Chapter 3: I Like It

"Hey Man," Jimmy said in a somber tone over the phone while talking to Craig.

"Hey what's up, you don't sound so good," Craig replied. "I hope you're not coming down with something."

"If only it were that simple,"

"Oh, man this doesn't sound good. Don't tell me the trip is off!"

"Naw man it's still on, well, kind of.

"What does kind of mean?"

"I talked it over with my dad last night about using uncle Issac's pad in the Hampton's.

"Wait, I thought your dad was cool with us staying there by ourselves"

"He is, it took a lot of convincing and he is.

"So what's the problem?"

"Unfortunately Carmen that's the maid who works there in the summer, well anyway she's going to visit her family in Cuba so she won't be able to pick us up at the airport or drive us or should I say me around. It sucks being in a wheelchair man without Carmen around my dad won't allow us to stay there, he wants me to have supervision at all times especially when it has to do with traveling."

"So the trips off?" Craig said disappointedly

"Unless you have a better idea."

"What if I tell you that I can not only drive us there but get us a fully equipped van with leather seats and a tv."

"I'll say you're losing it man."

"Maybe not. Here's my idea."

"So what do you think?" Paige asked after handing Ellie a mirror.

Ellie's mom gave in to allowing Ellie to go to Alex house to spend the night without interfering and Paige tagged along with them. There girls night out was really awkward at first so Paige decided that the only way to break the ice was to give a makeover to the girls. Alex declined or more like threatened to pummel Paige's face in if she touched her hair. Ellie unfortunately didn't protest and looking in the mirror she now wished she had.

"Paige this is really..umm...interesting," Ellie looked in the mirror at her hairdo which was an exact replica of Paige's hair do.

"Really it's not that bad?" Paige asked.

"Ummm..no.. it's...nice.," Ellie hesitantly responded.

"What she means to say is she looks like a pretty pretty princess," Alex chimed in while filing her nails.

"Oh, you hate it," Paige said before chuckling. "I thought you reminded me of someone."

"Yeah we could be sisters," Ellie giggled.

"The way you guys are acting like a bunch of sorority girls right now I would have to say you are sisters," Alex replied.

"Oh c'mon Alex join the pretty princess sorority club you know you want to," Paige hit Alex with a pillow.

"I can't believe you did that!" Alex shouted.

"Alex, she was only kidding," Ellie mumbled.

"Oh really well I didn't find that funny!" Alex exclaimed."But I find this hilarious." Alex threw a pillow a Paige but she ducked and the air born pillow hit Ellie in the face.

"Oh, Ellie are you OK?" Paige asked.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to hit you that hard I was trying to hit Paige that hard," Alex said.

"Well you hit me," Ellie whimpered. "But I can hit even harder." Ellie threw a pillow and before the girls knew it they were having a pillow fight with feathers flying everywhere.

"Oh wait guys I hear my cell." Paige ran threw a cloud of falling feathers and answered her cell which was inside her purse. "Hey, Paige speaking."

"Guess whose back?" Hazel asked

"Oh my God I thought you weren't coming back until next month?" Paige joyously asked.

"I thought so too," Hazel answered."My dad decided that he had to come back early something to do with work. So did you miss me?"

"Of course why wouldn't I miss my best friend in the world."

"Hey, If your not busy my dad's job gave him a bonus two complimentary tickets to Madam Helga's Spa it's for a full body makeover including hair and a massage. My dad decided to give the tickets to my mom and I you know to help us get over our jet lag but my mom decided to work extra hours at the clinic so I need someone to go.

"Are you serious?"

"I know it's late but if we hurry they can squeeze us in as the last customers for the day. So what do you say?"

"I'm there,I'll meet you in a second," Paige excitedly replied before closing her cell.

"Where exactly is there and who are you going to meet?" Alex asked.

"Oh, yeah sorry I have to shorten our girls night out but my mom just called and I have to go home real soon, It's a family emergency."

"What kind of an emergency?" Alex harshly asked.

"It's kind of private." Paige picked up her purse and her overnight bag. "Sorry I couldn't stay longer but it's been fun we should do this again real soon," Paige said before leaving out through the front door.

"See I told you we should've never invited Barbie over." Alex sourly replied.

"Well it was fun while it lasted." Ellie picked up a broom and started to sweep the feathers into a pile.

"Craig I agreed to a car not a van." Joey said sitting inside his office at the car dealership.

"Well a van is a car it's just a larger car with more room. So what do you say?"

"No, Craig. You just got your license this summer you're haven't been behind the wheel long enough to drive a van."

"What about a 4x4 it's not as large as a van but it's still large enough for me and Jimmy."

"A 4x4 is almost as worse as a van."

"Without the van we can't go to the states and we defiantly can't go to the Hampton's."

Joey looked outside at a nearby window. He studied all the cars in the lot. "I got it what if I let you borrow a car that's sort of a van but you have to do all the repairs."

Joey and Craig walked outside to a nearby garage with old cars not quite ready for the show room floor outside of the lot.

Joey walked to a large car with a blue sheet covering over it. Joey ripped off the sheet."Ta da."

"What's that?"

"Your car or should I say van for the road trip if you want it." Joey patted the white van which was rusting a little bit and had to be at least Joey's age if not older. "It's a camper van or as my dad use to say a vanagon,here let me show you the inside." Joey opened the back doors. The van had horrible puke green shag carpet in the back with a couple of unrecognizable stains as the decorations. "I know it's not much it's not the luxury van you picked out but it will be a whole lot safer and it has enough room for you and Jimmy and even a couple of friends of the opposite sex that just might tag along if you get my drift." Joey jokingly chucked.

"But I promised Jimmy leather seats and a tv." Craig looked inside the van. "Not a car from the disco era did you guys even have televisions at that time."

"Haha." Joey feigned laughter. "You can fix it up anyway you want and this car has a tape deck instead of the eight track it was equipped with. So you guys can at least listing to music."

"Joey know one uses tapes anymore we use cd's."

"Whatever it's a van and you can decorate it how you feel take it or leave it."

"Fine," Craig said. "I just know Jimmy isn't going to like this." Craig mumbled.