Alpha's and Eiffel towers [On Hold]

-||2|| a lot to unpack

"Can everyone be quiet for a second?" Asked Mr. Jones wearily, clearly aware that he wasn't able to raise his voice over his senior class. We were standing in the middle of Gare de Nord, a not enormous, but a large train station. The fresh French wind stroked my skin, and the warm early autumn sun was fighting its way through the dome's glass. Without taking Jackie and me into consideration, Jones had not yet succeeded in postulating everyone's attention. He sighed and mumbled something to himself while rolling his eyes away from the group. Most of them were in deep conversations where every exchange was overlapping with one another. Anna was carelessly braiding her hair, which had swallowed up all of the concentration.

"This is exactly why I drink," was the only thing I was able to make out of Jones' annoyed mumbling. "Let Richard from P.E. take away 35 students so that everyone else can set up everything in the hotel," I look at Jackie while Jones was going on his rant while scrolling through his phone, she just seemed like a light bulb was going to pop up above her head.

"Sir, could you put your suitcase on its side?" She asks rather nicely for her doing. With a troubled face and a hesitant posture, Jones did what she said, whereafter Jackie jumped on the hard plastic with her discolored sneakers. "Everybody, SHUT UP," she screamed which made not only the heads of her fellow classmates but also those of unsuspecting French travelers. "Thank you for your service, miss Wilders," Jones spoke doubtfully before starting to explain our schedule. Jackie jumped delighted back to the ground and walked back to her spot next to me. "So, we need to walk a good 500 meters to the underground station...-" he was cut off by a simultaneous orchestra of moans and groans which made him roll his eyes.

"After that dreadful ride on the subway, you'll be able to leave your stuff in your rooms and receive free hours until 3 pm to wander around close to the hotel and find a spot to eat," he continued while putting his suitcase back on its wheels. "So everyone, follow me," he says walking to the exit, yet quickly turning back around again," I've seen your French grades, you can't afford to lose me here," he said, with the last part pushed under his breath.

"Hey, Rapunzel, not ready to let down your hair?" Jackie asked purposely softly pushing against Anna's elbow. Ann swiftly twisted an elastic around the end of her masterpiece before giving Jack an annoyed look full disapproval. "Don't start arguing, you two. We don't want to disturb everyone here," I said softly, something Jackie didn't seem happy to hear. These early hours had left a mark on everyone's mood.

"No,"

"Yes,"

"Don't be so blunt,"

"Speak for yourself, bimbo,"

"You're doing it wrong,"

"What do you mean?"

"It's upside down," Jackie responded grumpily after Anna's umpteenth attempt to slide the keycard in its slot. I was guessing that this discussion and aggressively letting that card change hands had been going on for 5 minutes at least. "Guys," I said with a sigh, but their conversation was clearly happening on a different frequency. "That arrow isn't supposed to be pointing at the ceiling, dumbass," Anne snarled after Jackie had ripped and tried to force the card into the hole. They're almost fighting like lions over a keycard hole as if it was the last impala on land.

"Guys!" I screamed, which made my voice echo through the hallways. Only now I'd gotten their eyes on me. "Have y'all looked at the room number?" I asked while leaning on the handle of my suitcase. Both of them turned their heads towards the number nailed to the door. "That's 309, we have 209," I said, and Anna's face fell to the floor. "Did we do those extra steps for nothing?" Jackie whined, but I'd already turned my back on her. "You can't move enough," I merely answered before pushing open the door of the staircase.

"That we struggled so long at the wrong door," Jack mumbled to herself while successfully opening outdoor with the keycard. With a happy little beep, we got to see our retreat for the next 5 days. It wasn't luxurious, which no one expected of course. It had an open space with a small couch, round wooden table and 4 doors with two on each side. "I'm sleeping alone," Anna stated before already claiming one by walking over the small threshold. "Of course she has to, she's not even going to have enough with a 1 bedroom-sized place for all her stuff," whispered Jackie which I chuckled after.

After that we walked into our room, finding two beds neatly covered in white sheets. A window marked the whole wall left of the door which showed a whole lot of buildings I'd no knowledge of their existence. Jackie suddenly jumped on one of the bed -thereby claiming it, in my opinion- with her sneakers and all. "Jane, you can see the tip of the Eiffel tower!" She squealed happily with her head turned at a pretty bad angle while scanning the life behind the glass. "Next time you would like to do that, take off your shoes before you jump and white, bleached covers," I mumbled before putting myself down on the second bed, which aligned with a blank wall. I pulled my backpack off and let it fall somewhere on the mattress whereafter I noticed Jackie hadn't stopped staring. "It's just a monument," I said while zipping my bag open.

She turned around with a brutal expression decorating her whole face, before letting herself drop to a sitting position. "Haven't you heard of the conspiracy theories surrounding that thing?" She asked offended as if that was common knowledge. Jackie had an ungodly obsession with every alternative theory the internet had to offer. Every day she has a new story about a TV show or a famous actor. I wouldn't surprise me if she didn't believe in global warming, 'cause she'd gone into discussions with multiple of our professors defending those unresearched beliefs of hers.

"What? Are there Aliens hanging off it like Christmas ornaments or something?" Anna asked while dropping into our room. "No," Jackie said with a smile as if she hadn't heard the sarcasm in Ann's voice," above the highest floor, there's another one where there are the supersonic camera's looking over Paris day and night," she said as if she's holding a flashlight under her chin. "Pff," was the only thing Anna answered before immediately leaving the room. "I wanna know if it's true, this is the first time I have the chance to prove a theory," she said fascinated while I was staring at her imagining a tin foil hat on her head. "You can't just climb it," I quickly said, apparently making her think of a Plan B.

I hoisted my suitcase onto my bed and started unpacking my stuff, where Jackie quickly followed. In a good half hour, we'd made this place our home; even the scent had changed due to a sudden Deodorant Duel. I don't really think it was a good idea to let us sleep together, honestly.

"Come on, let's find breakfast," Jackie stated while sliding her empty suitcase under her bed. "Didn't you do that this morning?" I asked, and she grinned. "Why do you think I asked for food?" She said, and I raised my eyebrows. "I thought you hadn't eaten enough, I didn't think you'd be that stupid," I mumbled, and she simply smiled as if she's plotting my death at midnight. "Oh well, I want an Mc Bacon, and I don't know those words in French, so you all are coming along," she said while jumping up from her bed. "You're treating us," I reminded her, which she responded to with a firm nod.

—

Before all of you call me out, the conspiracy theory is entirely made up — I think at least. It's just a nice little add on to the story to follow the quest of Jackie and her discovery of the Eiffel tower :)

Don't fail this day,
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