FicWad

'Christina, wouldn't wanna meet her, she hates you, Britney, so you'd better run for cover...' blasted my phone from under my pillow.

"Ugh," I moaned, pulling it out. "Who'd want to ring at goddamn three in the morning?" I looked at the display window on the front of my phone.

'STEPHANIE BRAZIL HOME' it read. My heart immediately began beating at a hundred beats per nanosecond. Stephanie was my best ever friend. We did everything together. We had been through everything together. When Ethan cheated on me, she was there. When Paul broke up with her and began spreading rumours about her, I was there. When my cousin died of cancer, she came over to Germany with me for the funeral and held my hand right through. When her brother was killed in a car accident, I sat with her through the sleepless nights leading to the cremation and the many sleepless, tear-filled nights following.

Now, our friendship was facing it's hardest stumbling block ever. Stephanie had moved. Not just any old move, the God of all moves. Stephanie had moved to Brazil, her mother's home country. I gave her the greatest send-off possible. Let's just say I have connections in the music scene and managed to wrangle backstage passes to a Good Charlotte concert. I saw her off at the airport the next morning, tears flowing from both of our cheeks. This was the first call I'd had from her in the three months since she had moved. It was safe to say I was excited...

"OH MY GOD, STEPHI-DOODLES!" I screamed. "I can't believe it! I have so much to tell you about...Jake started walking last night!"

"No way!" I could hear her grin in her strange hybrid of a Portuguese-Irish accent. "Do you have any videos?"

"Yeah!" I said excitedly. "I took one on my webcam; I'll e-mail it to you!"

"That's awesome, I can't...wait," she paused. "I need to talk to you about something. Log onto MSN."

"Fine," I sighed. "Talk to you in a few minutes?"

"Of course. Bye!"

"Bye!" I snapped my phone shut.

I plugged my laptop out of the charger, and opened it on my lap. While the stupid slow Internet set itself up, I set up my webcam. I logged onto MSN and grinned seeing that 'Stephi-Noodles-Doodles luvs Jorge-Whorey!' was online. The use of fruity nicknames meant it could only be one person. Stephanie. I quickly clicked on her and opened a conversation, then sent a video call request. I grinned as her image filled the screen, waving.

"Chloe," she said breathlessly. "Check your e-mail." I checked the e-mail counter in the corner.

"No new messages," I shrugged.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Stupid Chloe..." she muttered.

"Stephanie," I rolled my eyes right back. "Webcam? Microphone?" I pointed at the devices.

"Oh, yeah..." she blushed. "I'll forward you the e-mail, kay?"

"Kay," I sighed. "But if it's another stupid quiz result from gurl.com, I'm not reading it."

"It's not," Stephanie smiled slyly. I watched her lean forward and type my address in, before she clicked her mouse triumphantly. My computer dinged, and Stephanie smiled.

'One new message from Stephanie McGuinness.'

"Read it out loud!" Stephanie said excitedly.

"Fine..." I sighed. "Dear Colaiste Iosagain student." I paused, giving Stephanie a strange look.

"I'm still on their mailing list," she shrugged.

"Makes sense," I nodded. I stopped reading out loud, choosing to read from the computer instead.

Dear Colaiste Iosagain student,

We are pleased to offer a foreign exchange program this summer. It will be available to a select few, honour roll, Leaving Certificate level students. The locations are following:

- Buenos Aries, Argentina
- Hobart, Australia
- Newcastle, Australia
- Vienna, Austria
- Brasilia, Brazil
- Calgary, Canada
- Quebec, Canada
- Shanghai, China
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Helsinki, Finland
- Bordeaux, France
- Dijon, France
- Paris, France
- Berlin, Germany
- Leipzig, Germany
- Munich, Germany
- Mumbai, India
- Tuscany, Italy
- Oslo, Norway
- Durban, South Africa
- Girona, Spain
- Seville, Spain
- Birmingham, United Kingdom
- London, United Kingdom
- Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Chicago, USA
- New York, USA
- San Francisco, USA

If you are interested in applying for this programme, please hand in a copy of your Junior Certificate results, destination of choice and passport into reception before the 21st of March. We will notify you if you have a place in the destination of your choice. Please note, only one student can travel to each destination.

Yours sincerely,

P. Bennett, Principal.

"Oh my God," I breathed. "I can come to Brazil."

"Yeah!" Stephanie grinned happily. "It'll be awesome, we can go into town and...wait, wait, wait. Are you still in honours?"

"Yes!" I smiled. "Just a second."

I pulled my Junior Certificate results out, hooked up my scanner, then copied and printed them. Then I scanned my passport, before quickly typing and printing out a letter, which said I wanted to go to Brasilia. I was ready for the next day.

"Stephanie," I yawned. "It's late, and I have to be up for school tomorrow. Chat next week?"

"Of course," she smiled sadly. I kissed the webcam, before signing off. I collapsed into bed, tired from my night (morning?) of excitement.

The next morning, I woke to Joel Madden's voice, yet again. Only this time, it was my alarm ringing. I quickly got out of bed, throwing on a tight Good Charlotte t-shirt (I have a slight Good Charlotte obsession), a short, dark skirt, a pair of black footless tights and my new Offspring edition Vans. I stuffed the documents I had printed out last night into my Blink-182 backpack, ran downstairs and out the door, calling a 'goodbye' over my shoulder. When I reached the school, I checked my phone.

"Damn!" I exclaimed. "8 AM? I'm early!" So I decided to ring my best friend (by default), Martha, and we met in our favourite cafe, Chocolate Soup, for breakfast. I ordered my favourite breakfast, fruit salad and a smoothie, then I ordered what I knew was Martha's, waffles and hot chocolate. I sat down in a booth opposite Martha.

"So did you get an e-mail about the exchange programme?" I asked.

"Chloe, those came two weeks ago!" Martha smiled. "Did you not hear everybody talking about it?"

"Martha, I was in hospital getting my fucking tonsils out two weeks ago," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh," she reddened slightly. "That explains a lot. Well, yeah...the closing date is Wednesday; you better get your applications in fast."

"Yeah, I have mine in my bag," I pointed. "Where did you apply for?"

"Hobart," she smiled. "You?"

"I'm applying for Brasilia," I said, stabbing the piece of melon with my fork, then dipped it into the chocolate.

"Cool," she smiled. "I miss Steph."

"Me too," I said longingly. "You have no idea how much. I wish she could be here."

"Me too," Martha agreed. "But, you know, if she was here, we would have already been kicked out of this place for being disorderly."

"Yeah!" I laughed. "At least that's one advantage to her not being here."

"It's a quarter to nine," Martha checked her watch. "We better go." I slurped down the last of my smoothie, then followed Martha out and into school. I handed my forms to Angela, the receptionist, and the subject of the exchange trip left my mind for the next two weeks.

Exactly two weeks later, I found myself sitting on my bed with my laptop in my lap again. I was talking to Stephanie (again).

"You'll never guess what Jorge did for me today, it was so sweet!" Stephanie gushed.

'New message from Colaiste Iosagain', my computer dinged.

"Just a second, Steph," I said, clicking on the e-mail.

Dear Chloe A. Kenny,

Thank you for your application for the Colaiste Iosagain Exchange Programme. We are sorry to inform you that the destination 'Rio de Janeiro, Brazil' was unavailable.

I stopped reading after that point. I felt tears spring to my eyes. It must have shown on my face, because Stephanie noticed.

"What's wrong, Coco-Balls?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm not coming to Brazil," I sobbed.

"Why not?" I saw tears in the corner of her eyes, too.

"Somebody else got my place!"

"That stupid jackass...if I ever get hold of him or her..." she growled.

"Wait!" I stopped her. "There's more!"

"Read it out loud!" Stephanie bounced up and down.

"We have secured a place for you in either Chicago, USA or Durban, South Africa. Please reply to this e-mail immediately informing us of your preference." I thought for a second.

"Durban! Casey lives there! I'll pick Durban!"

"No, wait, don't!" Stephanie held out her hand.

"What?" I paused. "Why?"

"My aunt lives in Chicago!" she was really hyper and excited. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind me staying for her for a month in the summer!"

"No way!" I began bouncing up and down. "I am so picking Chicago!" I quickly typed out an e-mail and clicked 'send'.

'New message from Colaiste Iosagain,' my computer dinged again.

"Read it out loud, read it out loud!" Stephanie exclaimed.

Dear Chloe A. Kenny,

Thank you for choosing the destination 'Chicago, USA'. You will be staying with Elizabeth Gutierrez at her house at:

Number 219
1357 Wilmette Ave.,
Wilmette, IL,
60091.

Your flight details are as follows:

Departing Dublin International Airport, 10th July, 03:55, Local time. Flight Number: BA294
Departing O Hare International Airport, 12th August, 23:20, Local time. Flight Number: BA178

Please print out the following consent form and return it to reception before 15th May. We will inform you of the price in the coming weeks.

Yours sincerely,

O. Stack, Parent's Council.

"Oh my God!" Stephanie gushed. "Auntie Maya lives in Wilmette!"

"No way!" I grinned. This was the happiest I had been in weeks. "This is going to be amazing! Ring Maya now, ask her!" I watched as Stephanie dialled a number into her phone, and began a discussion in Portuguese.

"Yup, it's fine!" she hung up, laughing slightly.

"Book your flights!" I urged her. I watched as she pulled out her credit card and booked flights.

"There!" she clicked, triumphantly. "Transfer to Sao Paolo's, then onward to O Hare International on July 8th!"

"Oh my God!" we said in unison. Yup, we were best friends all right.

"I gotta go now," I yawned. "See ya round, Stephi-Doodles!"

"Catch you on the flip-flop, Coco-Balls!" she laughed. We both kissed our webcams, then I signed out. Like the night I discovered the programme, I flopped onto my bed.

Again, Joel Madden woke me up. This time, I pulled on a tight Bullet for my Valentine t-shirt, a pair of skinny white jeans and a pair of black and white Converse pumps. This time, I got my Mom to fill out the consent form before running out the door. I made sure to leave extra early, so I could fit in breakfast with Martha, at Chocolate Soup. It had become a tradition of ours.

"Hey Mars Bar," I sat down in the booth. Martha had obviously ordered already, because a fruit salad and a smoothie sat before me. "Did you get an e-mail about the exchange?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "I'm going to Leipzig."

My face drained of colour and I stared down at the fruit salad. Leipzig. Where Paul, my cousin lives. Sorry, used to live. I swallowed a few times.

"No wonder you picked there," I smiled slightly. "Friedrich Nietzsche."

"One must pay dearly for immortality," Martha quoted our favourite philosopher. "One has to die several times while still alive." Breakfast passed quietly. I think I said about two words in that half hour. We went to school and we both handed in our consent forms.

Two months passed quickly, and on Thursday, the 9th of July, I found myself sitting in a Starbucks in Dublin airport, sipping mocha, laptop open in front of me, talking to Stephanie.

"So what's the weather like?" I asked.

"I'd like to say good, I really would...but it's about to rain," she shrugged.

"Much to do in Wilmette?"

"Eh, bowling alley, cinema, skate park, the usual..." she shrugged. "And some kick-ass clubs."

"Ha, sounds cool," I laughed. I listened carefully. "Here, my flights boarding, I gotta go."

"See you later!" she giggled. "It's great to be able to say that and actually mean it!"

We kissed the webcam and I closed my laptop and packed it and the webcam into my laptop bag. I joined the priority queue (being a minor has it's advantages!) and picked the window seat on the plane.

I readied myself for eight hours of non-stop Sims 2. I knew it was worth it, because after the flying, after all the money my Mom and Dad spent, after all the air-sickness and jet-lag, I would be reunited with my best friend.

Thanks to Steph and Martha for letting me include them. Love you, girlies!

Title is from 'Today' by The Smashing Pumpkins, who me, Steph and our friend, Rachael, went to see last month! Amazing! Oh...and the lyric at the beginning, where the phone rings, is 'Riot Girl' by Good Charlotte. Also a band I've seen live, also amazing! Also, did anyone get the Nietzsche referance? I love philosophy (and politics) and Nietzsche is my favourite philosopher.

Reviews and concrit is much appreciated! It'd bring a big smile to my face!