LA to The Bay

Chapter 28: Grand Canyon (3)

'Are you okay? You're very quiet.' Louis asks as we leave the main road and join the dirt track leading back to the cabins.

'Sorry.' I shake my head trying to break myself from my trance. 'I'm just thinking.' And I really am, all the way back from the lookout point in fact, I have been re-playing Harry's words over in my head, "you're ungrateful, you're ungrateful", and his eyes were so angry, like I'd genuinely done something to upset him.

Like he's the one that gets to be angry when it's me that should be angry, fuming in fact, not only because of his insulting and obviously untrue words, but because he has ruined this moment for me. The moment when I should have been enjoying being close to Louis again, but all I can think about instead is how much I want to slap Harry. So I might be ungrateful but he is so obviously selfish and he clearly needs to get himself checked out for a narcissistic personality disorder or the like.

'So are you coming in to the party?' Louis drops me to the floor outside Marty and Juno's cabin. Ugh, Marty and Juno, I had almost forgotten about them during the past hour alone with Louis, but unfortunately they do still exist and if I want to continue seeing Louis then I am going to have to endure them.

'Sure.' I smile enthusiastically, if only to convince myself that I couldn't care less if Marty, Juno and Harry are going to be in there.

'Wow, Niamh you came.' Marty gives me her best faux grin as I limp through the porch and in to the living room.

'Would you like a drink?' Louis offers before heading in to the kitchen to get me a beer.

'Niamh, did you hurt your foot, you silly girl?' I hear Ana shriek from the corner, where she is huddled on the floor with Duncan. 'You are so gorgeous, but you are stupid for it!' She laughs at her semi-insult, 'come sit with us?' She pats on the floor indicating for me to join them.

'I didn't know there was a party?' I can't believe that even Ana and Duncan got invited but I didn't. I really am the Queen of the Rejects.

'That's because you're in your room all the time.' Ana raises her eyebrows at me.

So I might have spent a lot of time in my cabin today, but that's because it's exhausting being with people 24/7, especially when the majority of them are insufferable, and so naturally I relished the opportunity to be alone and sleep. Still it would have been nice to have received some sort of memo about the party, that way I could have prepared myself both physically and mentally, instead of just showing up dressed for the sunset.

I look around the room, mentally counting to myself. The entire coach load of us is here, crammed in to this small living room and spilling in to the kitchen. And to think, if it wasn't for Louis then they would have happily let me not be here.

I glance over to where Harry is perched on the arm of the sofa chair which Marty is sitting in and glare at him. So we are back to the Harry and Marty show are we? Boring. He glares back before shuffling uncomfortably and whispering something to Marty and then gets up to go to the kitchen. All the time Marty just keeps smiling at me smugly, like she knows the secrets of the plan to unfold me.

I swig at the bottle of beer which Louis brought for me, trying to listen to whatever Ana and Duncan might be giggling about this time, but I'm distracted by the fact that Louis has gone back to sitting with Juno and Marty. Why would he do this? How can he be all over me one minute and then be off with the pair of them the next.

"I'm just a friendly guy," I know that's what he'd say, and it's true, I reassure myself. One of the things I've always loved about Louis is his bubbly persona and his ability to get along with everyone; the exact opposite of me. But still it hurts to see him enjoying himself with other girls, and especially ones as hot as the Models Inc.

But at least they will disappear one day, when this trip eventually ends, and I will never have to see them again unless they follow through on their hot aired plan of flying over to check out the London branch of their model agency once they have finished in New York. I pray that this will never happen and reassure myself that it is unlikely they would be successful in London; we don't like the happy tanned look in England, after all. Whereas Lottie she will be there forever, like a dark shadow haunting me until the end of our days. Which reminds me, where is Lottie? I haven't seen her since the sunset and I'm not about to believe that she actually said no to a party.

'I'm going to get another beer, do you want one?' I ask Ana and Duncan as I empty my bottle.

'Oh no Niamh, we don't drink, this is just cola.' She holds her cup out to me proudly. As lovely as they are, Ana and Duncan, the idea of not drinking at a party, especially one as insipid as this, it kind of makes me feel that I'm not the naïve one here.

'Stevo just drank the last bottle.' Jayden grunts to me as I search the kitchen for another bottle of beer. 'So you'll need to go get some more from the bedroom.'

'But I can't carry them.' Does he genuinely think that I should go get them when he could lift a crate with his little finger.

'Then go get someone to help you?' He speaks at me flatly.

'How's about you help me Jayden?' I speak back at him in an equally aggressive tone. Talk about having an attitude without reason; why can't anyone just be pleasant and nice around here instead of being so damn rude all the time?

'You sure are pushy Niamh.' He grumbles as he follows me to the bedroom.

'Great, the doors stuck.' I turn the handle and push against the door but it doesn't open. How hard is it to get a beer around here for God's sake?

'Look, let me try.' Jayden pushes me to the side desperate for his own go and to show of his strength no doubt. 'There's nothing wrong with it.' He shakes his head exasperated as the door finally flings open.

'Geez, I'm sorry man, we didn't mean to disturb you.' He stutters as he turns on the bedroom light.

I stand behind Jayden aghast, frozen by the sight of the people in front of me.

Authors note: Whoa what just happened at the end? Who or what have Niamh and Jayden seen? Let me know your guesses! X

In homage to Duncan, Jayden and Stevo I've uploaded my favourite Aussie theme tune, Land Down Under, by Men at Work. (Apologies to any Australians reading this and thinking I am stereotyping but it is such a great song).