Ch 39: Is It Just Me?

                                    

                                          
"It's so..."
                          
"Hannah Montana movie Let's Get Crazy vibes?"
                          
Hina laughed. "That's oddly specific and I don't get the reference, but if what you mean is that it's super colorful...well you're right!"
                          
Shivani smiled. "Basically yes! Though now that I think about it the Hannah Montana movie was based on the Santa Monica pier and this is Venice Beach so wrong reference."
                          
There was a strip of cute little stores beside a pavement where people were skateboarding next to the beach. There were tons of people wearing all kinds of colorful outfits and several different live artists all mixing together. Shivani heard a violinist, a girl singing an acoustic version of "Halo" by Beyoncé, and a live band playing a rendition of a Beatles song.
                          
Hina linked her arm through Shivani's and they explored the shops. They tried on ridiculous T-shirts, bought the most touristy sunglasses and magnets they could, and tried all this ridiculous fried food. I mean fried oreos...who asked for this? Americans apparently liked to deep fry everything edible and call it their speciality. 
                          
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They were sitting on the beach and watching the sunset. The sky was a beautiful mixture of red, pink, orange, and purple and it just didn't feel real. 
                          
"So can we talk about the Ashley situation?"
                          
"Ashley? Why?"
                          
"Well I mean...what happened to her? Is she out of the competition?"
                          
Hina shrugged. "Honestly I hope so."
                          
"But she didn't do anything wrong right? Ylona framed her."
                          
Hina nodded. "Yeah but she's racist and that should be enough of an issue for her to be sent home."
                          
"You sound like Noah."
                          
"Well, he's right. She might not have been involved in the Ylona situation in a bad way but she definitely made so many people uncomfortable. I mean didn't she also ask you all those uncomfortable and directed questions?"
                          
Shivani nodded. "But then she texted me after the whole Ylona situation and I never responded because I didn't know what to say and then...I can't help but think that she didn't mean to be racist? Maybe she just didn't know what to say?"

                          
Hina shrugged. "Look I don't know enough about America or the culture here, but after the airport incident where I was yelled at to speak English, I think there's racism here like any country and we can try to sympathize and understand, but at the end of the day, she doesn't belong in Now United if she's like that. I mean she's representing America...don't you think Noah would be better?"
                          
Shivani nodded. "You're right."
                          
"I think it's good that you want to see the good in everyone, but at some point we have to grow up and not be naive. Ashley never apologized to you or anyone else so why should we have to give her the benefit of the doubt? She has to earn it and she hasn't done anything to do that."
                          
Shivani sighed. "I feel like everyone here has so much life experience and they know how they think about the world and I just...I don't."
                          
Hina shrugged. "I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. So what if you're optimistic? We need some of that and technically we are all kids. Besides you flew out to Los Angeles to audition for the Simon Fuller...I think you're doing just fine on the life experience front."
                          
Shivani shrugged. "I can't help but think that I'm not ready for this experience and that I need to do some growing up."
                          
"I think that's exactly why you're right for this experience. This experience can help show you the world and open you up to all these cool things."