Monday, August 14, 2017
The next morning started off quietly. Sylvester woke up and checked his phone to see what time it was. Ten A.M. meant that his mother was already at work. He sighed as he got up and dressed as he knew that it would be the last time that he would be leaving his own bed for a while.
He slowly opened the door and peeked out to see if Cameron was awake. He quietly sighed again as he saw his cousin sitting on the couch watching the television. Not wanting to trigger him, Sylvester quietly stepped into the room and sat down on a chair.
"Good morning." Cameron said quietly, with a hint of shame.
"Good morning."
The two sat there in silence until the television made it to a commerical break.
"Hey… I'm sorry about what happened yesterday..." Sylvester finally said.
"It's okay. I'm really sorry for shoving you. I don't know what came over me." Cameron replied as he let his forehead rest in his palms.
"I thought that I was doing the right thing."
"I know. You were trying to be polite, and now that I think back, I didn't tell you that it was a secret. I'm the one who made this mistake, not you."
"So you don't hate me for this?"
For the first time in a while, Cameron wanted to let out a few tears.
"...I don't hate you."
"Thanks. Are we still going to that convention thing?"
"I am. While I know that you had the best of intentions, I don't think that the others are on the same page. I would appreciate it if you stay here. It will only be for a few hours and then we'll all be heading to the airport afterwards."
Sylvester looked down sadly.
"I understand. But, aren't you supposed to be constantly watching me? Are you letting me off the hook for a few hours?"
"I wish I could, Sylvester. But, I don't know that you're not going to have that girl up here again. If your mom came home early and caught you with her, I would be in so much trouble. So, I have an idea."
Cameron reached down into his pocket and held up his phone.
"I want you to send me a selfie every fifteen minutes. That, and I don't want you to leave this apartment for any reason."
"Any reason?"
"Any reason."
"What if there's a fire?"
Cameron (having been in a fire once before) sighed in irritation. Sylvester picked up on this and shut his mouth.
"Well, I guess you'll have to put on some cool filters, then." Cameron snarked.
At the hotel, Orson and Calvin walked into the lobby area for the continental breakfast.
"Thanks for staying with me all night, Pup." Orson said as they got some cereal.
"You're welcome. I'm just glad that I'm here to help you for once. Usually, it's the other way around."
Orson silently chuckled as the two went to a table and sat down. After eating for a few minutes, Toby joined the table.
"Good morning. Sorry that I didn't come back last night." Calvin said between bites.
"It's okay. I liked having the room to myself. I watched every single show that I like and you hate." Toby joked before realizing that Orson was sitting next to them.
"Hey, Orson, I'm sorry about this whole thing." Toby continued. Orson held his hand up as he swallowed a mouthful of food.
"It's okay. I'm not mad anymore. I know that it was all for my sake."
At that moment, Mia, Olivia, and Kenton walked into the room and sat down at the table. Kenton rubbed his neck and groaned slightly.
"Where did you go?" Orson asked Kenton, curious at why he never returned to the room.
"I slept in the van."
"So, is that everyone?" Mia said, looking around.
"What about Cameron?" Kenton asked.
"Oh… well. Is it still okay if he comes along?" Mia asked Orson, wincing a bit when he gave her a little glare.
"Can I talk to you outside?" Olivia cautiously asked her boyfriend. Orson nodded and got up from the table.
"I don't mind if he comes along." Orson quietly mumbled as he walked by Mia.
Out in the lobby, Olivia looked around a bit while she tried to find the right words to say.
"I'm so… so.. so sorry about what happened..." Olivia finally got the ability to say.
"I'm sorry that I got mad and yelled at you. I understand that you didn't want to stress me out."
Olivia wanted to say more, but she could only look down as a few tears started to build up. Orson, picking up on this, wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
"It's okay now. And if this ever happens again, I just want you to know that I'll be here."
Back at Sylvester's apartment, Cameron finished putting his stuff away in his bag.
"You better get your stuff together. Remember, we're out of here as soon as this thing gets over." Cameron said firmly. Sylvester nodded.
"And what are you supposed to do while I'm gone?"
"Selfie every fifteen and don't leave the apartment." Sylvester monotonely replied.
"Good. And you are not to have that girl up here." Cameron said. Sylvester nodded again.
Twenty minutes later, Sylvester took a picture of himself and looked at the screen of the phone. Deciding that it was too "boring", a few swipes and a couple taps allowed him to spice it up with an animated monicle and a pink curly mustache. He held the phone up so that Maya could see it. After receiving a giggle of approval, Sylvester pressed the button to send the picture to his cousin.
"So, how much longer will you be here?" Maya asked as Sylvester put the phone down.
"Probably another couple hours or so. We have to catch a flight this afternoon."
"So, when are you going to be coming back from Oregon? School will be starting very soon."
"I dunno. I was thinking about maybe staying there and finishing out middle school." Sylvester lied. With that, Maya sighed and looked down with a sad look on her face.
"And since I won't be here, I really think that you should turn yourself in. There's, like, seven billion people on the planet. That almost guarantees that there's a family out there that will love you."
"But don't you love me?" Maya asked, giving Sylvester her best sad eyes.
"Of course I do. But think about it. What if we run away together? What are we going to do? Start living like adults? At our age? That's ridiculous and you know it."
"I… suppose you're right. Okay. You win. I'll turn myself in and we'll go our separate ways." Maya said with a sigh.
"But we'll at least have the rest of today together..." Sylvester said, sympathetically. A small chime from his phone caused him to remember that it had been fifteen minutes since his last check-in.
Later that afternoon, Sylvester and Cameron stood outside of Sylvester's apartment.
"Hey, I'm sorry that this didn't turn out as your big moment. I thought that you were pretty good." Kenton said as he shook Orson's hand.
"It's okay. I almost think that it's a blessing in disguise. I guess I can be a kid for a little bit longer." Orson replied with a small laugh.
"It was nice to meet you. It's not often that I get to meet a celebrity." Cameron said as he extended his hand towards Orson. Orson hesitantly shook it and glared at Sylvester.
"I wish I felt the same." Orson said coldly. Sylvester looked away with awkward guilt.
"Well, it's about time for us to take off." Mia said as she checked the time on her phone. Olivia nodded and gave her a hug.
"You guys have a safe trip." Kenton said as he gave Olivia a quick hug.
"You too."
"Hey… Cameron, right?" Toby spoke up as the other group started to turn around. Cameron stopped.
"Yeah?"
"You was the guy who saved my friend, Lucas Elliott, right?"
Cameron, spending the last year and a half down-playing his heroic actions, only nodded.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me."
Cameron smiled and nodded again before turning back around.
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Charmaine whistled as she wiped down the front counter of the restaurant. The lunch rush was over and she was estatic that she was far enough ahead to have a little downtime before the supper crowd. Her cheerful thoughts were interrupted when the chime on the front door jingled a bit, signifying a customer's entry. She looked up to see a young teenage girl approach the counter.
"Hello. Can I help you?" Charmaine acknowledged with a smile.
"Uh… yes. Can you tell me if this is the restaurant where Cameron Elder works?"
Charmaine tilted her head sideways with confusion.
"He used to, but not anymore. Are you a friend of his?"
"Well, not exactly. My name's Maya and I'm a acquaintance."