by Holly Smale
And I’m hit by a wave of overwhelming tenderness. Just look at him, so happy and shiny in his natural habitat.
Oh wow, I’ve missed him.
My heart is pounding, my hands tingling, my cheeks flushing, and before I can even get the cameras working I’m running towards him. Cue music, lights, sound and happiness—
Any second now—
SOMETHING makes him stop and turn round.
Now—
SOMETHING makes him stop and turn round.
Now, Jamie.
With a frown, he reaches into a pocket, pulls his phone out, looks at it, then puts it away again.
SOMETHING makes him stop and turn—
I’m standing directly behind him.
‘Jamie?’
‘Jamie?’
‘Jamie?’ I tap him on the shoulder.
Then Jamie jumps and spins to face me. I light up and the soundtrack explodes and it’s just me and it’s just him and it’s just everything.
Then his whole face hardens.
‘Hope, what the hell are you doing here?’
HOPE AND JAMIE stare at each other in silence, cheeks flushing, hearts beating in unison.
It’s fine.
It’s fine it’s fine it’s fine it’s fine – he’s happy to see me happy to see me he’s happy …
JAMIE
(holding her face in his hands)
I can’t believe it. I thought I’d never see you again.
‘Like, seriously. What are you doing in California?’
HOPE
Oh, Jamie. I never doubted in us for a single second.
‘I … uh …’ I stick my hands out. ‘Surprise?’
JAMIE
I never should have. I never will again.
‘Well, yeah, obviously.’ Jamie glances at his friends, still balancing on top of each other behind us. ‘I don’t understand – I thought I’d never see you again.’
Hold up – that line didn’t have the right emphasis. The stress should be on see not thought. Maybe I should ask him to do it again.
‘I’m just … visiting my dad. For a holiday. You know, he’s working out here. I missed you. And you … said if I was ever in Los Angeles to look you up. So here I am … I did.’
But Jamie’s face hasn’t changed; there’s tension in his jawline, as if he’s carved out of stone.
Silence.
‘I-I didn’t think it through,’ I continue quickly, starting to feel a bit nauseous. ‘I’m s-so sorry, Jamie, I should have warned you I was coming. You’re busy with your friends. I should have called—’
Jamie suddenly smiles brightly and puts his arm round me.
‘Hey, I’m just surprised! You should have told me you were coming.’
My entire body is suddenly so slack with relief it’s an effort not to lie down flat on the ground with my face in the grass. ‘You’re not … mad?’
‘Why would I be mad?’ Jamie grins widely. ‘So unexpected, though! I thought you were thousands and thousands and thousands of miles away. Wow, check out your outfit! Only you, Hope, would wear black satin to a beach. What have you done to your pants?’
I look down awkwardly.
‘It’s …’ Why have I got earrings stuck in my trousers? Who made that dumb decision? ‘They’re not— I wanted to … Look nice … But I got hot and— I probably look a bit silly, don’t I?’
I’ve never looked silly in Mercy’s clothes before.
Jamie laughs easily as I quickly bend down and unpin them. ‘You’re gorgeous, as always.’ He shakes my shoulder. ‘Now, why have you gotten shy?’
I flush. ‘Not sure really.’
‘Don’t be! Come meet my friends. We’re just doing Acroyoga or Y-basing – we do it after school most days. Here’s the Base – they’re the ones on the ground – then the Flyers – they’re in the air – and the Spotter, that’s what I was doing.’
Starting to relax – I wanted to surprise him and I really did! Target achieved! – I smile and wave at them. One very pretty blonde girl in a yellow leotard and grey leggings is in an impressive, bendy, upside-down circle, grabbing her ankles with her hands while she balances on the feet of a really muscled boy in an L-shape.
‘Hey!’ she shouts from the air. ‘Jay! Stop hitting on girls and get over here! I wanna try another plank on plank, but you’re the only one strong enough to do it with.’
Jamie laughs. ‘Bet you say that to all the guys, Abi.’
‘You bet your red board shorts I do.’
They’re both giggling so I giggle with them. ‘Can I have a go too?’ I step forward. ‘It looks really fun. I mean, just something really simple? Like—’ I look round the acrobatic group. ‘That one?’
A guy is kneeling on the ground and a girl is balanced on his thigh with her left leg out and one arm in the air.
I mean, how hard can standing on someone be?
‘That’s not safe,’ Jamie frowns. ‘We’ve been doing this for a really long time and you’re not trained. It requires pretty decent muscle tone in the legs, so it’s best if you watch us do it.’
‘Oh!’ I look down at my legs. ‘OK. Sure!’
I perch myself on the grass and watch Jamie do a push-up with Leotard Abi balanced in an identical push-up on top of him, facing the other way.
‘Don’t wiggle!’ She laughs, one arm in the air. ‘You’re wiggling!’
‘You’re dripping sweat on me, dirtbag!’
‘I am totally not!’
‘Soooo.’ A ginger guy stands up from where he’s been lying on the ground with his legs in the air. ‘You’re a new buddy of Jay’s, right? We go to school together. He’s the best, right? Such an awesome dude. Everyone loves him.’
‘Oh yes.’ I nod emphatically as Jamie pops Abi on to his shoulders. ‘He’s amazing. I guess you could call us “new buddies”, hahaha.’ I make ironic little bunny ears with my fingers. ‘I’m Hope.’
I say it humbly, like yes, I’m THAT Hope, the one he’s been talking about constantly, but let’s not make a big deal about it, OK?
‘Yeah? Cool. Jay’s gotta lot of new buddies. Popular guy, that one, haha. Where are you from then?’
I stare at him. ‘England.’
‘But where from originally?’
‘… Richmond.’
‘Well?’ Jamie hops over energetically while I’m still staring at the guy in shock. ‘What did you think? Pretty ace, huh?’
Blinking, I nod so hard my head hurts. ‘So ace.’
All I really want is to go for a stroll with Jamie while the sun goes down, hold hands, kiss and make our relationship official – maybe pat a few dogs together – but I suppose watching my nearly-boyfriend spin a semi-dressed girl in the air comes a close second.
‘Jamie?’ I ask instead. ‘Where are all the dogs?’
‘Huh?’ He waves at a girl walking past. ‘What are you talking about? What dogs?’
‘You said you were in Dogtown. So I thought—’
His friend laughs. ‘We’re in Santa Monica, dude. Why’re you telling cute girls we’re in Dogtown? That’s right down that way with all the skaters. You can’t even skate.’
‘Can so.’ Jamie scowls at him and pulls on a T-shirt. ‘And it’s basically Dogtown here.’
‘It’s not. Not even close. Nice try, though.’
The muscle in Jamie’s jaw is twitching again. I think it might be time to get this scene back on track.
HOPE JUMPS AND JAMIE CATCHES HER: swinging her into the air as she laughs, sun sparkling in her hair. Then he puts her down, slowly.
Beaming, I hop towards Jamie.
Then I fling my arms in the air, wrap them tightly round him and try to lift both feet up so he’s catching me. Except … Jamie stares at me without moving his arms so instead I’m just dangling round his neck.
Slowly, I let go of him and clear my throat.
HOPE
I thought about you all the time we were apart.
‘Jamie, I thought about
you all the time we were apart.’
JAMIE
I was a fool. A fool, I tell you. Hope, we can make this work, I know we can.
‘Cool.’ Jamie nods. ‘That’s cute of you.’
I blink.
HOPE
Distance means nothing when our hearts are joined together.
‘Distance means nothing when our—’ OK, that just sounds weird now. ‘Ah, never mind.’
I stand on my toes and lean up to him.
THEY K—
‘Come on,’ Jamie says, turning away and tugging my hand. ‘Let’s go play on the monkey bars.’
HOPE AND JAMIE are immediately in sync. They astonish everyone in the outdoor-gym-thing-hoopy-thing with their athletic prowess. They are the ULTIMATE COUPLE.
Standing under the huge steel poles, I rub my hands together. I might not be as sporty as Effie, but I’m pretty strong and bendy. It’s important, when you’re a movie star, to be able to do your own stunts – it makes filming cheaper for the producers, which is just respectful.
Gamely, I clap and jump up hard.
The hoops are way too high. My fingertips graze one of them and send it bouncing away.
‘Jamie, could you give me a leg-up?’ I squat and spit on my hands to give them more grip. ‘A little boost to start off with?’
He frowns. ‘It’s deceptively difficult. Watch.’
In seconds, Jamie has leapt into the air, grabbed a hoop and is hanging there confidently, tensed arm muscles gleaming in the sunshine. ‘See?’ He rocks backwards and forwards aggressively. ‘You’ve gotta get a swing going. Momentum, you know?’
I nod. ‘Ah. So then do I—’
But he’s gone, swinging powerfully from hoop to hoop, letting go in the middle of a swing, flying gracefully through the air and then – just as it looks like he’s about to fall – grabbing another and soaring into the sky again.
Hoop after hoop, until he’s twenty metres down the park.
He twists elegantly with a little mid-air spin and then starts curving back towards me. My stomach flutters: he’s so cute. I mean, who even knew that there were monkey bars for people over the age of six? Not me, that’s for sure. And who would have thought that so much enjoyment could be squeezed from jumping and swinging and being upside down for no reason? In England, people complain if there’s nowhere to sit on a train.
‘Amazing!’ I say, clapping my hands. ‘You’re brilliant! Now if you can just show me how to—’
Nope, he’s gone again.
So I sit down and make myself comfortable on the ground while I watch Jamie swing to the other end. When he gets there, he leaps off – landing with his hands in the air – and heads to a horizontal bar, grabbing it and doing thirty pull-ups. Then he finds a rope and starts climbing it with incredible agility.
When he’s down again, he gets on the ground and starts doing push-ups, grunting slightly and doing little claps in between. Push-up, grunt, clap! Push-up, grunt, clap! Then he hops up and does a few star jumps. I think maybe he’s working out for real now. So I get my phone out of my bag to check for messages.
I
AM
GOING
TO
YOU
I frown. Oh wait, another text just arrived.
KILL
Ahhh.
Hey Mer! How’s it going? Hope xx
I wait a few seconds, then:
DON’T YOU HOW’S IT GOING ME YOU LITTLE BUMCAT WHERE ARE ALL MY CLOTHES
Oh my goodness, she’s so dramatic. I didn’t break into her room the morning I left and take all of her clothes. Just the nice ones that looked good on me.
Calm down. I only borrowed a few items. Why do you always wear black, Mer? It’s very limited and not always flattering. Bring a bit of colour into your life! I can help beatificate you if you want xx
Beep beep.
OH MY GOD AND MY NEW GUCCI HANDBAG. WHY DO YOU NEVER HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE’S THINGS!!! OPEN YOUR DOOR AND GIVE THEM BACK RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR THE NEXT THING LEAVING THIS HOUSE IN A BAG WILL BE YOU.
I blink three times.
Wait – does Mercy think I’m in England? Does she think I’m still in my bedroom? I left yesterday morning – are you seriously telling me nobody in my house has noticed I’m no longer in the country?
Quickly, I type:
Effie, did you not get my letter? xx
A few seconds later:
What letter? It’s midnight – why are you awake? Come sleep in my bed if you want xxx
I smack the phone lightly on my forehead.
Just how invisible am I, on a day-to-day basis? How little of an impression do I make? When I’m a famous person, kidnapped and held to ransom, it’s going to get really awkward: nobody at home will notice and the kidnappers will have to give up and send me back with an apology note.
‘Were you watching?’ Jamie appears in front of me. ‘Or were you on your phone even though you asked me to show you?’
Flushing, I stick my phone back in my bag.
‘I was watching,’ I say, jumping up and clapping. ‘It was great, Jamie! Super impressive.’ What else can I say? ‘And … how … long … have … you … been … swinging from things?’
‘Oh, since I was a kid. I’ve been coming here for years, even though I live on the other side of town in Pasadena. But I’m not that strong, you know. Loads of people are better at it than me.’
Then Jamie grins radiantly, puts his hand in mine and tugs me towards him. A flush of joy ripples through my body.
‘Hope,’ he says quietly, cupping my face with his hands. ‘I really did miss you, you know.’ He’s gazing at me softly with his turquoise eyes. ‘I’m stoked you’re here, for however long I have you.’
I sigh happily and relax against his chest. ‘Me too. I just want to make the most of it.’
‘Absolutely,’ he beams, stroking the top of my head. ‘Let’s do that, baby. Let’s treasure every single second we have together, while we still have them.’
Then, slowly, he tilts my chin and kisses me.
And it’s exactly the same as it was in London: the soft warmth of his lips, the mint, the feel of his thumb brushing my jawline, the gorgeous fluttering in my stomach. We fit together so perfectly, as if I’m supposed to be here, like we’re part of the same—
OK, it’s over.
We start walking back towards his friends, hand in hand.
JAMIE
Guys? This is my girlfriend, Hope.
HOPE
Your … girlfriend?
JAMIE
(smiling)
Well, aren’t you?
‘So,’ I say chirpily as Abi waves at us and I wave back. ‘What do you fancy doing tomorrow? It’s Saturday, so I was thinking maybe we could—’
‘Whoa.’ Jamie stops walking. ‘Tomorrow? Hope, I gotta surfing trip planned with the guys.’
I blink. ‘Oh! But you just said—’
‘Well, yeah, but I didn’t know you were coming, did I? If you’d given me some warning, then maybe I could have rearranged, but I didn’t know you’d be here until, like, an hour ago.’
Dammit, why do films never tell you that romantic gestures can be irritatingly inconvenient? I should have sent some kind of Save the Date.
‘Sorry.’ I squeeze Jamie’s hand apologetically. ‘Of course. You’re right.’ Then I laugh. ‘Keen-bean over here, as per usual. Although … ooh, maybe I could come too? Surfing sounds really good fun and I actually brought my sister’s wetsuit with—’
‘WE’VE JUST SPENT ALL AFTERNOON TOGETHER.’
‘… But you literally just said you didn’t know I was here until an hour ago.’
‘Don’t be obtuse, Hope, you know what I meant.’
Jamie’s face is stone again and the muscle in his jaw is pulsing in and out.
‘I …’ My chin wobbles. ‘I’m s-sorry, I didn’t mean—’
‘Oh, baby,’ Jamie says, abruptly kissing my cheek. ‘Don’t get upset. It would
break me to see you cry. You know, I guess I’m used to doing whatever I wanna do. But of course I can spend time with you instead.’
I blink. ‘Th-thanks.’
‘I mean,’ he continues breezily, ‘you’re only in California on vacation, right? Like, how long are we talking? A week? Ten days max?’
I nod and he brightens further.
‘In that case, I’ll be mostly at school anyway. So … why don’t we spend all tomorrow together doing whatever you like? You choose.’
‘Really? Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely.’ He’s so gallant. ‘Tomorrow I’m all yours. I’ll put aside the awesome trip I wanna do and we can do whatever you wanna do instead. How does that sound?’
Erm, now I just feel guilty.
‘Jamie.’ I grab his hands. ‘That’s so sweet of you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pressure you. I’ve got loads of other things to do. I’ll hang out with my dad and talk to the computer house and—’
Jamie stops me with a finger on my lips.
‘Hope,’ he says softly. ‘Stop worrying, baby. There’s nothing I’d like more than to spend my spare time with you.’
TAKE TWO: HOPE wakes the next morning (tight frame round her eyes). Confused, her eyes widen. THE CAMERA pans out as A SLOW SMILE spreads across her face. She remembers.
SHE IS IN LOS ANGELES.
Grinning, HOPE yawns and spreads out luxuriously across an enormous bed covered in cream silk sheets.
‘Computer,’ I say loudly. ‘Open the blinds.’
With a click, the room fills with yellow sunshine. ‘Computer, play some Californian music, please.’
