Best Friends...Forever?

Every day was usually great. I enjoyed spending time with Susie and Cody. I loved spending time with Hunter no matter what we were doing. A couple months went by and before I knew it spring break was upon us.

This year my family and I were going to California. My family included my parents, obviously, but it also included my two uncles and my cousins, Marissa and Paul. Our grandfather lived in California but we weren’t going to see him. It was a tradition that my family liked to do, go down to California every year.

Only this year it was going to be so much better because Hunter was coming with us. I’d actually have someone to do stuff with besides Marissa and Paul. Hunter had come with us to California before on occasion but his parents usually flew him out to meet us there. This year though Hunter was coming as my boyfriend, not just my friend anymore. I couldn’t wait to see the look on Marissa’s face when she realized that Hunter was dating me. How disappointed would she be that a god like Hunter would ever date me? I still laugh just thinking of Hunter as a god.

Of course as great as Hunter coming was, we still were driving all the way across the country to get to California in two separate cars. It would take us two days of straight driving to get there. Sitting in a car for two days is not fun. Road trips in general are not fun to me at all. Hunter would make the trip a little better and Marisa and Paul would be in the other car so they couldn’t annoy us.

I called Hunter up at five in the morning the day we were leaving to California.

“Hello?” Hunter picked up after ten million rings.

“Hi, Hunter get your butt up now.”

“Jessica, It’s like five in the morning and there’s no school.”

“We’re leaving for California in an hour as soon as my uncle shows up. So you need to get
over here soon or else we’re leaving without you.” I told him.

“You wouldn’t leave without me. You’d go insane without me,” he joked.

“I probably would so get over here now.”

“I’ll be over there in ten minutes.”

“Kay, bye Hunter.”

“Bye.” We hung up after that. I had already packed my bags and they were in the car already.

Uncle Jim along with Marisa and Paul and Uncle Lou arrived about ten minutes after Hunter came over. Hunter and I were sitting on the couch watching TV as we waited for everyone to arrive. My parents were making sure everything was all set. Both of my uncles were talking with my parents about the drive down making sure everybody knew where they were going. We’ve only made this trip millions of times before. Marisa came in sitting herself besides Hunter. Paul came following behind her.

“Hi, Hunter.” Marisa said with a smile. She, of course, ignored me.

“Hi, Marisa. Hi, Paul,” Hunter said. Paul shyly went to stand by his sister.

“Are you coming with us to California?” she asked.

“Yeah, No way would I miss out of this.”

“You should drive in the same car as me. It would be so much fun.”

“I think Hunter would much rather drive in the same car as his girlfriend than with you.” I said slightly rubbing it in her face.

“His girlfriend’s coming too?” Marisa asked confused. She scrunched her nose up obviously not happy with Hunter having a girlfriend that wasn’t her.

“Of course I’m coming.” I told her enjoying the look of surprise and disgust on her face.

“You’re his girlfriend now?” she asked incredulous.

“Yeah. Right Hunter?”

“You’re my girlfriend?! How come I didn’t know this?” Hunter asked putting on a shocked face.

I slapped his shoulder. “Stop joking around or else you can’t come.”

Hunter pouted, “She is most definitely my girlfriend and I can’t wait to go to California.”

It was Marisa’s turn to pout. By that time the adults were ready to go. Everyone got into their cars and we were off. Both of my uncles, Marisa, and Paul were in one car while my parents, Hunter, and I were in another.

The first hour was spent with the sound of the radio in the background as Hunter and I talked occasionally. We talked about the most random things, every once and a while when we got too loud my parents would yell at us to be quiet. We would then proceed to shut up for about five minutes before our talking resumed. After driving for about five hours we stopped to get lunch. Both our car and my uncle’s car pulled off the highway at the same exit where we then went to a fast food restaurant.

We got two separate tables that were next to each other. Of course Marisa just had to sit next to Hunter. As soon as Hunter sat down Marisa quickly claimed the seat to the right of him. Luckily it was a square table with a chair on each side so I also sat next to Hunter but to his left. Paul sat between Marisa and me. The adults went to go order the food and bring it back to us. They sat at the table adjacent to us.

Marisa despite knowing that Hunter and I were together had to flirt with him every chance she got. Hunter mostly ignored her or laughed at her attempts. I had to give some props to her though she was being subtle with it all. It wasn't as blatantly obvious that she thought Hunter was a god.

After everyone was finished we went back to our separate cars and got back on the highway.

Being in a car for a long amount of time is not fun. Even if you have someone like Hunter with you, it’s still not fun. There’s nothing to do.

“I’m so bored,” I said aloud for anyone to hear, hoping someone could help.

Nobody seemed to care and I was ignored. Then Hunter leaned over to whisper in my ear, “I know a way to make you not bored.” Then he smirked as I raise my eyebrows questionably. “Too bad your parents are in the car.”

I knew exactly what he was talking about. I leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Too bad. But I bet I’d still be bored.”

“What?” Hunter said not in a whisper. “You would not.”

“Would too,” I responded not caring if my parents heard this part of our conversation.

“Would not.”

“Would too.”

“Would not.”

“Would t—”

I was interrupted by my mother, “Do you two always have to act like children. Seriously, are you two five?”

“No, you know I’m only four and a half.” I said smiling.

My mother shook her head in a ‘what I’m I going to do with you?’ kind of way. “What are you two arguing over anyways?”

“Nothing,” I blurted. She gave me a disbelieving look before she faced forward again. Hunter just made a smirk my way as I stuck my tongue out at him. Then he stuck his tongue back out at me.

After that I just looked out the window for a bit watching the landscapes change. After about twenty minutes I was bored again. So I started looking at all the different license plates. Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Illinois, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ontario, Illinois, Illinois, Illinois.

“Well I guess I know which state we're in,” I mumbled.

“How do know that? Let me guess you’re just that good at geography because you pay such good attention in social studies,” Hunter asked.

“No all the damn license plates are from Illinois.”

“They are?”

“Yeah, look.” I said pointing out the window. The first car that went by said Iowa.

“You know that says Iowa not Illinois right?” Hunter questioned.

“I know but keep looking.” And sure enough the next car said Illinois and the next and the next.

“See I told you.” I smirked at Hunter. “In your face.”

“What state are we in?” Hunter asked directing the question to my parents in the front seat.

“We’re now in Missouri,” my dad answered.

“In your face. We’re in Missouri, not Illinois.” Hunter shot back at me.

“But we were in Illinois.”

“But we’re not anymore.”

“But we were.”

“Well were not anymore.” That was the final answer. We were now in Missouri, which meant there were five more state we had to pass before we even reached California.

We drove all through the night, my parents had switched places and my uncles had switched places in their car. We made stops a few times along the way. Sleeping in a car is not the most fun thing in the world. It sucks. You can never get comfortable in a car. When I started getting sleepy, I tried to find a position that was comfortable but nothing worked.

Hunter was taking up half the seat anyway, stupid Hunter. Then I had a genius plan that I can’t believe I didn’t think of sooner. I placed my legs on top of Hunter’s lap and placed a pillow between my head and the door and laid down. It wasn’t totally comfortable but it was the most comfortable position I’d been in, in the last fifteen minutes.

Hunter gave me a look like ‘What the hell?’ and was about to push my feet off when I glared then closed my eyes. Instead of pushing my feet off he simply placed his hands on top of my feet. I felt his hands as they massaged my feet and was about to tell him to cut it out so I could sleep but instead I found myself drifting off.

When I woke up the sun was shining through the window of the car and we were parked in front of the house we’d be staying in for vacation. We had finally reached California.