CHATROOM
LOVE
Chapter Twenty-Seven
November 16, 2001
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jack and Rose looked out the window with interest as
the plane circled around before heading for the runway. It was a clear night,
so they had been able to see the cities and towns on the ground below as they
had passed over them. With growing excitement, they had watched the lights of
Las Vegas come into view, first heralded by a long line of traffic on the
highway leading toward the city.
The trip had taken less time than expected, the plane
pushed along by a strong tailwind. This same tailwind had resulted in some
turbulence, causing Rose to be airsick, but she felt fine as they landed,
leaning against Jack as she looked past him out the window, marvelling at
actually being in Las Vegas.
Jack had been to Las Vegas before, but only as a small
child while his parents drove through on the way to and from other vacation
spots, and it had never interested him then as it did now, with a weekend with
his friends and girlfriend to look forward to, as well as a concert at the end
of the trip.
A passing flight attendant gingerly took the barf bag
from Rose—naturally, she hadn’t gotten sick until after she’d consumed a good
portion of pop and pretzels—and moved on, allowing Jack, Rose, and the man who
had been sharing their row of seats to stand up and move into the aisle.
Rose retrieved her carry-on bag and started towards
the front of the plane, grabbing Jack’s arm and dragging him along when he
seemed to move too slowly for her liking. This was her first trip to Las Vegas,
and she wanted to enjoy every minute of it.
They met the others in the baggage claim area, first
class having been let off the plane before coach. Everyone looked to be
enjoying themselves except Tommy, who looked a little pale.
"What’s wrong with him?" Rose whispered to
Dawn, finding her suitcase and picking it up.
Dawn smirked. "He got airsick. The big, strong
football captain can’t handle turbulence."
"Neither can Rose," Jack interjected, coming
to Tommy’s defence. "And she got airsick after she’d eaten."
"Jack! Don’t tell them that!" Rose
protested, glaring at him.
Jack just laughed, as did the others. "It’s good
to know that first class isn’t that much nicer than coach." He got his
suitcase as it came around the carousel.
Dawn’s parents were listening to the whole exchange
and trying not to laugh. "We’re going to go to the hotel first," Mrs.
Bergen told them. "We’ll leave our luggage there. Now, what do you want to
do after that?"
"Can we go to a casino?" Dawn asked.
"Maybe play some slot machines?"
"No," her parents responded.
"It’s illegal," Jack added.
"You don’t think I could pass for eighteen?
Wait…what is the legal gambling age here?"
"Twenty-one. No," he added. "I don’t
think you could. Anyway, they’d probably want ID."
"Damn." Dawn looked disappointed. "What
else can we do around here?"
"How about a late dinner?" Tommy suggested,
his earlier motion sickness forgotten.
Fabrizio stared at him. "You want to eat now?
After that plane ride?"
"Well, I feel fine now," Tommy said
defensively. "Anyway, I’m hungry."
Dawn reached up and patted him on the head.
"You’re cute. Just don’t complain to me if you get sick again."
"Well, I’m hungry, too," Rose added,
deciding the issue. "Let’s go to the hotel and then decide where to
go."
After going through customs, they walked out to the
pick-up zone, Jack and Rose staring in surprise as a long, black limousine
pulled in and stopped, the chauffeur getting out and reaching for their
luggage.
"Was this part of the prize, too?" Jack
asked, staring at the luxurious vehicle.
Mr. Bergen shook his head. "No. I called and
rented it. It seemed like the best way to transport all of us and keep us
together."
"Wow." The six teenagers piled into the
limousine, settling back in the seats. None of them rode in a limousine on a
regular basis, not even Dawn, Rose, or Tommy, all of whom came from wealthy
families. The adults climbed in after them, more sedately than the excited
kids.
After they had dropped their belongings off in their
hotel rooms, they asked the limousine driver for his recommendation of a
restaurant, finally settling on a small, casual one not affiliated with a
casino. Dawn craned her neck at every casino they passed, longing to try the
slot machines just once, but her parents were adamantly opposed to the idea.
All through dinner, the six teenagers argued over what
to do the next day, finally settling on a trip to the mall in the afternoon and
an amusement park in the evening. Rose and Dawn were determined to find the
perfect outfits to wear to the concert, and encouraged Helga to do the same,
despite her protests that she didn’t have much money.
The guys weren’t terribly interested in new clothes,
but exploring an American mall with different stores than the ones they were
used to was a novelty for all of them except Jack, who had grown up in
California and had had his pick of malls to go to when he wanted. Still, even
he had to admit that it would be more fun to hang out at the mall with his
friends, rather than being dragged around by his parents or sister.
That decided, they returned to the hotel, and were in
and out of each other’s rooms for the next two hours, in spite of the elder
Bergens attempts to keep an eye on them. The excitement of a weekend in a
foreign country with little supervision proved to be more temptation than they
could resist, and it was only after the adults abandoned their own room and
moved into the teenagers’ rooms to chaperone them did they finally settle down.