Destination: Egypt and Drama

I started reading this book called True Love, The Sphinx, and Other Unsolvable Riddles by Tyne O’Connel, author of various romantic comedies and writer for magazines like Vogue and Elle. This is what has happened through the first chapters. I am getting an introduction to the different personalities of four teenagers, around the age of 16, who are about to go on a school trip to Egypt. Two of them come from a school called Browers in New York. Their names are Sam and Salah. Sam loves photography but he devotes most of his time to getting any girl he likes. There is also his best friend Salah, who is originally from Egypt, where he lived when he was little until his grandparents died. He is way more thoughtful and calm and has other interests in life besides girls.

On the other hand, there is Octavia and Rosie, two English girls who attend Queens Ladies College in London. Octavia practically has the world at her feet. She is astonishingly beautiful, although there is a secret that she keeps from everyone…She is extremely poor. Octavia has to make her own clothes, and live under a house with a roof that can't even shelter her family from the rain. That is why she makes everyone believe that she is wealthy and doesn’t have any worries even if deep inside she does. She is also super flirty and gets any boy she wants just like her best friend Rosie, a complete introvert that loves music. Rosie is also beautiful and very stylish but she always seems to get the second plate, since Octavia always gets the cuter boys. She spends a lot of time in her computer mixing melodies and creating music of her own.  

 These four characters happen to meet on their respective school trips in Egypt, and here is where all the plot starts. Rosie and Octavia falls for the handsome and well dressed Salah. Sam falls for gorgeous Octavia. And Rosie caught Salah’s eye. Let the trouble begin!

"I like to give the impression that there is nothing more to my life than the persuit and conquest of girls. I know there's a lot more to life than girls, but it amuses me to think that everybody else figures I haven't worked that out yet." -SAM (O'Connell, 7)

 When Sam said this, I kind of felt sorry for him. He has created a reputation for himself that doesn't let him express new thoughts or ideas. Why can't he just tell the society that he has changed? Why would Sam like to be seen as someone who isn't the way he truly is? I guess that he, as a teenager is pretty insecure of what  society might think of him if he was different. Maybe he just wants other people to think that he is cool or amazing by acting all careless about anything besides girls and photography. Will he change after this school trip? Will he decide to change that impression he gives of himself?

"I invented a whole Outer London Zone Phobia so that people would imagine my refusal to visit their places in the country or go abroad was a delightful madness rather than asking my broker-than-broke Papa for travel money." -OCTAVIA (O'Connell, 14)

I realized that if I were in Octavia's place I probably would have done something really similar. Who wants to be pitied? Although, if her friends were real they would still be with her even if she is poor. Why doesn't Octavia trust her friends and tell the truth? It was really interesting of her to make this Outer London Zone Phobia up, but will this protect her image or destroy her friendship with all of those who believe that it is actually true? Will Octavia be able to pull this "I am not poor" act without hurting the ones she cares for?

I am really looking forward to read the next chapters and find out what will happen next. Will Octavia and Rosie fight  for Salah or will Rosie just back off as usual to let Octavia get the first prize? Will Sam use his flirting skills to steal Octavia's attention away from Salah? Will someone find out about Octavia's little secret? I just hope that the four of them will be able to work things out without fighting among each other even if it sounds almost impossible.  See you next time in Scriptum Interpretations for whatever comes next in this novel.  :)