Chapter Two: Just call me psychic
Two months earlier
"No." And that; is my final answer.
"Okay."
"Really?" my eyes widened.
"Fuck no, Al." Cameron snorted before stuffing a whole load of fries in his mouth. I rolled my eyes and let out an indignant huff, really wanting to lean back in the seat to show my distress but deciding against it. I don't feel like going home to disinfectant today. Instead, I just crossed my arms over my chest in a sulk, glaring at the giggling, dirty baby sitting two tables away. It shook it's rattle at me, gurgling happily. I think it's mocking me.
"Allie, come on...why not?" Latoya asked and I cleared my throat, turning to face her and prepared to give my speech which I had been rehearsing ever since they'd told me about fifteen minutes ago. Five of which were spent in a catatonic state of shock after they had just told me. Cameron pointed out that he was just about to call nine-one-one when I finally came to.
"Because –" I began primly but was interrupted.
"- you do not deviate from the plan. Right, right – now give me a real reason, Alexis Kennedy." Latoya sat back in her seat, chin defiant. Even with blue-stained lips, she still managed to look the picture of a demanding woman who doesn't back down and won't take any rubbish you shovel out. An image which would be pretty hard to pull off with blue lips but hey, that's Latoya for you.
"W-well, b-because," I sputtered, suddenly flailing as she just yanked my speech out from right under me, "I just can't! I don't deviate from my plans, Latoya. I never have and never will. And I do not appreciate having to be told to go on a road trip rather than asked. Plus, the idea of travelling across America in a cramped car, even with you guys no offence, does not appeal to me. I mean, for starters, where would we stay? Eat? We don't have enough money to last us the whole week!" I looked at her with triumph, certain I had won this argument.
"Toy, Alexis. Just call me Toy. Christ, what is up with you and nicknames? Besides, would you have said yes if we did ask?" Oh, buttersnaps. I frown before averting my eyes, not even gracing that with a response as we all knew it was rhetoric.
"Well, would you?" Cameron jumped in and both Latoya and I threw him scathing looks, "What?!" he asked through a mouthful of half-masticated cheese fries. Okay, so two-thirds of us knew then.
"Right, anyway, you are an idiot Alexis Kennedy. Seriously - a one-week road trip? Try one month. And as for where we'll stay and eat – well, they have this thing called a motel and, get ready for this, restaurants!" Latoya finished with jazz hands, a mock-surprise look on her face. Gosh, I hate her sometimes. I tell her this and she just laughs loudly, shaking her head. "You are going, Allie. No question."
"I am not." I glare at her.
"We asked your parents and they said yes." Cameron butts in, now preoccupied with licking his fingers. I shudder before beginning my protests.
"B-but what about Harvard?! I don't appreciate missing one semester much less a day to go on this stupid thing!"
"Shut up, Alexis because one: Harvard is a mighty respectable, well-renowned building and it has been your dream for years on end and it's not going to sink or be bulldozed or disappear into thin air if you even turn your back for a millisecond. Two: you should learn to relax now that you're in this road trip because rule number one for this road trip is no anal-retentiveness and three: I just have to ask you for once in your life, why can't you just deviate? What is so wrong about foregoing all thoughts of college and university and just having fun? When was the last time you even had fun?" Latoya pinned me with a pointed look and I just sighed heavily, closing my eyes and bringing my fingers up to rub at my temples. I feel like fudging fifty rather than eighteen.
"Latoya..."
"I dare you, Alexis Kennedy. I fucking dare you." I looked up at Latoya who had on possibly the most serious look I have ever seen on her face. "You don't back down from dares, not even if you're stick-up-the-ass Allie." She's right, I don't back down from dares. None of us do because dares were Latoya's thing and no one in our group backs down. Not because we don't want to but simply because we can't.
"You know what? Fine! We'll do this stupid...trip and just fine. Whatever." I exhale heavily, like I even have a choice. But maybe if I give them this then they'd stop harping on at me all the time and finally give me peace. It's just one month in exchange for no more nagging (hopefully) – I can do that. After all, I did have to determinedly mow lawns for a year, do paper rounds and various odd jobs before I could get that new computer gaming software I'd always wanted when I was about fourteen or so. But then again, mom and dad chipped in quite a bit compared to all the other neighbours.
"Oh buttersnaps, I am going to need so many wet wipes."
Present
"Ugh! Uh, uh, ugh! Get. In. Ack, gack, ugh! Uhh...ow!" I begin a dance around the room whilst simultaneously trying to rub my baby toe to stop it from swelling. I hate stupid suitcases and having to close them because undoubtedly, they will always refuse to close and when you try to lean all your weight on it to lock it, you end up losing balance so you and the entire thing topples to the floor, spilling out the contents. I glare at the upturned suitcase on the floor before grabbing it and putting it back on the bed.
"And here I thought Allie was having an orgasm."
"Sugar, Cameron!" I spin around, hand on my heart as my best friend pushes himself off of the doorframe and steps into the room, hands in his pockets as he surveys the state of it and the clothes strewn about the floor.
"Huh, I think this is the first time I've seen you so messy." He comments with a smirk. I roll my eyes and push my floppy brown hair out of my eyes before dropping to the floor and picking up my clothes again.
"Don't get used to it. Now help me out here, the stupid thing refuses to lock. You owe me after nearly giving me a heart attack. In fact, I shouldn't even be doing this silly trip." I growl before folding my clothes and placing them neatly back into the bag.
"Yeah, yeah." Cameron says, picking up my clothes and dumping them in my bag, much to my shock horror.
"Don't do that! Do you know how wrinkled the material gets?" Immediately I attack them, shaking and carefully folding before putting them in orderly piles according to colour.
"Sorry, didn't know I was handling couture here." He backs off, hands in the air with a smirk on his face.
"What are you talking about? What on earth is 'couture'?" I look behind at him in confusion but he just shakes his head, sighing despondently.
"Al, this road trip is all about the unexpected. You can't follow a plan – this is youth! Live free, not by the colour-coordination of your clothes." He raises an eyebrow at me but I just turn around, ignoring him. However, a suddenly bigger bunch of my clothes lands right onto my neat clothing piles and I turn around to scold Cameron but in a flash, he's ducked under my arm, shoved the remainder of my clothes into the bag and shut it with a satisfied click. He then grabs my arm, ignoring my shocked, agape face and pulls me down to the front door where my mother hurries out of the kitchen with exclamations of "are you going now?"
"Yes, Mrs. Kennedy. Thanks again for letting Al come with us." He smiles at her and she just coos over him. What kind of a mother are you? I thought mothers were supposed to be all protective but no, not my mom. She must've missed out the page where it instructs you not to acquiesce to their child's best friends' request under the terms that this is educational. Please, I don't influence my friends whatsoever, mom. For some reason, that sounds a lot more insulting than I thought.
"George, Alexis is going now!" mom yells up the stairs before beaming at Cameron and me as dad descends and claps an arm around mom.
"You boys stay safe okay?" my dad looks at us in what he thinks is a stern way but really, he just looks like he's trying way too hard...which he is anyway, "No parties, alcohols, drugs, you hear me?" my dad raised an eyebrow, pointing at the two of us before bursting out into laughter and clapping an arm on my shoulder. "Like you boys would ever even think to do that! Have a good time, alright?" I resist the urge to roll my eyes at him even though he's right. I don't do alcohol, definitely not drugs and most definitely not parties because I hate parties. They're noisy and I have claustrophobia, possibly enochlophobia too. I just can't do those kinds of things, obviously because if there was a sure fire way to mess up my chances of getting into Harvard – it's all of the above and more.
"Call me, honey; okay?" my mom looked pointedly at me and I just rolled my eyes before nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it." I pulled out my phone from my pocket to emphasize this before slipping it into the little backpack awaiting me in the corner. I shot them a smile before Cameron started ushering me out the door to the awaiting minivan. From here I could see Latoya stretched out across the backseat of the minivan, bopping her head and clicking her fingers though when she spotted us coming out she rolled down the window to call across the lawn a "hello" to my folks, waving her hands animatedly so her bangles flashed in the morning sunlight.
"You ready?" she grins at me before crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out. I roll my eyes at her immaturity before getting into the front seat, nearly hyperventilating at the mess strewn out before me, just as Cameron finishes tucking my luggage away at the back. Pulling a face, I begin to clean things up, stacking random CDs in piles around my feet and sorting things out so it looked a bit neater. I didn't even have to turn around to see Latoya rolling her eyes at me.
"Bye kids!" my parents call, both waving lovingly from the front porch of our normal, suburban home before deciding to walk down towards the main sidewalk with such bright smiles that, if I wasn't Alexis Kennedy, would have inspired me to be positive about this experience. As it is, I am he so all I can see on the horizon are dark clouds as Cameron pulls away from the sidewalk and I'm left staring at my parents in the side view mirror, wondering if this is going to fudge up my entire future.
In my entire life, I had never been more right then at that moment. Give me a million bucks and just call me psychic.
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