The Road Ahead of Us

When Alex pulled up at the hotel that they had booked for the night, everyone but Carrie and Isabelle were still asleep.

"Why don't we go in and check in and then wake them up?" Alex suggested, making Isabelle nod and get out of the van, stretching as soon as she was free of the confined space. "You coming?" Alex asked Carrie who shook her head. Alex sighed and got out.

"Girlfriend still pissy?" Isabelle asked as they walked across the dark parking lot towards the hotel lobby. It seemed they were in the middle of no where. There was nothing but the hotel, an Ihop across the street and a gas station beside that.

"Must be that time of the month." Alex grumbled, making Isabelle smack his arm but laugh none the less. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Most likely. She seems a little hormonal." Alex laughed at her words. Then a cold breeze blew, making Isabelle who hadn't put on her jacket, shiver. Alex looked over at her, thinking for a few seconds before sliding his jacket off of his shoulders and held it out to her. "Oh no, I'm fine." Alex simply rolled his eyes and slid it across her shoulders anyway. She sighed, smiled shyly and slid her arms into the warm slots his arms had previously inhabited. "Thank you." He simply nodded and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

After they checked in and got their rooms they began to walk back towards the van.

"So there are two rooms. One king beds in each. So... we are going to be cuddling up with a lot of people tonight, or someone is sleeping on the floor." Isabelle noted, looking down at the room keys.

"If Carrie doesn't throw a bitch fit then you, me, adam, and her can share a room. Then we can make Kara, Rian, Jack and Micky share a room. Zack and Katie can... bunk with who ever they want." Alex said, making Isabelle nod.

"Sounds like a plan." When they approached the van, they saw that everyone had awoken and had gotten out to stretch, or in Micky's case, throw up from all the beer she had drunk. After Alex and Isabelle explained the situation, Zack and Katie decided they would go and get their own room. Carrie wasn't happy about bunking with Isabelle and Adam but agreed none the less.

"I'm glad you and Alex have worked everything out. It's just like old times. Well.. except for Carrie and Adam being here, but our group can always expand!" Kara said to Isabelle as they made their way to their rooms, the guys carrying the luggage. "Carrie doesn't seem to like you much."

"She can get over it. It's not like Alex and I are getting back together. We have simply talked everything out and put it behind us. I'm with Adam and he is with her. We are simply friends." Kara raised her eyebrows at her and looked down at the black hoodie still around Isabelle's shoulders, making her nervously tug at it. "I was cold. He insisted." She defended, making Kara laugh.

"I bet you fifty bucks that by the end of this road trip you and Alex will be back together. Or at least, he and Carrie will have broken up, or you and Adam will be." Isabelle laughed and shook her head.

"I will not bet with you on my relationship, Kara." Isabelle told her, making Kara shake her head.

"Fine. Jack will!" With that Kara ran ahead of her, going to talk with Jack. Isabelle shook her head and fell in step beside Adam who took her hand.

"Hey, babe." He greeted, leaning down to peck her lips, making her smile.

"Enjoying yourself so far?" She asked him, making him nod.

"I am. I love your friends. And you were nervous that they wouldn't want us here. It's more no one wants Carrie here, she doesn't even want to be here. You should have heard Jack talking to her while you and Alex were checking in." Isabelle frowned and looked up at her boyfriend.

"What did he say?" She pushed him.

"He told her that if she was having such a bad time that she can leave, that he'll even buy her a plane ticket back home." Isabelle raised her eyebrows as he continued. "She got all defensive and started crying that it wasn't fair that she was being pushed aside when no one even liked you until you showed up again today. That everyone needs to like her and not you. Jack went postal and basically told her that the only reason he put up with her was because of Alex and that as soon as he broke up with her she will be thrown out on her fucking face."

"He did not say that!" Isabelle gasped, making Adam laugh and nod.

"No one even came to her defense. They all agreed that they only put up with her for Alex. They even said that they would rather he be back with you, though then assured me that they loved me and you together. Micky even stopped throwing up for a second just to call her a bitch who needed to get off the rag already or pull the stick out of her ass. The look on Carrie's face... priceless." Isabelle was now laughing so hard that she had to stop and hold her stomach, leaning into Adam's arms, who was laughing as well.

"Laugh it up, assholes." They looked up right as Carrie walked past them, which just made them laugh harder. Alex stepped up to them, a smile on his face as well.

"She told me what happened. She then got pissed when I may or may not have chuckled at what Micky said. I knew her and Jack were perfect for each other." Alex smiled proudly and walked past them. Adam and Isabelle calmed down and followed him to their room. "Carrie decided to sleep on the couch in Zack and Katie's room." Alex told them when they got in the room to find her not there.

"Look at this huge ass bed." Isabelle exclaimed, jumping up onto the bed, laying back and spreading her arms wide. The guys sat on either side of her, having plenty of room to spread out and not touch her.

Everyone later got up and changed into their pajamas and sat around on the floor, a beer in their hands and asking each other random questions, all of them laughing and getting very drunk from all the beer.

"Remember the one time you and I were going at it in your bed when we skipped school one day and your dad came home from work for lunch and found us?" Alex asked Isabelle, both of them laughing. "I jumped out the window in my boxers and ran down the street to Rian's house with your dad chasing me."

"That was hilarious. My dad was so traumatized."

"Not as much as I was! I thought he was going to cut my dick off!" Alex said, his eyes wide, making Isabelle laugh.

"It was the greatest moment ever." They stayed up for another hour, drinking more and telling more embarrassing stories of one another before they decided to head to bed. Isabelle curled up in between the two of them, all three of them with a smile on their face.

Alex never imagined he could be friends with the guy who stole the love of his life but now that he got the chance to meet him and spend time with him, he was actually a great guy and Alex could see why Isabelle liked him. He was very kind hearted and was hilarious. Of course, Alex still got that pang of sadness through his heart as he remembered that Adam did steal her from him, that he lost Isabelle. Now she was so close and yet... she felt so far...