Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It.

"Alex, it's too early," I yawned at half five that morning, slamming my hand onto the alarm beside my bed to stop the annoying buzzing.
"Who cares? You get to sleep for a while; I'm the first fucking driver."
"This was your idea," I told him, stretching and slipping out of my bed. "I'm going in the shower, Jack and Maria will be expecting coffee within the next five minutes; get moving." He groaned, and I heard his feet hit the floor as I entered the bathroom. I smiled to myself, marvelling in the fact I hadn't even gotten a 'let me join you' remark this morning.
By 6 the four of us all had flasks of steaming coffee in our hands, our bags were all in the trunk of Alex's car, and everyone's parents had been informed of the trip. Marissa's were less than pleased but could do nothing to stop her, and Jack and Alex's were too hyped on the fact their sons had just been signed to a better label to care much about what they were doing to celebrate. Either that or they didn't realise just how easy it was to get fake ID in this town. It wasn't until we were well along the road as though heading to Washington that Alex finally spoke about the driving rota.
"Right, so, considering Jack wouldn't appreciate staying up all night with anyone but Maria, I say he keeps her company sleeping today and driving tonight. And me and Hols will take the day shifts."
"But that means I have to wake up at 6am again tomorrow!" I pouted, ignoring the quest I had just been on to flatten the flick that had been forming in my damp hair. Needless to say, I had not had time to dry it before we left. That and the fact all my hair products were in my already packed bag.
"Would you rather stay up all night with Jack?"
"You had me sold at up all night," I yawned.
"Go back to sleep, baby; I'll wake you later on," Alex smiled. I nodded, setting my flask of coffee into the cup holder, grabbing one of three blankets from behind my seat and getting comfortable with my head on the window.
"We're here! We're here! We're here!" Jack shouted, taking in the bright lights surrounding us as we tried to find a hotel we could afford for the next couple of nights.
"Chill out, Jack-o, we're not quite finished yet," I laughed,
"But, Jasey, we're in Vegas! Vegas!"
"Dude, you've been saying that since you saw the first road sign. Give it a rest," Alex groaned, hitting his head against the top of the glove compartment. He was right; Jack had been saying that for hours now, and it had gotten more than just irritating. Unfortunately I knew I had another day and a half in the car with him starting Saturday, and the next two days in the room next to him. Granted the second part I had gotten used to over the months, but add it to the first and I can't cope.
"But we have so much drinking to do! So much gambling!" Jack was now officially squealing. He looked like a 16-year-old girl who had finally got the parcel she'd been waiting two months for; like a three-year-old on Christmas morning. He was about ready to start bouncing in his seat by the time we'd pulled up outside a reasonable looking hotel.
"As long as you don't add a third option onto that list we're all good," I told him, rolling my eyes.
"Huh?"
"Do not elope with Marissa. Not in Vegas at eighteen. Give her a pretty wedding in a few years."
"Jeez, ahead of yourself much?" Alex asked.
"No, I just don't see them breaking up," I shrugged.
"And what about us?"
"With us I don't wanna see it. Right here and now it's everything I'll ever want."
"And you claim you're not in love," Jack scoffed. Alex smacked him around the back of his head.
"Way to ruin the moment, douche bag."
"Come on, we'd better go get our rooms," I sighed, opening my door and heading inside. I'd just get my bag once we got our rooms. I heard another slap resounding from within the car as Alex and I exited; I smiled at the thought that Marissa felt Jack was a little pointless in interrupting if he really wanted us to admit what he believed.
"I'm still sorry about Jack, y'know," Alex told me, slipping his hand into mine. "He's such a douche. He needs to drop this whole love thing." I nodded weakly, mumbling an 'it's fine' to him. I didn't know if he bought it, but he dropped the subject and walked up to the main desk to get our rooms.
Ours rooms were sorted, our bags tucked under the beds and our clothes thrown in the drawers. It was barely 7pm, we were all tired, but all we felt like doing was seeing the Vegas lights and hitting the town. It wasn't often that we didn't want that, so of course tonight would never be an exception. I already knew Marissa would drag Jack back earlier on; she never could stick to a night out as well as I could.
"So, where first?" Alex asked, fingers laced in my own and looking between the three of us.
"Dude, I know no casino's or bars in Vegas; I only know that there's like a bazillion," Jack stated.
"'Bazillion' isn't a word, idiot," Marissa told him.
"Fine, trillion, that's a word, right?" She nodded. "Yeah, there's like a trillion. Can't we just find the closest one and move along to where ever we hear is good?"
"And that is why you're my best friend, Jack-Ass; you're so full of good ideas," I grinned.
"I kno- Hey! Did you just call me a jackass?!"
"New nickname. I like it," Alex mused. "Definitely a keeper."
"I'm actually rather proud of that."
"Will you stop ganging up on me?!" Jack screamed, attracting the attention of everyone in the lobby of our hotel.
"Way to go, douche," Alex stated, smacking Jack lightly. Jack simply shrugged in reply, walking to the door and opening it quickly. It was dark already, nothing out of the ordinary for February, only it was much warmer here than back in Baltimore and the air was still. It was different to what I was used to, and I had to say I liked it. I always was the kind of girl who preferred the heat, and I could always cope much better in it than anyone else I knew. I always thought I'd move somewhere hot and live out my life there. I was always torn between Nevada and Arizona - I never could decide which.
The first bar we came across, almost literally just across the road from out hotel, looked incredibly dingy - not a place any of us wished to venture (besides Jack, intent on proving how good his plan actually was) - so we amended the plan to the first decent looking bar or casino. It didn't take too long to find a decent casino, but considering it was Vegas, Jack found the 10 minute walk too long to handle without whining and took it upon himself to remind us of the numerous dingy bars and casino's we had passed on our way down.
"Dude, we're here to get wasted and lose all our money in style," Alex snapped, after yet another complaint from Jack. "Not bitch and moan about how you wanted to lose your dignity in a dingy bar."
"I wouldn't lose my dignity," Jack pouted.
"You lose your dignity daily, Jacks," I laughed. He glared and slapped me lightly, earning yet another slap from Alex. "Come on, this place looks okay," I stated, pulling Alex toward the first decent casino we'd seen so far.
"This is why you're my girl," Alex grinned, referring to the fact he'd been too wrapped up in Jack to establish we were close to a good place.
Our first night passed in a blur of gambling, drinking and laughter. Marissa and Jack didn't slip off into the night within an hour or so as I had expected, they stayed the entire night, laughing and joking as though there were no tomorrow. We got kicked out quite quickly for our loud, drunken behaviour, but the fact that we were in Vegas, surrounded by numerous bars and casino's, made us laugh and move on to the next, and the next, and the next. I could quite honestly say that we picked up enough information to keep us out on the town for the next two months in different places, sadly we couldn't even spend the entire night out due to the long ride we'd just endured, so by 1a.m. the four of us were sound asleep in our hotel beds.