Lyrical Love Letter

"Where are we?" Missy wondered. The party had decided to stop for the night as they took up residence within the decrepit motel. Matt and Declan were pouring over a map displayed across one of the twin sized beds while Jack and Missy lounged atop the other bed. Their bravery to act remotely close only spawned from the fact that Declan didn't care what Missy and Jack did while Matt simply refused to get in the middle of the situation which could all to easily get messy.

"I don't know," Declan admitted. "Alex is certain Juliette took a wrong turn but I'm not so sure. I mean, I just don't know."

Matt's finger traced the map absently. His fingers following the lines and contours of the laminated paper as he attempted to pinpoint their location. "We're somewhere in here." He stated certain.

"How can you be sure?" Missy questioned.

"This map is slightly outdated and the road we were on is new. But if you follow the old roads it appears to be somewhere in here." Matt explained, pointing to a blank area on the map.

"Oh that's great," Missy began with a smirk. "So what you're saying is we don't exist."

"Sure Miss," A lopsided grin adorn Matt's lips as he glanced up from the map and eyed the teenager. "Whatever you say."

"mmhmm." she hummed smiling contently as she rested her head against Jack's shoulder. Matt shook his head, grinning to himself. The last time they had gotten lost had been when they had gone to Myrtle Beach for spring break and Missy had started to freak out when Alex took a wrong turn. She’d been on edge and her nervous had been shot by the time they had reached the sandy shore. Matt found it funny how much Missy mellowed out when Jack’s hand weaved its way through her hair. "Has anyone seen Rian and Kara? And where is that cousin of mine?"

"Do you really want to know?" Declan questioned, glancing up at the two from over his lashes. He eyed Jack and Missy carefully. He couldn't even place the two under the category of 'couple' because he didn't even know what they were to each other. Of course that wouldn't stop Alex from threatening Jack from here to California if he saw them together now.

"I don't," Matt answered for them. "This trip is doing nothing for Alex and Juliette's temper."

"I don't know if it's even a temper," Declan disagreed. "Those two like to fight. They've always poked at each other, trying to get a rise out of each other. Even before they were together they did it."

"Has anyone seen Jonnie and Zack for that matter?" Jack spoke up curiously. No one had seen the two since Juliette had first pulled the old Chevy classic into the motel's parking lot.

"Nope." Matt stated folding up the map with a sigh. "But they couldn't have gotten far. In any case I'm not going to go looking for them."

"Why not?"

"The endless possibilities of what they could be doing right now is stopping me." Matt stated. "Besides, do you really want Alex to find you in bed with his cousin?" he offered the two a pointed look and Jack recoiled his arm from around Missy's waist, his hand retracting from her hair; Missy scowled in response.

"I don't care what Alex thinks." she declared defiantly with a huff.

"That makes one of us." Jack mumbled as he ran a hand nervously through his own dark locks, making the untidy mess even worst.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Jonnie this is ridiculous," Zack stated as the two crept down the hallway. Somehow Zack had gotten mixed up with what was Jonnie Posen’s idea of a good time. Why Zack had listened to one Miss. Posen was beyond him—he was laying blame on boredom and would plead the fifth if they were caught. Zack didn’t know what he was thinking when he had followed Jonnie throughout the motel, witnessing her antics. Like this one—this was one of Jonnie’s antics that Zack would not soon forget for more reasons than one.

"It ate my dollar, Zack." she griped as though that made her actions justifiable. Jonnie was creeping down the hall in her Victoria Secret lounge outfit, imagining that it was the uniform of a spy as she clung to the walls of the motel as though being spotted would mean certain punishment. Which, when Jonnie was involved just might. "I want those chips dammit, I'm hungry as hell." Their destination was the motel's lounge; in it standing defiantly was the criminal vending machine that had stolen Jonnie Posen's dollar.

"Just explain to the manager that it took the dollar. He'll give you another one." Zack told her futilely. Zack knew that no matter which sane logical option he offered, Jonnie wasn't going to act on any of them. She was going to do it her own way…the most daring thrilling way possible--which in this case meant breaking open the vending machine and getting the chips.

Jonnie eyed up the vending machine, taking a mental note of the key hole in the side. "Jonnie," Zack knew it was pointless but he couldn't help but try, especially because images of the county jail were flashing through his head.

"C'mon Zack," Jonnie threw him a smirk over her shoulder as she stuck her thumb and forefinger into the pocket of her bubble pink jogging pants and produced a paper clip. "Live a little." With ease and concentration, Jonnie stuck the thin metal object into the key hole.

"What if it gets jammed?"

"Have a little faith would yeah?" Jonnie grinned at Zack's nervousness, she loved that she had that effect on him. Jonnie concentrated on the feel of the lock as she wiggled the clip up and down until it gave, sliding deeper into the keyhole. It was a very subtle 'click' that had Jonnie smiling in satisfaction. "There see." she moved to retract the paper clip but found it wouldn't give. "Uh oh..."

"Uh oh?" Zack echoed shifting uneasily.

Jonnie turned toward Zack, her eyes slightly wide and her lips parted. "uh oh." she confirmed with a short nod as a low whistle began getting louder and louder with the echo of the motel security guard’s slow but advancing footsteps from down the opposite hall. "Run!" she yelled reaching for Zack's hand and bolting for the exit door. Zack’s fingers laced with hers as the two raced down the multicolor carpeted hall grinning like fools as their feet pounded against the floor.

“Hey, stop!” But the guard was delayed in his order, Zack and Jonnie were already halfway down the long seemingly endless hall before Jonnie abruptly turned, threw open the nearest door and yanked the bassist inside. Jonnie caught the swinging door and pulled it quietly closed behind her, praying the guard wouldn’t find them.

Jonnie tried to force her eyes to adjust to the sudden lack of light. Where had she pulled them into? The room was small, most defiantly a closet Jonnie was sure—she’d spent enough time in them. There was a mop and bucket directly behind Zack and the small cramp space was filled with shelves of things Jonnie’s blue orbs couldn’t quite identify in the pitch black space.
The lack of space was painfully obvious; this closet could hardly conceal one person let alone two. Zack was pressed against the shelves trying to politely give Jonnie as much room as possible. Jonnie herself was pressed solidly against the door, her ribs digging into the doorknob, but even this wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing on Jonnie’s mind. Zack’s breath, heavy from running, was blowing warmly against her flushed neck. She closed her eyes trying hard to ignore it and their close proximity but found it painfully hard when she could feel his body heat against her cool one.

“I, uh,”

Jonnie’s eyes flashed open, propelled by curiosity as to what Zack would say. Perhaps he would say something, anything that would distract her. But as soon as Jonnie’s eyes landed on Zack’s his voice stopped dead. It was then that Jonnie understood that no matter what happened next, she was screwed.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Mum its fine,” Alex sighed in exasperation as he paced around the room he had rented. It was one of three being rented it out by the friends. The room was painted an ugly shade of beige with what was meant to be a pretty floral design on its walls. The ceiling had smoke stains and there were unidentifiable stains of some very ugly shades dyed into the matching beige carpet floor. Needless to say Alex hadn’t taken his sneakers off yet. “Really, its okay, we’re fine—everyone is fine. We are just—“ He glanced back at his girlfriend who was looking at him between narrowed mocha eyes as she sat cross-legged on the queen size bed stiffly. “taking the scenic route.” He turned away from the woman and gazed out the window at the vacant motel parking lot.

Juliette gazed down at the map in front of her. She had just got done carefully puzzling the pieces back together. Alex had angered her so much, claiming that she couldn’t read a map, that she had torn it to bits then thrown the confetti pieces at him before storming out of the room. That was over an hour ago and after Alex had called her a psycho and she had declared, “You’re an arse Alex Gaskarth, a fake brit, and a pain in my arse. Belt up”. After that Alex’s mother had called and Juliette had silenced herself into putting the map back together, silently fuming. Part of Juliette didn’t have a clue as to even what had started the fight but she didn’t care. Alex Gaskarth had the ability to bring out a rare side of Juliette Dawson and he was beginning to do so frequently.

“Goodbye, Mum.” Alex sighed, a hint of finality in his voice. His mother had talked his ear off for more than 45 minutes and Alex just wanted this day to be over.

“Hope Mummy dearest is doing well,” Juliette stated a razor edge to her voice as she continued to tape Missouri to Kansas. When Alex said nothing Juliette risked a glance at him.

He stared at her silently, his jaw set. Before finally he stated. “She says hello.”

“Humph.” Juliette huffed noncommittally. It was virtually in possible to hate Mama Gaskarth and even knowing that Mrs. Gaskarth had told her son to convey her hello had thawed Juliette’s cold exterior some.

“What? No witty, verbally abusive comeback?”

“What? No insufferable, infuriating, daft insult?” she shot back heatedly. Juliette stared down at her finished work of art. The map had been perfectly reconstructed back to its original self with the exception of a few hundred cracks running through it. Alex said nothing as she rose to her feet and glared at him.

“Just an FYI,” She started in a clipped tone. “We’re right here.” She pointed violently to a center on the map before she made her way to the door; fully intending on spending the night with Jonnie and Kara and kicking Rian out—Rian could endure Alex’s venting for the night.

As soon as Juliette’s hand wrapped around the worn gold finished knob, Alex’s hand locked around her slender wrist, covering her macramé bracelets. He spun her around and just as Juliette began to prepare an angry retort, her mouth already opening and filling with insults Alex muttered,

“We’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
Just like that, Alex’s lips crashed to Juliette’s and her hand slipped from the door knob.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Here,” The middle aged man grunted thrusting the bag of chips at Rian who gave him a bewildered look in response.

“I’m sorry sir, did we do something?” Kara questioned politely, equally confused as her male counterpart.

“Tell your friends that if they try to break into my vending machine I’m going to call the cops.”

Kara’s eyes widened in shock.

“Wait…what?” But the motel owner was already stomping out of the lounge huffing as he went.

“I don’t understand.” Kara mumbled staring at the vending machine, then the paperclip on the floor, and then to her boyfriend. “What is it that we did exactly?”

“I don’t know,” Rian sighed shaking his head dismissively. “and I don’t want too. C’mon,” He reached for her hand and lead Kara along through the motel and out into the crisp night air. It was silent in the parking lot, not even a cricket chirped, only the far away rumble of a car could be heard off the highway in the distance.

“You know,” Kara spoke up thoughtfully as Rian ripped open the bag. “it’s really creepy out here.”

“I’ll protect you,” Rian smirked suddenly wrapping Kara in his arms and she giggled in response.

“It’s creepy,” She rephrased suddenly twisting in his arms to face Rian. “But I wouldn’t change any of it for the world. I’d rather be right here where I belong.”

Rian smiled softly at her, his hand ghosted across her cheek, “Did I ever tell you how amazing you are?”
Kara smiled back in response before kissing him lightly on the lips and wrapping her arms around Rian. She rested her head against his chest and was, in that moment, the happiest most content girl in the world. She was right where she was meant to be.