"I can't believe this, though! You're not going to be here for our break at all!" Lindy pouted at the Tia's dinner table that night.
"Well I'll be here for the last week, which is good since Christmas is in that week. I just wish the circumstances were different, though – I mean, on the one hand I can't believe I'm finally going to Australia – and completely free too – but on the other hand, I'm dreading going on this trip with ... Elijah," Tia responded, feeling suddenly nauseated when she remembered him.
"That must suck, huh?" Eliza said, patting Tia's shoulder. "I know how you must feel – I mean you complain about him every time you speak to him." Tia nodded, twirling her spaghetti absentmindedly.
"Well, personally, I think you could be going with someone much worse..." Lindy said. Tia looked up at her, mouth dropped wide.
"You're kidding right? Who could possibly be worse than Big-head Jones?" she said.
"I dunno. Well, it's just ... he's not so bad-looking, if you know what I mean," Lindy giggled. Tia made a face and Eliza laughed beside her.
"Ugh, Lindy! Doesn't matter how good he may look. His personality has disfigured him completely," she said.
"We'll see if you feel that way after you've spent two weeks with him. In the Australian sun," Lindy winked. Tia rolled her eyes.
"Please!" she laughed. "Can we change the subject?" She sprinkled parmesan cheese over her spaghetti and spoke again. "So, what are you guys going to do over the break?"
Lindy and Eliza looked at one another and shrugged. Before either could answer, Tia's mother, Amy, walked through the door, talking loudly on her phone.
"What? No, I never agreed to that! I can't believe this! I'm away for one day and the whole company falls apart," she said, sounding exasperated. She threw her keys and bag on the couch.
"Hi mum!" called Tia. Her mother waved in her direction, dismissively, and continued talking. Tia rolled her eyes.
"James, I don't understand why you'd tell him I wanted the blue when I specifically told you I wanted the yellow!" Amy shouted. "FORGOT?! Don't you even know how important this is? Why didn't you write it down, you idiot? Just – ugh – just forget it. I'll come in tomorrow morning and we'll fix it. – No, I will not have a good day because you just ruined it!"
The three friends heard her slam a door and begin swearing profusely. After a minute or so, she came out and walked toward the dining room.
"What's for dinner?" she asked Tia, still very heated.
"Uh, I made spaghetti..." Tia responded, not looking at her. Amy rolled her eyes.
"Always the same thing with you, isn't it?" she mumbled, as she crossed over to the door.
"Hey mum, I have to tell you something," Tia said. Amy turned, slowly.
"What is it?"
"It might take a while, so get your food and I'll tell you," Tia answered. Amy didn't hesitate.
After taking her sweet time in the kitchen, Amy finally joined them on the table and Tia told her the news about her trip.
"Okay," is all she said when Tia was done.
"Uh – uh, yes so I'll be away for two weeks," Tia said, a little flustered, not that she was surprised her mother reacted like this. "I'm not sure what the cost of calls are from Australia to London, but I'll work it out and – uh – give you a call when I get there." Her mother slurped her food and shrugged.
"K. You always wanted to go to Australia, didn't you?" she asked, surprising all three girls.
"Uh, yeah. I did. Since I was nine, actually," Tia smiled and was about to begin speaking some more about it, but her mother had finished her food and gotten up.
"That's great, kid. Hey, listen, I got lots of work to do so keep it down while I'm in my office. K, sweets?" Amy said and left without another word. Tia heard her dump her plate in the kitchen sink and leave. She stared down at her plate for a while then, until Eliza put a hand on her shoulder. That's when she burst into tears.
"Oh! I feel so stupid," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Lindy walked around and embraced her.
"Don't worry about it – and you shouldn't feel stupid, either," Eliza comforted.
"I-it's like sh-she doesn't even c-care..." Tia cried. She looked up, wiped her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever. I'm fine. I don't need her to fuss over me. I can take care of myself."
Lindy smiled. "And you've always got us!"
Tia smiled at her but then a thought occurred to her. "Oh my God! I can't believe I forgot until now!" she exclaimed.
"What?"
"My jobs! I have to tell my bosses I'll be away for two weeks – oh, they're going to fire me for sure!" she cried. "This is terrible."
"Oh, don't worry! They're not going to fire you! You're the hardest worker both of them has ever had," Lindy assured.
"Does the hardest worker come to work one day and tell her boss she's leaving in a week? I don't think so! Oh, this trip has just ruined everything," she sighed.
-
"Dude, that sucks, big time," Alex sighed that same night over the phone that night.
"Oh I know. I mean, Australia sounds incredible ... but with her! I don't know how I'm going to survive the two weeks," Elijah replied. He'd been thinking about the situation since he'd left school and it became less and less attractive as time passed.
"I feel your pain. She's so annoying," Alex said.
"Tell me about it! I can't spend an hour with her, let alone two whole weeks of seeing her every day!" Elijah groaned.
"Hey, you never know. You might get used to her by the end of the two weeks. You might even end up liking her," Alex laughed.
"Ugh, please. I wouldn't let that happen," Elijah groaned. "Anyway, I gotta go. Chat later." Elijah hung up, a little irritated, as he walked into the room. "Hi, mum. How are you feeling today?" he asked, sitting beside the bed.
"I'm feeling good...um...Elijah!" Beth Jones replied. He beamed.
"Yes! That's great to hear," he smiled, kissing her cheek. "Oh I have some news for you!"
"Really? I'd love to hear it," she said, and she listened as he told her the Australia situation. "Wow! Sounds great. Australia seems like a magical place," she beamed, eyes glazing over with a distant memory. Elijah wondered if she even remembered it properly, or if it was just shattered pieces in her mind.
"It does, yes," he replied. "It would've been better if I was going with someone else, though."
"You don't like this girl?"
"I don't just not like her; I can't stand her!" he said, getting annoyed just thinking about her.
"But why? If she's a captain, like you, she can't be all bad. What's so wrong about her?" his mother asked.
"Well – I don't know exactly. I mean, I guess she's not all bad. But she hates me so much and is always so rude to me. I can't help but hate her too, know what I mean? I don't know why she hates me. She just does, and it irritates me. You should really just see the way she talks to me – as if she's better than me!" he burst, throwing his hands up, and slumping onto the bed.
"So you hate her because she hates you?" Elijah nodded. "Well then maybe she feels the way you feel about her toward you. Understand?"
"No."
"What I mean is that you both dislike each other because you don't know each other. Maybe after spending two weeks together, you'll start seeing eye to eye," she explained, smiling. He laughed.
"I highly doubt it mother. You've never met her," he countered, smirking.
Hours later, after he'd sat and chatted with his mother and even started on his homework with her, Elijah got up to leave.
"I guess it's time to go, which sucks. I wish I could stay here all the time," he said to her.
"No, sweetheart. I love seeing you, but I want you to have a life!" She smiled up at him.
"I love you mum," he said, throat choking up as he hugged her. "Here. I wrote this for you to keep." He handed her a letter.
"I can't wait to read it in the morning," she beamed. He kissed her forehead.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Good night," he smiled and walked to the door, waving once more before he walked out.