Free Spain or Shine by Michelle Jellen Page B

Cruz didn’t have to start up a long conversation every time they were alone together. It reminded her of being with her own dad—a quiet comfort.
    Elena went to her room, slipped on her iPod headphones, and cued up some old Nick Drake. It was great for studying. She glanced at the slick cover of her Spanish textbook. Her first Spanish term paper was due Tuesday, and she hadn’t even begun to think about it. She sat on the bed and pulled the textbook onto her lap. Her pen was poised above a crisp blank sheet of paper, but she couldn’t focus on the Spanish assignment. Instead she found her mind wandering through possibilities for the first playwriting assignment, which was also due on Tuesday. She was itching to get started. She shoved the textbook aside and began sketching out a scene.
    Last spring she and Gwen had gotten into an argument over who should be able to wear the Tracy Reese dress they shared. With both of their money put together they had been able to afford the dress, but sharing caused some conflicts. Well, actually only one. Elena put her pen to paper and started scribbling.
    Their fight over the dress had come the day after Joe Cipriani had asked Gwen out. That was when she had convinced herself Gwen would always end up with the things Elena wanted. She worked a couple lines of dialogue into the beginning to make it clear that this argument was about more than just sharing a dress.
    As she wrote she was unaware of anything going on around her. She didn’t hear Alita and Señora Cruz come home. She didn’t notice when the rain stopped. The only things that existed in the world were the scene, her pen, and the sheet of paper where her thoughts unfolded.
    When she was done, she set her pen down and glanced up at the clock. She was stunned to find that two hours had passed. She’d been so absorbed she hadn’t even noticed.
    Elena peeped out the window and was surprised to find a slice of yellow sunlight showing through a break in the clouds. She was giddy about the scene she’d written, and there was one person she wished she could share it with. She missed Claire. She knew one of the reasons she’d come to Spain was to meet new people, but at that moment she longed for the easy comfort of an old friend.
    Elena walked into the front room and called out to Señora Cruz, who was cleaning up in the kitchen.
    â€œSeñora Cruz, I’m going to the Internet café in town. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
    â€œTake your time,” Señora Cruz called as Elena headed out. She walked toward the Internet café she’d seen in the parte vieja. She knew it would be cheaper to e-mail Claire from the multimedia center at school on Monday, but she couldn’t wait. She was so excited about her writing, and she knew Claire was the one person who would understand. Plus, she wanted to fill her in on Miguel.
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Subject: tapas, not topless
    Â 
    Claire,
    Well, we went to the tapas bars last night for the first time. (It sounds like topless bars if you say it fast, as my friend Alex pointed out.) But they aren’t like that at all. They’re these really fun, relaxed places where you serve yourself from rows and rows of plates on top of the bar. The whole thing was very social—you would have loved it!
    I should probably also mention that I fell for a boy last night. His name is Miguel, and he’s beautiful from every angle. Too bad he’s after my friend Jenna. I guess I’ll just have to admire him from afar—it’s what I do best.
    I really wish you were in this play production class with me. I just finished writing the first assignment, and I’ve never felt so excited about homework. In fact, it didn’t feel like work at all. You know how people say that everyone has a talent, or something that they really love more than anything? I really think playwriting could be my thing.