"I can't wait to see you guys again!" said Mabel, looking down at her phone.

"BLAUGGHHH!" said Grenda, who was sitting right next to Candy on the screen, face first into a paper bag. She then looked up to give Mabel a weak smile and a thumbs up.

"Grenda does not like log ride." explained Candy to Mabel.

"Well I'm glad you guys are already having fun there." replied Mabel. "I remember that Log Land was a lot of fun."

The camera turned back to Candy. "When will you be here?"

"I'm gonna double check, but I think at most in two days-" Mabel stopped when she noticed something. "Candy, what happened to your glasses?"

"Mm?" Candy asked. "Contact lenses. Look good?"

Mabel stared for a moment. "Oh, yes, they look fine. I just... didn't realize you stopped wearing them. It's a nice change."

"Boyfriend said he really likes eyes." said Candy, smiling. "You changed too!"

"Oh, I don't know about that..." Mabel said, straining a smile.

Before Candy could respond, the phone image jiggled and Mabel noticed that she was wearing a belt. Then in the background, Grenda shouted "I JUST DECIDED I NEED TO GET OUT! CANDY, GET THEM TO STOP!"

The phone turned and now Mabel saw Grenda in the seat next to Candy, trying to unlatch the seatbelt that was keeping her down.

"Wait, are you guys on the ride right now?" Mabel asked.

Candy turned the camera back on her. "Later, Friend!" she said, right before there was a loud metallic clang, Grenda screamed, Candy's hair started flying upwards, and the call got disconnected.

...

Waiting along the curb outside of Piedmont High, Mabel watched as the other students raced to their cars to get a head start on their spring vacation.

"Where is he?" she thought.

Just then, Mabel heard the sound of tires screeching down the road and turned her head to see her brother's car, driving up the road into the parking lot, making a sharp drift right up to the curb.

"You already got our things packed?" she asked.

"Oh Yeah," he replied after rolling down the window. "I just swung by the house before picking you up so we could get there faster."

"Good idea, that will give us more time for the amount of stuff I had planned." she said, opening the side door and putting Waddles in the toddler car seat placed in the back seat.

"Yeah, uh, you don't mind if I don't do everything with you guys and spend a day or two doing my own thing?" asked Mason.

"Nope! I planned for that too!" said Mabel, as she sat in the passenger seat and put on her seatbelt. They then pulled out of the school's parking lot and onto the main road. Mabel then reached around the seat to rummage through the baggage on the floor.

"Cool, I just have some... school... stuff..." said Mason.

"Hang on I'm just checking the itinerary..." said Mabel, pulling out a notepad.

As Mason was driving, he glanced over at his sister, who was now jotting down notes in a notepad. He said nothing but was smiling to himself, and turned his attention to the road, making on turn that put them on the highway.

While studying her notepad, Mabel noticed her phone buzz. Picking it up, she accidentally pressed the notification, which directed her to a social media post. The poster was someone she vaguely knew from a friend. The picture was of a blonde girl in scrubs, and had a caption that read "Treating kids today, tomorrow the world! #firstday"

Scrolling past it, Mabel came across another post of a girl and a guy, each wearing a graduation cap and gown, but also under a wedding trellis with a priest. "Can't believe I'm graduating and marrying my best friend on the same day! #suckitbrenda"

Then another post came up, and then another, and another. With each post, she couldn't help but feel more and more insecure as she saw so many people her age bragging about their amazing accomplishments.

"If you play your cards right Italy I might leave five stars. #doitforthelols"

"No biggie, just cured feet cancer. #resteasytoes"

"Amazing discovery by high-school research team! Ten-foot Dodo remains found in North Montana #tasty"

...

"Found one already."

"Huh?"

Mason pointed to the Toyota in front of them. "A car with a political bumper sticker on it from more than ten years ago. I'm already starting strong on Roadtrip Bingo."

Mabel looked up from her phone, saw the cars bumper, and chuckled. "Oh right."

She then put her phone back into her pocket and reached down on the floor to get a plastic bowl. "I can't believe how long it's been since we've gone on a trip."

"You can say that again! But we can both drive now, so we don't have to wait to use the bathroom."

"Oh, so that's what the empty cups are for." she laughed, seeing the cups Mason left around his car.

He laughed. "You know what I meant, we aren't on a bus so we can take as many rest stops and detours as we want!"

"Ha ha!" she laughed. "You probably shouldn't have said that out loud. Now Waddles knows that we can stop whenever he wants."

Hearing his name, Waddles squealed.

"Awwww, are you hungry, buddy?" she said, grabbing a piece of bacon from the container.

Turning around in her seat, she reached back to put the meat scrap into Waddles mouth, who started munching on it happily.

Mabel's smiled as she saw Waddle's enjoying himself. In the time that she had had him, Waddle's really hadn't gotten bigger, or older, or really anything. Or maybe that's just what she saw in her eyes, that he was the same pig that she had gotten years ago. He was a comfortable constant in her life.

Even though they had talked about this trip for some weeks, Mabel was still feeling a little... uncomfortable? Was that what it was? But, why? She was looking forward to seeing her friends, she liked hanging out with her brother, she had all her school work finished, even until the end of the year. What was it?

Then, looking down on the seat next to Waddle's, she noticed that Mason had brought a large, dark purple suitcase. She didn't have to open it to know what it was. Confused, she turned to Mason.

"Uh, dude... is there something you need to tell me?"