"This is the start of something beautiful."
–Ed Sheeran
——
🎧 adventure of a lifetime - Coldplay
——
"ARE YOU SURE about this?"
The duo were huddled in one of those doorless huts on the beach that were roofed with palm fronts which allowed a certain amount of sunshine to seep into the space of the hut. Stacey chewed her bottom lip unsurely, watching Parker's thumbs dance around the screen of his phone as he typed Emily's number into his phone.
"Hell yeah," he answered, his trademark grin on his face.
"What if she turns out to be some dangerous asylum patient that'll hunt us down and ruin our lives when she figures out that we'd been prank calling her?"
"There you go again," Parker gave her a knowing look and she shrugged, "I'm just saying,"
"I know, I know, you're just being cautious," he agreed. "But I'm pretty sure Emily is not dangerous, and if she is, we could just fly to Puerto Rico and change our names before she gets the chance to 'ruin our lives'."
He used air quotes and Stacey punched his arm, "You're crazy, Parker."
"I know," he winked. "Crazy is my second name."
Stacey drew in a deep breath and when she let it out, it momentarily suspended a strand of her fiery hair in the air before it fluttered down and returned to its place at the side of her face. "Okay. Call her."
Parker didn't have to be told twice. He hit the dial button with an eager grin on his face, drumming his fingers in the round wooden table in the center of the hut. A couple of seconds later, Emily picked up and Parker put it on speakerphone.
"Hello?" Her voice was nasally and Parker exchanged excited glances with Stacey.
"Hello," Parker spoke first, his words completely immersing themselves in a thick Italian accent. "Is this Emily?"
"Um, yeah," The girl hesitated, paper rustling in the background. "Who is this?"
"My name is Giovanni, and I'm here with my partner, Lucia," Stacey quirked an eyebrow and Parker nodded, silently telling her to play along. "It's our first day here in Brighton Bay and we are doing a survey to get to know the people around here. Do you mind if we ask you some questions?"
"How did you get my number?" came the girl's reply.
"We found it written on a paper at the beach," Parker explained.
"Uh, okay,"
"So, do you mind if we asked you some questions?" Parker asked again, his grin widening at the thought of what he was going to ask the unsuspecting stranger.
"No, I guess," Her reply sounded more like a question than an answer. It geared Parker on.
Stacey mirrored Parker's extravagant grin, eager to see how this would turn out.
"Okay. First question," Parker began, and Stacey couldn't help but awe at how well he could fake an Italian accent. "If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?"
"What?"
Stacey clasped her hand over her mouth in order to restrain herself from laughing out loud at Emily's reaction to Parker's absurd question.
"If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?" Parker repeated, stifling a laugh himself.
"Um," Emily trailed off. "Testical?"
Instantly, Stacey burst out laughing and she stepped away from the phone before Emily could hear her. She clutched her stomach, tears almost beginning to pour down from her eyes. Parker wasn't doing so well either as he threw his head back, his laughter ringing in the air.
"Hello?" Emily's nasally voice came again.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Parker reached for his phone again. "Bravo!" He applauded Emily's answer. "Now, Lucia is going to ask you a question."
Stacey's eyes widened. "I don't know what to ask her," she whisper-yelled at Parker. "I don't even know how do an Italian accent!"
"Try," Parker mouthed with a grin as he nudged the phone towards her.
Racking her brain for a silly question, Stacey picked up the phone. "Um, hello," She gave the Italian accent a go and looked at Parker for his opinion and he gave her a thumbs up. A wave of confidence washed over her and she asked, "If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn?"
"Good one," Parker mouthed, trying to contain his eagerness for Emily's reply.
"Um, I-I don't-" she stuttered, cracking Stacey and Parker up. She heard their laughter this time. "Wait, are you people messing with me?"
"Messing with you?" Parker gave an exaggerated gasp, his fake accent waning a little. "Of course not. Now do us a favor and answer the last question,"
"Fine. What is it?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Excuse me?"
And he hung up.
Stacey and Parker doubled over, laughing their hearts out. Tears streamed down Stacey's face that was now flushed with a nice red hue, while Parker's jaws hurt from so much grinning and laughing. The scene earned them a lot of weird stares from passers-by and when Stacey was able to stand upright, she managed to admit,
"Wow, that's got to be the most fun I've had in weeks,"
"I know, right?" Parker pushed his hair off his forehead in one fluid motion, missing the way Stacey's breath caught at the sight.
They left the hut and went out into the warmth of the smiling sun again. Popsicles in hand, they returned to the spot on the beach where they'd previously been sitting.
"How come you know how to do a Italian accent so well?" Stacey asked, sticking her tongue out for a lick at her red popsicle.
"My mom's Italian," he shrugged, crossing his legs beneath him. "She's still got the accent even after years of living in America and it just sort of grew on me, I guess."
"Oh," Stacey nodded. "So, Giovanni is your Italian name?"
"Nah, it's Nico, actually."
Again, Stacey nodded and in mutual silence, they stared into the crystal blue sea, their minds swirling as they relived the day's events in their heads.
——
It's almost three in the morning here and I finally got this written. I'm as sleepy as hell right now.
Anyway, did you enjoy the chapter? Did you enjoy Parker and Stacey's prank call? Oh, poor Emily.
Please vote, comment and share. I feel kind of down that this book has only 26 reads, even after four parts. But oh well, I appreciate that I've got readers at least. Shout out to everyone who's reading this, I love you!
Anyway, I've got to go to bed now, before I sleep through all my classes at school and flunk my literature test. *yawn*
xoxo
Sharon
