Eighteen // 5SOS

Chapter 6

"This is so annoying!" Michael said, stomping back into the hotel room to find Kakkii and Megs watching what appeared to be a french soap opera, in a trance-like state. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"Watching TV," said Megs, still facing the television. "Did you find a phone charger?"

"No, I didn't," he replied, running a hand through his hair, it spiking out in disarray. He was now fully clothed, after Kakkii had gone down to the hotel shop and bought a cheap tourist t-shirt saying "I heart Paris". Given the situation they were in, and Michael's new tattoo, she found it funny and appropriate. He was wearing this as he said, "The woman at reception couldn't understand me at all. I even tried putting on a french accent but it didn't help at all. I mean, who at a hotel reception can't understand basic English? I fucking hate Paris."

"Or maybe Paris just fucking hates you," Kakkii grinned, and Michael jokingly threw a pillow in her direction, which missed horrifically, hitting a glass of water on the table below the TV, proceeding to knock it over and spill its contents. There was silence for a moment before Megs said: "Maybe Paris really fucking hates you."

-

After a while of deliberating what to do, they decided to go out and find a phone charger, as neither Kakkii nor Megs had their phones with them, and none of them knew their friends' mobile numbers from memory. Also, it was getting gradually later. Paris time, they realised, was an hour later than UK time, and here it was nearing midday. Michael's phone was the only shot they had in getting back so far, and also in finally finding out what had happened. The show was six hours away.

Walking out, the city itself was beautiful. Architecturally incredible buildings stood in rows, waving around each other to form the city. Trees and flowers decorated these rows, along with a blue sky and busy atmosphere. In another time and place it would have been perfect, though in this moment, it simply served as a haunting remainder of how desperately they needed to get back. It felt like an illusion, too good to really exist.

After a few minutes of strolling through the street, they reached a marketplace, where Michael headed out on his own to find a phone charger, while Megs and Kakkii sat watching a Michael Jackson impersonator on a nearby bench. Taking everything in, Michael tried to prepare himself, remembering any phrase, any words of french from school, but conjured up nothing. Praying that he would get some form of good luck for once, he walked into a shop that had different types of cameras and mobile phones in the window display.

"Hi," he said to the man, awkwardly producing his phone from his pocket. "I, uh... Do you have a charger? A mobile phone charger? I, uh... Je ne parlez la français."

During this Michael was using an array of hand actions, including pointing into his phone where the charger went, and using his arms to extenuate the length of the cable. The last phrase, "I do not speak french" was almost asked, as if it were a question. Though the man seemingly understood, protruding an iPhone 5 charger from under his desk.

"That comes to ten euros please." The man said, and Michael gulped. Not even thinking about the fact that the guy spoke perfect English after Michael's performance of asking for a charger, he had no idea if he had any euros or not. He had no idea if he had any money at all. How had this not occurred to him?

Apprehensive, he fished into his pockets to coincidentally find a crisp bank note for 20 euros, which he revealed as if it were a golden ticket. Silently thanking his drunken self for taking out money, he paid for the charger and grasped it in his hand as if it were a life-jacket, and he was on the Titanic. He felt hopeful and suddenly as if things were finally on his side. The sun shined in his face, and he smiled towards a busker with a guitar who was setting up a microphone in a square nearby. The Michael Jackson impersonator, who had finished a performance of Billie-Jean, bowed to thunderous applause from all around.