Falling on Dead Ears

The room was dingy as I glanced around at the peeling wallpaper. The only rooms left in town were cheap hotels and run down motels. Travis had tried to get the best he could. Jolene had even admitted to me that he tried to bribe some of the more expensive rooms and even some of the guys to double book with them.

Glancing back over my shoulder I smiled at Travis eyeing the room in the same fashion I was.

‘We’re going to get some kind of disease…’ He mused. Smiling at the vague, and possibly true, comment I wandered over to him statue like form standing in the dirty doorway.

His hazel eyes finally dropped to mine and he forced a smile.

‘If you want, you can stay with Jo and I’ll sleep in my truck or something. I don’t mind.’ I knew he didn’t it had been his first suggestion after we found out nothing good was available.

Wandering over to him, my hand clasped around his and tugged him into the room. His chest heaved up and down in a heavy sigh as his breath ghosted against my face. Smiling I closed the door behind him and pulled him farther into the room.

‘Are you sure?’ He asked eyeing the run down room. Nodding I let him go as he began inspecting the room more. Slowly he turned to me and shrugged. ‘Guess it’s not that bad.’ He smiled and plopped down onto the bed.

Blackness scattered out from under the bed sheets as he jumped up and stumbled away pointing. My heart beat in my chest as I watched them, the hundreds of eight legged creatures run for their lives.

Travis peeled the blanket back revealing twice as many dragging him to fuck with them and their sleeping place.

‘fuck this!’ Travis pointed as he grabbed the bags and we both quickly exited the room. I watched as he danced around trying to get the imaginary ones off him for a moment. Patting down his back I helped him, despite the fact none were there. ‘I hate spiders!’ He gasped as his chest rose and fell quickly. ‘Screw this, you’re staying in Jolene’s room.’ He hauled the bags up and stocked off down the hallway. At this point in time, I wasn’t fighting him on it.

Travis got his money back, plus some so he wouldn’t call the health services, and rushed us to the guys top notch hotel. Jolene pointed and laughed at Travis for ten minutes after he told the story, she literally began to cry she was laughing so hard.

My eyes moved to Travis as he flushed red and began yelling at her that it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t. It was horrifying.

‘I’m laughing because you’re afraid of spiders, and I’m not. I’m a girl! A girl who’s not afraid of spiders hanging out with the biggest dare devil of them all and a spider makes him scream like a girl!’

I shifted my eyes to Travis.

‘Does not! There were hundreds of them. Hundreds make me freak. Okay?’ He liked annoyed and embarrassed that he was getting made fun of.

Looking back at Jolene, she ran her hand over her eyes while giving a watery smile.

‘Ellie,’ She seemed to pause to laugh and point some more. ‘Ellie, were there hundreds? Or is Trav just being a drama queen?’

With swift movements I let her know Travis was not being a drama queen and I’d been the one to scream like a girl, not him.

‘there were really hundreds?’ She asked startled. We both nodded. ‘Travis you can have the couch. Ellie that half of the bed.’ She pointed.

The second Travis’ hand went up to protest the idea of him sleeping on the couch, I grabbed it and pushed it down, glaring at him lightly.

‘what?’ He asked concerned. Simply, I pointed at the couch. ‘the truck’s fine with me. Trust me.’ I pointed once again and didn’t back down. ‘Fine.’ He smiled weakly, in a defeated way. ‘Shut up!’ He snapped over my shoulder.

Turning I watched Jolene laugh so hard she fell off the bed. It was then Travis’ turn to point and laugh. Rolling my eyes I pushed him towards the couch and grabbed my bag. I was hanging out with a bunch of weirdo’s.