Tess woke up to Maria's light shaking. "Tess. Wake up. We've reached a motel."
Tess yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The florescent light was way too bright. She considered asking someone to turn it off, but then realized that would be asininely stupid. Instead, she got out of the jeep, and almost collapsed. She grabbed onto the side of the car for balance, straightened herself up, and looked around. Alex was holding Isabel, Kyle was standing next to them. Maria was getting out of the other side of the van.
"Where are-"she was cut off by her yawn, "Max and Taylor?"
"They went to get rooms," Isabel answered.
Together? Tess thought. Must have been Taylor's doing.
"Ugh, are they almost back?" she asked, limiting her stretch.
Isabel looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, I see two figures coming. I think it's them."
Tess checked. Yep, it was them. And they were walking suspiciously close together. She couldn't help the grin from spreading across her face. Even though she WAS destined to be with Max. She just didn't care anymore.
And Liz...well, Liz had left. Plus, she'd admitted that she wasn't sure whether she loved him or not.
Not that Max would fall in love with Taylor too quickly. He was still heartbroken over Liz. But if Taylor was serious about him, she would persist, and if she persisted, she might just get him.
They approached, the most awake out of the group.
"We only had enough for one room," Taylor informed them. "I guess we're gonna have to rough it tonight."
Tess made a face, but followed them to the room. When they got there, they stood there for a few seconds before Taylor flung open the door.
Tess looked into the room and gasped. "It's like the porno version of Aladdin!"
Ew. It was disgusting and had the words "WHORE ROOM" written ALL over it. The smell was rancid and sweaty, and the carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in months.
"That's--what?" Maria asked from behind her, confused. She pushed her way up to the front. "Wow, it is. I mean--it's almost exactly like the one Michael took me to."
Michael took her to a nookie hotel?
"How romantic," Tess muttered.
"No, no, no, you don't understand," Maria reassured her, walking into the room. Everyone followed, in single file as if not to touch any more of the room than they had to.
"Apparently, I don't, either," Alex cut in.
"Yeah, that was before you knew about us," Isabel explained. "Michael was looking for some junk in Texas, and kidnapped Maria because he needed her car."
Tess laughed. How Michael was that?
"I get the bed!" Taylor called, changing the subject. She was seemingly oblivious to the unhygenic nature of the room. It suprised Tess--Taylor was rich, and rich went with spoiled, didn't it?
"That's not fair," Isabel protested. "I'm not sleeping on THAT." She pointed to the floor.
"It's a big bed," Maria pointed out. "It could probably fit three." She looked over at Tess questioningly.
"I'll take the couch," Tess offered. "You three get the bed. And the boys will sleep on the floor, since they already smell anyway."
"Thanks for the sensitivity," Kyle scowled.
"Well, as long as nobody minds," Isabel teased, taking her shoes off. "I'm going to the bathroom. Even though this water will probably make me even dirtier." She opened a door, but inside was a closet.
"Hey, look!" Kyle pointed, over the laughing. He went to the closet and picked up a little piece of black lacy lingerie. "Any of you girls want to model it for me?" She noticed he was looking at Maria as he said it. She wasn't looking back--like that, anyway. Tess almost wished she were, because it would mean her getting over Michael. Which would leave Michael--
No. She did not just have that thought.
"No thanks, Kyle, why don't YOU model it for US?" Taylor shot.
"Kyle, put it down," Max said, looking at it as if it were some sort of weapon. "It's probably full of dirt and sweat and diseases-"
"And semen," Kyle added.
Isabel scowled. "Okay, NOW I'm definitely going to the bathroom." She walked off hastily and went through a door--the right one this time.
"Kyle, put down that...thing!" Max ordered, and Maria burst into giggles. "What?"
"That 'thing,'" Maria repeated, still laughing. "You're such a GUY."
"Imagine that," Kyle muttered. He threw the clothing at Maria. "Okay, so what's it called?"
She shrieked and dodged out of its way. "Don't let that thing touch me!"
"That THING, is it, Maria?" Alex mocked.
Maria stomped her foot and turned to Tess and Taylor. "You know, you have to stick up for me! You're girls, too!"
"Maria's right," Tess defended her. "That thing is a very romantic piece of lingerie and deserves a better title than 'that thing.' Why don't we invent a name?"
"How about snox?" Taylor suggested. "Does that word turn you on?" looking at Max.
"Yeah, baby," he replied in an Austin Powers voice. "I get hard just thinking about the word 'snox.'"
"It sounds sort of like snot," Alex cut in.
Max laughed so hard that he snorted, which set everyone else off. Of course, Isabel chose that time to walk out of the bathroom, blowing her nose into a tissue, which cracked them up again.
"Are you guys all right?" she asked with horribly apparent concern for her own mental health over theirs. Tess felt a giggle coming up and tried to force it down. By a total accident, she made eye contact with Maria, who was also about to explode, and all hope was lost. The both burst out laughing at the same time. Tess could hardly breathe and her lungs ached for air, but she couldn't stop laughing. Tears were running down her cheeks, but she couldn't explain what the hell was so funny.
Finally, she got control over herself. "Sorry," she panted.
Yeah. Whatever.
They took turns using the bathroom, and it smelled like sweat, but at least it had running water. Tess spent about in hour in there--although it felt like five seconds--just splashing her face with the freezing water. Finally, when even Alex was cursing at her to get out of the damn bathroom, she decided she was finished and got out.
At which point she propmptly collapsed into the chair and fell asleep.
Tess yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. The florescent light was way too bright. She considered asking someone to turn it off, but then realized that would be asininely stupid. Instead, she got out of the jeep, and almost collapsed. She grabbed onto the side of the car for balance, straightened herself up, and looked around. Alex was holding Isabel, Kyle was standing next to them. Maria was getting out of the other side of the van.
"Where are-"she was cut off by her yawn, "Max and Taylor?"
"They went to get rooms," Isabel answered.
Together? Tess thought. Must have been Taylor's doing.
"Ugh, are they almost back?" she asked, limiting her stretch.
Isabel looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, I see two figures coming. I think it's them."
Tess checked. Yep, it was them. And they were walking suspiciously close together. She couldn't help the grin from spreading across her face. Even though she WAS destined to be with Max. She just didn't care anymore.
And Liz...well, Liz had left. Plus, she'd admitted that she wasn't sure whether she loved him or not.
Not that Max would fall in love with Taylor too quickly. He was still heartbroken over Liz. But if Taylor was serious about him, she would persist, and if she persisted, she might just get him.
They approached, the most awake out of the group.
"We only had enough for one room," Taylor informed them. "I guess we're gonna have to rough it tonight."
Tess made a face, but followed them to the room. When they got there, they stood there for a few seconds before Taylor flung open the door.
Tess looked into the room and gasped. "It's like the porno version of Aladdin!"
Ew. It was disgusting and had the words "WHORE ROOM" written ALL over it. The smell was rancid and sweaty, and the carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in months.
"That's--what?" Maria asked from behind her, confused. She pushed her way up to the front. "Wow, it is. I mean--it's almost exactly like the one Michael took me to."
Michael took her to a nookie hotel?
"How romantic," Tess muttered.
"No, no, no, you don't understand," Maria reassured her, walking into the room. Everyone followed, in single file as if not to touch any more of the room than they had to.
"Apparently, I don't, either," Alex cut in.
"Yeah, that was before you knew about us," Isabel explained. "Michael was looking for some junk in Texas, and kidnapped Maria because he needed her car."
Tess laughed. How Michael was that?
"I get the bed!" Taylor called, changing the subject. She was seemingly oblivious to the unhygenic nature of the room. It suprised Tess--Taylor was rich, and rich went with spoiled, didn't it?
"That's not fair," Isabel protested. "I'm not sleeping on THAT." She pointed to the floor.
"It's a big bed," Maria pointed out. "It could probably fit three." She looked over at Tess questioningly.
"I'll take the couch," Tess offered. "You three get the bed. And the boys will sleep on the floor, since they already smell anyway."
"Thanks for the sensitivity," Kyle scowled.
"Well, as long as nobody minds," Isabel teased, taking her shoes off. "I'm going to the bathroom. Even though this water will probably make me even dirtier." She opened a door, but inside was a closet.
"Hey, look!" Kyle pointed, over the laughing. He went to the closet and picked up a little piece of black lacy lingerie. "Any of you girls want to model it for me?" She noticed he was looking at Maria as he said it. She wasn't looking back--like that, anyway. Tess almost wished she were, because it would mean her getting over Michael. Which would leave Michael--
No. She did not just have that thought.
"No thanks, Kyle, why don't YOU model it for US?" Taylor shot.
"Kyle, put it down," Max said, looking at it as if it were some sort of weapon. "It's probably full of dirt and sweat and diseases-"
"And semen," Kyle added.
Isabel scowled. "Okay, NOW I'm definitely going to the bathroom." She walked off hastily and went through a door--the right one this time.
"Kyle, put down that...thing!" Max ordered, and Maria burst into giggles. "What?"
"That 'thing,'" Maria repeated, still laughing. "You're such a GUY."
"Imagine that," Kyle muttered. He threw the clothing at Maria. "Okay, so what's it called?"
She shrieked and dodged out of its way. "Don't let that thing touch me!"
"That THING, is it, Maria?" Alex mocked.
Maria stomped her foot and turned to Tess and Taylor. "You know, you have to stick up for me! You're girls, too!"
"Maria's right," Tess defended her. "That thing is a very romantic piece of lingerie and deserves a better title than 'that thing.' Why don't we invent a name?"
"How about snox?" Taylor suggested. "Does that word turn you on?" looking at Max.
"Yeah, baby," he replied in an Austin Powers voice. "I get hard just thinking about the word 'snox.'"
"It sounds sort of like snot," Alex cut in.
Max laughed so hard that he snorted, which set everyone else off. Of course, Isabel chose that time to walk out of the bathroom, blowing her nose into a tissue, which cracked them up again.
"Are you guys all right?" she asked with horribly apparent concern for her own mental health over theirs. Tess felt a giggle coming up and tried to force it down. By a total accident, she made eye contact with Maria, who was also about to explode, and all hope was lost. The both burst out laughing at the same time. Tess could hardly breathe and her lungs ached for air, but she couldn't stop laughing. Tears were running down her cheeks, but she couldn't explain what the hell was so funny.
Finally, she got control over herself. "Sorry," she panted.
Yeah. Whatever.
They took turns using the bathroom, and it smelled like sweat, but at least it had running water. Tess spent about in hour in there--although it felt like five seconds--just splashing her face with the freezing water. Finally, when even Alex was cursing at her to get out of the damn bathroom, she decided she was finished and got out.
At which point she propmptly collapsed into the chair and fell asleep.
