Jay shifted in his seat, reaching up and twisting the heating vent away from his face. The sun had set about an hour back and there was still several hours of highway stretched out before them. The car was one passenger down due to Sean's sudden desire to put his life in danger for the good of his country. He'd staid behind at The Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Quebec and would be spending the next six months there. It seemed his hero complex had taken over and sailed to new heights upon his return to Toronto.
A disgusted sound irrupted from the back of his throat drawing the attention of the brunette beside him. He ignored her like he'd done most of the weekend. She was cute if you went for the kind of girl who tried too hard to get noticed, which he didn't. Plus her mouth ran non stop which was a complete turn off especially when it was all nail polish and spirit squad. He could feel her studying him and it made his skin crawl. As if it wasn't bad enough the chicks on base hadn't been biting, now he was stuck in a car with two chicks he couldn't stand, headed back to a town where nothing and no one was waiting for him. He was in desperate need of a hot shower and a good lay neither of which looked likely anytime soon.
"Want me to drive for a while?" Manny offered softly.
Jay looked exhausted slouched over the steering wheel, shifting every now and then in an attempt to unlock the muscles in his back. The wrinkles in his forehead were a sure sign that he was forcing his eyes to stay open and the way the car kept veering across the center line proved he wasn't being very successful at it.
"Earth to Jay," she coaxed waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.
He jerked back away from her hand causing the car to slide off the shoulder, the wheels connecting with the rumble strip and vibrating everything and everyone inside. A quick correction and the wheels were back on the asphalt where they were supposed to be. Jay turned an irritated glare towards Manny and snapped, "What?"
Manny crossed her arms over her chest defensively, paying little attention to the way her low cut neck line gave Jay an unobstructed view of her cleavage. "I asked if you wanted me to drive for awhile," she repeated. "You know before you kill us all."
Jay snorted derisively, "No offense sweet cheeks but there's no way in hell I'd ever let you drive my car."
Manny pursed her perfectly glossed lips as she turned her attention back to the scenery flying past the window, not that she could see much of it in the darkness. The moon had disappeared behind a large cloud that threatened snow and as far as she could tell no stars were dotting the horizon. The whole weekend had kind of been a waste. She'd spent most of it feeling like a third wheel and now she was being forced to death clutch the 'oh shit' handle because Jay was too stubborn to admit he was too tired to drive like a normal person. She just wanted to be at home in her nice warm bed doing chemistry homework and listening to her ipod. She'd even prefer listening to Darcy gush about Peter over being stuck out in the middle of nowhere with Jason Hogart and a distraught best friend who'd barely spoken since they'd left Québec.
"Maybe we should think about stopping for the night," she sighed. "It's late and we could all use a good night's sleep."
"Are you paying?" Jay questioned.
"I'll pay if it means we get home in one piece." Emma offered forlornly from the backseat.
Her reflection in the rearview mirror was pale, much paler than normal. Her eyes sunken back and surrounded by dark circles. Tear stains had dried on her cheeks, matting strands of blonde hair against her skin. She didn't look strong or confident or any of the other words that usually described Emma Nelson. Instead she looked broken, an image that took Jay back a few years to a time when that same look had gotten them both into trouble.
He shook the thought away before angling the car onto an exit ramp. He didn't really want to stop. He wanted to keep going until he could pull into the parking lot of his low rent apartment on the bad side of town and crack open the full case of beer chilling in the refrigerator. He'd call up that hot blonde he'd met last week at The Midtown and hopefully get lucky. But he didn't exactly want to listen to Slutos and Nature Freak bitching the entire three and a half hours left of the journey.
The road twisted and turned with no signs of civilization on either side. A heavy silence hung in the air growing even more suffocating the further they drove. Manny cracked her window letting in a rush of frozen air that all three companions greedily sucked in.
A faint glow appeared in the distance, the word 'vacancy' flashing against the night sky. Several letters were burned out a sure sign that it was probably going to be a roach motel. The corners of Jay's lips curved upwards in a sadistic smile and his foot pressed a little firmer on the gas peddle. The girls would no doubt protest the accommodations but it had been their idea to stop and Jay would gladly revel in their disgust and disapproval.
When the motel came into view an audible gulp echoed through the interior mixing with the purr of the heater and causing Jay's grin to grow even wider. "We're staying here?" Manny asked in surprise and appall.
Jay pulled into the parking lot, stopping the car in front of the main office. "Sorry Princess the five star hotel across the street was all booked." Jay replied snidely twisting in his seat and holding his hand out towards Emma for some cash to pay with.
Emma and Manny exchanged a concerned glance. The place didn't look safe much less clean. In fact it looked like something right out of a Hitchcock thriller. With a sigh Emma leaned over grabbing her purse off the floor and pulling out some cash. Wearily she handed it to Jay.
"Stay here," he ordered climbing out of the car and slamming the door shut.
Manny and Emma only hesitated a minute before rushing out of the car and after Jay, bumping into him right inside the door.
He growled, "I thought I told you to wait in the fucking car."
Before either girl could answer the back door swung open and an oily looking man stumbled out. His overalls were stained with yellow spots that matched the color of his teeth and he had slick black hair that hung loosely on either side of his head, large flakes of dandruff clinging to the part running down the middle.
Manny cringed stepping closer to Jay and winding her hands into the fabric of his jacket. He shot her a confused, annoyed look before pulling away from her grip.
"What can I do for you?" The man asked eyeing Jay and the two girls suspiciously.
"We need two rooms for the night." Jay explained laying the money on the counter along with his driver's license.
The guys head shook spraying white flakes across the counter. "Only got one room left," he replied.
The three companions turned their heads towards the window that overlooked the parking lot. It was empty with the exception of Jay's Honda and a beat up old ford that looked like it hadn't been started much less used in years.
"Are you serious?" Manny asked before she could stop herself.
The man's dark, drooping eyes landed on her, his gaze traveling up and down her body. Manny shivered under the intensity of his leer and involuntarily took a step back. The man's cracked lips parted in reply but Jay shifted his stance, blocking Manny from view. "We'll take it."