It was two weeks after their High School graduation. Felicity had rolled out of bed to start making breakfast for her mother and herself, humming under her breath as she realized what day it was: road trip day. She and Sara had been planning this trip since before their finals, but Felicity still hadn't asked her mother if she could go. Something was stopping her. What you ask? Well, the fact that her mother was very strict and demanding, for one and second, Felicity was the one in charge of the housework. "We all have to contribute, Felicity." Her mom had sad when she was fourteen and working her first job, a paper route. Felicity hated that job, but kept working it until she found something else (there wasn't much to find for a fourteen year-old in Vegas) and she didn't want to disappoint her mother. It was around 9:30, and Felicity had just put the sandwiches she was making on a plate when the phone rang.
"I got it mom!" Felicity yelled over the sound of the blaring TV, reaching for the phone hanging from the wall in the kitchen. She grabbed it off the hook and put the horn against her ear.
"Sara?" She leaned against the wall with her hip, crossing her arms as well as she could with the phone in her hand.
"How did you know it was me?" Sara said from the other end of the line, the sounds of the busy diner where she works in the background.
"I didn't. That's just how I answer calls, duh." She replied, holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she reached for the coffee machine, stretching the cord of the phone. She started pouring two cups of coffee, one for herself and one for her mother. Sara chuckled and pulled away from the phone for a moment to yell something Felicity couldn't make out at one of her co-workers.
"So, are you all packed up? We need to leave early if we want to make it there before sundown."
"No! I still need to ask my mom if I can even go." Felicity whispered.
"What?! You mean you haven't asked her yet? Felicity…It is just a week, for God's sake. Don't be such a baby. Tell her you're going with me! Tell her I'm going through a break-up and I need my girl."
"Sara, that wouldn't carry much weight with her, you have a new boy/girl-friend every two weeks. Besides, she already thinks you're out of your mind." She sighed and put a hand on her face.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded to herself. "You know what, I'm gonna do it, I'll call you right back."
"Don't chicken out, Felicity, because I swear to god"
"I won't. Bye." Felicity hung up before giving Sara a chance to scold her some more. She finished making breakfast for her mother, placing it all on the table with the cup of coffee next to it. She wiped her hands on her jeans and called out.
"Mom!" no response. "Mom! You better hurry up, or you're going to be late!"
Felicity sighed and walked back into the kitchen
"Damnit, Felicity! Don't yell like that! You know I hate it when you yell in the morning."
Putting in her earrings, her mother came stomping into the kitchen, snatching the sandwich from the plate and taking a big bite.
"Sorry, I just didn't want you to be late for work."
Her mother rolled her eyes and took a sip of the coffee. "You just worry about finding a job and keeping this place clean, alright."
Felicity nodded and put her dishes in the sink. She bit her lip before turning around, her mother already standing up and getting ready to leave, fixing her hair in the mirror hanging from the wall.
"Mom?" "What?"
This was her chance. She would ask her if she could join Sara on a road trip to her uncle's beach house for the weekend. She was gonna do it. Except she didn't.
"Have a nice day at work."
Her mother smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you, sweetheart."
Five minutes later, the phone rang at Big Belly Diner.
"So? What time are you picking me up?" Felicity asked, taking a bit from her sandwich, leaning against the kitchen counter.
"No. Way! She actually let you go? Alright! I'll be there around 2:30"
"Okay, well, what kind of stuff do I bring?"
Sara laughed. While Felicity is the smartest person she knows, she could be pretty naïve sometimes.
"A bikini." Sara chuckled. "It's only seven days, it'll be fine. Just bring stuff you absolutely need."
Felicity took a deep breath and sighed "Okay, I will."
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit."
"See you soon!" And with that, Felicity hung up the phone. Smiling to herself, she rushed into her bedroom, yanking her duffle bag from the top shelve in her closet and threw it on her bed. She paused for a moment, before turning to her laptop and putting on her girl-power playlist. Swaying her hips from side to side, singing along (probably off-key for the most of it) to the music, she started picking out clothes to take with her. She threw in some tops, a couple of shorts and her two bikini's. Some underwear, a jacket and a sweater later she zipped up the bag and moved to the bathroom to take a nice long (not that long, because water bills had to be paid) hot (not that hot, their shower didn't really do hot) shower.
Sara was at her door a little later than they had agreed. The blue 1966 Thunderbird convertible, she had inherited from her grandfather, and had fixed up herself, came to a screeching stop in front of Felicity's house. She came running outside with her bag in hand into the hot Nevada afternoon. Sunglasses in place she threw her bag onto the backseat and jumped (very ungracefully) into the passenger's seat. Sara burst into a fit of laughter, hitting the horn on the steering with her head. She jumped at the sudden sound and smiled at her best friend.
"You're such a weirdo." She said. Felicity glared at her, lips pouting. "I love it."
Pulling out her phone, Felicity grinned and patted Sara on her shoulder. She put her sunglasses on and smiled. "Let's take a picture."
Resting her head against Felicity's, Sara smiled at the camera while Felicity pressed the button. Checking the result, Felicity started grinning. "Awh, It's cute. Now, let's go, I wanna get out of here."
Sara laughed and stepped on the gas. The car protested at the sudden acceleration, tires squeaking against the asphalt before racing forward, dust flying up in their wake. Felicity leaned her head back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin.
"So how come your mom let you go?"
Felicity put her sunglasses in her hair and smiled. "Cause I didn't ask her."
Eyes widening, mouth falling open, Sara stared at her best friend. "Felicity!"
She shrugged in response and put her feet, tucked inside her favorite –very dirty and worn out- white converse on top of the dashboard. "She wouldn't have let me go anyways. I left her a note, and stuff to microwave."
Sara chuckled, impressed with Felicity's sudden spark of courage. She had never done anything like this before and it was kind of a nice change of pace. "She's gonna kill you, you know."
"She can't kill me when I'm in Boston."
"No Way! You got in?!"
"Yup." She popped the p at the end and smiled brightly. "Full scholarship."
"Felicity, that's amazing! Freaking MIT, damn!"
Felicity chuckled "I know. I'm just glad I found a way out of here. With you going on your big world trip, there was absolutely nothing for me there. Except my mom, but we both know it wouldn't be the best idea to stay with her for the rest of my life."
Reaching out, Sara took hold of Felicity's hand, squeezing it lightly. She stepped on the brakes for a stop sign, looking on her left and right, before turning back to her best friend.
"I'm so happy for you. You deserve it."
Smiling softly, Felicity reached out to turn up the radio, tuning up the volume when she found a channel she liked.
"California here we come!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, smiling to herself. Sara grinned at her as she stepped on the gas, leaving dust to settle in their wake. Felicity threw her hands up in the air, letting the wind play with her fingers, twirling them around. They started singing along to the radio, getting into the zone for one of their patented Sing-along parties. Sara turned onto the highway, and really stepped on the gas. It may sound really cheesy, but they drove off, out of Vegas and towards their new lives, chasing the sun to the west.