Young Love Was Such Dumb Love

John O'Callaghan was busy packing up his backpack for the highly anticipated road trip he and his friends were making the summer after he junior year. He was still debating inviting Benny along for the ride since Max was coming with his new girlfriend April. It would be a relatively short trip, over to Southern California to stay in a condo Jared's parents owned.

He heard the doorbell ring, instead of climbing all the way down stairs he simply yelled out "come in" at the top of his lungs. A few seconds later Jared came waltzing in his aviators over his eyes and a smirk on his lips. He slapped John five and crashed on his bed. John had packed his bottle of Sailor Jerry's, his swim suit, a pair of basketball shorts and a fistfull of boxers. All he had to do was pack his toothbrush and toothpaste and some shirts.

"Dude, you're still not done packing?" Jared asked, laughing at the expense of him. John shook his head and excused himself to the bathroom and brought back the toiletries, "I finished packing like two days ago," Jared smiled smugly, in a slightly mocking way.

"Fuck you, we can't all be responsible Jared, that'd be no fun," John laughed throwing a stack of shirts his mother had just washed and folded, leaving them on his desk. John zipped up his backpack feeling a smile of accomplishment creeping across his lips.

"Touche, so is Benny pissed she's not invited?" Jared asked trying to make conversation and gauge the relationship. He seemed to be straddling the line of supporting and hating their relationship. John sensed Jared had lingering feelings for Benny, but Jared was his best friend and he trusted him.

"Does she even know about the trip?" John asked biting his lip hoping another fight wouldn't spur from this. Despite the fact they always made up, it seemed that she would enjoy the opportunity too much and he didn't want to give it to her.

"Duh, her brother is going on it, she's known about it for like two months," Jared said in a classic "duh" tone. For some reason, this had never crossed John's mind. He swore to himself, giving a pleading look and in best friend nature Jared comprehended this look. "I'm sure she thinks it's a just guys trip because she doesn't know April is going," Jared tried to offer solace.

"I don't know man, you know Benny," John said rubbing his fingers through his hair. After a year and some months of dating Max still disapproved and would be pissed if Benny and John had a love-fest on their road trip. On the other hand, John flirted with the idea of kissing Benny on the beach, sand between their toes and the soft breeze blowing. He was honestly torn. "I should text her about it," John looked up he was still tentative about even mentioning.

"Well we're leaving tomorrow morning so you better get on that man," Jared laughed, instead the boys decided to just go over to the Fallon house where Jared could harass Max about packing and John could talk to Benny. Much to Jared's dismay Max had packed a 24-pack of beer and all his clothes in roller suitcase and there was no nagging to be done. John on the other hand knocked on his girlfriend's door to find her packing.

"Hey," She smiled seeing his face, she hopped up from zipping up her suitcase and gave him a short kiss on the lips. John still being confused, was stiff and didn't even realize he was kissing his girlfriend. "What's up with the whole deer-in-the-headlights thing?" Benny asked gathering up her makeup into a small bag.

"N-nothing, are you coming with us to Cali?" John asked taking a seat on her bed as she put an assortment of makeup products that all seemed alien to him and she laughed.

"No, don't look so scared. Relax, I'm not gonna ruin your "super-manly" road trip," she smiled putting air quotes, struggling with a eyelash curler in her hand. She deepened her voice to mock her brother who insisted it was going to be a guy's trip and the presence of estrogen/little sister would ruin the whole thing. "I'm going on a cruise with Melissa and her family," she explained zipping up her now packed makeup bag. After seeing John's confused face when she turned around she frowned, "I thought I told you?" She asked racking her memory for whether or not she did. John shook his head, eyebrows raised with concern of the fact Benny was leaving him. "Oh," She shrugged.

"Who's all going and where are you going?" John asked trying to break the tension. How could his girlfriend not tell him he was leaving, he bit his lip realizing he hadn't told Benny personally that he was going on a road trip either, but still. She pulled out a skimpy bikini and shoved it into her backpack along with the makeup bag. John's jaw dropped, he hadn't even seen her in that and now some boys on a random cruise were going to be eyeballing her.

"Uh, Melissa, her parents, her brothers and their friends, oh! You know Pat, Tim's little brother, he's going and then some college friend of Trey's," She shrugged non-chalantly, then a mischievous smile crept on her lips. "We're going to Mexico!" She pronounced with a spanish flare to it. John frowned, he knew Pat and Garrett were cool, he just didn't trust Trey's unknown older friend or any other boys on the cruise. Benny plopped down next to John trying to read his mind to some extent.

"Babe?" She asked placing her hand on his, he was ripped from his thoughts and turned to look her in the eyes. He never thought he would be jealous of a hypothetical situation before, but then again he never thought his girlfriend would be going on a cruise in a skimpy bikini before. "What's wrong?" She asked resting her chin on his shoulder, her soft breath tickling the hairs on his neck sending shivers down his spine. He wanted her to be with him, for sure now.

"Nothing, I was gonna ask if you wanted to come to California with us, but I guess you have other plans," John lied, he didn't have those intentions when he came, but he certainly had them now. Benny frowned slightly confused about why he would wait the night before they left to tell her this.

"John, you know I would love to, but the Nickelsens are picking me up in, like, fifteen minutes and we're flying down tonight," She said sounding actually remorseful of her decision. Realizing it was the first time they would be apart for longer than a week since they started dating.

"Yeah, of course," John shook the uneasy feeling in his stomach and smiled. He kissed her lips roughly and lead her down to the mattress, deepening their kiss. She moved her hand to the back of his head, her fingers combing through his hair. HIs hand moved to her hip, turning her towards him aggressively. His tongue tentatively traced her bottom lip as she parted them, massaging his with her own. Her hips moved forward towards him subconsciously. They were both in their own world, electricity flying between them when the door swung open.

"Sick dude! In my own fucking house!" Max screamed, both of them jumped apart from each other to see Max looking pissed off and Jared looking amused, his face turning red from holding in laughter.

"Dude, I thought you were gonna talk to her not stick your tongue down her throat," Jared laughed, unable to contain it anymore. Both John and Benny's faces were bright pink in embarrassment of being walked into. Not because no one had seen them making out before, just because if someone hadn't walked in it probably would've gone a lot further. A lot further.

"Ugh, I'm trying to get the image of my little sister being assaulted by John's mouth, gross," Max said feigning some dry heaves, leaning on Jared who was thoroughly amused with Max's shtick. Benny, however, was not, she stood up from the bed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What do you want Max?" She asked trying to scan the room for something to do, something to distract her from mounting John and finishing what they started. She looked up at Max, who was thinking hard and it was conveyed on his face.

"Oh, the Nickelsens are here, sorry I've been traumatized. Thank God, you're not coming to California, you two would just be sucking face the whole time." Max said as Benny began collecting her things making sure she had everything. As Max's words registered in John's mind he regretted not asking her sooner.

"I'll take that," John said, as Benny lifted her suitcase off the ground. She smiled gratefully and handed it off to them as the boys who grew bored with the lack of embarrassment went back to whatever they were doing in Max's room. They walked to the filled up SUV with Melissa, both of the girls talking about how much they were going to tear it up in Mexico due to the lack of drinking age and John bit his lip. John waited patiently after sticking her suitcase in the trunk of the car and waving to Pat and Garrett for his girlfriend to finish talking to the Nickelsens.

"I'll miss you, I don't know if I'll have cell service down there, but if I do I'll call you later," She smiled turning to him and letting him wrap his arms around her tightly. If he had it his way he'd never let her go, but life didn't work like that.

"Okay, well have fun and don't get too crazy," He laughed softly. He hope she would heed his warnings though. She laughed too nodding and pressing her lips to them, both lost in the moment until Melissa said they had to get going.

"I won't promise, don't party too hard in California, I heard about the booze," She raised her eyebrows slipping out of his embrace. She kissed him once and whispered "I love you" in his ear, making both of their hearts race before climbing into the car next to Pat.

"Love you too," John called out to her, she just smiled and closed the car door. Soon John was standing in the middle of the street staring at the Black Tahoe make a turn out of the neighborhood and John hoped nothing would happen as his excitement was joined with a sliver of concern.