"DID you pack what you needed?"
"Yeah...? Why are you forcing me to go on this trip anyway? I wanted to spend time with you and mom." He faced his dad and crossed his arms.
"You should be thankful that you have the opportunity to travel the world at such a young age with your friends. I would never be able to take you to Italy."
"Fine, fine. Are you sure you'll be okay for Thanksgiving? I feel bad for leaving you here. You don't get to see Mom either."
Ben's dad put more clothes in Ben's luggage. "Ben. You are the most important person to me and I want you to be happy. I know that you want to stay but you'll thank me later. So please, drop it and finish packing because you're leaving in two hours. I have to grab something, I'll be right back."
Ben put his toiletries in a bag and placed it in a pocket. "I can't even speak Italian..." He mumbled under his breath.
Ben zipped up his suitcase. He took his passport out of the box where he keeps all of his special important things and slid it into his pocket. Ben's dad tapped his shoulder.
"Yes?"
He offered his old film camera to Ben. "Your mother got me this as a wedding present." He smiled, but there was pain in his eyes. "I want you to remember all of these things Ben, I really do."
Ben took it and hugged his dad. "You and mom mean the world to me, okay? I love you guys so much. No matter how dysfunctional we are."
———
"What took you so long?" Veronica called out from the stairs of the jet.
"Wait, we're going in a private jet?" Ben was only half surprised. He had just gotten out of the black SUV Veronica had sent to pick him up at his house and walked toward the private jet.
"What? You thought we were going on Spirit?" She snorted. "Hurry up and get on before we leave without you." Veronica climbed up the stairs and disappeared into the plane's body.
Ben made sure to separate his camera, his phone, his headphones, and his passport from his luggage. A smiling bag boy who was probably two years older than him took his luggage. Ben didn't see where it went but he assumed that it was safe. This was Veronica White's family jet, after all.
Ben shamelessly asked one of the bodyguards outside of the plane to take a picture of him on the red carpet stairs before heading up. As soon as he walked into the passenger's cabin, he noticed that there were only four of them. He took a quick glance at the faces and realized MJ wasn't there. He spied Jess and Isaiah seated across from each other, as far away from each other as possible. Evelynn sat next to Jess, sleeping.
"Veronica... where's MJ?" He took the seat beside Atlas but across from Veronica. "Also," he turned to his best friend, "hey Atlas." Atlas just laughed and rolled his eyes.
"MJ... isn't coming." She looked just about done after saying the poor boy's name.
"Why?"
"He said he had some things to take care of. Whatever. What a lame-ass. Says he's in love with her but can't even pull himself together." She crossed her arms and looked out the window. Veronica obviously wanted her best friend to make up with her boyfriend. The fact that MJ even let Cameron get away without making up was surprising. He always wanted his girlfriend to be happy with him, no matter the circumstance.
Ben watched her expression change from a hard one to a thoughtful one. "I sense a little resentment."
"Me and MJ are way over, Ben. I really wanted him to make up with Cameron. Even if they end up breaking up anyway, they should at least enjoy some time together before college."
Atlas looked between the two of them, shocked.
"What? You didn't tell Atlas about me and MJ?"
"I didn't think you wanted me to! I thought you guys were never together anyway," Ben said.
Veronica shook her head. "Atlas, I am so sorry you have to put up with him. At least get a best friend that'll fill you in on some girl's pseudo-ex."
"Psh. I know right?" Atlas played along, smiling until he saw Ben's displeasure and quickly dropped the act.
"Wait... if we're taking a jet to Italy... how come Cameron didn't take a jet?" Atlas asked Veronica.
"Something about the environment. The carbon emission footprint. Fly commercial, yada yada yada."
"At least one rich person is environmentally conscious." Ben narrowed his eyes at Veronica.
"As the daughter of one of the richest families in the world, it becomes very easy to be kidnapped and used as leverage. I would fly commercial if I could but my parents insist on taking the jet for security reasons." Veronica explained, suddenly sipping at a martini that magically apparated into her hand.
"Kidnapped? I doubt it."
Veronica put her martini down and leaned forward. "All the children of the top ten—that is the top ten richest families—have to undergo hostage training."
"She's definitely lying but I'm not trying to get thrown out the window over the Atlantic," Altas whispered into Ben's ear, keeping his eyes trained on Veronica. The fear of being defenestrated was real.
Veronica simply smiles.
The overhead speakers came to life with the pilot's voice. "We will now be taking off for Rome, please buckle your seatbelts, everyone. It will be close to a nine-hour ride so I suggest you connect to our in-airplane wifi and stream a few movies while we fly. Thank you."
"Wow, nine hours. Atlas, this is your first time on a plane too, right?" Ben buckled his belt and settled into his seat.
"Yup!" They high-fived.
"You guys have never flown before?" Veronica asked genuinely.
"No. We never had a reason to."
Veronica relaxed, still looking out of her window. "Damn. That sucks." The tarmac looked peaceful. Painted asphalt and all. A Cessna took off in the distance, its tiny propellers reminding her of the one her mom used to fly.
"Okay everyone, let's have a great flight!"
The cabin cheered and the next thing they knew, they were cruising 35,000 feet above New York City's sparkling skyline.
———
9 HOURS LATER
Veronica had been staring at Ben's sleeping figure for the past two hours. They watched a movie and ate lunch while flying. Isaiah attempted to be a comedian and staged a dance number mid-air with the rest of the crew. Polar Express didn't deserve such a disservice.
Since they took off at night, they had managed to make it to Italy in the afternoon. Warm sunshine bathed the terrain below, not a cloud dared to come between them.
Veronica couldn't sleep on flights. She could only sleep in a bed or while truly exhausted. She daydreamed for most of the flight, imagining what they would do and how happy they would be spending time together. The eight of them, of course. MJ had left right after them. He shot Veronica a text about following them while they were criticizing Isaiah's terrible Polar Express conductor cosplay attempt. Veronica had texted Cameron to tell her that they were almost there so she should send the SUV. The group would be staying at Cameron's family's villa outside of Rome.
Cameron, on the other hand, wasn't too excited for her friend to come and visit her. The fight, her grandfather's death, and moving across the world for a few weeks had taken its toll on her. She didn't want her friends to see her looking like this. She was secretly hoping that MJ would come and she would run into his arms but she knew it wasn't that easy.
When she arrived in Italy, she locked herself in her room and cried for an entire night. She truly did regret not making up with MJ on the spot. She was hurt and confused when MJ didn't call or text. It was obvious to her: he wanted to break up. He had probably had enough and wanted to break up with Cameron. She wished and hoped that wasn't true but some gut feeling said that it was all over.
She tried to clean herself up and pull herself together. She couldn't be a crying and blubbering mess while her friends vacationed in Italy for the weekend. She didn't want to ruin it for Atlas and Ben. They deserved this vacation the most.
"Good afternoon passengers! This is your pilot, Frank, and I'm excited to tell you we are ten minutes from landing in Rome, Italy. Hopefully, this was a smooth and enjoyable flight for everyone, and I hope you look forward to your activities here in Italy. Please keep your seatbelt buckled until we land, thank you."
Everyone was awoken from their slumber. Yawns and stretches broke out among the six passengers.
Ben excitedly looked out of the window and smiled when he saw all of the landmarks he dreamed of seeing. "Atlas!" Ben slapped his seatmate's chest.
"What, what?" Atlas moved towards Ben, trying to see what he saw. He rubbed his eyes and his chest, right where Ben had pounded it. His throat felt dry and he could barely open his eyes with all the crusties, but he turned his head to peer out the window.
"Atlas! It's Rome! I can see everything! Even the airport looks Italian!"
Veronica snorted, endeared.
Ben ignored her and took a picture with his phone. "Where else could you get a view like this?"
"What? A bird's eye view of the Leonardo di Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport? Probably Google Maps."
"She's got a point. What's so special about an airport?" Atlas rubbed his eyes with the bottom of his palm.
"It's the first thing I ever saw when I got to Italy. Of course it's special." Ben gushed, smiling at his phone.
Veronica felt full just watching Ben. She smiled to herself, seeing him take pictures of the airport and get all sappy over a landing strip. She never enjoyed the little things like he did... cherish the little things as he did. She couldn't help but think of his dad. He would be proud that his son got to travel around the world.
"You'll like it even more when you see where we're staying." Veronica said.
———
"Well, we're here..." Veronica led the group of six friends to their separate villa.
Atlas dragged his suitcase over jagged path stones, trying to keep up with the group. The air was humid and a strong breeze swept their hair into wild styles.
"No worries about splitting up rooms. There's enough bedrooms for everyone to have their own. Might have to share bathrooms though."
Jess shrugged. "Sounds fine to me."
"Okay, it's settled then. Can we get inside now? I'm tired." Isaiah whined, rocking his suitcase back and forth.
They rolled their suitcases over path stones and green grass towards the modern villa. It was white on the outside, with clean and sharp lines defining the exterior. Anyone could've guessed this was an expensive villa. Cameron's parents rented it out while they were abroad.
Cameron let herself in quietly while the others were unpacking upstairs, excited to see the faces of friends she hadn't seen in weeks. She got a cup of water from the kitchen and waited. Waited for her friends to run and hug her, daydreaming with a small smirk on her face.
Isaiah was the first one down. He hid behind the doorframe, peeking in on Cameron. He noticed her content expression and didn't want to ruin it. Ben whispered from the staircase, "Why are you hiding?"
Isaiah brought a finger up to his lips and Ben tip-toed his way down. He stood beside the 6' 4" giant and tried peeking around him. His eyes widened. "Cameron! Why are you hiding behind a door? Just go and say hi!"
"Look at her smiling, look."
Ben looked at Isaiah's goofy smile, moving him to laughter.
"Hey. Why are you laughing at me?" Isaiah seemed offended.
Ben covered his mouth with his hand. "Nothing. You're weird. I'm going to go say hi."
Isaiah stopped him with an outstretched arm. "No. Me first."
"I want to say hi first." Ben tried to get Isaiah's hand off of his waist. Ben was leaning over and ended up dipping in Isaiah's embrace. Their position was... questionable.
"Damn. Why you so defensive?" Ben fixed his collar and straightened his shirt after their impromptu tango session.
Isaiah blinked as he let go of Ben's waist. "I... didn't want you to interrupt her daydream."
Ben snorted. "You are seriously helpless. Why don't you just tell her that you like her?"
Isaiah stepped backward by a few steps, hand out. "What do you mean?" He laughed awkwardly. "I don't like Cameron."
"You are the farthest thing from smooth. Look. When I first came to St. Palisade's, my guess was that you liked Jess or Cameron. And seeing you all giddy and blushing, I can confirm you like Cameron. So just tell her you like her." Ben crossed his arms and took a broad stance.
"Do you want me to get killed by my sister? She'd actually shoot me if I came between Cameron and MJ. Plus, they're fighting. I would be an asshole to jump in and add to Cameron's murky pool of feelings."
"Wow," Ben acted touched, "someone should give you an award. Nation's hero."
Isaiah rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm sure she already knows. Jess probably went and snitched..."
Their exchange was interrupted by the front door of the villa being busted open. They quickly returned to their hiding positions behind the door.
The footsteps were hard and fast, almost like they were stomping. Sounds of rustled plastic or paper grew nearer. Ben and Isaiah shared a look before craning their necks to see who it was.
Cameron let her fingers hover over the landline handset, ready to call security if she needed to. She focused on the sharp lines of their silhouette. Somehow she could recognize them, almost like they were etched into her memory. When it finally clicked, she let out a smooth sigh and let her hand fall to her side.
MJ stopped 20 feet away from Cameron, clad in jeans and a fancy button-up. He panted, taking a step closer to her.
Ben and Isaiah gasped silently.
She stood still, pretending he wasn't there, and continued to drink her water.
"Cameron." He said, taking another step forward and gulping.
She continued to ignore him and put her glass in the sink. She kept her back to him and inhaled sharply. You could tell that she was battling whether to run to him or to curse him to hell, the confusion was written all over her face in calligraphy.
"Cameron." He said again, gently. He outstretched the rose toward her back. "Please? At least just look at me."
MJ exhaled. "Fine." He slowly came closer to her. "Cameron. I have been thinking of how to—what to say to you for what feels like weeks now. And I haven't written a speech or anything, I'm not that talented with words. But I was wrong. I was wrong to accuse you, of not listening to what you had to say, and making you feel uncomfortable at the airport. I should have been more considerate. I know what you're dealing with, y'know, with your—your grandfather. So I want to put our problems aside and be here to support you here, through that. Here and now."
She walked toward him, antagonizing slow, their eyes interlocking. MJ began to smile, thinking she was finally coming back to him. Cameron passed by him and walked out of the villa without a word. Simple as that.
MJ stood there, looking at the floor. He was in a state of disbelief. He felt so... betrayed. He had flown all this way, tortured himself this much, and not even a word in response...? He laughed a little, knowing that he signed up for this when he started dating St. Palisade's girls. "So much for our two-month anniversary."
MJ dragged himself up the stairs to lie down and have a mental breakdown. He made it halfway up the staircase when he turned to wave at Ben and Isaiah, who had seen the entire thing. "Good to see you guys again. Welcome to Italy, Ben. Isaiah?"
"Yes?"
"I'll be sleeping in your bed."
"O-okay." Isaiah and Ben shared a concerned glance. They tried to mask their pity, undeniably failing yet MJ appreciated the effort.
Doors started creaking open. The melodies the house created were like the gentle crow's feet on your parents' eyes. Subtle evidence of age.
"MJ?" Jess came out of her room, hairbrush in the middle of a stroke. She watched the poor boy stumble forward, crying. Silently, achingly, with tears falling down his cheeks without a wheeze. Even in despair, he was the most handsome man alive. Evelynn and Veronica padded into the hallway as well, wondering what was going on.
"V, I can't—I don't wanna lose her again."
Veronica quickly stepped forward and caught him. He pulled his arms around her tightly, heaving as sharp cries finally echoed in the gigantic villa. Veronica slowly brought him down to the ground and let him cry on her. She patted him on the back and stroked his hair.
Evelynn, Jess, Ben, and Isaiah all stood in place, sharing the same stoic and pitiful expression. Drawing on all their shared non-breakup experience, they watched as Veronica motioned to them that they should leave.
"Ow!" Isaiah cried as Jess shoved him out of the villa a little harder than she should have, almost falling face-first into the neatly manicured lawn.
"Oops. My bad. I'm sorry." She smiled.
The Roman sun glinted in the distance, casting an orange filter on the grounds. The rest of them filed out after Jess and Isaiah, Ben taking two steps at a time and Atlas slinging on his Ray-Bans. How could a place as wonderful as this hold so much pain?
Evelynn had her arm around Ben's and Atlas's shoulders. "Okay boys, where are we going first? Coffee? Shopping? Instagram pictures?"
"She really does love him, huh," Ben said to himself quietly.
"Nothing to be jealous about, Ben. I promise." Evelynn whispered. "Let's get out of here." Her blonde hair tickled the sides of the two transfers' faces as she hooked them closer with her elbows.
Atlas looked over at her. Really looked at her for the first time since she chucked up on his shoes. The freckles along her nose were peeking through her full-coverage makeup. Her eyes were tired, but that was considered fashionable in Europe. Fatalism and existentialism go hand-in-hand with couture. A mask. He knew it all too well.
Atlas smiled and broke off from the embrace. "Exploring Italy. I never would have thought." He clapped Isaiah's back and they made their way out of the villa's gates.
Veronica sat at his bedside, looking over MJ. She contemplated holding his hand, just like how they would in the movies, but she decided that it would be better for her conscience if she didn't. One less thing she'll have to lie about. One less thing MJ and Veronica would have to hide from everyone.
She laid back in her chair and looked around the room. The boys had made themselves at home. Somehow, clothes were already all over the floor.
"You know MJ, even after everything, you're still a pain in my ass," Veronica thought aloud. "I care way too much about you sometimes. And I'm sad to see you hurt, to be honest. I want you guys to be happy together, no matter what. Make up, please. For the good of the general public. An idiot will get too entranced by your love story and the next thing you know you're starring in your own biopic. You guys deserve that fairytale happy ending."
She ruffled his hair to prevent herself from doing something she might regret later. Before leaving, she put her phone in her pocket and turned off the lamp. Gently, she closed the door.
She leaned against the outside of the door. "We all do."
😳😳😳
tbh i was kind of dissatisfied with this chapter after writing it but it's fine. you gotta do what you gotta do for the character development.