June 20
"I'm going to be gone for the next six weeks or so." Victoria said into her phone. She was lying off the edge of purple covers, a dangling head hanging over. It was 10:30 on a Sunday night.
"Why?" The voice on the other line said.
"Well, you know that reality show thing at school? Well, I got picked, and we're having to spend a few weeks before school starts at this penthouse in New Los Angeles."
He hesitated, "Do you know anyone else going?"
Victoria shifted on her bed and responded,"No, apart from Carter. He texted me when he figured out. He doesn't know that I'm going too ,though. You're the only one." He doesn't nee to know anything else about the contestants, she thought to herself.
"Now I'm your confidant, Abigail Williams?"
Victoria laughed at the old code names they had given each other. "Wow, I haven't heard that name in months, John Proctor. Why we thought those names were clever I have no idea."
John Proctor replied,"Neither do I. I'm going to bed now. Text me when you land. 'Night."
Victoria hung up, replied to Joey's 'Goodnight, babe' text and turned off her lamp.
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"Welcome to the New Los Angeles Airport. Local time is 4:30 pm. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the 'Fasten Seatbelt' sign. Please check around your seat for any personal belongings. On behalf of NLA Airlines, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip, and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again. Have a nice afternoon!"
The announcement ended with a buzz as Victoria turned to look out the airplane window at the slightly cloud sky. Once the seat belt sign blinked off, she climbed out of her seat and exited the plane.
Her heart was pounding harder than normal with anxiety,Why am I freaking out right now? No one even knows I'm here. This is completely irrational, thinking to herself.
She stepped off of the escalator and dragged her suitcase to an empty seat by the front of the airport. Victoria sat there for a solid five minutes before she saw Ryan in a button-down, slightly rumpled shorts, and sunglasses atop his curly light brown hair. She stood up and approached him.
With a smile plastered across her face, Victoria said, "You're Ryan, right?"
He nodded his head and proceeded to sit down in the seat next to her. "Yes. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do any of your interviews. Our interns did your original one and Melissa did the callbacks. A lot has been going on."
"That is totally fine. So, are we waiting for someone?" Victoria inquired.
"I am supposed to pick you and two other participants up at 5 o'clock. After that, I am taking you to the penthouse which is on the edge of the city. The other two are on the same flight; they should be arriving any minute now. Do you have all your bags? Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"I have all my bags and a bottle of iced Caramel Frappe wouldn't hurt."
Ryan ordered someone on his headset to pick up her order. Awkward silence ensued.
Victoria adjusted her cross body, smoothed down flyaway hairs and applied a thin coat of lip gloss while waiting. She pulled out her high ponytail and made it into a neat fishtail. She began a mental list of everything she needed to remember while simultaneously doing said hair: be honest, don't forget to text John Proctor later, call Joey, reorganize your luggage, email parents, relax, talk to Melody... This continued on until two boys stepped off of the escalator. They both looked vaguely familiar to Victoria.
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Long Live the Queen
Teen Fiction"sometimes it's not the people who change, it's the mask that falls off." ~~~~ Brentwood is practically the size of a small town with over 3,000 students. And with any town, someone must rule over the common folk; that person was Victoria. As the qu...
