Charlie's POV
Day One in Paris
It was irritating me that I had no idea what was on today's itinerary. I've always preferred to know what was happening beforehand. Everything in my life is planned, well, mostly.
"You will be split into four groups, please do not go wandering off on your own. Vice Principal Kirke and I are trusting all of you. Also, I will give each group my phone number, so if there is any trouble, please call."
They're letting us wander off without supervision? Is that even legal?
"Can we choose our groups?" Ella wondered.
"Sure, but each group needs to be made up of seven students." Miss Saunders smiled.
"Dibs on Charlie and Clayton!" Ella blurted out, causing Tom to pout.
"What about me?"
"And you, of course." Ella blew her boyfriend a kiss.
"Can I join?" Ryan wondered, looking directly at me.
Did he want me to answer him?
"Of course!" Ella said.
His eyes were still on mine, as if he was waiting for me to say that it was okay.
I decided to give him a friendly smile.
"We just need two more humans." Clayton stated, biting into whatever candy bar he was eating.
"Can we join?" Ace spoke from beside me, his arm around the shoulder of Jenna Warnick. Miss Saunders must've allowed her to attend also, seeing as she's not in our French class.
I didn't think that they knew each other.
"Yes! But I swear to god, if any of you ruin today's festivities, I will destroy you." Ella warned. The hairs on my arms stuck up beneath the sleeves of my t-shirt.
Foreign teenagers roaming the city with zero supervision was a recipe for disaster.
~
Due to my having to wear crutches, I remained behind the rest of the group. Ella and Tom were all lovey-dovey at the front, followed by Ryan who was then followed by Clayton. Both Ace and Jenna had stopped five minutes ago to have a cigarette, and to probably make out with each other.
Coming to Paris on crutches was a bad idea.
"Hi." Ryan had waited for me.
"Hi." I responded.
"So I uh, I came to your room last night." He said awkwardly.
"You did?" I must have already been asleep.
"Yeah."
"I must have been asleep."
"I, uh, wanted to talk to you." He kept his head down.
"Oh?"
"Stop!" Ella gasped, pointing towards a cafe.
"What is it?" I asked concernedly.
"How many croissants can you eat?" Ella raised an eyebrow, giving Clayton and I a look.
"Yes! Let's do it!" Clayton beamed.
"What's happening?" Tom wondered.
"A croissant eating contest!" Ella jumped up and down in excitement.
"A what?" Ace appeared beside me, his signature scent of cigarettes and coffee lingering, along with Jenna.
"It's part of our Paris pact." I told Ace.
"Paris pact?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Clayton, Charlie and I made a pact of things we would do if we ever came to Paris." Ella explained.
"A croissant eating contest is on the list." Clayton added.
"What else is on the list?" Ace wondered, slightly nudging me in the shoulder, as if wanting the answer to come from me.
"Why don't you read it." Ella pulled the list from her pocket and gave it to Ace to read.
"How many croissants can you eat: A croissant eating contest. A photoshoot in front of the Eiffel Tower. Louvre Race?" Ace laughed. "This list is crazy."
"What else is on there?" Ryan wondered.
"A bunch more crazy stuff." Ace handed the list to Ryan, who silently read the list and laughed.
I wonder why Ace didn't tell me about Ryan's visit.
"Ryan, can you be the judge?" Ella asked.
"I kinda wanted to do it too."
"Jenna, can you judge?" Ella stared into Jenna's very soul.
"Those jeans make your legs look fat." Jenna responded. That was very rude.
"At least I don't have a mustache." Ella retorted, causing Ace to laugh.
Jenna huffed and stormed off, turning around after taking a few steps.
"Ace? Are you coming?"
"Nah, I'll catch you later."
"You're so pathetic." Jenna walked angrily the way that we had all come from.
She's probably going back to the hotel.
"Ace, you can be the judge." Ella ordered.
"Uh, what are my duties as a Croissant Judge?"
"You do a countdown for when we have to start, then you determine the winner. Whoever eats the most croissants in eight minutes is the winner." Ella explained.
"Okay."
"Awesome, find a table, Tom and I will go and get the croissants." Her eyes widened with excitement.
We found a table long enough to seat our group and I eagerly took a seat, setting my crutches against the brick wall behind me. Clayton took the seat next to me while Ryan sat the opposite side of me, Ace decided to stay standing up.
"This is going to be so fun." Ryan said.
The old me would've been jumping with excitement, but the new me kind of just wants to go back to the hotel and sleep.
"Soooo, Ryan," Clayton started, giving Ryan an interrogative look.
"Yeah?"
"What made you a bully?"
I gave Clayton a nudge, which was my way of telling him to shut up.
"Excuse me?"
"Last year when you bullied Charlie, what made you do it?"
Ace turned to Ryan, wanting to hear the answer just as much as Clayton did.
This was utterly awkward.
"I didn't want to do it. Joey made us."
"So if Joey jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?" Clayton pressed, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat.
"Look, i get that Joey is a dick. That's why I'm no longer friends with him. I regret bullying anyone."
"Oh look, the croissants are here!" I spoke up, hoping that they're conversation would end.
"That was awkward." Ace whispered.
Yes, it was.
Ella and Tom took a seat, placing a basket of croissants in front of each of us. It was a lot of croissants.
"Ready?" Ace asked the group.
"Hell fucking yeah!" Clayton said, licking his lips.
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One! Begin."
I reached for a croissant and furiously chewed on it. I doubt I would win this contest, but it doesn't mean that I can't at least try to.
After finishing the first croissant, I shoved another one into my mouth. Then another one, and another one, followed by another one.
And that's when I heard a click.
I looked up at Ace who had his phone pointed at me, trying to hide his dumb and annoying smile. "Did you just take a photo of me?" I spoke with my mouth full.
"Yes, now keep eating! You're almost winning."
I rolled my eyes and tried to finish the croissant that was in my mouth. Suddenly, my entire mood had changed, and I had zero desire to attempt to win this eating contest.
"Times almost up." Ace announced as i attempted to eat another croissant. I couldn't even enjoy the fluffiness of the thick pastry, or the nice quality of the butter.
"And the winner is..... Ella!"
"Suck it, losers!" Ella did a victory dance.
I dropped a half-eaten croissant down on the table and forced myself to swallow what I had been chewing. My forehead was warmer than usual. I closed my mouth shut, hoping that the sudden urge to puke would pass.
But it didn't.
I leaned over the left side of the table and threw up, causing a few customers to groan with displeasure.
Fudging croissants!
"Dude!" Ace seethed.
I sat back up, coming to the realisation that some of my puke had gotten onto Ace's black boots.
"I'm sorry." I don't know why but I was starting to cry. Maybe it was because I was embarrassed and upset? Or maybe it was because I just puked my guts up and my entire body somehow seemed to hurt. Or maybe it was because I was weak willed and outright pathetic.
I stood on one leg and reached for my crutches, eager to just crutch away, only to fall unconscious.