Kailani
James, Eldon, and I were waiting for West and the tour guide at this stop. I was dragged with them to go to the Everglades, I do not want to go.
"Where's the tour guide, he's supposed to be taking us." Eldon said throwing his hands up in the air. "I don't even know, West organized all of that." I said.
"Today's gonna be a bad day, I can feel it." Eldon randomly said. "How can you just...feel it." James said, sounding annoyed.
"My lucky coin senses are going off." "Hey, Noah's already our spideman, he has the spider-senses." I said.
"Lookie, lookie, lookie, here. You see what I got." West said coming to us, and my eyes widened when I saw what he was holding.
A full on alligator. "Where did you get an alligator from." I said moving closer to James. I hate alligators, with a strong passion. "You guys want to touch it."
"No." James and I said in sync. Then Eldon touched it. "Surpisingly soft." West said, and Eldon agreed. These dudes are literally nuts.
"You guys my next tour?" A very old man came and said to us, taking the alligator from West. "Yes." West said excitedly.
"I've got a million question about the tour." West said as we started walking, following the tour guide. Eldon stood back looking at the alligator in the cage.
"Eldon let's go!" I yelled and he scurried to follow. This was going to be one tour.
-
The tour was fun and all, but I hate boats I hate water, so I don't know why I'm here. We came across and alligator and it just stayed there staring at us.
The Everglades are cool, just kinda creepy. Its like someone grew out their lawn, and then flooded it.
Worst part, there were alligators everywhere, and it was scary. Then we stopped ad this area. "So, why'd we stop?" James asked.
"See the island over there, yeah it's called cocoplum island." The tour guide said. West and Eldon started mocking the name and laughing. "Why is it called cocoplum?" I asked since that's such a random name for an island.
"It was named after a girl who was the only one to survive the night of the horror of the alligators." He responded.
"Wait, what?!" James said as we all suddenly turned to our guide, Jesse. "There was a 12 grade prom group out here at night, next thing you know they were lost and couldn't find their way back out."
"Then they found the island, and they went on the island and figured they'd be safe their for the night. Little did they know the island was surrounded by alligators. One by one at night the alligators picked them off."
I cringed at the image that was forming in my head, and so did Eldon. "All you could hear was the terrible cries and screams of the people, and the splash of the water all night long." "And by day cocoplum was the only one that survived the night of the alligators." Jesse finished.
"Yup nope, going back to the hotel. We're turning back, no more tour no more nothing, let's go." I said rapidly, that story freaked me out so badly.
If a guy is supposed to be promoting the everglades, why would he tell us a story, very creepy story might I add that's probably gonna scare me for the rest of my life.
"Are you serious?" Eldon asked. "That's kinda scary thought." West spoke. The boar started up again, thank god we were leaving.
As we started to go back the engine started sputtering and we stopped, in the middle fo nowhere. "Uh, what's wrong?" I asked scared.
"I dont know, we have a problem. Let me figure out what it is." He said. "Does that mean we're stuck?" West said.
"For the moment we are, until I find the problem." "How often does this happen." James questioned. "Every 10-15 years, not often." "Sure.." I whispered.
This was not the trip we saw on the brochure. So first scary story about alligators who killed some teens and now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere. Amazing.
"There's an island about 2 miles away, I'll walk over there and you guys just stay right here." Jesse said. "Okay how long are you gonna leave us here?" James said.
"2 hours." "2 hours?!" West, James, and I said in sync. "Yeah, unless you wanna walk with me." "Yeah nope." I said and the rest agreed.
"You don't have like a phone we can call you at?" James said. "We don't have any towers that work out here." Jesse said.
"What? No." I said pulling out my phone. "yeah, no reception." I said looking at my bars. "I'll see you all in 2 hours then." And Jesse walked away.
He walked in the Everglades, no special shoes, full of alligators. There is something wrong with him, I promise you.
"This is crazy" I said to the guys and we led on a small conversation. Then we turned back and Jesse was gone, no way. "He just disappeared." James said as we all looked confused.
"I think we're being played." West started pacing at the front of the boat as James and Eldon carried a conversation. I, on the other hand was drift off to sleep.
"How are you sleeping at a time like this Kai." Eldon said. "I close my eyes and relax. Then boom, off in la la land." I answered. "I think he left us as an offering to the alligator gods" West said.
"Okay now you're dragging it." I said half asleep. "What?" James said. "Think about where we are." Eldon argued.
"Tell me that you're playing with me." James continued. "Look with all these alligators, there has to be a alligator god." Eldon said.
"This boat problaby isn't broken." West said. "Okay you're done." I said throwing one of my hair pins at him. "If I get this boat started, it proves my theory."
"Only thing it would prove, is that you have sun stroke." James said. West started fiddling with the boat and holy mother of dance, it started.
"Oh yeah! Up top." Eldon said as he gave West a high five. "The alligator gods are coming for you." West said sticking his head in between James and I.
Finally we were going back to shore, as soon as I get there I'm going straight to my hotel room and taking a nap until it's time for dinner.
Then the boat stopped. "Oh my gosh." I rolled my eyes. "This is the alligator gods saying we're not going anywhere." West said.
"I'm not being sacrificed, I'm not. I-nope. Wait," Eldon said and then started rummaging in his pockets. "My lucky coin." "It's not giving us luck now is it." I said annoyed.
"OHH ALLIGATOR GODS, ABOVE, OR BELOW...I don't really know. UHH I OFFER YOU-" Then the coin fell out his hand into the water.
I laughed a bit at this as Eldon just stood there. "You dropped it." James said. "Someone's getting eaten." I said and drifted back off to sleep.
-
"Kai, Kai wake up." West shook me. I woke up suddenly and looked around, Jesse was back and was fixing the boat.
MY phone started to go off rapidly, many messages coming in. I looked and say messages from Riley, Noah, Thalia, Michelle, Giselle, and Ms. Kate, and the group chat.
"Shoot." I said as I read the messages. "What happened?" Eldon asked. "James, if you don't register by 6 o'clock we're gonna be disqualified from Internationals." I said and our eyes all widened.
Luckily Jesse quickly got the boat fixed and once we arrived on shore we thanked him for our tour, which was absolutely terrible and then ran to the venue.
When he got there we squeezed through people until we spotted Giselle and Ms. Kate. "Guys! You, over here and sign." Giselle said dragging James to a table.
And when he finished, we were finally registered for internationals. "I don't know what I just did, but I did it." James said.
"Now that we're officially registered, it seems like the male solos are first. Are you ready Eldon?" Ms. Kate said, "Well thanks to these guys, I have my lucky coin so I'm ready." Eldon said taking out a coin.
"You guys got it back?" I whispered. "It's West's but they look exactly the same." James whispered. "Wait, this is the wrong coin. It has the wrong date on it." Eldon said.
Oh no.
After Eldon's coin situation I decided to not go back to my hotel, but to head over to Noah's. I knocked and he answered. "Lani!" I said pulling me in for a hug, nobody has ever called me Lani. it's new, and I like it.
"Where were you, I was so worried." He said closing the door as we sat on his bed. "So I went to the Everglades with the boys, then the boat stopped and out guide left to go and get tools and then Eldon and West thought we were left as an offering to some alligator gods. Then West started up the boat but we stopped a few minutes later then Eldon used his lucky coin to make an offering so we don't get eaten, but it fell in the water. They tried tricking him that they got it back using West's pound Ella gave him but then he found out, oh and we found out that is james didn't sign this form we would be disqualified but he did so we're good.
"Well that's one heck of a day." "Yeah. Actually I wanted to ask you something." I said.
"Go ahead." Noah said. "Are we dating? We kissed like twice, and went on a date. does that mean we're dating?" I said.
"Do you want to be dating?" He asked. "Yeah i do." I said sighing.
"Wait really?" He said standing up. "Yes really, this isn't a joke." "So Kailani, do you want to be my girlfriend?" He asked.
I stood up and held his hands. "Of course i do" And then we kissed. He pulled me in closely, and my hand wrapped around his neck and his held my cheeks.
When we pulled apart i was flushed pink. "I should head back, internationals and all starts tomorrow."
"Yeah uh. see ya later girlfriend." "Bye boyfriend" and then i started to walk out.
"Wait." I ran back and pecked him on the lips and then ran out the door.
We're finally together.
Published July 5, 2022