Something to Cool Could Happen: A Tom Holland Love Story

1: An Adventure

"You've gotta chill out. It's not the end of the world." Harrison took a deep breath in, looking around. Beyond the airport there was nothing for miles and he was glad of it. Tom, however, was not. He was irritatingly tense.

"I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be on a beach—in a beach house—taking a break and managing my—"

"Stress." Jacob and Harrison sounded in unison. Jacob dramatically adjusted both his backpack straps, punctuating their vexation. Tom, as lovable as he was, was starting to be a pain. He was fidgety, twiddling his fingers and messing with his hair. It was making them nervous just watching him. The line they were in for car rental wasn't long, but it sure was taking forever, making everything going on with Tom worse by the second.

"Not sure if you noticed Haz, but we really did get off at the wrong stop this time and you don't seem concerned at all—and why the fuck are we renting a car?? We're not staying here—"

Harrison just calmly snaked his arm around his high strung friend. "Think, mate. We could...have an adventure. There's a reason why we got off here right?"

"Yeah because you're an idiot!"

Jacob cut in. "What he's trying to say Tom is why not be a little spontaneous? Go with the flow."

"I'd rather go with the flow of the ocean on the beach that I'm supposed to be on."

"C'mon dude, think of it like the path of peril! Going back on the plane is too obvious." Jacob nudged him.

Tom wanted to scream. "Is now really a good time for an Onward reference??"

"Something cool could happen." Jacob smiled, eagerly trying to coax Tom out of his crumbling state. He was totally with Haz on this: the unknown was waiting and they were in the middle of no where. No one, or at least at a lot less people would recognize them. They would have complete freedom.

"Like what? We're in the middle of fucking nowhere—"

"Exactly." Harrison smirked, taking the keys from the man at the desk. Tom raised an eyebrow, but then he thought for a moment. No crowds of fans. No screaming girls, no people in general—maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. His face must've lit up a bit because his two comrades began to notice his shift in thought.

"Ah—see! Now he's on board!" Jacob clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I knew he'd come around. Let's get out of here." Harrison twirled the keys on his finger in excitement, taking the lead.

"Where are we going, captain?" Tom joked.

"Details, details. Let's greet the beauty we're about to be stuck driving."

They made their way to their car, a 2013 Toyota Corolla with a dull gray paint job. It was sturdy and clean, but nothing like they were used to.

Tom wasn't impressed. "It's—"

"—A beauty all right! Now hurry up let's put some road behind us!" Harrison squealed, popping the trunk. They were about to embark on a stupid road trip with no plan in a completely unspectacular car. Tom admittedly hadn't felt this normal since he was like, twelve. Their bags fit nicely in the trunk, the little click sound it made when it closed put a satisfied grin on Jacob's face. He climbed into the backseat, claiming the space as his own. Tom took shotgun. After clicking on his seatbelt, he looked out the window, hopeful. This could either be a fun time or a complete bust. Harrison smiled down at his phone, looking for a hotel.

"Well mates, we can go somewhere close or drive a bit, what do you think?"

"I don't mind a drive, we can look around, take in the scenery. Tom?" Jacob relaxed into his seat.

"Sure, I guess."

And with that Harrison turned the key, Tom put on some music and they head bopped their way to the main road.

***

Penelope unlocked the front door, barefoot and her curls hardly tame. She filled the mis-matched bowls on the steps with kitty chow as the small gang of feral cats watched intently from a distance, waiting for her to go back inside. She blinked slowly at them because she read that cats see that as a form of affection, but for all she knew they still didn't like her much. Except one.

"C'mon Patches." She called to a stout, bob-tailed tabby who happily followed her inside. She flipped on the porch light and held the door open for the little guy. She smiled as she opened the fridge, her parent's note of instructions catching her eye again.

Give Scoob 2 scoops in the morning and 1 at night. Fill the cat bowls once in the morning and once at night. $50 on the counter. Call if you need anything, be back in 2 weeks, love you!

—Mom and Dad

They were taking her little sis on a special birthday trip and she gladly stayed home to look after the family dog and the not-so-family-but-we-feed-them-anyway cats. It's not that a vacation wasn't appealing to her, but having the house to herself and being able to practice her singing and dancing and neglected monologues without anyone there to hear, watch or comment on it was heaven to her. She also had trouble getting used to the overwhelming presence of her family again. She had been away from home for a whole year. She was now about to start her sophomore year of college. This summer was valuable time to prepare herself for the next season's auditions and just keep herself sharp. She wasn't the type to want to just relax: she had to work too. But the best part is that it wasn't work. It was what she loved more than anything. She was only twenty, but she already had plans for stock market investing and savings (since she had little to pay off for school having so many scholarships) because she knew being an actor was going to be rough getting started. She did manage to score a theatre internship starting in June that would start her off, and she couldn't wait. Her brain was flooded with so many things she wanted to do and work on while she was alone, but tonight she let herself stop at writing it all down. She then got comfy on the couch with Patches and her dog, Scooby (named after her childhood cartoon hero). Unlike the real Scooby Doo, he got along with the cat nicely. She switched off the lights and turned on Forensic Files. God, was it addicting. She took a sip from her warm mug of green tea. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't.