Chapitre Quatre
"Vous n'êtes pas, vous me entendez? Abattre, notre entreprise, notre maison! Vous ne avez aucune compassion? Aucun sens? Vous devriez avoir honte!"
"Dakota, quiet!" Aunt Maharet turned to Dakota and said. Dakota was fuming. Her eyes were big and her pupils were heavily dilated. She jutted out her jaw like she always did when she was pissed.
"So, tell me, why again do you want to tear down the hotel?" Aunt Maharet asked in a smooth tone.
We were in a room on the twenty-seventh floor of an enterprising business in downtown LA. The sun was bright outside, and the sky was blue, and the skyscrapers rose like massive gray trees into the air. Manufactured trees.
"Because Ms. Bekar," the big boss, Mr. Carthwell, in his gray suit and orange tie, leaned forward. "You have substantial property. We feel we could use it-"
"To do what!" Daniela said. "You haven't the slightest logical explanation! You don't want any other property in this huge city? In this state?" She rolled her big, gorgeous eyes and crossed her arms. "And why out there? We're thirty miles from the city. Surely there is mass property closer."
"That's just it Ms.-"
"Daniela." Her eyes tumbled again.
"Ms. Daniela. I'm sure you know there is valuable property in your area. The forests, the creek. All perfect areas to use."
"What makes you think," Aunt Maharet jumped in. "That we aren't using that property? Do you not think that maybe, one day, we'll renovate that property? Mr. Carthwell, I know, with you being a business man-"
"Lâche." I heard Daniela say beside me. I squeezed her hand under the table.
"It'll be okay." I whispered. Her response was a tiny nod.
"-you know good things when you see them. However, like my daughter said, you have no logical reason to tear down a place that is still perfectly functioning and is bringing the state of California plenty of money every year."
"Ms. Bekar...."
∆
It was five o'clock by the time the last talk was insinuated. We had been in and out of that room three times over the past five hours, discussing and arguing over tactical matters. Each time we adjourned, something else was accounted for. Mostly nonsense though. They had no reason really, they just were tired of seeing the same thing there. Or if it even was that, I'll never be sure. There just simply was no logic.
The last meet came, so again we sat there. Dakota immediately put her head down from being so tired of hearing the useless talk.
" Lâches. Scélérats de lâcheté." She said over and over again. 'Cowards. Cowardice scoundrels' she said.
I got a text from Jesse a few hours ago asking what I was doing and if I wanted to come practice with them. I told him I was at a meeting, and who knew how long it was going to take. Of course, all this was at three. Two hours later, I get another text from him, saying:
~Yo bro, u comn or what?~
•Its almost over I think. But yeah I should be there soon. Your place?•
~u know it!~
I was pumped and excited.
There were ten other people in the room at all times hearing the arguments. A jury, I guess. So, that made a total of fifteen people to vote: yes, tear it down or no, keep it up. The final decision would be made by a vote.
"All in favor of tearing down the hotel?" Mr. Carthwell asked.
I counted the hands. One...two...three...
"Sept." Daniela said. Seven. Seven hands up for the tear down.
"All in favor of keeping it up?"
One, two, three, four, five, six....
..seven.
The math was off somewhere. Only fourteen people voted out of fifteen. Who were we missing?
"Dakota darling." Maharet shook Dakota's shoulder. She stirred and stretched.
"You know my answer."
"Do you vote for keeping-"
"Do I vote for keeping, blah blah blah, yes!" She mocked the boss man. "Of course I vote to keep it! Fucker!"
"Dakota!" Maharet stood and grabbed her daughter by the shoulders. "Enough!"
Utterly taken aback, and defeated as he should be, Mr. Carthwell signed the papers then turned them over to Aunt Maharet. "Your hotel will remain."
∆
That night the girls left to go hang out together, and I joined The NBHD at Jesse's house. All the boys were there, and so were some chicks and definitely drinks.
"Hey, remember Anabelle?" Zach came up to me with a tall blonde with a small waist and perky chest. My blood pumped.
Then Zach laughed. "You thought she was her didn't you?"
"I still do." I said.
He gave a hearty laugh. Well, hearty enough for a tipsy Zach Abels.
"Nah man. This is Gwen. Say hi to our drummer Gwen."
Drummer? Really?? Really!!
"Hi." She said.
I was quite liking this. Mikey was sitting on his amp box with another blonde forcefully making out, and two other girls played Just Dance on the Wii. Zach was on the couch surrounded by more girls, and Jeremy was cooking. Jesse was surprisingly no where to be -
"Woah!" I jumped at the feel of someone touching my shoulder. It was The Man himself, Rutherford.
"Hey everyone, listen up!" He yelled.
The room got quiet.
"In order to do this celebration properly, we need to propose a toast!"
"A toast!" Everyone repeated.
"A toast to our new drummer, Brandon Fried!"
Someone popped a confetti gun and streamers and confetti went everywhere. Cheers were loud and I got several pats on the back.
"Way to go Brandon! Jesse whispered to me before dispersing into the crowd.
Could things get better?
