Yes, another Stalex story from me. This is going to be a short one, I just need to pass the time.
The country air was almost toxic to Alex's city lungs.
Carrying a grey duffel bag over one shoulder and holding her mobile in search of signal in the other, Alex soon made the assumption, this years holiday was going to be the worst to date.
"Just think, we're going to come away from here, healthy" Theresa opened her arms to welcome the ranch holiday park as they approached it.
Justin walked like a drunk, swatting away flies and spraying himself with bug repellent, his attack on nature was effecting his balance down the dusty, dirt track.
"If Justin doesn't quit it, I'm gonna walk away from here dead" Max complained, coughing as he got most of the spray as the summer breeze directed the sticky repellent backwards.
"Max, you can't walk away if you're dead" Justin snapped, hindering his spraying at his brother's complaint.
Jerry was lagging behind them, lugging Theresa's bags as well as his own. Large sweat patches had formed on his blue polo shirt, his laboured breathing was enough to pass him as a mule.
Alex groaned in frustration as her signal bars blacked out and her network disconnected.
"How am I supposed to call Harper?" Alex snapped, kicking a pebble in irritation, the tiny rock spat up a small cloud of dust. "Besides, what are we gonna do out here?"
"Activities" Theresa beamed and was the first of the four to walk through the ranch entrance.
Ranch-O-camp
The carved wood lettering was faded and the once golden 'O' hung off. Alex pushed her shades up her nose, the building sweat had made the bridge of the glasses slip.
"Ranch- O -camp... ranch- O- I'm out of here" Alex grumbled and went to turn when Jerry thrust a bag at her feet.
"You" pant "Arn't" pant "going any" pant "where" Jerry's red face, blotched with sweat from the bath of heat they'd decided to walk through.
"You know, you don't appreciate the natural land" Theresa snapped back at Alex.
"If that's natural, then I don't want to live on this planet" Alex jerked her thumb at Jerry who was now wheezing.
"Jerry, honey" Theresa began but was cut off as a large, brawny man wearing a cowboy hat and spurs hobbled up to them.
"Ye, doggy it's good to see ya'll" he was red in the face and his moustache moved as he spoke.
"Oh, hello" Theresa beamed.
"So you fellas must be the Russo's?"
"Yeah" Justin cut in, spluttering as a fly crossed his path.
"Follow me to you're cabin"
His spurs glinted in the sun and jingled as he walked further into the mock western village.
Alex looked around her, trees, all she saw was trees.
Her green, towering enemies, stealing her reception.
"Bikes?" Max almost ran after a few teens hurtling past on them.
"Yeah boy, got us some brand new bikes" his jolly act was wearing on Alex's patience.
Alex watched as the two teens rode of, she was in hell, surrounded by people her age, with her family, no reception and humidity to made cactus cry... it was her personal hell.
"Cabin 3-5-1" he handed Theresa the key and patted Jerry on the shoulder as he walked off, knocking the man off balance for a second.
"Thanks" Jerry panted and dumped the bags on the porch. He staggered onto the bench that rested under the right window and sighed.
"Need, water" he gasped and Theresa opened the cabin. She was hit with a wall of heat as the door creaked open.
Alex stood at the foot of the door and watched as her Mother made the brave first step into the place they'd be living for two weeks.
"It's nice" she put her hands on her hips and blew stray strands of hair from her face. A log fire place sat in her corner of the room, two sofas rested around the fire place.
The kitchen sat a few paces away, all of the furnishing was wood.
Four doors then lead off from the main room.
Alex pushed past Theresa and pushed the first door she saw open.
A double bed, air conditioning and a tv, it was hers.
"I take this room" Alex sat stubbornly on the bed and stared out to the rest of her family.
"Eh, Alex, no" Jerry stood in the door way and crossed his arms, his face had reduced to a blotchy pink.
"What! But..."
"Out kido"
Jerry stood aside and watched as Alex walked from the room, grumbling.
Justin and Max had decided to take the room with the bunk beds, leaving Alex with either the bathroom as an option or the small room tucked away in the far left of the cabin.
Alex pushed the door open with a creak and grimaced.
A single bed sat against the wall, the window was littered with squished flies, no air conditioning or curtains like the other rooms.
"How I am I supposed to sleep in here?"
"Easy" Justin smirked at her and lent on the door frame. "You get in the bed and close your eyes"
"Shut up" Alex shot him a glare and dumped her bag on the bed, it creaked with the weight. "Just dandy" she sneered and glanced at the chest of draws sat under the window, a small lamp sat there, dusty and neglected.
"And we're supposed to live here?" Alex shouted and peered from her room, her glasses slid down her nose further.
Theresa nodded to her and began to unpack the cooler bag she'd been carrying and stock the fridge.
"I think we'll really like it here"
"Oh yeah sure, no reception and a top temperature of 30, Mom, I want to go home" Alex pushed her glasses back up her nose and Jerry had already made him self at home on the couch.
"We'll unpack and then take a look around" Theresa noted.
Alex groaned at her Mum's neglect at her concerns and slammed the door of her shoe box room.
The ranch was swamped with people.
There was a lake to the south, so most of her inhabitants of the resort had gravitated there.
Alex trailed behind her family, sour faced and hands stuffed in the pockets of her black jean shorts.
Three more people rode past on bikes.
Theresa waved to them, her peppy attitude rubbed against the grain of Alex's foul mood.
How can she be so God damn happy with this place?
Alex glared at Theresa and rolled her eyes as Max skipped ahead, still transfixed with the fact the place had bikes.
"Mom, can we get bikes?"
"We'll see" Jerry wagged his finger, his wallet closer to his heart than his son's interests.
Theresa hit Jerry half heartedly across the chest.
"Let them have there fun, it'll let us have ours"
Alex grimaced at the fact Theresa made it so blatant that they still attempted to have a love life.
"Ew" she made a loud gagging noise, but her attention was soon caught by a girl to her right.
This teen was happily lounging near the bike shed, talking with a lanky guy with ginger hair. They both stood clad in yellow polo shirts with the ranch logo on.
Alex tried not to look like she was staring, but there was something about the girl, something eye catching, the way she lounged, the way she rested her well toned leg upon one of the wooden log barriers. She had a aura, one that practically shouted, I own this joint.
The girl ran a hand through her hair, her bright blond highlighted bangs fell in front of her eyes with a grace that the heat didn't seem to touch.
Alex stumbled as she peered at her.
"Alex, what are you looking at?" Justin's nagging voice snapped her out of her wondering.
"Yogi frikin bear" she replied, her sarcasm was bitter.
"Food..." Max called over to her, his olive skin practically glowing under the suns rays.
Only he could be in the sun for five seconds and tan like he'd been out on a beach for a week.
Alex glanced over her shoulder as they entered the small restaurant, the smell of pancakes still didn't deter her from ogling the girl.
Alex felt compelled to find out who she was for better or for worse, she felt threatened by the girls presence, she was cute.