Title: Road Trip to Gakkai
Author: BeccaFB
Genre: Miscellaneous Books, Romance/Humor, From Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty, Character Pairing: Marcus/Jessica
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After learning that Marcus has been accepted to college in California and must leave immediately, he and Jessica decide to make a summer road trip of the journey cross country.
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Megan McCafferty and Three Rivers Press and are used at the discretion of the author.
Note: The contents of this story expand on the novel Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty. It is set less than a week after its completion. The author advises that this novel and its prequel, Sloppy Firsts be read before reading this story.
the third
Leave it to my best friend to put things in perspective for me.
I'd just finished packing for my trip to California with Marcus, when Hope called from Tennessee. I hate packing, always have, and of course there's nothing like spending a long distance phone call blowing something as miniscule as packing for a road trip into otherworldly proportions. I went on and on describing how all of the stuff that I needed for this trip could not possibly fit into a suitcase the size of the space beneath my bed. When I finally stopped to take a breath there was silence on the other end. Then,
"If you think that's bad, try packing everything you own into a few boxes and moving your entire life to a new place." Oh, yeah. That. That definitley makes packing for a month long cross country road trip seem like nothing. I suck.
When Marcus first suggested that I go with him on his trip west to Gakkai College, spend some time with him while he got settled, and then fly back to New Jersey in time for me to move to New York and start classes at Columbia I knew I definitley wanted to go, but that there were several fairly large obstacles standing in my way.
The Top Obstacles in the Life of Jessica Darling as of July 3, 2002
Obstacle #1: Convincing my parents. I know they like Marcus and everything, but they're not stupid. They may not know that I've slept with him, but they aren't oblivious enough not to realize that if it hasn't happened, it will on this trip.
Obstacle #2: Paying for a return trip plane ticket. Let's face it. I am paying for college completely on my own with the help of the money my grandmother left me. I'm not exactly rolling in cash and I don't have much, if any, to spare. And, the last time I checked, the airlines don't appreciate stow aways.
Obstacle #3: This just might make the separation from Marcus even harder. Now before you roll your eyes, hear me out: Finding out that he was leaving a little over a week after we, well...got together (Fuck it. A little over a week after we had sex, ok? We had sex. God, will I ever stop smiling when I think about that?)was hard. Tagging along for his cross country college excursion could make it harder. Our good-bye would be more long and drawn out, and that might be torture. On the other hand, it would mean more time together. We wouldn't be separated immediately. Maybe it would be better than letting him just up and leave. So, does that mean this isn't actually an obstacle? No, no. My indecision alone could make it the biggest obstacle.
Obstacle #4: Less time with family and friends before everyone leaves for college. Shocking right? Who knew that I, Jessica Darling, would be concerned about not spending my summer with my parents? The truth is this is the last time that I will ever live in my parent's house (hopefully). I should be spending time with them, because after this everything changes. And while the only friends that I would want to spend this time with would be Hope, who is in Tennessee getting ready for college, and Marcus, who is the whole reason for this list, there are people from Pineville High that it wouldn't kill me to spend time with before we all say good-bye. Manda, Sara, Bridget, Pepe, Scotty, and Len may not be my best friends forever, but I did spend the last four years with them. It might be nice to see them before they leave, even if the only lasting effect is that time spent with them makes me more grateful for finally getting out of Pineville.
Ok, so these "obstacles" are insane. I know. Likely the trip will only take a month, which means I have a month to spend with family and friends before moving to New York, and I would rather spend the next month with Marcus and say good-bye to him in Calfornia then say good-bye to him right here, right now and miss him for the next month. As for my parents and the cost of a plane ticket, my mother said to me (after a very convincing and persuasive speech on my part and a long silence on the part of her and my dad),
"Jessica, you're 18. You're an adult. This decision is really your's to make. We will miss you if you decide to go, but there will be about a month after you get back for us to spend some time together before you leave for college."
"And besides, Notso, I think you're forgetting something," my father added. The only way I could answer was a with a blank a stare; I had no idea what he was talking about. "Your bank account, the one you've had since you were in the third grade. That's got a pretty good sum of money in it by now."
"Seriously? I'm allowed to use that money?" I questioned. My father shrugged,
"It's your money."
"But I thought it was, like fall back, or something. Not to use for college, but to save just in case of...something."
"It's up to you." I began to smile. I could do this. I could actually make this happen. No obstacles, no overprotective parents. Just, me, a legal, anti-Bush, voting adult who was free to manage her own money and make her own decisions, whether it was in choosing a college or going on a road trip. So now I'm packed, my bags are downstairs by the front door ready to go, I have checked and double-checked and I have everything I need. I AM GOING TO CALIFORNIA! With my boyfriend, no less. Can you say "best summer EVER"? Yes. Yes, you can.
Author's Note: If anyone was offended by the anti-Bush statement made, I want to apologize. The character of Jessica Darling mentions several times in Second Helpings that she is not a Bush supporter, and I was simply referencing this fact to try to be as faithful to her voice as possible. I realize that it is a sensitive subject as the election was a fairly recent event, but it was not made with any malice on my part. Thank you for your understanding and happy reading! Reviews are always appreciated.
