Many Miles Apart

18. Alfie

The first few days in Florida were fairly relaxed. I attended a few meetings and met a lot of new people that I'd be working alongside for the next few months, but apart from that, I just spent my time lazing around by the communal pool in my new apartment block.
By Friday, I hadn't really done very much. I felt so relaxed it was quite strange, I was expecting to be so busy I wouldn't have time to think, but I'd already made several videos and vlogs for my channel, so that my viewers would be happy, and I hadn't really done much else.
That morning, I heard a sharp knock on my door. I didn't know who it could be, no one had ever come to the apartment itself, taxis were always sent to take me to where I needed to be.
As I went to answer it, a big burley man wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses invited himself into my apartment and shut the door behind him. Slightly dumbfounded and undeniably afraid, I just watched as he pulled out a large envelope from his inside pocket.
"I've been sent to deliver this", said the man in a low, strong American accent. He handed me the package, then continued to speak. "It's your schedule for your stay, starting with a large conference at two pm today"
I just stood there, slightly confused at why they'd sent a massive security guard to deliver something like this.
"My name is Eric, and I'm gonna be taking you to all of your public events with you, for your safety. I'll also come with you whenever there is any risk to your person. Nick told me to deliver this, so that we could get to know one another", he finished, sounding not even remotely friendly. Nick was my new 'boss', who had organised my stay. Ironically, I hadn't even met him yet.
Still standing in silence, I looked up to Eric, wondering if he was going to continue, or expect me to talk back.
"That's, err, cool?", I replied. I was normally quite talkative, but since I'd arrived in America, I felt like some strange foreign person, not only foreign in the fact that I am a British guy in Florida, but I felt like a different person all together. I felt torn, broken, yet whole and happy. It was confusing.
"Well, I can tell you that you're gonna have to get a bit more gobby while your here, or you won't get a word in edgeways", said Eric, his serious face breaking into a smile.
When I didn't reply, he laughed, and hit me on the arm, probably harder than he meant to, then left the apartment.
"I'll see you at half one", he told me as he shut the door behind him.
I walked over to the plush sofa, and sat down, ripping the envelope open, pulling a handful of sheets out.
As I flicked through, I realised that my rest period was certainly not to last. Every moment from now was packed, every minute of every day planned out for me. The print on each page was small, and I had at least ten sheets.
Today's plan was to relax until half past one, then get a car to a conference hall. The meeting would last for two hours, then I was going to my first meet up in Orlando, along with a few other American YouTubers that I didn't know personally, and after that I could head back to my apartment in time for a late dinner and a good nights sleep, before I'd be up at eight the next day.
I dumped the pages onto the ornate coffee table, then looked at my watch. It read 11:30. I had two hours, and if I didn't ring Zoe now, there would be no chance to tonight.
Quickly, I grabbed my mobile, and called her number. She was on speed dial, so within seconds, the line was ringing, but there was no reply. It had been like this for a few days- she'd just ignored me and all of my calls, replying through text in just a couple of words each time, but whenever I'd rang any of my friends, they'd told me that there was nothing wrong with her and that she seemed to be taking everything really well.
I sighed and dropped the device on the sofa beside me, and pulled out my camera. I hadn't vlogged yet today, and even though I didn't feel like it, I knew that I couldn't disappoint my viewers.

"Hey, I'm Nick". A tall man stood in front of me, his hand extended, dressed in a blue polo shirt and beige trousers. He was in a pair of black shoes, his light brown hair curly and short, a pair of dark aviators sat on his nose. He looked about thirty, but the way he acted seemed to suggest that he thought he was a lot younger.
"Hello, I'm Alfie, but you already know that", I smiled, shaking his hand, his grip strong.
"Of course", he laughed, deep and throaty. "Now, take a seat, we have a lot to talk about", he said, gesturing to the array of chairs in front of him, some already taken by familiar faces that I'd already met, and some that I didn't recognise. A woman with long blonde hair that looked around my age seemed to be watching me, and as I glanced over at her, she threw a smile at me, lighting up her small face. Looking away quickly, I sat down next to Eric, hoping that I could try and talk to him, to prove myself different from this morning, but he didn't even look as I took my seat. I guess that he was strictly on duty, whereas earlier he wasn't being watched.
"So Alfie, as you know, you are here for three months, and we have a lot of different experiences for you. You have a lot going for you, and I wanted to make the most of it. It was me that chose you, my colleagues wanted a girl named Zoe Sugg, you know her?", he asked looking at me as I nodded, pain shooting through my heart. I tried to ignore it. He continued. "But I was adamant that you were the one for this opportunity. They were easily swayed. I've been watching both of your videos recently, and although a bit bigger than you subscriber-wise, she just isn't fit for Florida in my opinion, not confident enough you know? Plus most of your viewers are female, so you seem like a more obvious choice, am I right?", Nick laughed.
I smiled through clenched teeth, having instantly made up my mind that I did not like this man one bit.
"Thank you", I said calmly, trying to hide the anger, rippling like a wave through my system, quickly dying down as fast as it had appeared.
"So, down to business", he told me.