The Road Ahead of Us

As the hours wore on, everyone except for Rian who was still driving, fell fast asleep. Rian didn't mind as it gave him a chance to listen to his music without everyone complaining about what he was playing. Eventually he got hungry and they needed to stop for gas so he began to wake everyone so they could decide on a place to eat.

When Isabelle opened her eyes she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her, she figured that it was Adam so she cuddled into the warm chest more, feeling perfectly at home. That's when she noticed that the curve of the muscles, through familiar, were not the muscles that she was accustomed to. She opened her eyes to see that she was instead wrapped up in Alex's arms, her head resting on his chest. Adam sat on the other side of the bench seat, leaning against the opposite window while Alex was turned to sit side ways on the bench, Isabelle leaning into him, her legs over his legs, her hands resting on his stomach, his on her waist, his head resting on top of hers.

She looked forward to see Carrie waking and knew that she had seconds to move before she would see the two of them curled up like this. She knew from the deep breathing and the soft snore coming from Alex that he was fast asleep still and most likely unaware of their position. She tried to think back and remember how they had ended up in this situation but all she could remember was the awkwardness as they tried to keep a conversation going. She remembered falling asleep with her head resting on the back of the seat. She must have fallen over, and Alex, being just as asleep as she was, on habit wrapped her arms around him and she, in her sleep, curled around him like she used to.

Isabelle knew she should move as she saw Carrie lift her head, stretching her arms above her, but Izzy was so comfortable. So instead, she closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep again so then Carrie wouldn't think she was aware of their position and could be just confused by it as Alex was when Carrie no doubt would 'wake' them. Sure enough a few seconds later, Carrie's voice broke the silence in the van, making the few remaining slumbering people, to jolt awake.

"What the hell?" Isabelle didn't even have to pretend to jump, the shrillness of Carrie's voice made her actually jump back, but still be in Alex's arms who woke up a little slower, only his head springing up. "What is this?"

"What?" He asked, his voice thick with sleep. He brought his right hand up to rub his stubble covered cheek. "What are you going on about?" He asked again, opening his eyes. Slowly realization clicked in his brain. He looked at Carrie ahead of him and then down at Isabelle who was beat red but who still hadn't moved.

"We just fell asleep is all, Carrie. There's nothing." Isabelle told her, straightening up a little. Alex, for some reason, kept his arm around her waist.

"Yeah, seriously, Care. Chillax." Alex said, yawning widely.

"Why is your arm still around her then? Hmmm?" Isabelle was actually about to laugh at the devil like look on Carries face. Her eye brows were raised, her face was red, and her eyes wide. Her mouth was pinched into a thin line as she glared in their direction. Isabelle brought her hand up to her mouth, pretending to yawn when really she was hiding her smile.

Instead of answering Carrie, Alex simply moved his arm, making Isabelle sit up a little straighter and remove her legs from over his. She looked over at Adam to see that he hadn't woken up, his head still against the window. She smiled and elbowed him, making him wake up. Isabelle blocked out Carrie's loud and complaining voice and leaned into Adam who wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her forehead.

"Are we stopping? I gotta piss." He said, making her laugh and nod.

"Yeah, we need gas and we are going to get food." She explained to him right as Rian pulled into a parking spot in a small shopping mall type area.

"Food!" Jack yelled as soon as he was out of the van. Everyone followed him and went their own ways with their significant others to get whatever they wanted. After Isabelle and Adam ate at Subway, they went to the gas station across the street to get some more snacks. Adam had ventured off to the sodas while Isabelle looked through the candy, bumping into none other than Alex.

"Where's Carrie?" She asked him. It seemed like the situation on the van had broken the ice between them. She didn't feel awkward with him, it was just as it had been before. Though before they had dated.

"I don't know. She's pissed at me. She thinks you and I did more than just sleep. I'm not entirely sure what she thinks we did, seeing as she was right in front of us and your boyfriend was beside us the entire time, but whatever. She's always been sort of a drama queen." Alex explained, making Isabelle laugh.

"She looks like a goody two shoes. Kind of the opposite of what I thought your type was." Alex chuckled and nodded.

"Everyone says that. She's not even old enough to drink and she refuses to drink underage."

"And you brought her with us? Not only are we all over 21, but we all have also been drinking since the ninth grade." Isabelle told him, looking over as Adam and Jack browsed through the beer.

"Yeah, I know. I don't really drink around her much so she doesn't know how bad it can get yet." Isabelle actually rolled her eyes at his words.

"So what, you aren't gonna drink with us then? You gonna be the DD and just watch?" She asked him, making him laugh and shake his head.

"I said she doesn't know yet. This trip will change that. I plan on getting shit faced drunk as soon as we are in the van again."

"But you can't," Rian spoke, appearing on the other side of Alex, a twelve pack of bud light in his arms. "As you have driving duty for the night until we get to the hotel, seven hours from here." Rian smiled and walked away as Alex groaned.

"Dammit." He grumbled, grabbing a bag of starburst before he and Isabelle went up to the checkout counter, adding their stuff to everyone else's pile. They played rock paper scissors to decide who would have to pay. Even Carrie had to play as she had a pack of gum in the pile. She lost and was forced to fork out the money for the 75 dollars worth of drinks and candy, though Rian had to actually give the money to the cashier, since they needed an ID for the alcohol. Needless to say, as they got back to the van, Carrie was in a foul mood and instantly went to sit in the back seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know I'm driving, right?" Alex asked her, leaning in the door, waving the keys in the air. She simply ignored him, looking out the window. He shrugged and went to the drivers seat while everyone else got in. Isabelle taking the passengers seat. Micky and Jack sat beside Carrie. Adam, Zack and Katie took the row in front of them and Rian and Kara were in the row behind Isabelle and Alex.

As Alex drove, everyone passed around the goods they had just brought. Jack tried to get Carrie to take a beer but she simply ignored him, making him shrug and down the beer himself.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Alex asked over the voices of his friends and the music, looking over at Isabelle who sat with a soda in her hand, just like Alex had.

"So then, when they pass out in like an hour, you will have someone to keep you company." She explained, shrugging as she took a handful of M&M's from the bag, popping them in her mouth. "Want some?" She asked, offering him the back. He nodded and held his hand out, allowing her to pour some in his palm.

"You can drink, I don't mind." He told her, but she shook her head.

"We can drink when we get to the hotel." He nodded at her. Soon, just as Isabelle had said, everyone passed out, except for Carrie who sat in the back, her headphones in her ears and her arms still crossed. Alex and Isabelle were playing twenty questions and Alex was on his last question.

"Okay.... Here's a serious question... Do you miss... us?" He asked her, glancing over at her for a second before looking back at the road.

"All the time." She answered truthfully. "We had a lot of fun, a lot of good memories that I never want to forget. You were my first love, my first kiss, the first person I slept with, the only person I have slept with." She mumbled the last part, looking out the window beside her. Alex didn't think he heard her right.

"Wait.. what? The only?" She simply nodded. "You've been with Adam for four years!"

"No I haven't. I met him four years ago and I moved to California four years ago. I didn't immediately get with him after you and I broke up..." Isabelle didn't like where this was going. She never wanted to have a conversation like this with Alex.

"How long have you been with him then?" Alex questioned.

"A little over a year and a half. I mean.. he was there for me and everything as I tried to get over you."

"You left me for him though! I mean... you came back from California and said you met this guy-"

"No, I never left you for him. You technically broke up with me, remember? I just told you that I met this guy and that he had feelings for me and I may have feelings for him. You never let me finish. If you hadn't started yelling at me and kicked me out, I would have said that I was never going to see him again though, that I wanted you. He was cute and I was attracted to him, but I loved you. I wanted you, not him. I just felt that you, as my boyfriend and the love of my life, had the right to know what happened during my trip. Then when you broke up with me, I figured you hated me, so I left. I went to California for college and Adam became my best friend. I spent night after night crying over you. I dialed your number so many times and just hung up, knowing you wouldn't answer anyway. He was there for me and then a year and a half ago we went out together to dinner and... something changed. We got together but have not slept together. He's... old fashioned." She explained. Alex sat in silence for a few minutes, taking it all in. "Okay... its time for my last question." Alex nodded. "Do you hate me? For leaving?" Alex sighed and ran a hand through his long hair.

"No. I never hated you. I was heart broken. You were my life, my everything. I let you go because I figured that it was what you wanted, that's why you told me about him, because you wanted him instead of me. It killed me to make you leave that day. I wanted nothing more than to pull you back inside and hug you and kiss you forever. I could never hate you, Iz. I mean... I am hurt and I hated Jack this morning when I found out he invited you and Adam but... it's not been so bad so far." He looked over at her, both of them smiling at each other softly.

"So... friends?" She asked, making him nod and hold his hand out to her, keeping his other on the wheel.

"Friends." She smiled wider and took his hand, shaking it in hers.

Maybe this road trip wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Why don't you two just kiss already? I know that's what you really want to do." Came Carrie's angry voice from the back. Or maybe it would still be a bad road trip... .