Original Work: You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home, Chapter 8, Part 6
Chapter 8, Part 6
I went back into the kitchen and slid the door across the track a little harder than necessary, but I figured I was entitled to a little outburst every now and then. Garth was sitting at the table and looked at me with wide eyes, a spoonful of noodles halfway to his lips, but he decided not to say anything. He must have just assumed that I’d run into Emilia while I was out there.
I really didn’t know why I was getting so worked up over Emilia’s snide little comment. It wasn’t really even that bad by Emilia Thompson standards and it wasn’t like I should be surprised. Emilia was far from the friendliest and most welcoming person out there. But for a minute there I was sure that we were starting to connect, that maybe she had given up on the idea of hating me and trying to drive me back home and had decided to give having a sister a try. And a twin sister to boot. You would think that would count for something.
Deciding I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to Garth or even rummage around in the kitchen for something to eat, I took my bouquet of flowers and headed upstairs. Sure, maybe it was a little weird and unnecessary, but getting flowers from Joshua Beckett (even if they were technically for Emilia and even if he might have been put up to it by his manager and bandmates) was the greatest thing that had happened to me since I’d showed up here and besides, I needed a little decoration for my room.
I set the flowers on the dresser and flopped onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts were swirling around my head at a million miles an hour but somehow they always kept managing to go back to Joshua. Ugh, this was annoying. I was turning into one of those girls Jordan and I made fun of at the lunch table, the one’s who talked on and on in endless circles about the boys they admired from afar who sat beside them in class but who they rarely ever talked to. They were the girls who could describe the smile of the boy they were obsessing over in perfect detail but hadn’t exchanged a single word with them. At least Joshua and I had exchanged words, sentences even. I couldn’t help but wonder if Joshua was thinking about me the way that I was thinking about him, whether or not he was thinking about our impending dinner and if he was looking forward to it or if it was just something that he had to get through as a duty to his band and manager.
Before I could pursue this line of questioning, my phone started buzzing in my back pocket, causing me to jump up in surprise. It was probably for the best that my thinking had been interrupted, because I might start to let my mind run wild on the latter track and totally lose any of the excitement and anticipation that I was feeling.
The name on the caller ID reminded me of the fact that I had been neglecting the people that I loved back home and that I had a lot to tell them. I was sure that Jordan would enjoy my latest news but I decided to build up to telling her about my approaching dinner with Joshua Beckett.
I had barely been able to greet my friend before her voice burst out of the phone speaker. “It’s about time you answered!” Jordan snapped, though there was no real anger behind her words, just a playful chiding. “I know you’re busy and all, being a celebrity, but you’re harder to get in touch with than the Pope.” I wasn’t sure how hard the Pope was to get in touch with, but I decided not to say anything. “What have you been doing?! I want to hear everything, tell me absolutely everything, don’t leave anything out!”
Jordan finally took a breath long enough to let me know that she was actually serious about me wanting me to talk. “Well…” I wasn’t exactly sure where to start. I realized that I hadn’t talked to Jordan since I’d gotten here and suddenly I couldn’t remember everything that I’d done since then. The press conference, the autograph sessions, the interviews, the commercial, that constant bickering with Emilia…it was all kind of a blur. It seemed like it would be impossible to turn the whole experience into a concise and interesting story.
“Scout, hello?” Jordan prompted impatiently. “Are you still there? I’m dying here!”
“You want to hear everything?” I questioned, thinking about shopping at Madison’s or trying to get on better terms with Emilia just a few minutes ago. Did Jordan really mean everything or just the really interesting stuff.
Jordan gave an impatient sigh. “Yes, everything. Well, wait,” she amended quickly, “start with the fact that you met Joshua Beckett!” I could practically see Jordan bursting with excitement, nearly jumping out of whatever seat she was currently in, desperate to hear my story, like she devoured the stories in her teen magazines. It was weird to think that when a story showed up about Joshua and Emilia, they would be talking about me.
I smiled at my mental images of my friend. “Okay, calm down.” I used the same chiding tone Jordan had used before. “He was at the press conference yesterday-”
Of course, Jordan was quick to interrupt. She’d never been good at just listening to a story, she needed to constantly interject her own thoughts and comments. “Is he as cute in person as he is in pictures? Is he tall? What did he say? Did you touch him?”
I thought about each one of Jordan’s questions in turn. “Well, he is pretty cute.” I flushed as I remembered when I’d seen Joshua, how I’d just stared at him like any other teenage girl would have done. “Actually, he’s a lot cute. He’s tall, taller than me by a long shot and we just talked about-”
“Did you touch him?” Jordan interjected, deciding that her last question was the most important.
“Yes.” I answered, wishing I could be there in person to see Jordan’s reaction to my answer. She squealed and I decided now was as good a time as any to add, “He’s taking me out to dinner tonight.”
Even though Jordan might have hoped that this would happen, she might have imagined that I would fall in love with some big name Hollywood celebrity and maybe, in her wildest dreams, had imagined the same thing happening to her, I could tell that my words completely floored her. “What?!” By Jordan’s standards, that was speechlessness. “You’re lying!”
There was no way I could have come up with that story on my own. “Afraid not.” I made my tone somber. “I’ll be suffering through dinner in a few hours.”
“Suffering?!” Jordan scoffed and there was a muffled knock in the background, like she’d thumped her head against the wall in her shock at my word choice. “Fine, fly me out there, I’ll take your place.” That was one switch Joshua might notice.
“I’m kidding, it’s not going to be that bad.” I told her. “He’s actually really nice, he seems funny, down to earth, I’m just worried we’re not going to have anything to talk about because-”
Jordan scoffed. “Tell him how hot he is, that’ll take up some time. You’ll have plenty to say on that topic.”
I rolled my eyes at her voice. “Jordan, I really doubt that would be a very good conversation to have. ‘And by the way, did you know just how absolutely freaking hot you are?’ Might get awkward.”
“Hmm…absolutely freaking hot.” Jordan repeated. “Sounds like you might be looking forward to this dinner after all.”
I cleared my throat. “Who wouldn’t be looking forward to dinner with Joshua Beckett?” So what if I thought he was absolutely, freaking hot. And he was nice, and he had a great smile and he seemed like the type of guy who could make me laugh. “And he sent me flowers.” I’d meant to add this part to myself as part of my list of things that made Joshua Beckett not so bad after all but judging by Jordan’s reaction I’d spoken out loud.
“He got you flowers?!” Jordan repeated with enthusiasm that I was sure was far greater than my own. “I’m flying out to live there, that settles it. What kind of flowers? Do they look nice and expensive? What are you going to wear tonight? Scout, I wish that I was there to help you get ready! Your very first date and I won’t even be there, this is a huge tragedy.” I made a mental note not to mention the fact that Jordan had just pointed out to Joshua tonight. Emilia had been on plenty of dates, with plenty of guys; going out to dinner, with someone handsome and famous, was old news for her. So I had to keep my staring to a minimum. “Where are you going? I have so many questions, I don’t even know where to start. And we still haven’t even talked about what it’s like to live with Emilia. What about your Mom? Did Joshua ask you out in person? What did he say?”
Jordan was still rambling on at a million miles a minute, firing off questions I could barely keep track of, when there was a knock on my bedroom door. “Scout, can I come in?” It was Schapelle.
“Jordan…” But my friend kept talking, like she hadn’t even heard my attempt at an interject. “Jordan-” There was another, lighter, knock on the door, like Schapelle was reminding me that she was waiting outside. Like I had forgotten in five seconds.
Thankfully, Jordan stopped to take a breath right at that exact minute and I jumped in. “Jordan, I have to go.”
“What?” Jordan whined. “But we just started talking…”
I frowned. “I know, I’m sorry. And I still have so much to tell you and I want to hear about what’s been going on there but…I really have to go.” I hopped off the bed and went to open the door for Schapelle, motioning her inside. “I’ll call you tonight after my dinner, I promise.”
Jordan sighed and I could tell she wasn’t very happy with the situation. “Fine. You better call me though. I mean it, or I really will fly out there.” Jordan threatened and I didn’t doubt that if my friend could scrounge up the money for a plane ticket, she’d be standing on the front step by tomorrow afternoon.
I smiled, even though she couldn’t see me. “Okay, I promise. I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.” I laughed.
“You better not be, you better be thinking of Joshua Beckett!” Jordan instructed and we both laughed before saying grudging goodbyes.
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