfy bed, enjoying the quality a/c , I stare at the ceiling and allow my mind to wander.
"Hey Sarah?"
I hear a voice call after three soft knocks on my door, pulling me out of my fantasy realm just when the story was about to get good. I lazily drag myself to the door and open it, only to see Zac standing on the other side.
"What?"
I demand.
"May I come in?"
"No."
"Please?"
I glare at him for a moment before losing fight energy.
"Ugh, fine... whatever."
He lets himself in and shuts the door behind him as I plop back down on my bed.
"What do you want?"
I ask again but more lazily this time.
"What was that? In the lounge?"
"I've made it pretty clear that I'm not a good person. Now you know why people don't like me. I don't know why you're surprised."
"No, I know you're not the ideal person to some people, but I also know you don't bother with people either. But in the lounge, what Mike said, I saw that it pissed you off, the others might not notice but I know how you are when you're just being blunt and how you are when something pisses you off. You never say anything for the sole purpose of hurting people, you're just painfully honest. But today, you wanted to hurt Mike."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Everything I said is true."
"That may be so but you didn't need to say it. It's been true for a while but judging by the shock on his face, you've never said it before."
"Just drop it Dalton."
"No, something's wrong with you and you're not talking."
"I said drop it."
"What is it going to take to get you to open up?"
"Dalton."
"What have they done to you that's so wrong you have to treat them like garbage?"
I feel my pulse rise but use all my strength to maintain my cool headed demeanor.
"Like I said, people annoy me. I don't like them and i am not a good person."
"So you just decided to hate them?"
"Hate is a strong word."
"What the heck is wrong with you Sarah?"
I rise up from my bed and stare him straight in the eye.
"If you came here to lecture me, I've heard it all before so you can leave."
"No! I need to know!"
“i don't care what you ‘need’ Dalton”
“Sarah, please!”
I march to the door and he follows.
"Get out Dalton."
I demand while pointing at the door.
"No!"
"WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANT FROM ME!"
"The truth!"
"Just because you can't handle it doesn't mean it isn't true! I warned you! I told you I am not a good person! But you still chose to follow me around like a desperate puppy! You think i care what those ***holes think?! If i did then i would've thrown my phone away and deleted all my socials. If i cared, all the things they tag me in, all the insults and paragraphs they send to me, all the rumors and lies they make up about me, all the death threats and 'go kill yourself' messages would've broken me! But look, I'm still here! I'm still standing and I haven't changed one bit. So call me mean, heartless or evil, but at least I DON'T HIDE MY TRUE COLOURS BEHIND A FREAKING SCREEN!"
He watches me as I catch my breath.
"Sarah... I-"
"-Get the heck out of my room Dalton."
"I just wanted to-"
"-Don't you get it? I don't care! I never have and never will. You, like all the rest, are nothing to me. I don't care what you think, what you say or how you feel"
It's all lies anyway. It was too good to be true, i was dumb for believing that someone like Zaccai could exist, someone who doesn't just tolerate my personality but actually likes it. I was a fool for letting myself believe such an obvious lie.
"But you were kind of right. I do hate you.... All off you"
I finish. The bitterness of the words lingers in my throat as his glassy eyes stare back at mine. My cold dead tone communicates my feelings to him and he leaves my room, shutting the door behind him.