The Academy: Ashland

The Outside

            “Are we on an island?” I asked Seth twenty minutes after we left the cave. Seth nodded and I raised an eyebrow, “Then how do we have tv?”

            Jackson laughed, “That’s your first question?” he asked. “You don’t want to know something important, like where we are or how no one knows we’re living here?”

            I shrugged, “They didn’t seem like important questions.”

            Seth snorted, “We only get certain shows and channels,” he said.

            “There aren’t any commercials,” I said.                                

            “We don’t get to watch commercials,” Seth said with a shrug.

            I raised my eyebrows and hopped over a log, “That’s just weird, commercials are one of the best parts of tv.”

            Jackson laughed, “You’re such a liar.”

            I grinned, “They’re hilarious,” I said. “There’s the Doritos commercials and the Progressive commercials and some car commercial where people get wings.”

            “Get… wings?” Seth asked, raising his eyebrows.

            I grinned and nodded, “And rainbows shoot out of their butts!”

            “That makes no sense,” Seth mumbled. “I’m done wondering about the outside. It just makes my head hurt.”

            Taylor laughed and patted Seth’s back, “Poor you.”

            Camron grinned and skipped up between Seth and I, “Come on Seth, the outside isn’t that bad.”

            Raymond looked over at me, “So what’s changed since we’ve left?”

            I shrugged, “When did you leave?”

            Raymond thought then said, “2006,” he said.

            I thought back to everything Bailey had said to me in the past few months, “Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan are completely screwed up,” I said. “And Miley Cyrus is having some issues. She tried to bang Beetlejuice after she sexually assaulted a hammer and a wrecking ball.”

            Alexis and Sammie stared at me in shock, “She did what to a what?” Alexis asked.

            I laughed, “That’s was Bailey’s reaction.”

            Jackson laughed, “What about the important stuff?”

            I sighed, “Well… the president’s black, there might be a war going on, I’m not really sure anymore, Hilary Clinton ran for office and the government went away for a while.” I paused, “I’m pretty sure taxes went up and most states legalized gay marriage, but I think Russia’s being difficult or something.”

            Raymond laughed, “Really?”

            “Yeah… well apparently the London Olympics rocked and Germany wore some rainbows to the Olympics when they were held in Russia,” I said. “That should be it.”

            “That’s everything? From eight years?” Camron asked/

            I shook my head, “That was maybe like four years… ish.”

            “Oh,” Camron said. Then he raised an eyebrow, “Lindsay Lohan? Really?”

            I nodded, “She’s messed up.”

            Raymond grabbed my wrist and looked around at everyone else, before he looked over at me and quietly asked, “What about England?”

            I opened my mouth to tell Raymond I didn’t know much about America and to ask him how he expected me to know anything about England, but he kind of looked so hopeful so I thought back, “There’s a new Bond movie, the queen jumped out of a helicopter with James Bond during the Olympics, Prince William got married and he’s had a kid,” I said, looking around at the others, who hadn’t noticed anything.

            Raymond grinned, “Really?” he asked. “That’s wonderful.”

            I smiled back and nodded, “Yeah, it’s really great. Everyone was so excited.”

            “It’s an exciting thing,” Raymond said, before he turned to Taylor and started talking about London and football players.

            “That was nice of you,” Seth said as he took Camron’s place after he slipped back to talk to Raymond and Taylor.

            “What was?” I asked.

            “Telling Ray about England,” Seth said. “Last time, no one had a clue about anything. It’s nice you told him something.”

            I shrugged, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “Some prince got married and everyone watched the Olympics, even us cause Bailey made us. I didn’t tell him anything about England.”

            Seth laughed and nodded, “Of course you didn’t,” he said.

            “Seth Parker, it’s not nice to make things up,” I said.

            Seth grinned, “But I’m not.”

            I sighed, “Shut up.”

            “You’re nice, admit it,” Seth said.

            “I’m not,” I said. “I’m a bad person.”

            “You like to make people think that, but you’re really a nice person,” Seth said.

            “Seth, seriously, shut up,” I said, pushing him into a tree before walking over to Alexis.