Disco Balls and Plane Tickets
Chapter 5
Melissa: “I’m so excited,” I told Lillie as we reached the entrance of a swank nightclub downtown. “Don’t get to excited,” she warned. The silence of the street faded as a techno beat filled the air as we stepped into the dark room filling with people. “Yeah!,” I yelled turning to Lillie as she rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, for once let loose and have a little fun.” “Oh, Yeah! Millions of foreign guys all packed into 1 room,” she mocked me. “Ok, that was me like 2 weeks ago.” “And what exactly has changed since then,” she asked over the blaring music. “I’ve got a boyfriend now that I’m completely in love with, that’s what’s changed,” I yelled over the music as we found a place to sit down in the tightly packed joint. “Sure, ya did. In your own little fantasy world…of I forgot, you REALLY are with Taylor,” she mocked me even more. “Gez, Lillie, I’m sorry you don’t believe me, but I can’t do anything else.” The conversation was interrupted by a tall French guy who took my hand and said something in French that I didn’t understand. I turned to Lillie, who had had three years in the language. Seeing my perplexed expression. She looked at the guy in front of me and muttered something to him in French and then he kissed my hand and left. I sat in my chair laughing my head off. Something like that would never happen at home. “That was so weird! What did he say? And what did you say?” “Oh, he said something along the lines of ‘you’re like a beautiful rose, would you like to dance.’ And I said, ‘She doesn’t speak French and her boyfriend is Taylor Hanson, the Mmmbop boy,’” she replied. I laughed even harder at this. It was my first night overseas and one of the first foreign guys I come in contact with tries to pick me up. It was so weird. A waitress came by the table to ask us if we wanted anything to drink. “Beer,” Lillie told her in French. “Tell her I want a water,” I nudged her. “I don’t think they have water here.” “Come on, it’s France. Ever heard on Evian?” “Um…Melissa, this is a bar, as in you get an alcoholic beverage.” “I pass,” I told Lillie, completely objecting to the idea of drinking. Minutes later, we turned around to find a group of people from our chorus just walking through the door. “Spencer,” I yelled over the music as I stood up flailing my arms. He walked up and gave me a hug. “If any strange European guys try to hit one me again, I’m counting on you to protect me,” I laughed as Lillie recalled the scene to him. He laughed; Spencer had always been like a big brother to me and I could always count of him. “Ya wanna go dance,” he asked. “Yea, I was just about to head out there and make a fool of myself. Lillie,” I pointed to the dance floor, “you only get the chance once in your life.” “No, I can’t dance plus I don’t really wanna.” “Ok,” I shook my head at her as I took Spencer’s arm and we made our way onto the dance floor.
Lillie: I sat there in my own solitary world, sipping my beer and watching people look like asses. I looked at Melissa who had made her way to the middle of the dance floor full of energy and having the time of her life. She seemed so free and full of life out there. I was seeing a side of her I had never seen before and I could tell that this trip was a good thing for her. I thought that if anyone would get anything out of it, it would be Melissa. She was so innocent; I couldn’t even see her having a boyfriend. The Taylor Hanson story…I didn’t believe a word of it. It sounded like another one of her fairy tale stories. Of course she would pick Taylor, she’s been a fan for the longest time, ever since I meet her. I wouldn’t even tell her what that French guy really said. He had said something along the lines of…well the first part about beauty then something like, “will you have sex with me.” What I said? “She’s a 17 year old virgin and one of my best friends. She’s innocent and I’d like to keep her that way. Plus, she has a boyfriend & he’s a Rock Star.” He backed off pretty quick surprisingly, probably cause I was twice his scrawny size. I watched as they made their way back up to the table. “Well, I think I’m gonna go,” I told Melissa standing up. “Oh, ok. Hold on, I’m coming.” “Oh, don’t worry about it, you’re having fun, stay here.” “I’m not letting you go out by yourself,” it was then that I felt bad for letting her go out by herself this morning as the three of us lie in bed too lazy to lift a finger. She gave Spencer a quick hug and said her goodbyes and we stepped out of the noisy club into the cool night air.
Chapter 6