Realistic or Modern Souvenirs du Soleil {Open Spots}

[Wishfully]

​

Spoiler

Yes, there is another RP out there like this. In fact, this post is exactly the same. It's because they are the same plot, run by the same GM (it was duplicated by the original creator, not stolen- no worries). This roleplay is different because it is considered "Detailed" and it has different characters. The link to the Casual version of this roleplay can be found here.




Ten Friends, One Island, and A Summer They Will Never Forget.


They had spent the whole year together, making memories and sharing laughter. Their senior year at Palmview High ended with a bang, and ten teenagers were ready to face the real world. Some would continue their studies in college, others would head straight for careers. But they had one summer left- one summer before each person went his or her own way. So they had to make the most of their time together.


Ten teenagers set out on a road trip to a beach house on the coast, where they plan to spend the long summer nights. Everything is perfect- sand, sun, and freedom as far as the horizon. They throw caution to the wind and focus solely on spending time with one another. Nothing could ruin this summer, until they rent a boat. Ten inexperienced teens rent a boat and sail off towards islands in the sun, losing all sense of time and direction.


A summer storm sends the boat far from its original path, landing the teens on a seemingly uninhabited island. They find shelter in an abandoned lodge and wait out the storm. After the storm passes, the friends discover that the boat's motor has died, leaving them trapped on the island.


After their initial panic, the teens realize that hanging out on a secluded island might not be a bad way to spend their summer, after all. But just when things are at their best, strange incidents start to happen. They hear a voice at night and see cryptic messages that make them realize... they are not alone on this island.


As the hauntings continue, relationships are put to the test. Everything is not as it seems, and everyone may not be exactly who they claim to be. The friends are forced to face one another and come to terms with their own secrets because in the end, working together is their only chance of survival.

​

This RP is about a group of friends who just graduated high school and decide to spend their last summer together before they all have to split up. It starts out as your classic road trip/beach fun with friends just doing what they do. One of the characters has a beach house a few days' drive away, and they decide to go there. They all hang out there for awhile before deciding they want to rent a boat and explore some of the little sandbars nearby. They act recklessly and get a little lost, and a summer storm maroons them on a mysterious, haunted island. Strange things start happening and everyone must work together to figure out a way to get off the island; however, each individual person and the relationships between their friends are pushed to the limits under such crucial circumstances. Will the group manage to stay together, or will they fall apart? Will they even survive this summer?


Genres/Themes: Modern, Slice of Life, Summer, Road Trip, Beach, Friendship, Supernatural, Suspense, Drama, Mystery

 

[Wishfully]

Road Trip- Day 1 | 8:00 AM | Julia’s House

​

Julia Carraway


Julia Carraway finished washing her plate as her mother announced she was leaving for work. The woman gave her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek, reminding her to be safe, to watch out for everyone, and to call when they got to their first stop.


“And don’t get into any trouble.”


“Mom, we’ll be fine. They’re all a bunch of good kids- it’ll be fun!” Julia assured her mom, gently pushing her toward the door. See you in…like…a month, don’t be late for work!”


Julia looked around to make sure the house was tidy, including her own room; she hated coming back from vacation to a messy house. The girl checked her bags to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She had packed two days ago, but she had the nagging feeling that something was missing. Swimsuit, sunscreen, extra clothes, check. Toiletries, check. Well, maybe nothing was missing after all, and she was just being paranoid. Julia went to the desktop and printed extra copies of the directions to her father’s beach house, in case they got lost or the GPS stopped working. It was better to be safe than sorry.


The man was away on a month-long business trip and graciously offered his house for Julia and her friends to use as a summer getaway. Julia didn’t know much about her father, in fact, she hadn’t spoken to him until her senior year; however, he seemed nice and incredibly generous as well as forgiving. For a divorced man who hadn’t seen his daughter in several years, he didn’t seem to have any hard feelings about her reaching out to him now. Although he still didn’t speak much to her mother, he just seemed happy to be in contact with Julia again. With her older sister supposedly moved out already, the poor man had to be lonely in that large house all by himself. Julia honestly felt guilty for not reaching out to the other side of her family before now, and she felt like she was taking advantage of her father's kindness, but he insisted and even encouraged them to borrow his house while he was away. "Dad, are you sure?" Julia had asked. "Of course! Just, you know, don't break things or do anything to get the cops involved. But other than that, have fun! I only wish I had the chance to meet all of your friends- I'm sure they're wonderful people," he had replied.


The petite brunette loaded her own luggage into the Audi, making sure her belongings wouldn’t take up too much space. She checked the oil and tires once more, even though she had just taken the car for a routine checkup last week. The GPS was fully charged, and she had plenty of water bottles and some road snacks ready to go. For a patient girl, Julia felt rather anxious. For the most part, she felt excited; however, there was a small part of her that was worried. With any large group of people, there was bound to be some disagreement or clashing, and month away from home? Nah…everything would be just fine, there was nothing to worry about. They were all adults now, and they could take care of themselves. Besides, there was no one else in the world Julia would rather spend her summer with. This summer would have to be the best one- they couldn’t leave each other, not yet.


With a smile, Julia looked up at the sky. The day looked promising and there was not a cloud in sight. The Group had been planning this ever since their last days at school, and she felt like everyone was just as excited about their summer vacation as she was. Still, Julia figured it wouldn’t hurt to send a group text and remind everyone that they were carpooling from her house, just in case someone forgot. After sending the message, she went back inside and waited for everyone to arrive.

The BEST Group

me

Rise and shine, Lovelies! Today’s the big day~ so excited :D Meet up at my house at 10:00ish so we can get the cars packed and hit the road! Oh and no need to knock, the door’s open :)

@xx0mittens0xx

@Halcyon @gambino @blue nebula @IITheTypistII @Pine
​

Carpool Assignments

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• Julia's Car
• James's Car

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  Julia (driver)
  
  Tyler
  
  Ava
  
  Samantha
  
  
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  James (driver)
  
  Landon
  
  Grey
  
  Evelyn
  
  Estee
  
  

 

[MittyMittens]

Evie groans as the sound of her text ringtone woke her up, she hits her alarm half a dozen times before realizing it was her phone. She rolls over and grabs it from off the nightstand, squinting to read the text from Julia she had received. 10:00ish? She looks over at the alarm clock to see the time and sees in nice bright red coloring 9:00.


"Fuck!!" She rolls out of bed in a less than graceful manner,unintentionally throwing off a cat sleeping at her feet and getting an objectionable meow from another that was sleeping on the pillow beside her own. She runs out of her bedroom and nearly slams into the hallway wall at hitting hardwood floor due to her soft fabriced socks.


"Nice bedhead!" She hears her brother call out from the kitchen at spotting her dart out of her room and into the bathroom. "Shut up!!" She simply states before she furiously brushes her hair and teeth once in the bathroom. She applies her make up, albeit less rushed than the previous actions. She pulls her hair into a ponytail and braids it at remembering Julia and James were to drive them there and she remembered James having a convertible, hair that blew around all over the place was not something she was willing to deal with. She quickly darted into her bedroom, more careful across the hardwood floor in the hallway this time. She changed into this and double checks her suitcase that she had luckily packed last night. She adds a few things to it that she couldn't pack last night due to needed them this morning. She zips the suitcase shut and hauls it down the hallway leaving it by the door before making her way into the kitchen. She steals a piece of toast off of her brother's plate getting an objectionable "Hey!!" at doing it. "You snooze you lose" She chows down on it before downing it with a glass of milk. "Don't forget to feed Chilli and Pepper while I'm gone" She states as she goes to fill their bowl one last time before she left. "Try not to get yourself in trouble while I'm gone"


"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. And I think I'm more inclined to tell you not to get into trouble. Dad left you something at the table the door before he left for work, it's an envelop so most probably money or a detailed letter of how to behave yourself. Possibly both and um..." He looks down at her feet. "Don't forget shoes"


Evie looks down at her feet realizing she was still wearing just the socks from earlier. She sighs agitatedly and mumbles a thanks before disappearing into her room again coming out with a pair of simple flip-flops on her feet. She gives her brother a hug as he was putting another slice of bread into the toaster, getting an annoyed groan in response. "Peace out girl scout!" She calls to him before rushing out the door with her suitcase, stuffing the envelope in the zipper part on the front of the suitcase too rushed to look at it now. She tosses the suitcase over onto her passenger side seat. She gets in herself, starts it up and heads out to Julia's place glancing at the clock. 9:50. Not terrible, she'd still get there around 10ish.


She soon arrived at Julia's, giving a small knock before walking inside, she was definitely excited for this trip. It would be good to make memories and have a good time before they all went off their separate ways. It was a bit depressing to think about possibly losing contact with them, but it seemed life and time had a way of doing that, she would know. She had barely any friends she kept it contact with or kept in contact with her from her previous schools. She however pushed that thought away, the next month was meant for good memories and to have a blast. "Julia!?" She calls out to let her presence be known before soon finding her and smiles. "Hey. Thought I was going to be late to be honest, surprised that I'm one of the first people here. Just proves I'm a great procrastinator" She states with a chuckle.

 

[gambino]

Estee stared at the long, sticky tendril hanging off the spoon, before whacking it against the side of the bowl again. She hated porridge. It had too much of an attitude for something so bland. The sound of her angrily banging the side of the bowl was the only sound in the empty, suburban house. With its beige exterior and sandy interior, it was exactly the ambiguously-not-quite-the-same-but-very-similiar house repeated throughout each and every street of River Lots. Estee had vowed a long time ago to never give in to suburbia, the identical dads with beer-bellies and sandals and moms who fought over who had the best cookies at the bake sale.


Settling with her bowl of several-hour-old porridge and a very generous heaping of sugar, she settled down into the small island, eating it gummily. Her mom had left a lifestyle magazine on the counter and she lazily flipped through it. Estee had yet to understand why they advertised the new latest lose-all diet next to a picture of cake. Before she could contemplate whether or not she needed to go paleo right. now., her phone buzzed from across the table. Estee swiped at it in excitement, reading the message on the screen. It had been such a long time since she had been somewhere absolutely carefree; no extra-credit homework, no parent-mandatory summer school or weird math conventions. Last summer they sent her to electrical engineering camp, her only fond memory being the only girl without acne or braces. Scraping the remnants of her porridge glue into the sink, Estee checked the time. It was 9:30 and she had yet to put pants on.


Climbing the carpeted greige stairs to her room, she briefly went over what she had packed. She had her favourite swimsuit, sunscreen, hat, flip flops and a swingy summer dress for good measure, along with her collection of worn shorts and assorted shirts. Arriving in her surprisingly plain teenage room, she forego her large t-shirt night dress for a pair of denim shorts and an old Stanford crewneck sweater; the air-conditioning in cars always made her chilly. Catching a look at herself in the mirror, Estee frowned. Her hair was a mess, and she needed concealer. Badly. Dragging a brush though her hair and rubbing some makeup underneath her eyes, she was gone, her duffel bag in tow as she powered through the door.


9:45. I'll be on time. Cool. Estee remarked to herself, tossing her bag in the passenger side of her clunker of a car. She always enjoyed telling the story of when she cut herself on her car door and had to get a tetanus shot. Julia lived relatively close; a 15 minute drive. Estee arrived soon, remembering that the door was open. The little Audi was parked outside, the only car there. Slinging her duffel bag onto her shoulders, Estee hopped out of her car as well as one could when it touched the ground, and made her way to the door. It was strangely uncomfortable to go into someone's house without knocking. Quietly putting her bag by the door, Estee walked in, noting Evie's presence.


"Made it." Estee said, smiling crookedly at Julia. Of course she made it. Estee hated being late.

 

[BrownBear]

LAST NIGHT


----------------------------------------------


"Hurngh!"


"Urgh!"


"HUUURR-"


"rrrr-rrrr..."


Two men. Both unarmed. One space. Only one victor. The fight was reaching nearing the end it seemed.... and the rookie of the year appeared to be losing to the more seasoned and larger veteran known as Garfield the Guillotine. Both were bloody and cut up, however the young warrior in his unfortunate position seemed to be in far worse shape. Many spectators stood and cheered while a few people hung around the bar in the dark corner. It was a more busy night, seeing as how the small crowd cheered with blood lusting passion while they watched the fight. This particular underground fight club was underneath a deceivingly established bar that had a fondness for classic rock. The crowd roared, with few people angrily pulling and smashing the wired fence that separated the arena from the surrounding floor. "TIGER I BET BIG MONEY ON YOU, YOU BETTER WIN!" A voice roared from nearby. A few more agitated voices joined in agreement.


However the young curly haired man did not listen for he was far too preoccupied. Oh how it burned, the pain! He was going to lose an arm tonight! He would never be able to fight again! But honestly would that be such a bad thing? Not that these thoughts were running through his head right now. At this very moment he had to react and stop being the prey. He had to resist!


"rrrr-RRAAAAAAA" Blood mixed with sweat. Burning wounds. Fangs baring like angry yet focused beast. He slowly... but surely began pulling his muscular forearm away from the body of his longer limbed opponent... James waited for the reaction he wanted as he was pulling his left arm closer to himself... like a game of chess.


".... HURNG!"


As soon as the man began pulling again, a space opened up. James hit the



. "AAAAAAAHH!"
The Guillotine tapped out. James closed his eyes and breathed in relief.


"YEEEAH! TI-GRE, TI-GRE, TI-GRE"


The referee helped the young man up, who stumbled a bit on his defined legs. He looked around and saw that even a few of the opposite betters were clapping a bit for him. Just as the referee was about to lift his arm up, James bent over and helped up his own opponent. Guillotine stood at 6'4" and 185 pounds... the tallest James had ever fought in his life. How he got out of this one was a miracle. This was most definitely his most bloody and sloppy fight. If Guillotine had not taken the fight to the ground... James would have probably been knocked out.


The veteran looked down sideways at James and gave a small. James gave his signature grin and looked forward victoriously. "RAAAAAH!" He lifted both the refs right arm and his opponents left arm. The crowd roared louder... this was it... this is what he loved.... the adrenaline... the honor (or at least in some cases).... the recognition. This what he loved. This was the only place where he felt he could show his true personality and true motivation. To win. He wanted to win and have a good time.... and the money wasn't so bad either...


---------------------------------------------------------


20 minutes later James has walked outside the bar and is walking to his car inside the parking garage


James was walking towards his car, which waited on the third floor for him. He wore a baseball hat in order to avoid attention and had a large duffel bag slung around his back. He was happy that he was given the opportunity to fight Garfield tonight., since it was not only an awesome challenge but good money as well. Though he dabbled in other ways to acquire currency. He smiled to himself softly as he brought his phone out to check for messages. He scrolled through. The usual. Fight invites. Party invites. People asking for service. A girl or two here and there. He had to keep it on silent because god damn, his phone vibrated non stop before. For fuck sake, he wasn't even into social media. He sighed as he came up to his car.


God how he loved this car. He told everyone he bought it himself... but it was a hand me down. A generous a gift from his older brother who is in the Navy. Regardless, James was always a grateful person and loved the fact that his older brother, a man he admired for helping with his mom and sister while overseas, once cruised in this car. Their mother insisted that it be given to James, as she believed that was the right decision, since he needed a ride to the "restaurant" he worked at. James refused at first, feeling guilty because of the lie, but a stubborn latina mother was a fight that even El Tigre Disidente would have no chance against.


James was about to reach for his keys-


Cli-kuh


James froze. It was like seeing an old partner or boss with whom you had the worst work experience with at the office. Same exact feeling. "Shit..." He whispered. His eyes were wide open. He only liked that sound when it came from him....


"... Slowly turn around..."


"You're ok. You're going to be ok... just breathe..." James' shoulder rose up slowly and then descended as he exhaled. His duffel bag was across his arms now. He faced his muggers. Two men. Familiar faces. From the fight.


"... Good fight. Now give us your winnins. Your wallet too. Or die. Throw em to us.'" The black hooded man said with the pistol in his hand. He was about ten feet away. His taller friend was unarmed and stood behind him.


James nodded slowly. "Ok... Im reaching in my bag... ok?"


"DONT DO ANYTHING FUNNY!"


James nodded. He reached his hand inside the bag and pulled out a wallet and one rubber banded roll of bills. It was a fake wallet. Stuffed with receipts, a little cash, a school ID, and a a couple gift cards and business cards to look convincing. He always carried around when he was in the city. It was a trick he learned growing up in rough Miami. He never did this when he was back in Palm View though.


He felt safer there.


He threw the wallet and money... but not directly towards his aggressors. It was a measly throw, about half way between the men.


"AYE!"


"My bad. I fight... I dont pitch.... maricon."


"That CANT be all your money. Give him the bag calmly!"


The hooded man looked at his friend who nodded in response. The taller man slowly walked to the wallet and bent over to pick it up. Seemed like they didnt want the big money just yet. Hoodie took a few sideway steps in order to get his sights on James. James looked at the ground for a moment and played it out. Then he executed.


First. He threw the bag to Hoodie, disrupting his field of vision. Hoodie was startled and shot in the air, missing the bag due to sudden surprise.


Second. James dashed and kicked the tall man in the groin area. He twisted the pained mans body to face Hoodie.


Third. He kicked out Tallmans knees and got him in a standing chokehold. James stared at the jaw dropped assailant.


The two men stared at each other for a long time. The inexperienced and slightly out of shape Tallman was desperately trying to scrape away James arms, but his weapons were far too tight on the thiefs neck. As Hoodie was about to order a "Let him go", James tightened his choke on the man. Tallman made a desperate animal like call. He was now prey caught in a trap by his ruthless hunter. Ruthless. Thats what mode James was in right now. His face was stoic and his eyes intense with focus. He continued tightening his choke. Hoodies face turned pale and his hands started shaking a bit. He did not know what to do. It was obvious he cared for his partner, having some form of conscious.


"... Just throw the gun this way... Or his eyes roll back and stay that way... you dont have to do this... dont MAKE me do this. Just throw it here. Ammo too."


Hoodie looked conflicted for a few seconds but soon gave in. He threw the gun to the back of the Pontiac, right along side with two clips. James quickly kicked the mans ass towards his partner and began walking towards the two. "Now get out, Putos! Leave!" James started a small sprint, to which the two men ran away. James waited a few seconds, his muscles tight and adrenaline settling, before breathing again. No matter how many dangerous situations he got into... it seemed his reaction never changed.


He retrieved his items, plus the weapon and got into his car. "My god...." He revved the engine, backed out, and blasted his music before speeding out of the garage.


--------------------------------------------------------------------


An hour or more


He stepped into his simple, small apartment. On the way, he slid some cash in an envelope into the landlords mailbox before making his way to the second floor. It wasn't much, and it was a tad bit out-dated but it was enough for James. He kept it tidy and got his furniture from Ikea so he its not like he was living in the ghetto again. As matter of fact he modernized the place a bit! He was out most of the time anyways, as he saw it.


A few boxes are stacked against the wall though. He had already finished packing for college. As soon as he got back from the trip with his friends, he was going to throw the little he owned into a truck and head back to home town.... this time on the road to success though. Next to the boxes were his clothes and luggage for the morning.


Palm View was good to him but damn...... he was ready to leave.


He looks inside his old fridge and guzzles some Black Label rum before dragging his feet to his room. He gets out of his clothes and heads to bathroom.


Wisps of blood mix in with the water and down the drain. After drying himself he continues his self treatment. He applies alcohol all over his wounds and stitches his eyebrows before dowsing himself with neosporin.


Back into his bedroom he gets in to his boxers and goes by his window. Grabbing a joint on his night table, he opens the windows and lights up. He finishes his joint before falling over into bed, getting under the covers. It was always the moment he hit the sack, was when he felt all the soreness and pain. He looked to his right, squinting grumpily at his clock.


2:30 am.


James goes on his side and closes his eyes. He frowned a bit. His legs shift. What a bother. It seems he simply can not find a comfortable position! Finally James grunted and threw his strong arm towards the night table, grabbing a white plastic container. Thirty minutes later he was sound asleep.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


PRESENT


8:57 am. James sighed as he stared at the ceiling. He reads Julias text.


9:00 am. The alarm is shut off. James is in the bathroom.


9: 15 am. James is clean and shaven.


9:20 am. James is all dressed and cologned up to go.


9:30 am. James has breakfast. Oatmeal and boiled eggs with assorted berries. Reads the latest news on his phone. "Oh shit... who would've known..."


9:37 am. James stares at the gun on his coffee table. Decides to make coffee.


9:42 am. James takes care of the place and double checks for missing items. Adds a couple items to his backpack and suitcase.


9:45 am. James is in car. The top is up at the moment.


9:47 am. the engine runs and James picks a



as he sips his Cuban coffee. Black. No sugar. He cracks his neck. "Ouch. Yup.. feelin it alright.... que mierda."
10:03 am. James parks in front of Carraway mail box. He watches Estee ... more like stares... @gambino


Another car. Looked like Evies... another looker, with a bit of leg on her. Right next to her the sweet Julia. It seemed it was just the three of the girls. James chuckled to himself a bit. Three beautiful young ladies.


10:05 am. James checks himself. He gets out of the car and fixes his hat.


"Ayyye!" James softly shut his car door behind himself before sticking his hands in his short pockets. Before he takes a step away from his car, he he stares at the beautiful Carraway home and front yard. He smiles wide before swaggering slowly across the street. "I dont think Ive ever been here!" James said sincerely. But honestly other than house parties, he was not one to go over peoples house very often. Just like how he rarely let people know where lived. Except one person of course.


"Que casa bellisima!" James exclaimed. "Much like you gorgeous ladies!" He winked and smirked, looking at each girl playfully. "Hahaha!" James chuckled as he gave each girl a small hug and kiss by the cheek, an action popular in latin culture when greeting women. "So." He rubbed his hands together a bit before sticking them in his pockets. "I hope the others get here soon! How did your morning go you guys?" He smiled and was engaged to each girls face equally. James wounds had healed pretty well... he hoped one of them wouldnt give him any shit again for it....

 

[Halcyon]

Ava Bee

​

Ava Bee was having a lovely dream when it was interrupted by a loud ping that rang out continuously. The redhead groaned slightly, her eyes slowly opening as she reached over and hit the off button. At this point it hurt to move. The girl slowly sat up, letting in a sharp intake of breath as pain shot through her body. She was lucky however it was only pain at this point. She could very well not be able to move. Ava reached over onto her nightstand and grabbed her pill bottle. She then popped one into her mouth and let it slide down her throat. She looked over at the clock, reading 7:37. It would take about ten minutes for the meds to kick in and the pain to stop.


Ava stood at her bed, shoving corsets into her suit case. She had about 20 in all, all stack on each other before putting in various shorts. She then grabbed her heels and expertly placed them in. She was only bringing about 4 pairs, but she had to match sure she could still fit in her toiletries. After a few minutes she finally had everything packed and perfect. she once again checked the time, realizing it was only 8:30. The female then headed down stairs. Once there she grabbed a bowl and pours in some coco pebbles. She wasn't surprised she was the only one up considering both her moms were late sleepers. They probably weren't even going to be up to see her off. Ava suddenly heard little pitter pattering of feet. A little boy with a head of dirty blonde hair came running into the kitchen, grabbing onto Ava's leg as she sat at the table.


"Timmy! What are you doing up so early silly goose?" Ava cooed, reaching out and putting him on her lap. She listened to him talk really fast meaningless sentences as she continued to eat. She couldn't help but love how cute he was. Not to mention they wore semi matching spider man PJs. Needless to say they were pretty close.


"You know BeeBee is leaving for a month today right?" The little boy nodded as he chewed on a banana. "And you promise to be a good boy, yes?" Ava asked raising her eyebrow. "Yes!" Timmy called out, grinning. The redhead's phone then buzzed, causing her lift the boy off her lap. She read the text message and stood up quickly, walking over and placing the bowl in the sink. She then grabbed her little brothers hand and started walking towards the stairs. "Lets go help BeeBee get dressed!" She said excitedly, picking him up as she ascended the stairs.


"White!" Timmy called out, pointing to one of the two corsets Ava Bee held up. Ava laughed as she then asked him what color she should match with the white corset. Timmy took a while to choose but in the end he chose pink. As Ava went into the bathroom to change, she also put on music, causing Timmy to jump on her bed. Ava was quick to get dressed, carefully buttoning up her corset. It took her years to master the practice of putting on a corset herself, but now she was a pro. Ava only applied a little bit of lip gloss since she had already packed up most of her makeup. Ava walked out of the bathroom, spinning around as Timmy clapped. "Thank you thank you." She laughed, walking over to sit on the bed next to her little brother. The four year old boy hugged his older sister as she laced up her shoes, completing her outfit.


Ava grabbed her suitcase as well as her LoTR messenger bag that held her chargers, laptop, phone, and book. She the picked up her brother again, walking to her parents room. "Mom! Mother! I'm leaving." She spoke, letting her brother down to the floor and watching him running and jump onto the bed. She took their groans as a goodbye, turning out the door and making her way out the house. It was about 9:45, when she took off down the street. She didn't bother bringing her car or anything. They only had one car and her parents needed it. Instead so would talk the 20 minute walk to Julia's house considering she only lived in the neighbor next to her.


It was about 10:07 when she walked up to the house, messenger bag around her shoulder and suitcase rolling behind her. Her hips swayed lightly as she stepped one heeled foot in front of the other. She ran a hand through her wavy hair and popped some of her gum. She then made her way to the door, opening it up. "Guess who's here losers!" She called out, placing her sunglasses on the top of her head. She then let out a small laugh, snorting a little bit as she walked into the house. "Hello ladies and gent." She waved, greeting the group happily and ready to hit the road. "So who's ready for this trip?"

 

[Pine]

Landon's entire frame twitched in a spasm as the shrill sound of an alarm buzzing stirred him abruptly from his sleep. Almost instantly he sat up, instantly feeling refreshed, but just as soon planted his face back into the pillow. His nose scrunched against it, taking in the faint scent of detergent. After a moment, he threw his arms out forward and raised his rump high, arcing his back and extended his arms out in a stretch. Landon scratched faintly at the fabric of his bed before collapsing in a heap.


He sat there long after he heard his phone buzz. "Ugh." Finally the boy had to lift his head out of the pillow. His eyes squinted forward, narrowed to slits as the beige wall came into focus. He flung his arm out to the side, letting his hand fall on the desk next to him as his fingers grappled for his glasses, but eventually his fingers found the thick frame they were searching for. Landon rose to sit on his feet then, toes curling as he dragged his fingers over his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a moment of rubbing his face all over with his hand, he flicked his glasses open and pushed them up his nose. He then grabbed for his brick of a smartphone, and dragging his thumb over the touch screen to open the text message.


Ah, right, Julia... He scanned over the text before quickly punching out "Gotcha!" Landon stared at the single word with intense focus, finger hovering over the send button. He thought long and hard on it and the fact that no one else had replied yet and of all the implication if he were to be the only one that did... Nope. Landon held the backspace until the word was wiped from the screen and he close out of the entire application.


He straightened his back from its hunch, threw the bed sheets from off him, then hopped to his feet on the carpeted floor beneath. The room was dim, the only light to be seen was the one filtering in through the slits of his blinds and what came from the crack under his door, but he had already adjusted and shaken off the remainders of sleep. Landon made his way over to his drawers and reached out with his foot, toes curling the handle to pull it open and start packing. His mouth tugged into a frown, seeing only one pair of shorts in the drawer. "Oh, no..." Landon kicked the drawer in and pulled open another practically empty one. "Oh, crap, no..."


Internally, a list of swears began to run through his head. No, shit, fuck, did I need to do laundry? Because I totally didn't. Or did I? He screamed from the inside of his mouth, lips sealed shut as he frantically threw open and slammed the rest of his drawers shut. Just as he turned open to yank open the door, he found his mother standing outside with a basket perched under his arm, the other arm reaching forward for the door handle. The woman peered at his son from under her drooping lids, clearly annoyed. "Hey! Uh-"


"I took the liberty of washing your clothes and packing for you, because I knew if I left it up to you, you'd never get it done."


Landon scoffed lightly under his breath. "Mom-" He hissed another exasperated noise through his teeth. "I totally would have done it!"


"Mhm." The corner of her lips fell, not trying to keep the disbelief from her expression. Her eyes flickered over her son's form, and Landon suddenly remember how he was standing in nothing but his boxers. He frowned back at her and drew his legs close together and folded his arms over his chest as the cold air hit him. She rolled her eyes away from him before resuming her trek along the hall. "I left your clothes that you could wear today in your drawers."


Annoyed, but silently grateful that he wouldn't have to worry about packing, he returned to pick up his outfit. Now that he was actually looking around his room, it should have been obvious that she had already taken the initiative to prepare him. A bulging suitcase laid at the foot of his bed with a note scribbled on top of it. One his closet door hung a short-sleeved plaid button-up, a mesh of soft red, oranges and blues. Landon huffed a disgruntled sigh before approaching it. He hooked too fingers in the right breast pocket, just checking that it would be big enough, before slipping the shirt from the hangar and throwing it on. He kept his head lowered to ensure that he didn’t mess up the buttons like he did most of the time as he slowly moved back to the drawer. He tugged it open just as before and picked up the light tan cargo shorts. Landon stood there a moment, balancing on one foot and holding up his shorts with the other, before he was satisfied with the buttons and pulled his pants on.


He rubbed the lids of his eyes beneath his glasses as he moved on to inspect the suitcase, fidgeting with the frame before reaching down to pluck the note from it:

Have fun with your friends!

But don't forget about your parents

that you wouldn't bring with you!

XOXOX Mom & DAD

Landon groaned under his breath. His mom, who clearly forced his dad into signing the note, had absolutely no sympathy for the life of a teenager. The instant he brought it up, she permitted him to go, but for the past few weeks, she had been talking incessantly about how much she wished that she had a beach house to run to, or how she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen the ocean, even though it had only been last summer that they had taken a family vacation to the beach. He had expected the note to at least be the typical farewell and happy wishes that she could have told him to his face, but this was so much worse. Landon couldn't tell which he felt more - guilty or annoyed.


He crumpled it in his fist, and with years of practicing when they were nothing better to do in school, tossed the wad of paper right into the trash can. Landon finally moved on to unzip the various compartments of the suitcase and review the contents. Just as he had expected, she had prepared him for everything... probably too much of everything. Sunscreen was found in the side pocket, along with bug spray tucked away beneath his clothes, a first-aid kit...


"Mom! I don't wear bandanas!" he called out to her, now definitively annoyed. "I'm not a thug!"


Her voice carried on faintly from some other part of the house. "Well, you might as well be with how you always dress! And besides, they were on sale, so you better take them with you!"


Landon shook his head in exasperation, yanked open a nearby drawer and threw them in there. Ever since he got his piercing a few months back without telling her, his mom has been convinced that her son is a delinquent. It was either that or when she discovered he was smoking. She never said anything to directly address these things, but her passive-aggressive comments about sleeping on his side so he didn't choke on his vomit was more than enough to clue him in any time he went to hang out with friends. He was almost positive that a part of her really took him for a stoner.


And of course... The 100 percent legal pack of cigarettes he had bought with his own money, not robbed from an ATM or anything, were neither in the suitcase nor their usual spot. Landon opened his mouth to demand where she hid them but decided against it, not wanting to hear whatever snide comment she might make because of it. Dad would have told him, but he was at work.


Finally, after scrambling around on his knees searching every crack and corner of his room, he lifted his head to find the three packs lined neatly behind the old, boxy television that had probably been sitting there since some time in the nineties. Landon swiped them off, and tucking one into the pocket of his shirt, found a spot in his suitcase to toss the others. With a decisive snap of the zipper, he had done his fair share of packing and was ready to go.


However, when he looked back at the clock, it was only ten minutes past eight. Landon sighed lightly through his nose and decided to at least rearrange a little. He picked up the pair of sunglasses and hooked them on his ears, letting them dangle under his chin, then threw a gray beanie on his head. He then moved on to the various portable game consoles he had left plugged in over night and grabbed a drawstring back to start throwing things of immediate interest in.


When he was done, he slung the bag over his shoulders, kicked on a lone pair of cheap black flip-flops and snapped the handle of his suitcase out, rolling it behind him as he made his way out of his room and trotted down the stairs. Landon stopped in the living room and hopped onto the couch to where he instantly reclined back, feet propped up on the arm rest and stuffing his head into a corner of the couch. He pulled his 3DS from out of his sack, and to kill time, he pulled open Super Smash Bros. to school some people in online play.


- - - - -


"You should have been there already."


"Mom, they're my friends. They aren't going to cut me out for being a little late. This isn't a business interview or anything."


"Bad choices make bad habits."


Landon rolled his eyes away and plucked the piece of toast that popped out of the toaster. While slathering on an almost excessive amount of butter he continued, "I'm going now, alright?"


The brief silence made it quite apparent that she was holding back her tongue, which was desperate to lash out at him for his eye-rolling. "Alright, give Mom a kiss before you go."


He groaned internally and set the knife down on the tub of butter. He pecked her quickly on the cheek before stuffing the slightly-burned toast in his mouth, the likes of which was nearly soggy from the butter that had just soaked in. As Landon grabbed his bags and started heading out the door, she began to follow after him and list off every safety precaution that she knew. He was quick to tune this out, simply bobbing his head along as he made his way to his small car. He threw the suitcase in the back and pulled the sunglasses over his other glasses, purposefully looking ridiculous with the toast still hanging limply in his mouth. After he crawled into the driver seat and started the car, he waited for the opportune time to slam the door in the woman's face, give a wave then back quickly out the drive and peel off the road.


Landon had intentionally waited until ten to leave. After all, he did not want to be the first person to arrive. The thought made his stomach twist with discomfort. Besides, if he showed up late, his anime reference would be perfect. He adjusted the toast in his mouth and began the arduous process of setting aside all of his annoyed feelings. His iPod was already plugged in, so it was only a matter of twisting the knob for volume. Julia's house wasn't very far, so he already resigned that if he still didn't see anyone else there, he would drive around the block a few times and hope that his toast didn't fall apart.


However, when he was pulling up to the house, he saw Ava disappearing into the doorway. Perfect. He parked on the side of the street, and throwing the drawstring bag back on, he hurled the suitcase out from the back and knocked the doors shut behind him with a swing of the hip. He ran hysterically for the door, stomach rumbling in anticipation of the food that he would finally be able to eat. With one arm dragging the suitcase behind him, the held the other to crush the beanie against his head. "'Ey!" he called from around a mouthful of bread, keeping this escapade up until he alighted up the stairs into the house and ran up to the group, eyes flickering expectantly from behind his glasses-sunglasses combo to see which one of them was up to scratch with their memes.

 

[Wishfully]

Tyler Murphy


Tyler groaned and hit the silence button on his phone. He rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock. “It’s 8:15…what the heck, Julia?” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. Tyler read the text message before shutting his eyes once again. He lived next door to her, and he was mostly packed anyways, meaning he had everything set aside just not actually inside the bag yet. He could probably afford to sleep for another hour or so…


At 9:30 Tyler woke up again and rolled out of his bed, falling clumsily onto the floor. What time is is…9:30!? Tyler panicked for a moment before realizing that he only had to walk down the street a few paces before arriving at his destination. When he thought about it that way, Tyler had plenty of time. There wasn’t much to pack other than the clothes and toiletries he had sorted out the night before. Sure, they’d be gone for a long time, but still- there would be a washing machine at the house, so it wasn’t too big of a deal, right? Tyler unzipped a simple black suitcase and stuck the rolls of clothes inside. He had learned that packing tip from his father- rolling up clothes took up less space than stacking.


The boy ran a comb through his hair and threw on some casual clothes that would be comfortable enough for sitting in the car all day. As he passed through the kitchen, Tyler threw some bread in the toaster and prepared for the day. Then he returned to his room to finish packing and briefly looked around his room, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything too important. With a shrug, he decided that everything looked good to go. When he heard the toaster ding, Tyler returned to the kitchen for breakfast, sitting down at the dining room table with his parents.


“Aren’t you running a little late?” his mother asked.


“Nah, I’ll be fine.”


Tyler’s mom raised an eyebrow after she looked at the clock. 9:55.


“What, it’s not like it takes five minutes to get to Julia’s,” Tyler said. “I know what that look means, Mom.”


Tyler’s mom shook her head and chuckled. “I just feel sorry for poor Julia, having to deal with you for a whole month.”


Tyler rolled his eyes slightly. Julia had “dealt with” Tyler since childhood- he was pretty sure she could deal with him for another month. If they didn’t hate each other by now, then they never would. With that in mind, Tyler got up from the table and put his plate in the dishwasher. He say goodbye to his parents, as his siblings were either still sleeping or at summer camp by now.


“Remember to wear sunscreen, and if you have an emergency-“


Tyler just nodded while his parents (mostly his mom) went through their usual routine for whenever one of their children went away somewhere for more than a day.


“Will do. See you later, love you both.” Tyler gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek, and his father gave him a solid pat on the back before the young man walked out of the house.


When Tyler walked up the driveway, it looked like everyone else had arrived already. He smiled as he heard voices coming from the other side of the door. He had been looking forward to this vacation for quite some time now. Tyler looked down at his wristwatch. 9:58. He stood there at Julia’s door until the clock read 9:59.


“Heeeyyy!! How’s everyone doing?” he said, announcing his arrival with a grin. He ruffled Estee’s hair a little- he was obviously feeling a little daring this morning. Tyler smirked as Julia cast him a glare. Of course he had waited until one minute before ten, and he had done it on purpose just to agitate her. Julia shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, but Tyler knew she didn’t expect much less from him.


“Is everyone here already? I’m ready to get this show on the road!” he cheered. Tyler was one of those obnoxious morning people as soon as he got out of bed. But this was an exciting adventure, so why not be cheerful? It was perfect- a road trip, a beach, sun, sand, friends, attractive people, memories, and some things you’ll never speak of…that’s what summer was all about, right?


 
Julia Carraway


Julia smiled a little to herself when she heard the sound of cars in the driveway. This was actually happening, she realized- not like the times where they planned hypothetical things or talked about fantasies that they never ended up pursuing. Maybe a summer trip wasn’t that big of a deal- some people probably did this every year. But not Julia. After junior year, Julia hadn’t dreamed of having even this many people she considered “friends” and actually enjoyed hanging out with. Even the few group members she wasn’t very close with were decent and she could accept their presence without a fuss.


As the door opened, Julia finished putting the last dish in the cupboard. She didn’t want her mom to have to clean so much after work, so she had taken the liberty of unloading the clean dishes and loading the dirty ones. Julia smiled as she noticed Evelyn, but then she gave crossed her arms. “Evie, why do you always have to look cute? Now I feel the need to look nicer…” she teased, looking down at her own jeans-and-tshirt ensemble. She went toward the living room and gave the blonde a friendly hug, trying not to feel overly self-conscious. Truthfully, Evelyn wasn’t all that dressed up, but somehow she still looked nice in Julia’s opinion.


Julia offered to take Estee’s bag, stepping aside from the doorway as she entered. “Oh yeah, you’re good. We’re still waiting on mostly everyone,” Julia smiled, giving the other girl a quick hug. Of course Estee wasn’t late, she never was. Unlike Tyler…though, he managed to slip in before quite a few of the others. Julia didn’t really care if everyone arrived by exactly 10am, however, she knew Tyler well enough to know he had come at 9:59 on purpose. Julia greeted everyone with a smile and a nod of acknowledgement as they started coming in at a steady pace. Though she also rolled her eyes a little when Ava lovingly called them losers and Landon undoubtedly made some sort of reference she was (again) unfamiliar with.


“All right, well now that everyone’s here I guess we can go ahead and get moving. I promised my dad we would stop by this modern art park and a little historic town called Thomasville on our way over- he wouldn’t stop talking about road trip sites, and he insisted we make a couple stops.” Julia shrugged as she looked around at everyone with a smile. “But as long as we get checked into the hotel rooms for the next two nights, we should be fine to make a few stops if you guys want. It definitely doesn’t take two full days to drive to my dad’s house.”


With that, Julia motioned for everyone to start packing their things in the cars. They had settled on carpooling- some in Julia’s car and some with James in his car, and they would fit the luggage in wherever they could. “Call if you get lost or want to stop for lunch or anything!” Julia called out to James through the driver’s side window. She didn’t anticipate anyone getting lost, especially since they were traveling together on the same route, but hey…you never know, right? Some people were just that bad at following directions, though she hoped James was not one of those people.


“If any of you want to play music, go ahead. I’ll try not to complain too much,” Julia assured her passengers as she pulled out the auxiliary cable. She reached back without looking and handed it to whoever’s hands she felt first- which happened to be Ava.

@xx0mittens0xx

@gambino @Pine
​

 

[gambino]

Estee stood with the two girls, quiet. “Evie, why do you always have to look cute? Now I feel the need to look nicer…” Julia teased, Estee's attention brought to Evie. She envied her effortless chic. Everything looked good on Evie. Estee looked at her fishtail- how the hell do you even braid? It was one of those magical gifts some people just had, like whistling. Lord knows Estee tried, both braiding and whistling, to no avail. Her mom had done her hair once after some several complaints, a tight french braid, and though she didn't say it, it was a bit Amish. Julia looked at Estee, shaking her out of her out of her train of thought, asking her if she wanted her bag taken. Estee quickly shook her head no, watching through the window as a shiny convertible rolled up containing a tall Dominican boy. James climbed out, welcoming the girls.


Estee was aware of Jame's gaze, watching him stare at her, and then skim over Evie's body. She wasn't uncomfortable; she had been around enough hammered boys to know their fascination- yet she watched with the anthropological curiosity akin to a scientist watching a monkey. Boys were really fucking weird. Smiling politely as he leaned in to each of the girls and greeted them in his Latin flair, she focused on his face. There were new cuts, new scratches. Quietly taking note, she chewed the inside of her cheek. Best not to bring attention to it.


The door swung open, a jubilant, boisterous voice greeting the group. Estee didn't have to turn her head to know who came in next. The clicking of heels and the popping of gum were enough to bring images of wavy red hair and corsets. Smiling at the friendly insult, she heard the door slam again.


"Ey!" Turning her head to the side, Estee watched Landon bounce into the room, toast, beanie and bag in hand. Before she could even think about him, the door opened once again. That must be everyone? Estee thought to herself, a little overwhelmed with the amount of people flowing in.


“Heeeyyy!! How’s everyone doing?” A familiar voice exclaimed, a hand rumpling her hair. “Is everyone here already? I’m ready to get this show on the road!” Tyler. Estee's eye twitched in annoyance, before smiling. He was a warm person, and his morning cheerfulness and excitement was enough even to make Estee grin.


“All right, well now that everyone’s here I guess we can go ahead and get moving. I promised my dad we would stop by this modern art park and a little historic town called Thomasville on our way over- he wouldn’t stop talking about road trip sites, and he insisted we make a couple stops.” Julia shrugged as she looked around at everyone with a smile. “But as long as we get checked into the hotel rooms for the next two nights, we should be fine to make a few stops if you guys want. It definitely doesn’t take two full days to drive to my dad’s house.”


Julia had arranged carpool plans, Estee dimly recalled. She was to ride in James car. The fancy convertible. Groaning inwardly. she realized Tyler's tomfoolery would be the least of her hair issues.

 

[BrownBear]

James looked around the nice house as he watched his companions interact with one another, walking in just as Julia finished hugging Evie. He smirked and raised a slightly paranoid and cut eyebrow as he had not noticed Tyler walking in before him. He quickly relaxed the left eye, trying not to stretch out the clear stitches he had worked so hard on last night before bed. Despite the "small marks" (as he liked to call them), he was still sore from last night. Hell even standing there was making him feel the fatigue. Yet... it was a beautiful day and he was somehow full of positive energy. His eyes were cool and low as always but had a slight twinkle of a winner... and a lonely man looking forward to good company.


These were good friends no doubt but there was something within James that did not allow him to.... to just not get too close to any of them. He manages to appear more close to people than he actually is by using his charisma, which was a strange new found defense mechanism he had perfected in Palm View.


He always offered help when he could, for example, like taking Landon home every now and then or getting Estee out of sticky situations at parties. He tried to occasionally have a normal night with the group at a party or at the mall/movies though with his schedule must have not been very consistent. He's done favors like giving each person special treatment at parties... or hookups of drugs if they requested. He even likes to ask how each person is doing, baiting them to go into detail about themselves in order to talk less about himself, which he loved pulling on Landon so many times, as he was perhaps his most talkative companion.


Seems he never got over betrayal and what he learned from his environment growing up. To be honest he was still on edge about last nights little run in with the two thugs, but knew that would soon go away as they hit the highway. The highway. A road trip. A real vacation with people he was familiar with and the best part... to a beach house. He could already feel that lonely feeling going away. Ouch. He quickly relaxed his face to a small smirk again, looking down coolly. For a split second he went full fanged smile at the thought of the trip without even thinking. Got carried away...


He wiped his nose to reset his facial expression, then he stared at Julia being a nice host and offering to take Estees bag, to which James reacted by bending over and picking up the bag before any attempt from another person to take it "No worries hahaha!" He chuckled a bit. He winked amiably at Julia as he picked it up but felt another gaze. Estee was looking at him... biting her cheek like she always did when in thought. She was looking at his face. He blinked a couple times at her, his surprisingly long natural eyelashes fluttering, before widening his knowing smirk.


He spotted his next target. Evies bag. "Ill put your bags away you guys, no te preocupe'." He said, slightly cutting off the last "s" in the word preocupes, like they often do in the islands. As he grabbed both girls bags and turned to head for the door, he heard it.


"Ey!"


His eyes opened a bit as he saw Landon walk through with the bread in his mouth. Although he did not get the meme, James laughed nonetheless at the goofy young mans entrance. He set the bags down gently and gave the man dap before giving him a quick hug. "Hey! I havent taken you home since before we graduated homie! And lucky us... looks like we get to have big ride for good old times! Hahahah can't wait man!" Before he focused on the two girls bags again, James made an "L" sign with his right hand and stuck his tongue out at Ava playfully. He quickly shook Tylers hand with a classic two pump and "Whats good amigo?" before picking up the bags once again and listening to Julias speech.


“All right, well now that everyone’s here I guess we can go ahead and get moving. I promised my dad we would stop by this modern art park and a little historic town called Thomasville on our way over- he wouldn’t stop talking about road trip sites, and he insisted we make a couple stops.” Julia shrugged as she looked around at everyone with a smile. “But as long as we get checked into the hotel rooms for the next two nights, we should be fine to make a few stops if you guys want. It definitely doesn’t take two full days to drive to my dad’s house.”


With an eager nod, he went out the front door with Estee and Evies bags and with what he hoped was a normal pace that disguised his sore muscles. He went to the Pontiacs trunk and frowned a bit. He turned back and watched as Julia was getting her group settled in her car. James quickly got his generously sized suitcase and and positioned it inside Julias bigger car. "I hope you dont mind Julia! I ran out of space for the others." He briskly walked with a purpose from behind Julias vehicle to his own. He put in the two girls and finally helped Gray and Landon with their bags. "OK. Vamos chicos." James pulled the left back door open for whomever courteously before jumping in to the drivers seat.


As he bounced up and down in his seat to find a comfy position, he tapped a black backpack that lay under his legs. Next he took out his car keys and turned it in the ignition. With a roar the classic car came to life. "Hhahahahah, yes mi Bella!" James giggled to himself as he tapped the the top fabric of the convertible with his index and middle fingers.



played softly in the background that came from an old 64g iPod, connected by AUX cord. "Change the music or put your own as you please you guys. How you do it is on you guys." James said, sacrificing his dominion over to his friends in order to make them happy. "And tell me if you ever want the top down. Ill be happy to oblige." He reached to the cupholder and grabbed his slightly warm coffee before taking a long sip and putting it down. "Also! To anyone whos behind me. If Im leaning too far back please tell me. Im not that tall, I just drive like this cause I'm weird haha."
He paused and fixed his mirrors. "Ok. If anyone needs to piss or need something, nows the time! Is Remember to buckle up yada yada yada... so is everyone good and present?" James put on his beach fedora and black ray bans, nodding his head and tapping the wheel to the rhythm patiently as he waited.

 

[MittyMittens]

Evie gives a wide grin at Julia's and Estee's compliments and returns Julia's hug. "Oh I'd hardly call this dressing up. You know I'm just fabulous in anything" She jokingly states with mock narcissism and with an exaggerated flip of her braid from over her shoulder before chuckling at herself. "You two both look gorgeous, as usual" She could feel the excitement of the road trip building up with each person that walked in through the door.


She smiles at James' greeting before the smile turns into a slight frown when he steps back. "James Pena!" She chides at seeing his face and gingerly touches his stitched up eyebrow before making a disappointed face and leaving it at that. Her attention turned to Landon, toast hanging out of his mouth. A laugh escaped her at the sight of him. "Landon, you're hardly late enough to be pulling the toast meme, but I suppose you are cutting it close"


Her eyes flicker over to Ava and she grins. "Ava! How do you manage to pull off those corsets? They'd drive me nuts. But you look stunning as always" She looks to Tyler as he makes his entrance and a push to get the show on the road and couldn't agree more. She was thrilled to see everyone here but it'd be more fun to catch up with everyone at their destination. She listens to Julia's plan to make a few stops along the way and that was fine by her. A two day road trip would be much more enjoyable that way than straight through. "I'm cool with making stops along the way as long as everyone else is"


She looks to James as he grabs her bag for her. "Aren't you such a gentleman?" She follows him outside and looks over at his car. "Shotgun!!" She calls out enthusiastically. The backseat looked rather cramped and she knew her long legs would be hating her after a long period of time in the back. She would be more than willing to switch later down the road but at the moment she was going to claim front seat. "See ya soon racoons!" She calls to the others who were in Julia's car while she lets the others assigned to James' car slip into the backseat before sliding herself in the front seat, pulling out her cat-eye style sunglasses and places them on her face. "Music's fine by me" She states about James' offer to change it, letting the others voice their opinion about it if they wished. She pulled up her seat a little giving whoever ended up sitting behind her some more room."And we have to at least ride with the top down for a little while at some point. It would be pointless to be in a convertible without doing such a thing. But only if the others are willing." She looks to Estee and holds up her arm that had a hair tie on her wrist. "I got you covered if you need to put up your hair if we do end up with the top down"

 

[Pine]

Landon smiled around his mouthful of toast. He pulled up his sunglasses to rest over the top of his beanie. Most of the girls didn't get it, but James seemed to get it, and of course his educating Evie in memeology would pay off in his instance. He was delighted with these results alone, his eyes wide with giddy excitement as the taller male approached him. Landon tore a bite into the bread hungrily to free up his other hand for whatever gesture of camaraderie James chose to utilize this time. He selected the "dap" option, which he was happy to oblige to. Landon moved his hand clumsily, purposefully messing the series of hand gestures up before ending with only the clap on the back with a totally no homo half-hug. He nodded along with what James was saying, chewing up the excessively buttered toast just enough to swallow and manage out a quick, "Yeah man, totally," before the other boy wandered off to mingle with the group elsewhere.


Landon hiked his knees up high as pranced over to Evie's side. At her comment, his delighted expression instantly fell into that of a pained horror. "What?" he cried indignantly. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I totally was late enough!" In spite of his yelling, the flow of conversation kept going, and he knew Evie was satisfied with her comment enough to ignore him for just a little while and turn to Ava instead. He scoffed loudly, still pretending to be deeply offended before bitterly chomping down on another bite of his breakfast.


The corners of his lips were still turned sour as Julia captured the group's attention with her announcement. Absolutely certain that it wasn't announcing anything that he hadn't heard already, Landon allowed himself the moment to scarf down the rest of his toast and tune her out, not even bothering to face her fully and try to seem like he was paying attention. In the midst of her speech, he suddenly recalled something of utmost importance that he had to do. "Shotgun," he whispered swiftly under his breath.


Soon the announcement was over and the bulk of their teenage bodies were stuffing themselves through the doorway. Landon filed through obediently, whipping his suitcase around to follow behind him, but upon stepping outside, he heard the dreaded cry of "Shotgun!" from his so-called best friend. He paused where he was, jaw dropping open somewhat to sharply inhale a gasp, momentarily stunned by this act of betrayal. After he collected his wits again, he dashed after her. "Oh no you don't!"


He had to slam his foot down, however, just upon arriving on the outside of the passenger seat of the car. The presence of his suitcase, still clutched tightly in his hand, threw up an invisible barrier that prevented him from proceeding to the next step, and he was forced to step out of the way. "Yeah?" he called out, purposefully being loud enough for everyone else to hear. "Well, I hope you don't mind, but Ava's my new best friend now!"


Landon spun around to go put his suitcase away in the other vehicle, still looking frazzled, but he was welcomed by the sight of someone being nice around here and taking his suitcase of him. His demeanor instantly switched, clapping both hands over his heart and staring at James seriously, before his face lit up with a smile and he touched his hands to his cheeks. Landon adopted his best Southern belle accent to trill out. "Oh my, what a man!" He fanned himself with one hand and mimicked a cutesy wave after him with the other.


Putting a decisive end to his theatrics, he yanked open the door and slid into the seat behind Evie. He leaned forward to slip his bag off from his back and hold it out in front of him. Landon tugged his sunglasses off and folded them to stuff in the bag before slipping it between his legs and onto the floor. Next, he pulled off the thick-framed glasses to hold before him, squinting at the lens, and in spite of there being no visible smudge, he huffed a breath and wiped it down with his shirt. When he replaced them on his face, he looked back to Evie in hopes that she would catch sight of him pushing them along the bridge of his nose, middle finger elongated and held high as he did so.


Now James was giving the same spiel that he did every time there was a new passenger in the car, for whatever reason always eager to forfeit his right to the "my car, my music" rule. He snorted softly in amusement as the voice of some Latino singer began to make its debut over the beat. He would take advantage of the boy's offer later. For the moment, Landon disregarded James's questions to allow other people to give their input, and hopefully his silence was enough of a sign for his indifferent approval.


The boy slapped his hands on the shoulders of the passenger seat and leaned in closely to where Evie sat, only allowing the barest of grins to settle on his face. "Evie, you an' me are gonna' have to have a little talk about this whole shotgun business. Outside. By the dumpsters. Let's go, I can take ya', you ain't got nothin'." Landon tapped his fingers on the leather interior and bounced his eyebrows up as he leaned in even closer, hoping to invade her personal space once his head had gone past the head of the chair.

 

[gambino]

Estee smiled at James, secretly glad not to be carrying her bag as she walked towards the black sports car. Reaching in her very well prepared backpack, Estee pulled a pair of Lennon-esque sunglasses out, pushing them up her nose. She relished in organization, and her cheesy Hawaiian print bag had bandaids, makeup, hair supplies, a change of clothing/swimsuit, fold able flats, medicine, hangover-reserved gatorade and trail mix, the like- one needed to be ready when they didn't know who's couch/lawn/carpet/pool side they'd wake up on. Estee normally carried her party kit in a fashionable clutch but she really quite disliked purses. They were awfully unpractical, and though some thought her mini backpack looked like a gradeschooler's she thought it cute.


"Thanks Evie, but I got one." Estee replied, smiling at the blonde while pulling a black hair tie out of a pocket on her bag. Scooching into the sports car, she smiled at Landon's and Evie's back and forth. She was smaller than both him and Graiye, and so she politely settled into the middle seat. Estee hated the hump, but she knew she'd end up falling asleep on someone anyway. For now, however, she hoped Landon would play music. Though she would never display anything more than casual liking to rap music, she quite liked it, and knew Landon to be a fan. Leaning back into her seat, she brought her piecy, messy hair into a ponytail and kicking off her sandals to bring her knees into her sweater. She knew James would tsk at her feet on his prized convertible's seat, but her legs were already cold in the summer morning air.

 

[BrownBear]

Click


James buckled himself in before checking the mirrors and such, waiting for the others to settle in.


"Shotgun!"


"Ah." James looked to his right smiled. "Quick... not bad at all." He nodded as she spoke. "Honestly.... why not? Also seat belts guys!" Within seconds the classic Pontiacs top was slowly coming down. James placed his callused right hand on his beach hat, positioning it to a tight hug upon his scalp, though a challenge due to all his curls. The bright morning sun was now upon the young travellers. James felt the excitement building in his belly. He twisted his head slightly behind himself to his right, but his smile tightened a bit suddenly, with his eyes going a bit wide. With a surprised face James chuckled a little bit, finally noticing Landon not up front with him... which was very strange indeed. And James knew Landon would not appreciate this change of not being wingman. "Tahhahaha." James chuckled wholeheartedly as he watched Landon "discretely" flick off Evie while putting on his glasses.


James' smile grew wide, his canines exposed, noticing Landon laughed a bit, amused at the reggaeton song playing. "Actually, I've got something else I wanna play." James faced the wheel once more before grabbing his phone, which was now in the cars USB charger port. He GPSed Thomasville and put it down in one of the two cup holders (one containing the coffee, the other the iPod), satisfied that he just had to stay on the highway for a while. Although James believed he could have gotten to the beach house in one straight shot, he also believed that making a couple stops along the way would have been a lot of fun... a new experience... something light and exciting, a chance to be a normal teenager before facing the actual obstacles of adulthood. An adventure. James now felt a bit regret of not getting too personally involved with many clubs or people at Palm View. Instead of getting involved he did what he always did in life.... he lone wolfed it and got around many obstacles by being smart and distant. Too smart. He was cautious for no reason and this calculating, chess-like attitude while fronting to be a charismatic person.... there was no need at all. This wasnt his old neighborhood.... useless.


Thats okay though.


This will be his chance to be more than that "sketchy but nice kid". He decided he will make some real friends on this awesome once in a life time trip (which he is so thankful Julia invited him along. He looked up at the sun and revved his engine a bit. For the first time since he could remember, he actually felt positive because he allowed himself to absorb his surroundings instead of constantly analyzing and judging moment. To appreciate the sun again like he did before the chain of events that lead him to this very moment. To appreciate time with people he could become really close with. He was feeling all this energy at this very moment. And it. Felt. Great.


VRRRooom


He chuckled as Landon continued trolling Evie. He grabbed his coffee, not realizing how close Landon actually was so as he lifted the coffee it tapped Landon a bit on his chin. "Ayye mira.... cuidado tigre! Excuse me man hahaha." Lucky for them both that the coffee wasnt hot and about halfway done already, allowing only a droplet or two of caffeine to escape its plastic confinement. James raised his cup a bit in a cheers like motion before chugging it and placing it back into his original cupholder. That hit the fuckin spot.


VRRRoooom


He reached down and grabbed his iPod which was under his phone in the cupholder closest to the stick before picking a song. He raised it up a bit and gave a hearty "HA HA!"


He looked to his left and noticed Julia was ready with her crew, bout to go. He waved his hand to signal her window down. "Aye guapa! If you need anything just call. Dont get lost and uuh...






VRVRVROOOOOOOM!!!


And they were off, exiting the nice suburb with gleeful speed.


And with perfect timing the lyrics started at 29 seconds. James expected this to be a summer hit back home in Miami so found this appropriate.


"I drive fast cause Im feeling cool. Middle finger screaming Fuck The Rules. I got cash, so I act a fool I'm doing what I wanna do."


Within seconds after cruising down some roads they were on the highway, just as the rap part started at 1:34 seconds.


"Fast with two bitches in the back... Dat Swerve.... Police watching my back, Swerve..." He was more focused on the road than on the music which was why he wasnt nailing every single lyric. Good thing too since he wasnt much of multitasker, or he believed this anyways. Hed be as on point as Beyonce as they began cruising out instead of gaining speed.


James raised the the compartment where the driver usually rests his right elbow as he began picking up more speed on the highway. He closed it, revealing a police radar, placing it on the dashboard with one of those plastic devices that stick to surfaces like an octopus. As he was passing 70 it beeped a for a split second but was gone, meaning a nearby cop was far and fast, most likely having just passed on the opposite road.


By 2:30 seconds James was used to the traffic and chose a constant speed within the range of 75 to 85 miles per hour. "Iight. We're deep in the highway now...woo!" He exclaimed as the top of the Pontiac began to rise again he began singing in a smooth voice softly.


"Yeah, I drive fast. I don't know where I'm going but I'll never turn back. I learned a lot of lessons but I never learned that, yeah, I drive fast. I drive fast. Yeah..."


James nodded his head a bit, letting the song fade out before speaking. "So guys. Thomasville. Anyone been there?" He asked as he kept his eyes on the road. He freed his right hand from the sleek steering wheel and handed the iPod to Landon, since James a has a bunch of the same artists as him due to their constant rides together in the past.

 

[MittyMittens]

Evie glanced in the passenger side mirror just in time to catch Landon's oh so discreet flip of the bird and quickly turns to look back at him with a mock expression of being offended. She jumped slightly as his hands slapped the leather but soon regained her composure about it. She raises an eyebrow to his threat, though her lips curled up into a grin watching as he closed in on the space between them. She moves her sunglasses down onto the end of her nose and made her face into stone cold serious expression, narrowing her eyes at him before making a face at him after he delivered his threat. She watches as James' coffee cup hit Landon on the chin and the corners of her lips twitch before she couldn't help but let out a laugh at the break in "tension". She boops Landon's nose with her index finger. "It's not my fault you were too slow at calling shotgun. You know you love me, besides I'm scrappier than I look. I can totally take a cheap shot and run like hell in a fight." She chuckles, pushing her sunglasses back up. "And you better be nice to me Lando or I won't share any my vodka with you. I'll share it all with your new found bestie Ava instead" She states folding her arms across her chest and lets her back hit the back of her seat in a dismayed manner before putting her seat belt on.


She listens to James as he speaks and sings, she had always enjoyed the way he spoke. Perhaps it was the fact that the accent that made him that much more mysterious than he already came off as. She had hoped he would be a little more open this trip, it would be nice to get to know him a little better, in general it would be nice to get to know everyone better. She wasn't a very outspoken person to begin with. She definitely ran more on the introverted side and she was more than ok with that. Though in a world that seemed to run on connections to people she figured she would have to get over her avoidance of being overly social at some point. She was hoping this would be a good place to start, it wasn't an extremely large amount of people so she didn't feel overwhelmed, especially since she knew everyone already. Not to mention the whole vibe of the trip and the people she was traveling with had her feeling much more outgoing than usual and she was willing to go with it.


She looks at the police radar and titters a bit. "A fuzz buster, niiiice. Good thinking" She couldn't help but smile at feeling the sun and warm wind on her face before finding that the top was coming back up and pouts a little but knew they were probably going a bit too fast for it to stay down long term. And even though her hair was in a braid it was inevitable it would look wind blown by the end of a long car ride. "Can't say I have so I'm looking forward to it." She reaches down into the small bag she had at her feet pulling out a pack of bubblegum popping a piece in her mouth before offering a piece to Estee, then James. She looks over at Landon and narrows her eyes as if jokingly debating to offer him any, blowing a bubble and letting it deflate with an obnoxious "pop!" before finally offering the gum to Landon as well.

 

[Wishfully]

Road Trip- Day 1 | 3:00 PM | Stop #1- Historic City

Downtown Thomasville Victorian Christmas at Night




Our first stop is in the city of Thomasville, based off the actual Thomasville, GA. It's a historic city that attracts tourists with its well-preserved Southern culture. Highlights for this stop will include:


-Street Artists & Vendors


-Public Nature Parks/Gardens


-Locally Owned & Operated Restaurants


-Museums (heritage, art, natural history)


-Live Music (mostly bluegrass and jazz, some rock & roll)


-Downtown Shopping District (vintage music & books, old-fashioned candy, antiques, trinkets, local crafts, and more)
​

Julia Carraway


Julia let out a small yawn and stretched her neck as the car rolled to a stop. She turned backward in her seat to check on her passengers and smiled before looking out the driver's side window to make sure James had made it as well. Julia opened the car door, standing slowly due to stiff legs. She waved at the other half of the party, feeling much more relaxed now that they were on solid ground for awhile. "How was the drive?" Julia predictably asked. She wasn't one to complain about driving at all, but it could become a bit tiresome after awhile. Plus, Tyler's jokes had started growing old. Julia really did like the guy, but being stuck in the car with him for five hours made her remember why they never dated- not to say she had done particularly well in her romantic history, anyways. Yet none of that really mattered anymore, as she would soon leave high school behind her in place of a brighter future. The only people that really mattered from those years were the ones with her now. Yet in the spirit of making memories, Julia found herself enchanted by their first road stop. She was a bit concerned how the others would react to the old-fashioned city, but she figured her father recommended this place to a group of teens for a reason.


The roads were paved with brick, adding a reddish brown color to the streets that led into the heart of quaint Thomasville. As the group began walking toward the attractions, Julia began to notice the different people moving about within the city. There were families, young couples, and elderly gentlemen and women, but they all seemed to know one another or at least acted warmly toward each other. Vendors, artists, craftsmen, and musicians lined a long, wide street the led to the center of the downtown area. "For an old city, it's a rather large place," Julia remarked as they continued into the town. She could hear two different styles of music coming from opposite ends of the street. Both musicians sounded talented, but it was hard to tell when they collided in the middle of the street and differentiating one note from another was a difficult task.


Although she was one of the more organized members of the group, Julia wasn't always fond of taking the lead. In this case, she was content to hang back and follow what the others seemed interested in. Julia had always been rather low-maintenance, content to just be in the company of others she cared about, regardless of activity or location. She listened to the others talk as she took in the atmosphere, her trance-like state only interrupted when something was placed into her palm. Julia blinked, stopping her feet as she listened to a woman who was advertising historic tours around the city in a horse-drawn carriage. She had given Julia a brochure with a list of Thomasville's greatest attractions and asked if the group would like to take a guided tour of the city. "Oh, no thank you. We're only here for a few hours anyways," Julia smiled at the woman.


Julia turned her head a few times, searching for the rest of the group that she lost sight of when she had been stopped. Her eyes wandered the art stands, silently complimenting some of the work and other times wondering what to make of some of the things she saw. Finally, she managed to catch up with the others. Julia started to flip through the pamphlet and read silently to herself. "Well, it seems like there's a lot to do here, from shopping to museums and such. I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't mind some food..." she suggested quietly. Julia had always loved trying food that was unique to a certain area; it was one of her favorite tourist activities, though she knew she wasn't the only one with edible interests. The girl wasn't sure if the group would split up and meet back somewhere or if they would all stick together, but she was comfortable enough with either.


Tyler Murphy


Tyler had always been a bit restless, so sitting in the car for hours on end was definitely not his cup of tea. The friends made it bearable, however, so at least it kept him occupied. Tyler had spent much of the drive talking about, well whatever the conversation brought up. He also ended up taking over the radio responsibility. He tried to be considerate of everyone's music preferences, and no one seemed to complain.


Once they stopped, Tyler hopped out of the car and stretched his arms up high above his head. He tilted his chin upward, looking at the sky and noticing that there was slight cloud cover now. It didn't look like they should expect any rain, but the shade would be nice for walking around in the heat. Tyler walked around to the other side of the car where he joined Julia and the two approached the black convertible. "Nice hair, looks kind of beachy already," he remarked as he noticed Evelyn's windblown ponytail. Her had didn't look too messy, but driving for hours in a convertible was bound to ruffle a least a couple feathers.


As they walked down the brick road, Tyler made some offhand reference to the Wizard of Oz and questioned which role everyone would play in that story. The male had been on plenty of vacations with his family, and he was somewhat familiar with cities like this, thanks to his parents. To be honest, he had grown less fond of historic towns as he grew older but at the same time, he gained an understanding for their appeal. Although he wasn't always interested in visiting museums and old homes, he knew that there were people who liked that sort of thing and thought it was nice that a community would work to preserve those things.


He caught a whiff of simmering spices and stopped as a vendor offered chili samples. Tyler accepted the small plastic cup and took a bite, a smile soon appearing afterwards. "You guys have to try this, it's amazing!" Tyler gestured to the free chili samples that a man was handing out to passerbys. Tyler's mom had never been into cooking as much as other moms he knew, but chili was one of the few things she cooked that reminded him of home. He figured that's why they called it comfort food- it was warm and satisfying, yet full of many flavors that were hard to pin down. Before long, he noticed a vintage music and book store and suggested that they take a peek inside.

 

[BrownBear]

Once parked a few spots away from the half of the group, James got out and opened the passenger side for Evie, giving her wide eye-wrinkling smile. He grabbed her hand and helped her up. He then rubbed Landons head playfully before running around the other side to help Estee out, "Madame!" He bowed his head regally as he helped her up. "Hahahaha!"


"How was the drive?"





"I mean mi culo hurts, but Landon offered a massage later so its all good." James chuckled mischievously and looked over his shoulder as he stopped in front of Tyler and Julia. He smiled wide at the two. "Landon and I freestyled mostly and sang and stuff. Good road trip so far."


"Nice hair, looks kind of beachy already,"


James looked from Tyler to Evie and chuckled. "Funny. I aint even noticed." James gave playful winks to both Tyler and Evie before walking ahead with Julia. "Oh one sec!" James walked back to his car and put his backpack in the trunk of his car. Close call... what he held in there wasnt to be played with.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"For an old city, it's a rather large place,"


"Wow... I know." James didnt grow up being able to travel, and what little traveling he did, he had to save up for himself. Other than that he spent most of his short life in rough Miami and nearby Pine View High school. "Wow..." He repeated as he walked over brick road for the first time. Felt different from the street or sidewalks. The first thing he noticed when he moved to Palm View was that the streets were well maintained. He truly felt the history of the small city, which was great, since history was one of his favorite subjects in high school. He walked by Julias side as they journeyed deeper in the town.


As they walked down the brick road, Tyler made some offhand reference to the Wizard of Oz and questioned which role everyone would play in that story.


"I'd be Oz obviously. James Franco stomps!" James laughed as listened to two different styles of music blaring from live musicians. They really shouldve been more far apart, but James appreciated the cultural exposure either way. He looked at Julia as she was being handed a brochure. Once he knew she was done with it, he softly grabbed it. "Oh cool! Hmm." James folded the brochure and put it in his pocket. Perhaps theyd have time for it later.... he heard these towns were never too big anyways.


Soon the group was in front of a couple works of art. James began criticizing one abstract piece. This was not normal visual art however. It was... an ear. He crossed his legs over the red rope barrier, sat on it leisurely and slowly pointed across to the whole group. "Bow down peasants. I am your king and Im sitting on my ear throne! I AM BETTER THAN THOU, SO THOUT ARGUEMENT ART THOU INVALID THOU!" He paused on Evie with his index finger and suddenly squinted a bruised eye. With a raise of his thumb, his index finger became a pistol. "ThouThouThouThoutThou-" James looked to his side. The pieces owner was crossing her arms and tapping her feet. "Heh.... Sorry."


He caught a whiff of simmering spices and stopped as a vendor offered chili samples. Tyler accepted the small plastic cup and took a bite, a smile soon appearing afterwards. "You guys have to try this, it's amazing!"


"Ill be the judge of that plebeian! Hahahha Im just kidding Im just kidding.... hmm." James grabbed a smal sample cup and spoon. With one spoonful in his mouth and he shook his head. "Mmm- Wow... really good! Tastes like southern food! Los of good spice. Mmm." He noticed another bowl of chili that seemed fuller than the other kinds. It read 'Ghost Chili Chili'. James didnt know of the infamous ghost chili and so he whiffed. His eyes began to tear upon contact with the vicious aroma. James ignored it and downed the whole thing.


Mistakes were made.


James was running off to the nearest bathroom and didnt get out after nearly ten minutes.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Well, it seems like there's a lot to do here, from shopping to museums and such. I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't mind some food..."


Before long, he noticed a vintage music and book store and suggested that they take a peek inside.





It seems two James had two choices. The music store. Or food. For now his appetite was ruined, but why not both?


"Hey Julia, could you order me what youre having? Im gonna peep the vintage store with Ty real quick. I doubt Ill stay there too long or even buy anything."


Soon he entered the store and began looking at all the old items and records. He was gazing at a couple old Rat Pack posters and albums.

 

[MittyMittens]

"Such a gentleman, as always. I could get used to this" Evie jokes with a wink as she takes James' hand to help her out of the car. She stretches a bit while everyone else exited the car. She looks over at Tyler as he mentions her hair and pulls her ponytail into view seeing it was quite a mess and laughs. "Totally worth it though" She digs in her bag and pulls out her brush, brushing what she could out while still in the ponytail. She pulls the tie out and finishes brushing her hair out, leaving it down. She slips her brush back in her bag as she follows the others into town. She stayed quiet for the most part, watching the people bustle about the quaint town, enjoying the vibe of the place.


"I can see that" She says to James' comment about being Oz when Tyler brought up The WIzard of Oz due to the brick road. "I'd have to say I'd be the Wicked Witch of the West.... I mean it would be pretty cool to have an army of flying monkeys, not to mention she was the only with any style, black's always in style. That blue plaid dress of Dorothy's and that pink thing Glenda wore...awful. Besides anyone who melts under water is because they're sweet, the witch was just misunderstood" She laughs before continuing on her way admiring the grandeur that made up the city of Thomasville.


She tilted her head a bit as they stopped in front of a giant ear representing art. She then blinked in disbelief as James dove under the velvet rope and prompted to sit upon the art piece that was now apparently an ear throne. She covered up her mouth to hide her laughter as James proclaims himself King of ears. She lifts up the rope for him as he gets scolded by the artist "Should I call you the Earl of Ears now?" She teases as they continued on.


Evie put a hand to decline any samples of chili, she liked chili but not the overly spicy kind and there was no way knowing the spice content of the samples. She looks over at James as he went to try the ghost pepper chilli, she had never tried ghost pepper for a reason but knew of it's evilness. "I don't think that's a-..." She watches as he runs off. "Definitely wasn't a good idea" She continues walking with the others perking up as Julia mentions food. She was definitely hungry but Tyler also pointed out a vintage music/book store and her heart was torn. She let out a sigh as she shouldn't even tempt herself with buying anything as she had no record player to play the album she'd be looking for anyways. She made her way over to Julie, deciding to use her money on food since it was more of necessity.

 

[Wishfully]

Julia Carraway


Julia, like Evie, covered her mouth in attempt to hide her smile. It didn't work, and the girl started laughing at the weird looks James got as he called the locals "peasants". Of course, she wasn't surprised when they started murmuring about the weird guy sitting on modern art. The artist looked rather offended, as was expected, but Julia still thought it was kind of funny. James had never been the timid type for as long as Julia had known him. It was the complete opposite of her, and every now and then she envied his act-first-think-later habits. Other times, perhaps it would be best if he just slowed down a little before diving headfirst into things. For example, the ghost chili.


Julia found herself laughing again. Her laughter subsided a little when James returned from the bathroom. "Sorry, James," she said, "I don't mean to laugh at your pain- I've heard that stuff is crazy. But the look on your face when it hit you...we should've had a picture of that for a scrapbook or something," Julia teased. She noticed Tyler pointing at some old records through the window and nodded at James. "We can just pick up some food and meet you guys back here, assuming you'll be lost in the albums for awhile," Julia said with a smile. She turned her attention to Evelyn after Tyler and James entered the vintage shop. "Well, my lady, what suits your fancy this fine day? And don't say chili."


After they decided on a restaurant and started strolling down the path in that direction, Julia noticed a flash of color in the corner of her eye. The girl turned her head, her gaze going through a clear glass window and falling upon clothes that looked like they came from a great-great-grandmother's attic or something. There were saloon styled doors next to some full-length mirrors, and suddenly Julia grabbed Evie's wrist. "Come on!" she grinned, pulling the blonde into the shop. Julia found a pink feather boa and a pair of large black sunglasses, putting both on. "Don't I look fabulous, darling?" she drawled in a thick movie-star accent. Her fingers moved along the clothes racks, pulling out items every now and then to show Evelyn. Julia then stuck a tall hat on Evie's head, turning them both toward the mirrors. She laughed and struck a silly pose before removing her sunglasses. "Alright, sorry- I just saw this stuff through the window and had to at least try a couple things on. We can get food if you're ready to go."


Tyler Murphy


"Dude...I hope you're okay," he said as he clapped James on the back. "We haven't even made it to the beach yet, you gotta hang in there!" As they entered the vintage music and book shop, Tyler was immediately drawn to the records that were (thankfully) sorted by alphabetical order. He perused the items, his fingers searching through them quickly. Every now and then, he would utter an approval like "Whoa!" or "Aw, man, look at this!" but he hadn't settled on anything he felt the need to buy. Tyler's mom was a Beatles fan. She had all of their albums at home already. His dad owned a variety of records- classical, movie soundtracks, rock-and-roll, and more. Tyler was familiar with records, though when he was younger he would always ask his parents why they didn't just download the music online- it was much easier that way, and the sound quality was better. They always said it was about history and memories, and now he could appreciate their opinion on the matter despite living in a different musical era.


"Look at that poster," Tyler said, pointing it out to James. "It says that Elvis played on this street back in 1969. Do you really think that's true? Are we...are we standing on sacred ground or something? Or...do you think it might have been just another impersonator?" He looked at the framed poster and noticed the autograph. "Pretty cool, either way," Tyler concluded. He picked up a few books from a box. Tyler wasn't a big fan of reading, though he could enjoy a good book every now and then, assuming the plot moved along without dragging. "Do you read, James?" he asked as he put the books back where he found them.


Tyler went back over to the records after he noticed a record player sitting out in the open. The boy scanned the room, looking for the owner of the shop. After he spotted an older gentleman behind a counter, he asked if they were allowed to play records in the shop. After getting his answer, Tyler slipped a Boston album out of its cover and set the needle on the record. He played air guitar and drums for a few seconds, which was at least better than him trying to dance. After the first song, Tyler removed his phone from his pocket and took a quick picture of the store. Then, he sent a text to Julia, asking her to pick some food up for him as well. He wasn't overly hungry, but he figured that he'd want to eat something before getting back on the road. Tyler was sure that if he didn't get food, he would be hungry as soon as they drove out of Thomasville. Better to be safe than sorry.