I walked into the international airport with a sigh. Everyone was waiting to go into the lines to get their tickets to go on the plane. This was the annual school trip overseas, this year’s destination being France. We were going to visit Paris, Brittany, and Normandy. I had three friends going and was hoping to make more friends while we were on the trip.

I noticed a guy leading on his suitcase alone. He looked to be deep in thought. I knew him from school, but I did not know him personally. The boy’s name was David Cook, the rocker of our school who was well-liked across the social spectrum. I did not belong to any social group. If any, I was a theater and history nerd. Yet, as popular as David was, it seemed strange for him to be alone.

“Oh, Ashley!” I looked up and noticed my history teacher call my name. “You got to check in with Mr. Michaels.”

I sighed, hardly knowing Mr. Michaels except for the two or three meetings we had before the trip. “Hi, I am Ashley Corr.”

“Oh, yes.” He checked off my name. “You can just wait by Mr. Cook, if you want, until the others show up and we can get our tickets.” He flashed me a smile. The guy was in his sixties, but still had the energy to handle high school sophomores and juniors. I grinned and stood by my history teacher again.

I looked at David Cook, who I probably would be talking to eventually. He was very tall and skinny with brown hair that was styled using gel. He had some stubble around his chin. He was pretty attractive; I understood why girls liked him so much.

He caught my gaze and smiled. Immediately my legs went numb, realizing exactly why girls loved this guy so much. His smile was so freaking paralyzing. He walked over to me and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m David. David Cook.”

I took his hands. “I’m Ashley Corr. Nice to meet you.”

“Same. What year are you?”

“Sophomore, you?”

“I’m a junior. So it’s no wonder why I haven’t seen you around. Do you have Mr. Astor?”

“Yeah, he is the teacher for AP European History.”

“He’s cool. He’ll make this vacation fun.”

“Any of your friends going?”

“Nah. They did not want to go over. The easiness to get alcohol was persuading, but they didn’t want to pay for the whole thing. How about you?”

“I have three friends going.”

“So that means I better make some friends. Well, you get to be number one friend for the voyage to France.”

I laughed. “Number one like myspace?”

He winked. “Oh yeah. Now, if I am going to spend basically this whole week with you, I should get to know you.”

“Alright.”

“So start explaining.”

I turned pink. “Uh… what should I say?”

He shrugged. “Anything.”

“Well, I am a self-proclaimed theater and history geek. I have a soft spot for musicals. Hm… I am single. I like to read and write.”

“Stories?”

“And songs.” I responded, watching his sideways grin appear on his face. “Uh… I am a straight-A student and, for the most part, innocent. You?”

“Well, I am a self-proclaimed word nerd. I am obsessed with crosswords and word searches. I love music and I am the lead singer for the band Axium. I am also single. I write songs and the occasional story… I am not a straight-A student, but I get good enough grades. I am a rebel!” He grinned. “I hope you are ready for change.”

I grinned back. “I like change.”

He nodded. “This’ll be cooler than I thought it was going to be.”

“Everyone’s here, you two.” Mr. Astor called out to us and we jumped into line, still talking.

I liked David a lot already. He was certainly someone to stay close to during the trip. “Hey, stay close. We could get seats next to each other.” I nodded and noticed my three friends ahead of me, chatting with a few popular junior boys. They were twirling their hair and laughing. I figured they were trying to meet new people like me.

* * *

We sat in our gate and, after comparing tickets, I found out that I was next to David for the over eight hour plane ride. I was relieved to have him as the person with me rather than some creepy guy.

I leaned over David’s shoulder to look at his crossword. He probably brought along at least 10 crossword and 5 word search books. We had already gone to the stores in the airport to get snacks for the flight and we still had extra time. He was happy with his crossword. When he thought, his pencil was in his mouth and he concentrated deeply on the clue that he was given.

Mr. Michaels clapped his hands to gain our attention. “Excuse me, students. Everyone is going to be boarding soon. I just want you guys to get packed up now to get ready. Remember, this is an overnight fight. I strongly recommend getting as much sleep as you can on the plane.”

“We have middle seats.” David said to me. “We might be more comfortable if we lean on each other. Sound okay?”

“Mmhm.” We boarded the plane and slid into our seats. We were between two people that we did not know. It did not seem to matter though. As long as David was with me, I was cool.

* * *

That plane ride was the closest thing to hell as I have ever been on. We both had trouble sleeping even though we both basically cuddled together like an actual couple to be as comfortable as we could. Still, we couldn’t sleep. We ended up talking quietly throughout most of the plane ride.

We had to go to Zurich first before taking a plane to Paris. We had less than an hour until the plane came. David and I took this as much needed sleep time. He nodded off in a chair while I lay on the floor to sleep with my backpack as my pillow.

About thirty minutes later, everyone started to get up and Mr. Michaels started to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will be boarding shortly to get to Paris. I would like you all to gather up your stuff and get ready to board.”

I got up and David was still fast asleep. I put my backpack on my shoulders and shook David awake. “Hey… It’s time to get ready to board.”

He grumbled. “No, not yet.”

“Come on, David. This plane ride’s only an hour.”

He rose up and looked around. “Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand, letting me feel the soft warmth of his hands. I turned pink and he led me through the mob of people to get to our line. People were staring at me oddly, which I did not understand exactly why. Feeling self-conscious, I pulled out my mirror from my purse and looked at my reflection. My mouth dropped.

“David, you jerk!” He spun around and looked at me, a grin placed on his mouth and his eyes danced in excitement. “You noticed, eh?”

“Yes I did notice! Why the hell did you do that?”

“You fell asleep first.” He laughed, seeing my face turn even sourer. “Oh, you are going to get it David Cook.”

“Am I really?”

“Yeah, stay on guard.” He stepped closer to me. I could feel his body heat radiate near my skin. “Hey, I’ll be doing plenty of things that I shouldn’t.”

“Like what?”

“You’ll see.” He winked at me. We got our tickets looked at by an airport employee and we boarded the plane. This time we were separated by a few rows, me sitting with one of my friends, Rebecca, and David sitting near one of the chaperones.

“I am so excited!” Rebecca squealed. “We get to see Paris…”

“Yeah, I can’t wait.” I said looking out the window as the plane took off.

“So, you and Cook, eh?”

“It’s nothing yet…”

“Ooh yet! Do you like him?”

I turned pink. “Maybe.”

She giggled. “You guys would look so cute together. I have been trying to get closer to those junior boys. They are all really nice. The sporty, but smart guys…”

“David’s a rocker.” I grinned.

“Yeah, yeah. Well, hey. You haven’t been really kissed before, right?”

“Like making out? Nope.”

“What if you guys became an item and made out in France! That’s like your first French kiss in France! That’s beyond amazing.”

I let the idea dance in my mind. It sounded better and better as I thought of it. “That would be amazing, but I just want the pace to go as it goes. If something happens, something happens.”

“Oh, shut up! You know you want him!”

“Becca, shh!” I turned bright pink. “Just don’t get me too excited to the point where I disappoint myself.”

“Hey, I’ve heard about how awesome he is. He hasn’t really dated anyone seriously, ya know? The girls that did date him for a little while said he was very nice and not a disappointing guy.” She winked and I felt sick to my stomach.

“Becca, please…” The plane started to land, but wind made the plane shake. Becca, terrified of planes when they are like this, grabbed the arm rests and squeaked a bit in fear. I jumped and made a small noise in surprise.

We heard a large crash and noticed someone lying on the floor that must have tripped when the plane started to shake. We noticed that it was David himself. “David! Are you okay?” He stood up and a few flight attendants rushed over to help him up.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The seatbelt sign lit up while I was in the bathroom…” He grumbled. I smiled and he looked at me, winking. Becca’s mouth dropped and he returned to his seat.

“He’s got the fever for you! It’s obvious in his eyes! You are going to have a fantastic vacation!” She grinned. I smiled back weakly, starting to believe her.

I was going to be in France with David Cook. He’ll be staying in the same hotel as me, probably not too far away from my room. We just met each other and I felt like there was really going to be a connection between us.

Was it okay to think that?

Very nice! I've never been on an out of the country trip but last summer I did go to New York. Keep updating! I really enjoy it.

I love New York. It's fun.

Yeah, I'll be updating soon. The next chapters will have more romance in them. XDD

I promise! xP

Oooooh fun party.
Can't wait for more.

Great story.
Can't wait for an update!
=)

great start! i love it, can't wait 4 more =]

When we landed in the airport in Paris, we got off of the plane using the stairs that led to the concrete of the landing area. I gathered within the group and David was right behind me. Everyone walked as a group into the buses to go into the main airport so we can get our bags.

I took the nearest seat and David decided to stand up and lean against one of the metal poles. “Excited?”

“Yeah, I can’t wait!” I smiled widely and looked out the window. “I mean, we are in France, hundreds of miles from home.”

“You aren’t going to get homesick on me, are you?”

“No, I’m not. I am just saying that we are far away.”

“That’s a good thing. We can be sneakier that way.” He gave me his lop-sided smile and he winked. I turned pink again.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Well, getting drunk as hell, creating some mischief…”

I laughed. “Drunk, huh? That could be fun. I haven’t been drunk before…”

He looked at me in disbelief. “Damn, you really are innocent!”

“Yeah…” There was a bump in the road and David lost his balance and fell into me. My scream of surprise was muffled by his chest colliding into my face. Within seconds, I could smell his cologne, automatically making me feel lightheaded from how much I liked it.

“Sorry!” David said as he was trying to get off of me. My face was very flushed. He stared at me, not speaking. His green eyes spoke to my yellow-green ones.

He smirked and leaned over to me, kissing my cheek. “I think I like you.”

My heart stopped and looked at him dumbfounded. “I-I… me-me too.” I stammered. He smiled, taking the seat next to me. “Get ready to experience something that will rock your world.”

“Rock my world?” My eyes sparkled playfully. “I like.”

“Yes, you will.” He closed his eyes and leaned into me, his lips brushing against my own. He did not press them, but rather let his lips glaze over my own. When he leaned back, I found myself eagerly wanting more. The passion I felt was boiling within me. I never reacted this way before. What was the matter with me? “Be careful.”

“What?”

“You have that look.”

“What look?”

“The I-need-you-like-all-hell-so-let’s-have-sex look.”

I went red. “Nuh uh!”

“You are red! It’s true!” He laughed loudly, the sound booming through the small bus. The bus came to a stop and everyone headed off the bus to walk into the airport. I was still pink as I walked in.

* * *

When we walked into the airport and into our baggage claim area, there was one bag already rolling on the track, abandoned by some traveler. It had a rainbow strap around it and I smiled. “David, look!” I pointed at the bag.

He laughed softly and imitated a very flamboyant person. He made many hand gestures as he talked in a high pitched voice with a lisp. “C’mon and get cha bag with the rainbow strap!”

Catching me by surprise, a laugh came from me that sounded like a goose. I covered my mouth and David started to laugh hysterically. “Aha! Is that your real laugh there?”

“Shut up…” That only made him laugh more.


* * *

After waiting what seemed like forever to get our bags, we all boarded a large bus that was filled up by most of us. I sat next to David, both of our cameras ready for anything to take pictures of. We pulled out from the airport and we started to connect things that the French had that were similar to America like the amount of graffiti. I was surprised by this. All this time, I thought that France was very clean and had historic stuff everywhere you went. The later was just about true. In Paris, there were statues and sculptures all over the place with the architecture jumping out at you from the beauty of it. I was taking pictures of just random buildings, noting on how fantastic they looked.

“You are talking pictures of buildings.”

“I know. It’s cool.”

“You are going to run out of memory by the time we get to Versailles.”

“No I won’t! If I have trouble, I’ll just delete some pictures. I have 500 and something on my memory card.”

He smiled. “Don’t get carried away.”

I turned my camera towards us. “Pose.” I said simply. He smiled and made the rock symbol with his hands. I smiled to and the flash clicked to show the picture was taken. I looked at it and showed it to him. He gave me a thumbs-up and squeezed my hand before looking out the window, sinking the whole environment in. “We are here.” He said.

“Yeah…” He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his head on top of my own. I stiffened in surprise and then relaxed.

“Too fast?” He said. “I don’t know how relationship-experienced you are…”

“I am inexperienced, but don’t worry… its perfectly fine.” He pulled out his camera to take a few pictures of the Eiffel Tower that was a bit of a distance away. I took a few pictures of it as well.

We were driven to our hotel, a very nice looking place that we were scheduled to last minute due to something going on back at the tour company.

Mr. Astor pulled out a sheet of names. “Okay. Before we all get off, we need you all to pick roommates. These rooms are apartment-sized. We are going to split people up into rooms of four and five. Also, for you couples, there will be no boy and girl rooms. Don’t worry, though, because you guys will all have time to socialize.” He smiled. “So, get choosing!”

I paired up with my three friends right away. David walked into the farther back where the other guys are to work out rooms.

Becca looked at me, beaming. “We are here and we are all going to be roommates!”

My other friend, Jessica, looked exhausted. “I hope we have time to relax and sleep. I wasn’t able to sleep at all. I was behind Mr. Astor who pulled his seat back as far as he could and then some and I was in between two juniors who I didn’t know.”

And last but not least, Alexis nodded in agreement. “I slept a bit. I need to put on serious make-up like we have to do in theater to cover up these horrible bags under my eyes.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I probably got the most sleep out of everyone.”

Becca agreed. “That’s because you got to sit with David Cook and then you guys become an item!”

Jessica nodded. “I saw you guys cuddle over there! That was adorable!”

“Hello, ladies.” David stood behind them, grinning. All four of us blushed a bit at our conversation being about him. He rested his arm against me like an armrest. “So, are you all together?”

“Yeah, who are your roommates?”

“Uh, two really smart kids and one theater person.” He sighed. “That means I’ll be sneaking in the other guys’ rooms during the time here.”

“That’s okay. We will be doing the same.” Alexis said. “They are probably the ones who will hold all the alcohol.”

“Oh, this is going to be fun.” David grinned. I laughed at his excitement. I felt horribly short next to him. He looked to be about six foot, if not a little shorter, and I was a pitiful five foot. My friends tried to hold in their laughter from our height difference.

Mr. Astor yelled for everyone to get off the bus. We hurried off of it and the air hit us right away, a cool, calming air. It welcomed all of us. “You guys have two hours to get organized, get a little nap if you can, socialize... whatever. Just be down here in exactly two hours so we can bring everyone to other places.” He smiled and we all grabbed our room keys. This hotel had two large elevators so we four girls jumped in one. We were on floor four and the guys were on the second floor. That would be easy to sneak to and fro from there.

We opened our door into our room and were welcomed to a spaced out room. There were two beds put together, one couch that was suitable to be a bed and there was a pull-out bed. We fell in love with our room already. “This is perfect!” Becca squealed. Jessica was already lying on the couch with her eyes closed.

We all claimed beds. Becca and I got the two beds put together, Jessica got the bed, and Alexis was happy with the pull out bag.

“Remember, guys. We are only spending a few days here so don’t unpack a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Alexis started to laugh. “Dude, they have the toilet and the shower in two separate rooms! The shower doesn’t have a curtain either!”

I smiled. “I guess we’ll have to adapt. I get to go in first.” I grabbed what I needed and jumped into the bathroom with the shower in it. It was the best shower I ever took in my life. I felt so disgusting from the plane that it was such a relief to feel clean.

When I finished with my shower, there was a knock on the door. I had thrown on pajamas while I was looking for my other clothes. Jessica and Becca were asleep and Alexis had gone into the shower after me. I answered the door and saw David smiling at me. His hair was wet and it looked even wilder then it usually did.

“Nice clothes.”

“I try.” I smiled.

“How are your roommates?”

“Well, two are asleep and one is in the shower.”

He sighed. “My three are all asleep.”

“Let me change and I’ll go explore with you.”

“Can I come in?”

“No! I don’t want Alexis to freak out. Just wait out here for like five minutes.”

“Okay…”

I ran into my room and pulled out my outfit. It was a pair of skinny jeans that were deep blue and a tank top with a stripe sweater over it. I brushed through my curly, deep brown hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. I put on some make-up and yelled to Alexis in the shower. “Going to explore the hotel with David!”

“Okay!”

I walked outside of the hotel room and David was leaning against the wall, smiling at me. He held out his arm. “Shall we go?”

“Yes, monsieur.” I giggled and entwined arms with him. We walked throughout the hotel. There wasn’t anything to really do in the hotel, but we enjoyed the walk. We noticed the garden, but we decided to save that adventure for a later time.

We were near my room and he stopped walking, staring at me. “Funny. I never knew you existed until yesterday.”

“I knew who you were.”

“You are pretty cool, do you know that?”

“Uh, sure?”

He smiled warmly, kissing me on the tip of the nose. “I like you.”

“I like you, too.” This was a start. We just met. I wasn’t expecting him to say ‘love’ just yet, right? Right?

“I’ll see you in twenty minutes downstairs.” He smiled and started to walk away.

“David…” I said hesitantly. He spun around. “Yeah?”

“Oh, never mind. It’s nothing… go ahead.”

He crossed his arms. “Spit it out, Ashley.”

“I-I think it is stronger than like… I don’t know, but…” I felt like I was going too fast by saying that it was even more than like. I had no idea what he was going to say.

He walked up closer to me and smiled. “I can agree with that.” He kissed me again, this time on the lips. It was quick, but it was enough to make my whole insides jump around like those jumping beans.

“See you soon!”

I waved and leaned against the wall. I watched him go, placing my lips against the place where he kissed me. Every time he kissed me it felt like magic. I knew what I was struggling with now. I am completely and totally in love with David Cook.

Mmmm. France. Sounds wonderful. They're luck the didn't get the hotels we did in NY. They weren't even hotels! It was a hostle. The nastiest place EVER!!! Everyone was super scared and the bathrooms made you want to puke your guts out. Their rooms sound oh so much nicer!

This is somewhat based on my trip there.
That was the best hotel we went to. The other ones sucked.
The worst one we went to was in Normandy, I think, where one of the guys rooms. They squeeze three beds in and then there was one bed that was sunk in. XD

It was interesting to say the least. XD
The first hotel we got because they kinda screwed us out of a full day in Paris the first day because we had to switch over in Switzerland when we should have went straight there. *shrugs*

Our Normandy bathroom (the shower part of it) had a HUGE HOLE against the wall. We ended up stuffing it with towels because we were afraid of something popping out. ahahahaha

That'll probably come up at some point. XD

EDIT: Oh man, look at the grammar in the first paragraph in this post. XD School's killing me. hahaha

hey i like this! go on!!!

When the two hours were up, we all met downstairs and met our tour guide. “I am Hugo and I’ll be your tour guide for your trip. Now, we will be seeing the sites today. This includes sightseeing for most of the day and then going to a church on top of a hill with a small town near it. Shall we go?” His French accent was very strong and it was difficult to understand him sometimes.

Everyone nodded and we got into the buses. David and I sat together again. We both had our cameras out and ready. He took us to a few important pieces of architecture to take pictures in front of. The highlight was going to a place where we can take pictures that would have a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower behind us. David took my hand and we ran to find the best spot. Jessica, Alexis, and Becca followed behind. Becca took David and I’s picture in front of it. Then, we had a stranger take a picture of all five of us. David took a picture on my camera with me and Becca in front of it. She was my best friend and we made the heart sign together as our pose.

“Four euro, four euro.” I turned around and noticed about three men circling around us with Eiffel Tower keychains and other goods. I sighed, knowing well about these guys.

“No money, guys.” I pushed myself away from them. The three girls followed me, but David stayed behind and was talking to one of the guys. “David, what are you doing?”

“I am getting souvenirs.” He smiled as he continued haggling.

“Well, hurry.” I said.

After a bit of haggling, David had like 10 or more keychains. “I am good!” I laughed at him and he handed me one. “I don’t know how long it takes until they break though.”

I smiled and put the keychain on my purse. “Thanks, David.”

“Anytime.” He grinned and kissed me. “So, what now?”

“I heard that there is another group meeting up with us.”

“New people? I don’t think I can handle anymore new people.” He smiled, nuzzling his head into my shoulder.

“Just don’t start liking any of them on me now.”

He looked surprised and pulled me into an embrace. I was pressed against his chest, feeling lightheaded again. “You don’t have to worry about that, Ashley.” He kissed the top of my head and I raised my head up. “Alright.”

The bus brought the new group. There were more guys than girls. There were about three girls from the other group. David looked at them for a few minutes and turned back to me. “Nah, you are the only girl for me.” He put his arms around my shoulders. “You have that humbling beauty. Those girls try too hard.”

Woah. Did he just say that I was beautiful?

“How about the guys?”

“No, no one comes close to you.” I hugged him again and he pulled me closer.

“Good to know.” He kissed me, letting everyone see. He smiled. “You are quite special.”

“What about you being a word nerd? Where are your big words?”

“Okay, then.” His eyes sparkled from the challenge.”You, Ashley, are a pulchritudinous, captivating individual who is extraordinary in various aspects.”

I blinked. “Pulchritudinous?”

“Physically beautiful.”

I smiled. Our faces were very close together, but we did not kiss, too busy looking into each other’s eyes.

He started humming into my ear, what it was I did not know. He switched to singing after a bit of humming.

Still I couldn't find someone half as right as you
And each time I stop to think
What it is I really need
Here's what I conclude
All I really need is you

I realized that my breathing had slowed to almost nothing. When he stopped, his lips grazed across my ear. “Did you like it?”

“You’re like an angel.” He chuckled into my ear. “No, not at all.” I held in one of my goose laughs and he leaned back, beaming. “When we get back home, I’ll be able to play the guitar for you.”

“I can’t wait.” I said breathlessly. He held my hand as we walked to the bus. All the Blue Springs kids took the back seats so the other group had to sit in the middle seats.

The three girls from the other group were staring at David and giggled together. I frowned, but David wrapped his arms around me and rested his head against my shoulder. The girls scowled and turned away.

“Good job, Mr. Cook.” I laughed and he chuckled. “Those girls are jealous of you.”

“Yeah, only because you like me.”

“Yeah, you’re mine.” He smiled and tightened his grip on me. “I’m not going to let you go for anything.” He rested his head against the back of mine. “I’m tired!” He complained.

“Go to sleep. From here, they are driving us to some town-like place with a church place or something there. Just take a nap until then.” He nodded and shifted his position so his arms were still tightly around me, but his chin rested on my shoulder. Our cheeks touched and he was snoring gently within a minute.

* * *

We stopped and we were both asleep. The jolt of the stop was enough to wake me up, which ended up waking him up. He groaned, loosening his grip on me and standing up to stretch. “Here we are.”

I wiped my very drowsy eyes as he helped me up. “Ready, my dear?”

“Yeah.” We walked out of the bus. Everyone walked up a few small streets and upon getting there we saw stairs leading up a pretty tall hill.

“You have got to be shitting me.” David said laughing. “Well, shall we?”

“Hey.” Jessica walked up to us. “We are thinking about going into this town to see if we can get any alcohol here, sound good?”

My mouth dropped and David grinned. “Sure thing… who’s getting it?”

“Well, the other juniors are going to look. Do you want to come?”

“Hell yes I do.” He looked up the stairs. “Okay. Now that makes climbing all these damn stairs worth it.”

“Hey, Cook.” Brian, one of the jock guys, said to David. “How does coach feel about you missing spring break games?”

David shrugged. “He’s pretty pissed, but he can handle it.”

“So, can anyone speak French?”

“A bit.” I admitted.

“Good. Later on, Cook, you need to sneak out of your room. Your roommates wouldn’t be interested in this, right?”

He shrugged. “They might. I don’t know.”

“Let’s just go and we can ask them later on.”

All the guys decided to have a race to see who could get up the stairs the quickest. The girls (including me), however, decided to take our sweet time. “We only have an hour here!” David yelled down to us once they got to the top. All the guys were breathing heavily.

“There are like a hundred-bazillion stairs!” I complained.

“Oh, please.” David grinned. “Too much of a baby?”

I frowned. “Alright, girls.” I grinned and started running up the stairs as fast as my little legs could let me, reaching the top.

“That’s better.” David grinned as I breathed heavily.

“Let’s just go get the alcohol….”

When the others joined us, we all headed towards the town area, moving past people who wanted to draw us or sell us something. David looked at me. “Okay… I have no idea where we should go.”

“Alright, hang on.” I looked for the nearest French guy. “Excusez-moi, monsieur?” He looked at me curiously. “Ou est-ce que un magasin un liquor?” I tried to phrase the sentence as well as I could.

He pointed to a direction and started to speak French very quickly. I tried to pick up as much as I could from it and smiled. “Merci.” I waved at him and then looked that the others. “Okay… around this way. I’ll ask again if we get closer to the ideal place.”

We walked down a flight of stairs and there was a long street lined with places selling fruit and drinks. “We should be closer.” I said, looking around. “There.” There was a small convenience store down the street. The guys walked in to buy something so not everyone was in there.

They picked up two or three bottles of rum and paid for it. They came out with the bottles. “Now, how are we going to hide this? We all basically left of backpacks at the hotel.”

My purse was capable of fitting one and then David was able to put one on the inside of his jean jacket. One of the guys was able to put one in his sweatshirt pockets and was able to hold on to the bottle to make it not look like there was anything in there.

“Because this isn’t sketchy at all.” I said, rolling my eyes.

David laughed and pulled me closer to him. “Guess who is really excited to see you drunk?”

“Oh, please, David.” I sighed.

“Maybe I could have my way with you after that.” His hand touched my hip and I swatted it away, although the feeling was very enjoyable. “I’m kidding!”

“Of course you are.”

* * *

Our night free time could not have come any sooner. We were allowed to have wine during dinner and I mixed some red wine with Sprite to make it taste better. David had laughed at me for trying to kill the alcoholic worth of it.

We got to the hotel and we were allowed to have about two hours of free time until we have to go to sleep. All four of us went down to one of boys’ rooms, who were getting all of the stuff ready.

“Where’s Cook?” One of the guys asked.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Maybe he couldn’t get out of his room. I’ll find him.”

I walked out of the room and headed towards his. I stopped and hid when I noticed him talking to one of the girls from the other group. He was smiling and she was talking animatedly. She was twirling her hair which made me gag in disgust. David didn’t dig that, did he?

She waved goodbye and stood on her toes to kiss him. My heart dropped to the pits of my stomach. He turned away and saw me there. “Oh, Ashley.” His eyes were wide.

“Yes, it is Ashley.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “David, what was that?”

Ahhhhhhh!!! UPDATE SOON!!

Never mind. The group that I made in this story is much more viscious than the group that we went with. XD



“Ashley, I-”

“David… don’t talk to me. Just don’t.” I pushed the button to the elevator. I didn’t want to get drunk tonight.

“Wait, Ashley, please.” He hurried over to me and I pushed him away, hating him.

“What kind of explanation do you have for that?!”

“Don’t yell, Ashley… just let me speak.”

I felt tears welling up. “Say it.”

“She was just talking to me and we did not have anything in common. She was very annoying, but I am a gentlemen and I let her continue.”

I frowned to hold down a smile from his charm. “Continue.”

“Well, I said I had to go and she must have seen you because she looked past me for a second and then the next thing I knew she had gone up on her toes to kiss me.”

I watched him, knowing I believed him. “Come with me. I can’t go back there like this.” I took his hand and pulled him into the elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“My room.”

He grinned. “Oh, are we?”

“Don’t joke with me, right now. I think I am going to kill that girl tomorrow.” He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. “She isn’t worth it.”

“You are.”

He paused and turned me around. “I love you.”

I looked at him, my eyes widened. “I-I love you too.”

He relaxed and pulled me close against him. I started crying and wrapped my arms around his waist. I couldn’t see his face, but it took him a few seconds to wrap his arms around me. He lifted my chin up so I could see him. “I know it wasn’t your fault.” I said in between sobs. “You don’t have to apologize.”

He looked like he was going to cry himself when the elevator opened. “Come on…” He pulled me to my room and unlocked it using the key. He pushed me against the wall, kissing me roughly, passionately. This being completely new for me, I tried the best I could to keep up with him.

He broke the kiss and smiled at me. I glanced up, feeling dizzy from all the emotion. “Which one is your bed?” I pointed shakily and he picked me up and dropped me on the bed. He climbed on top of me and kissed me again. His hands caressed my sides and I felt like I was on fire. I breathed heavily, trying to gain any sort of control of myself.

“Ashley, relax. I am not going to make you do something that you don’t want.”

He knew exactly what I wanted. He knew everything. We knew each other for a little over a day and he understood me more than anyone else. More than people who have known me since I was a little kid.

You know, maybe that was it. I was new territory for him. He looked at me for what I was now, what I was becoming. He did not know, at least not very well, who I was before the trip. He took me for who I was now. I was aching so badly for a change in my life and he could be my bridge to that place. We would take it together.

“I’m tired of it, David!” I snuggled into his chest as he stayed on top of me.

“What?”

“Being what everyone expects me to be and then taking it the step further. I wanted to be the top of everything because that was what was expected. It’s crazy… but you, you didn’t know that about me, or at least I don’t think you did, and you never expected me to be anything… just…”

He was listening closely, taking in every word I said. “You just let me be able to act like I wasn’t being watched careful and analyzed for every action I did.”

“I knew you were the smartest girl in our school. You just always seemed like you wanted to crawl out of the skin that you were in. You needed fun and you know how apparently.”

“Blame it on the romance novels I read.” I laughed as he kissed my neck in a very ticklish spot. “Oh? Ticklish, are we?”

“David… don’t.” He trapped me by the waist by his legs and started tickling me, sending me into a fit of giggles and high-pitched screams of protest. “David, stop!” I squealed, laughing.

At that time, Jessica and the other two walked in. They stared at us oddly. He looked at them wide-eyed before rolling off me. “Oh, hi.”

All three of their faces were pink from the increased warmth of their bodies due to the alcohol. Jessica frowned. “I think I am going to be sick.” She walked off and Becca laughed sitting next to me on my bed. “So, this is what you guys do when you miss a drinking party?”

David smiled and held me tightly. “Do you blame me?”

Becca laughed a bit too loud. “Get lost, Cook. We three had a bit too much to drink so we need to crash.”

“I can’t stay? We’ll be quiet, I promise.”

“Just leave.” Becca narrowed her eyes.

David was about to keep protesting when I put my hand over his mouth. “Don’t argue with her right now. Your roommates will probably be wondering where you are.”

“Oh, just spending time with my love.” He grinned and kissed me. “See you later.” He waved and jogged out of the door.

Becca sat on her bed and sprawled out. “That girl is troubled.”

“Hm?”

“That girl that David was with when you got all upset. She totally knew what she was doing. David wasn’t expecting it, I could tell.” She turned her head to look at me. “Keep an eye on him.”

“Should I be concerned?”

“About those girls, yeah, because they are going to find any way to get those manicured paws to him. David’s a smart guy and totally devoted to you, but those girls… they need to get put in their place.”

“I know it.”

* * *

Morning came and we got our wake-up call from Mr. Astor.

I rolled off my bed and noticed that the others were gone. “What time is it?” I said to myself as I walked through our little mini-apartment-like hotel room. I changed my clothes and got into the elevator for breakfast.

I walked out of the elevator and there was a large circle of people around our breakfast area. “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Cursing under my breath, I pushed my way through the crowd and saw David fighting with someone from the other group. My mouth dropped. What the hell happened?

“David! David!” I screamed running towards him. From looking at me, he received a huge punch in the face by the other guy.

“Ashley, stay away. This guy is fucking crazy.”

“You kissed my girl.”

I gasped. That girl was this guy’s girlfriend?! “Dude, stop, please. I am his girlfriend. We can talk about this. You are going to get us all kicked off of the trip!”

“I couldn’t give two shits.” He pushed me out of the way, which considering his force, sent me halfway into the crowd.

“You don’t touch her!”

“You touched my girl. In fact, bring that little Ashley girl over. I can show you how it feels.”

I stood up as quick as I could, but I was dragged by the other group’s kids to the center. The guy grabbed me by the waist and kissed me. I kicked and tried to punch him, but it was no use. This guy was bigger than me. A lot bigger. He was bigger than David too. He threw me hard against the ground so I slid behind David. I landed on my head and felt the whole world glaze over and I looked at David, near tears, hesitant to pick me up for how hard I landed on my head.

Then everything went black.

OMG!!!! U

UPDATE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMFG!!! PLZ UPDATE SOON!! i.... NEED.... to..... know..... what.... happens!!

ook... still wonderin what happened to her... update.. like.. nowish... please.... im desperate!!!

p.s. i had dreams about france last night

once David sings on the NBA thing I'll finish it up.

Yeah, its fun.
I had this totaaaally different plotline going but I decided against it.
Maybe another story. XD

ugh i missed that! i turned it on at 7:53 and "Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave" was wat i got..... he looked good... air kinda... gelly? hair gel?

It'll be on Youtube eventually.
He sounded tired. Very tired. Nervous as all hell too.
Its okay though. I remember singing at games a cepella for the NA. hard as hell. D:
The more he does it, the better he'll get.



I woke up in a new room. I did not know where I was at all. “David?! David!”

“Shh! I am right here, right here.”

“Where am I?”

“Hospital.” He smiled. “I stayed back to keep an eye on you.”

“Where is everyone else?”

“Versailles.”

My heart sank. “Oh, David, you should have gone!”

“And left you here, no. I was pretty bloody myself so they had to keep me here for a few hours.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Uh… a couple hours, not long. They tried to give you stuff to wake you up. We might be able to get in touch with them after Versailles.”

“What happened to that guy?”

“Arrested for assault both physically and somewhat sexually, I guess.”

“What about you?”

“Self-defense. He started it.” He smiled. “A call is going home to my mom though, same with yours, but you were a big-time victim so you aren’t going to get yelled at for starting trouble in a completely different country.”

“David…” His bruises, cuts, and the one black eye made me want to cry. “It’s all not fair. Why did this all have to happen to you?”

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “I am a tough guy, Ash. I’m fine. It’s all good. I was more scared about you than my little bumps and bruises.”

“Bumps and bruises?! Look at you!”

He frowned and jumped on my bed, startling me. He kissed my lips and let me melt into the spot where I just fit in David’s arms. I dug my face into his arms and sobbed. I wasn’t used to this. I wasn’t used to conflict. This was scary.

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay.” He rolled off of me and sat next to me on my bed. “I’m staying with you. I am not leaving you at all even if we need a unisex room. This was enough to make me wonder how we are going to be treated for now on.”

“Like shit, that’s what.”

“Yeah.” He had his arms wrapped around me, bruises sticking out like a sore thumb on his pale skin. “It’ll be fine. Everyone is on our side from our school, I talked to them.”

I nodded and cuddled with him. “I want to go back to the hotel room.”

“They are going to swing and pick us up once you are allowed to get out of here.”

“When will that be?”

“About two more hours. They are going to give you another examination before letting you go.”

“David, you are a life saver.”

“Don’t mention it.” He kissed my cheek. “Really, don’t mention it. The fight was a weird one.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Huh?”

“Well, I was losing at first, really badly. Well, once he did that to you, I gained all this energy and kind of kicked his ass.”

“I saw you before I blacked out.”

“Oh, god, I was terrified.” He laughed and nuzzled his head in my neck. “I don’t even know if I could think right when you were there like that. I think your friends are scared of me.”

“You were defended yourself, then me. I think they know enough that if you would miss out on Versailles for me, then you aren’t a bad guy.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”

“Probably not, but I’m ready for anything.”

* * *

We pulled into the Normandy hotel and the bus groaned to a stop. David and I had discussed with the girls about him starting to stay in our room. Surprisingly, they agreed although this made us a group of five. We all pulled out our bags and got our room keys. David chuckled a little at our hotel. It was completely different than the other one. The elevator looked like a death trap. We grabbed our keys, finding out we were on the second floor.

“That’s not bad.” David grabbed my suitcase and started heading up the stairs.

“Hey, do you think he could do that for us too?” Jessica said, laughing. I picked up one of their bags and ran up the stairs behind David.

“I’ll come back!” When I got to the second floor, David already was in the room with the suitcases on the floor.

“The whole idea was for you not to carry one.”

“Well, my friends are weaklings.” I laughed. “They all letting you stay here, it is the least I can do.” I jogged back down the stairs and grabbed Becca’s bag and ran up the stairs. David was close behind, taking Alexis’, and followed close behind me, trying to tickle me as I ran up the stairs.

We all dropped our stuff down and David jumped onto a small cot that was placed near two twin beds. The room was moderately small, but nothing we could not handle.

“So, David and Ashley get the cot…”

“Fine with me.” David said, smiling and pulling me on the bed. “Thanks guy for being cool with his.”

“We saw the fight.” Alexis said. “We don’t want anything to happen to our Ashley.”

“We also won’t let her stay with you boys.” Becca grinned.

“I would not let her in anyways. My roommates are BORING!”

They all smiled. “Well, we will be more interesting.”

“I bet you all will.” He laughed and pulled me against him. “What’s the plan now?”

“Well, we are going to a World War II museum and some D-Day stuff tomorrow. I think we are allowed to relax for the rest of the night.”

He yawned and nodded. “Sounds good! I am exhausted.”

“You need to heal.” I frowned and he stared at me. “At least I wasn’t hospitalized.”

“You look worse than I do! I just got whipped around on my head a few too many times!”

“Oh, stop bickering.” Becca laughed. “You guys sound like a married couple already. We are going to see how ghetto everyone else’s rooms are.”

“Okay, see you soon! We’ll probably be asleep by then!”

They left the room and almost immediately, David’s lips crashed into my own. Taken by surprise, I kissed back clumsily. He pushed me down on the bed. His lips moving so I could catch up. He climbed on top of me and moved his hand slowly up my shirt. I tensed and he froze. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” I looked away from him, embarrassed.

“No. If you aren’t ready, I understand. I know this whole trip is a crazy change for you. I am not going to push you into anything. Just tell me when you are ready, okay?”

Holding back tears, I nodded. He smiled and kissed right below my eyes so that the tears fell, kissing each of them away. “Don’t be embarrassed. I love you, Ashley. I am not all about sex.” He gave me a lopsided smile, making me feel better.

“Let’s just keep… making out.”

“A little longer… I really am beat!” He continued to kiss me, this time softer and calmer. I felt extremely at ease with him. After a bit, he rolled over me carefully so he would not fall out of the tiny bed. He wrapped his arms around me and we fell asleep together, cuddling in the small cot that barely held the two of us.

Here's the link for David singing the national anthem - he looked nervous as all hell and started out a bit shakey but pulled it together and finished well, I thought.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5qjrs_da...ok-anthem_music


Phantomly Wicked, I can't wait to read more of this story!

Yeah. I think he was nervous to do anything to the song because its so.... traditional, should I say?
Maybe he thinks its one of those songs that he shouldn't throw his own spin into it. :]
I wished he smiled though. Maybe when he has more energy after the tour is over.

omg i love you!!!!!!!!!! he was, to use Randy's fave saying, a little "pitchy" in the beginnning.. but who wouldn't be? i mean... its the NBA playoffs and u've just won american idol!
im no sure who looked more nervous... David or the basketball players... David's hands began to shake at one point.. and a dude on the Celtics looked like he was gonna cry...

i no! isnt this one of the best stories!




imo i don't like it when artists to stuff to that song. it just bothers me... one of my pet peeves i guess.
i wish he wouldve smiled too... he just starred at the flag (im guessin) and it looked like he never blinked...

Oh shucks. XD

Fond of the update? :]

no. i hated it. it was "utterly atrocious".











just kidding!!! i loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh shucks??? hehe... DC impression of Hugh Grant... hehe.....sry random thought

I am really enjoying your story! Please continue!

bumperdoodles

: D

Working on the update.
Trying to remember funny things that we did over there. XD

bumpity bumpity bump!!!

update asap please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i had a dream about France and cookies and David the other night.... i think that it is a sign for a new update.

Thanks for being patient with me. XD



David groaned as Becca hit us with pillows to wake us up. “Guys, it’s time for dinner!”

“Okay.” I pushed David off the bed and he walked into the bathroom to fix up his hair and I followed to brush mine, when I actually looked at what are shower-room-like-thing looked like.

There was a huge hole in the wall near the shower. I backed away and bumped into David. “What’s the matter, Ash?”

“Look at that!”

“Hm, something could crawl out of there.”

“Yes. something. could.” I stressed the words apart and he laughed.

“Ash, it’s just a hole.”

“It’s freaking huge! I can’t shower in here with it like that!”

“I can protect you.” He laughed at his own joke and I punched him in the shoulder, making him wince because it was a place where he got hit from when he got into that fight.

“Can we stuff it?”

“Once we use up the towels, yeah.” He finished his hair and hurried to get ready. “Let’s go.”

* * *

We were taken to Rouen from there and a local tour guide met with us to explain the small city place. The weather was horrible, raining on and off the whole time we were there. I had packed an umbrella so David took it so it could cover the two of us.

The tour guide explained the history of various places, although the rain drowned out her voice. She pointed out places that had to do with Joan of Arc, including where she was tried and where she was burned to the stake. I took pictures of the signs that indicated each spot.

David shivered. “Holy shit, I am freezing!” Although we had an umbrella, we were freezing. “We have an hour or an hour and a half of this until we can have free time for lunch and souvenirs. I noticed an internet place earlier… we should go there.”

“Yeah, I can send a message to Andrew, my little brother.”

“And change my status on Facebook and Myspace.” I smiled, admitting my addiction.

He smirked. “Those sites too.” He kissed me and sparks of adrenaline ran through my body. I embraced the arm that did not carry the umbrella as we walked around Rouen.

When we finally got out of the tour, we had the chance to walk around. At this time, we all split apart, David and the boys helping to find alcohol and the girls going to find clothing stores. “Find something sexy.” David whispered in my ear, making me slap him hard in the arm. He laughed and kissed me goodbye.

“What’d he say?”

“Just David being stupid.” The girls smiled and we stepped into the closest store, beginning our shopping spree.

Probably blowing hundreds of dollars later, we all walked out of the store with bags in our arms. The boys had bags in their hands too. We all knew what that was.

“You guys should see all of the alcohol they had in that store!” David exclaimed. “It was like four freaking aisles!”

“Yeah, we are definitely going back to that place sometime soon.” One of the other guys said.

“I am going to get you so wasted.” David said quietly right in my ear and then kissed it.

“I doubt I will be that great of a sight.”

“It’ll be fun to see.”

“Oh, please.” We had a small lunch at a little restaurant that was fairly uneventful and then we hurried into the internet place. It cost two euro for twenty minutes, but we were so deprived of internet that we didn’t care.

I logged into my Facebook first and David logged into Myspace. “What is your middle name, David?”

“David Roland Cook.” He grinned and I typed away, stumbling a little from the European keyboard. It wasn’t too different, but enough to throw me off. “And yours?”

“Ashley Lee Wilton.” I smiled and we sat there quietly as we updated our sites and talked to our friends and family by giving them quick messages. “Thank god. My parents were probably worried because I haven’t had any time to call them.”

“Yeah, same here. I want to see how Adam’s doing…”

“Hm?”

“Oh, my brother… he was diagnosed with cancer not too long ago…”

My mouth dropped. “And you came here?!”

He shrugged. “He told me to go. I wanted to stay with him, but he insisted that I shouldn’t make a sacrifice for him.”

“I want to meet him.”

“You will, once we get back. You’ll meet everyone.” He kissed me and my insides flipped in delight. He clicked out of the websites he was on and I followed him. We paid the owner and headed outside. Everyone else was just about done so we were able to all head back to the hotel, which was, surprisingly, right up the street from where we were shopping.

We walked to the hotel and dropped off all of the stuff, the alcohol in the guys’ room and the clothes in the girls’ (and David’s) room. David sat on the cot as I organized all the shirts and dresses that I bought. “I want to see you in that.” He pointed at a generic little black dress I bought with a red belt. I turned pink. “Really?”

“Hell, yeah. Wear it tomorrow!”

“David, we are going all the World War II stuff tomorrow. I am not going to the Normandy Cemetery dressed like a whore. I’ll wear something nice, but not that.”

“Did you buy heels?”

“Smallish ones… too clumsy for anything else!”

He groaned, wanting to see me in it so bad. “Can you just try it on now?”

I sighed, giving in. “Fine.” I took the clothes and walked into the bathroom with the creepy hole in it. A few minutes later, I walked out in the dress clumsily. The look David gave me reminded me of a huge dog or wolf or something eying its prey and about to strike. “David, don’t look at me like that. You might start drooling all over the bed.”

The girls were holding in their laughter, making David grin sheepishly. “I like it, though.”

“I can see that!” I started laughing and he joined in. He stood up and hugged me, tightened the grip and fake bit me on the neck. I froze both in surprise and a pinch of delight.



The girls stared at him, shocked. I stood there for a minute, also in shock before he broke the silence with a laugh. “Geez, it was basically a joke. I was pretending to be a wolf!”

Becca started to crack up, nearly rolling off her bed. “You are the biggest loser I have ever met.”

“But I’ve got your best friend’s heart!”

“Against my better judgment!” Becca stuck her tongue out, still smiling.

I smiled, still being held tightly by David. This is what I liked; being able to be with a guy who I think I really love and have my friends and him mix perfectly. This trip was a complete whirlwind of everything for me. I was changing, what it was I didn’t know. I knew it was happening though. I was going to be sixteen in a couple months and I realized I was changing into a real teenager. Before, I was just a book nerd who was one of the smartest in my school who never did anything wrong. Now, I felt like I wanted to be on the side of danger and to be more rebellious. Was David rubbing off on me?

If he was, I wasn’t going to protest. This new me was bubbling deep inside and ready to pour out. The little, nervous, cautious me was ready to morph into sexy, daring, rebellious me.

Question was… could I do it? Do I even have the confidence to stand out of the crowd?

i loved the update, and i love this fic!

hope there's more soon

Loooooooooooved it! I finally got a chance to read this and I want more!

: D

I should be able to get something done tomorrow after exams.

Which I need to start studying for.... >.>

yay u updated!!!! i loved it!!!

i was rolling after the wolf part.. hehe...

Gave up on studying. XP

I am charging ze iPod currently so I might start writing a bit now.

Wolf part made me happy. XD
I was listening to it and I thought it'd be silly. <33

yay!

yes.. silly indeed it was

: D

Do you write? I don't know if you had a story up here or not. :]

i do write.. well.. did. my story is somewhere on page 5 i think... Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me... ppl kinda weren't reading/commenting so i took the hint and gave up.... even though i do have the next bit written up... lol... just can let go.

Okay! *looks it up*

ack.. dont get ur hopes up

Pfft yeah okay.
You kicked my story's ass.
XD

I love your storyyyy.
I like slower paced stories a lot better. It seems more real!

This was such a cute idea, and it blows my story out of the water xD

It's so orginal and you portray David pretty well

really? you love my story? thank you! *blushes*
yes... it is goin to be a little slower paced than some of the others....

it does not. in mine no one gets beat up. yet...

i love your story. its really good. i cant wait for more....

Hahahaha!
Beating up is always fun. ;D

Yeah, I love your story.
Slow pace is good. I don't like it when it is right off the bat romance unless there was a history beforehand not like they just met. *shrugs*
I like anc's pace. xDD

Update later todaaay? : D

yes it is... i might somehow incorperate it into my story.. somehow..

i like anc's pace too... hehe... i love it acutally...

1hr!!!!!!

11:19pm my time. *dances* hahaha I made the deadline!
------



“Strike!” David punched the air in excitement. We found a bowling alley close by and took full advantage of it. Unfortunately, I was pathetic at bowling normally, but I realized, if I was at least a little buzzed, I wasn’t too horrible.

We all had ordered alcohol and I was on my second beer when I got to go up for the fourth time. I grabbed the lightest ball and threw it clumsily along the path. It hit one pin, causing David to try to hold in his laughter. “Just because you are sports extraordinaire doesn’t mean I have to.”

“I don’t hold you to it. I don’t want to embarrass myself.” He dodged one of my playful hits. “Don’t drink too much of that stuff, we are breaking into the other alcohol when we get back.”

“I won’t.” We both watched people who went after us have their luck which was Becca and her current love interest, Jack, an all-season athlete. They both did decent and David was up again. I finished my drink and gave the glass back to the owner of the bowling alley, who looked at me curiously, but only held the gaze for a moment to go back to whatever he was doing.

David had just made an elated scream and I hurried to see that he made another strike. “Damn, man.” He laughed and kissed me on the lips, spinning me around. “After this, we need some alone time. Badly.”

I hesitated. “Uh, okay.” He grinned and the game continued.

* * *

When we finally got out of there, I was getting teased endlessly for my horrid bowling skills. I spun around to look at him, making me walk backwards. “David Cook, you need to stop or else we won’t have any alone time!”

“Hey, careful, Ash… you are a klut-” As soon as he said that, I fell backwards and landed right on my ass. David’s mouth stayed open as if he was going to finish his sentence. After recovering from surprise, he helped me up from the ground. “What did I just tell you?”

“I get it, I get it.” He laughed and kissed me gently on the cheek. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good.” He swung his arm over my shoulder and we walked back to the hotel, all of us sneaking into Jack’s room.

“Let’s do this!” David grinned. The other guys looked equally excited.

We all shared out of a bottle of Smirnoff, drowning the strong taste down with juice or Sprite. I made a face every time I took a sip, which humored David.

“You really are the most innocent girl I have ever met.” He said right before he took a huge sip of the Smirnoff, waiting a few seconds before taking a small sip of the Sprite.

I frowned. “Sorry.”

“It’s nothing to be sorry about!” David said, laughing. Apparently I misunderstood whatever point he was trying to make. “It’s a good thing. I wish I stayed innocent.”

The frown was still there. “What did you do?”

He paused, staring at me. After a minute, he sighed. “Ash… I am a virgin, relax. I mean drinking and not being a rebellious teenager.”

“And you are one?” I thought about his cheesy grins and the fact that he was a word nerd, eager to use any of his huge words. I also thought about Adam, his brother who was battling cancer, and the way he talked about him like there was no one else better in this world. How could this guy be rebellious?

“Point taken.” He grinned, seeming to notice what exactly I was thinking about. “I guess rebellious enough to not seriously hurt anyone I care about.”

“That isn’t being rebellious. That is having fun, but still being mindful.”

“Whatever it is, then!” David laughed.

We killed a few bottles of it and then we each got our own beers.

“This’ll do ya in.” David grinned, pink lining his cheeks from being almost-drunk. Unfortunately, I was already beyond drunk. I giggled like a little middle school girl as I got my beer.

“David, are you sure that’s a good idea to give her that?” Becca looked at my already ridiculous condition. Her look made me go into a fit of giggles.

“A beer isn’t going to hurt her. She’s already off the wall.” David sighed as he downed his own and I followed his actions. We both leaned back on the couch, laughing from the wondrous high that the alcohol gave.

Becca frowned. “You guys are going to be so hung over.” She looked at her watch. “Shit! Guys, we have to go now. Astor will be checking our rooms in like ten minutes.”

I felt like the room was spinning and my legs were like jello. Becca watched my attempts. “She’s not in good shape… I told you, David! All of the other girls made sure to not be like this!”

“I’m fine, I’m fine! I’ll just carry her down and we’ll just say that she doesn’t feel good. Not too much of a lie.”

“What happened to the old Ashley? She must have disappeared when she met you.”

David froze looking at Becca curiously and then at me. I was staring at Becca, feeling my heart shatter in thousands of tiny pieces. “Becca…”

“Ashley! Look at you! You aren’t being yourself.”

“This is a vacation, Becca. This won’t carry on back to school.”

“Your relationship with David, you mean?”

I was floored. What did she expect to me to do? “No… of course not.”

“I won’t be your friend anymore then.” She stormed out of the hotel room and I sat on the bed of one of the guys’, completely stunned and confused.

“Jessica…” She gave me a glance and walked out the door following Becca. I looked up at David desperately and he turned his head from me, unable to stand the look of betrayal on my face. I felt the tears fall. “No… no, no, no. This can’t be.”

“Maybe… I shouldn’t stay in your room.” David was still staring at the wall, still unable to look at me.

“That might be a good idea.” I sighed, trying to wipe the tears from my eyes. “I am so stupid!” I returned to my sobs and, realizing David would not console me, Jack came over and embraced me a tad awkwardly.

“It is okay, Ashley. Becca’s your best friend. She’ll come around. She’s just frustrated is all. You just need to let her know that you aren’t changing to become this. She took advantage of the ease of getting alcohol, too.” He grinned and I smiled weakly back.

“I-I don’t know.” I saw David still staring at the wall, tense. Why was he ignoring me? Why was Jack here and not David? “David?” He turned around and I now noticed that he was crying himself. Jack stood up and hit David’s back supportively. It was a guy thing apparently.

“God, Ash, I’m sorry. I couldn’t-I couldn’t think. I didn’t think I could even turn around without looking like a damn baby.”

“You aren’t a baby. I’ll talk to Becca.”

“We both will.”

“If you want to. She’ll come around. I won’t be changing any time soon…”

He sighed. “I’m sorry…”

“Let’s go… we need to see if we can fix this mess that we got ourselves into.” He took my hand and we headed down together to try to patch up the conflict that me and my best friend had. We all needed a break.

We needed a vacation from a vacation. Who would have thought?

oooh.... drama.... me likey

:]
It'll be cool.

[PS.... bowling scene...! The punch in the air was from... I think it was his Little Sparrow performance I can't remember... I found it adorable! XDD]

when are you updating yours missy? huh huh HUH?!

it is updated!

Wow, I know how if feels to need a vacation from a vacation. It sucks something terrible! Well I'm waiting on pins and needles for more!