Confessions Of A Teenage Party Animal (Editing.)

9- The East Coast

Lana's POV

As I was brainstorming ideas for my date with Camille, I swear I had something simple in mind. But, as usual, my thoughts soon spiraled into a grand plan, and before I knew it, I impulsively purchased two tickets to Disney World and planned a six-hour drive to Orlando.

Camille wasn't exactly thrilled with my impulsive decision. "You can't just do that," he muttered as I fiddled with the radio station. "I'm sorry, it just kind of happened, and you told me you had never been! You're literally from Florida," I laughed.

Camille shot me a playful glare and ran his hand through his sandy hair. "Did you even ask for a second opinion?" he asked. "I asked my sister," I replied. Camille continued staring at me.

"How rich are you?" he suddenly blurted out. "You and your stupid-ass questions," I rolled my eyes and exited onto the freeway. "You drive a Jeep Wrangler," he said as if it was a revelation. "Everyone in St. Valleys has money, whether it's legal or illegal." I tried not to look at Camille as I replied, "You drive the newest model." I nodded. "And you have a pool and garden all in one." I shrugged, not getting the point, "You bought two tickets to Disney World. " He paused, "On a Friday afternoon." When the words escaped his lips, I realized how truly stupid the decision had been.

"I think you deserve the full experience," I said, as I gazed out my windshield at the ocean. I could feel his eyes on me, but I kept my focus on the road. After a beat, I heard him clear his throat. "Shut up," he muttered, his voice low. Despite his attempt at nonchalance, I could tell he was embarrassed. I couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, even though he didn't seem to find it as amusing as I did. "You know, you could have just taken me to the beach or something," he said with a slight smile. Camille then rolled his eyes. "We literally live on the East Coast," he said, exasperated.

"I can tell that you've visited the beach a dozen times, and if not the beach, then the pier, back at home." Camille nodded in agreement as I stole a quick glance at him. "By the way, how has school been lately?" I asked, hoping to start a conversation. However, Camille didn't seem too thrilled about the question and let out a deep sigh before responding. "School is easy. Football is just shit right now." He said, obviously frustrated at the fallout he had with his team, "They'll come around." I said not bothering to elaborate.

✮⋆

As we pulled out of the McDonald's parking lot, I warned Camille, "I'll kick you out if anything spills." He seemed unfazed by my threat, and instead, continued to enjoy his McFlurry while scrolling through his phone. Camille, noticing my irritation, finally looked up at me with his golden eyes and asked, "You'd leave me stranded in the middle of Florida?" I couldn't help but smile at his playful tone. "No, no I wouldn't," I replied.

Camille seemed satisfied with my response and reached for his fries, causing me to roll my eyes in annoyance. I kept my eyes on the road, trying to focus on the long drive ahead.

After we'd been on the road for another twenty minutes, Camille broke the silence. "How long till we're there?" he asked, sounding a bit impatient. I checked the GPS on my phone and replied, "Like two hours." Camille muttered something under his breath but didn't pay any mind to it.

"Wait." I turned to look at him slightly, "What?" I asked knowing Camille it was probably something not as important as he thought, "Don't look at me like I'm crazy," he chided me and all I could do was roll my eyes, "Anyway I forgot to tell anyone where the fuck I was going." I laughed at his stupidity, "Yeah I thought, so I told Marcy for you." He looked at me with disapproval, "Why did you talk to my older sister about basically kidnapping me, and why did she agree?"

" You make you sound like a bad person?" I asked incredulously. "All I did was buy you a ticket to Disney World and let you choose your favorite food. How is that even remotely close to kidnapping?" I added sarcastically, eliciting a scoff from Camille who was sitting next to me. We playfully bickered for the rest of the ride until we started to see the tall buildings and gleaming lights of the city.

"It's so beautiful here," Camille remarked as I began to slow down. "But you can't see the stars as well as we can back home. The air here is polluted," I replied, dampening the mood. Camille rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You're always such a pessimist," he said.

"That's me," I replied with a grin, knowing he was right, As I drove to the Airbnb that I had booked, I parked my car haphazardly, just like I always did. Camille glanced at the fancy apartment and started to lecture me about spending too much money. "It was only $200 for two nights," I tried to explain. "That's just $50 for each of us for two nights," I repeated this, as Camille grabbed his duffel bag from the back seat.

To my surprise, he retorted, "Yes, Lana, I know math. I take AP Calculus BC." My eyes widened in amazement. I knew Camille was smart, but I had no idea that he was that smart. "You have to tutor me. I'm failing like half of my subjects." He snorted, "Jesus, where do all the witty remarks you make come from?" He asked as I did the door code to the apartment, "I'm gifted in language arts." I shrugged, "Yeah I've noticed, Mr. Varga, it must be so hard speaking three languages." I laughed and opened the door for him, "Shut up you fucking idiot."

I gently placed my backpack on the polished hardwood floor of the room. My hands roamed around the walls in search of the light switch while Camille's voice reverberated throughout the space. "Are you kidding me? This is way too expensive for a first date," he muttered to me once again, his tone conveying a hint of annoyance. "You said 'first date,' who knows if there'll be more," I retorted, trying to be humorous. I could sense his eyes rolling as he spoke, "That was one of your more unsuccessful attempts at a witty remark."

As I switched on the lights, I took a look around and murmured, "Wow, it's really nice." Camille scoffed at my words, "Yeah, obviously it's 'nice.' You spent $200 on this." I rolled my eyes at him and said, "Looks like someone needs a nap." He mumbled a series of curses aimed at me and my family as he went to grab a glass of water. "I'm going to take a shower," he suddenly blurted out after finishing the glass. "Okay, just don't use all the hot water," I warned him.

"You know very well that you could pay the water bill for this place for the next 10 years," I shrugged. "That doesn't mean I want to," I said in a sing-songy voice.