"You must be relieved now." Kate prepared two mugs of tea, handing me one. We were at her apartment again—her roommate still wasn't there.
"I really am." I nodded, sipping the tea and stinging my tongue. "Thanks, Kate, for being there."
"It was no problem at all, Max. I'm proud of you for putting on a brave face and spoke to him."
"Thanks. I can't stop thinking about it. It turns out, my ex-boyfriend's boyfriend was jealous and really wanted to fight me for him."
"That's… rather sweet, actually." She sounded dreamy, like she wished someone did the same for her. Or, that was how I interpreted it.
"I think so too." I smiled and nodded. "Remind me to repay you someday."
"You don't have to," she waved her hand, "Please, I'm happy enough you accomplished something."
I didn't reply, but I made a note in my mind to repay her.
"Have you started packing?" I asked instead.
"Oh, yes! I already finished! I'm so excited to go somewhere for break. Victoria was happy about it too, but jealous, of course."
"Anyone would be." I chuckled. "But, I… actually have to finish packing. I haven't even started I don't think."
"Then, why are you still here, Max?!" Kate jumped from her seat and pulled me up. I nearly dropped my mug as I placed it down on the coffee table.
"O-okay, okay! I'll see you later, okay?! We'll pick you up!" I ran out of her apartment to the nearest metro stop, cursing myself for not finishing my tea.
I wasn't able to talk to Rachel and Chloe about Warren. They were rushing me to fix my luggage and change into summer-like clothes. I couldn't focus on anything until I finished and ran out with them to Chloe's car.
"Are you ready or are you ready, Max?!" Rachel had thrown her huge suitcase into the back of Chloe's car. She was in her shortest pair of shorts and wearing a red bikini top. Of course, she still had a plaid shirt on. I was forced into a pair of shorts too, after some persistence. I was fanning myself as we all stood in the humid night.
I nodded, but I was not too crazy about it.
Chloe then slammed the car's trunk, alarming me, "I'm hella ready!"
"Let's go pick up Kate then! Have you been texting her?" Rachel went to the passenger side.
"Saw her earlier today, actually. But, she was already finished when I saw her."
"Why did you see her?"
"I'll tell you later. But, I did text her and Victoria is getting weird about it." The last text I got from her was about Victoria and how she was begging to come along this trip. I couldn't imagine Victoria, of all people, clinging onto Kate. From her words, it sounded pretty hilarious.
"We should have invited her along… Oh well!" Rachel shrugged her shoulders. At least we were all on the same page with that: Don't invite Victoria.
"Anyway, I need a picture for Instagram, of course!" She had her phone up and ready. I scooted to the middle seat to fit into the shot. They stuck their tongues out and I was stuck in the middle of them, smiling like a dork. Rachel's energy was rubbing off onto both of us, but fear was still sitting at the pit of my stomach. You're gonna be fine, I repeated over and over again.
"I don't think this bun thing is working for me." Chloe touched the tiny bun on her head. Rachel saw an opportunity and couldn't miss it. That was what Chloe wanted my hair to be, but the tables have turned. It was too small though, so it was becoming a funny-looking ponytail.
"Don't be bitter, it looks hella cute on you." Rachel complimented, but got a grumbled response. "So, Max, what happened earlier? About you going to Kate's place?"
"I may or may not have talked to Warren today."
"No fucking way," She was shocked, but she was very intrigued, "What happened? Was he being a creep?"
"Actually, no." I earned a weird look from her and a judging look from Chloe through the rearview mirror. I could tell she wanted to say something, to be mad at me, but Rachel cut her off.
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope, turns out, his boyfriend wanted to confront me about it. Well, before he knew who I really was. I met him and he was okay, if not kinda scary."
Rachel's facial expression went through a series of emotions: confused, skeptical, then approving. "Right on, I'm okay with him now."
Chloe shrugged her shoulders. She was indifferent, but it was better than hatred.
"But, Max," Rachel's face changed to worry, "you're hella sure you're okay with coming along?" I couldn't help a smile; I appreciated her taking me into account, knowing anything could happen. She smiled back, chuckling a bit.
"I'm sure. Thanks, mom." I wanted to be sarcastic, but she really was my mom.
I switched my attention to the streetlights and dark street ahead of us, listening to the music Chloe decided to put on. Heavy bass hit against my feet, but still just low enough to hold a conversation without saying "huh" every sentence. I bet Kate has never ridden in a car that does this constantly before.
"How long is the travel again?" I leaned over to Chloe.
"Six hours, it'll be morning once we get there… fucking shit."
I sat back and crossed my arms, finally yawning from how late it was. It was one o'clock, after Chloe did a small shift at HUE sf. She had to verbally fight with the manager about it, but it clearly paid off.
We arrived at Kate's, where it was pitch black darkness, minus some rooms' lights in the building.
"Okay, Max, go get her." Chloe lowered her music, "Be a gentlewoman and get her bags."
Rachel chuckled and I rolled my eyes as I left the car. If I was going to be greeted by Victoria, I would hope she was in a good mood. A good mood for one AM, anyway.
I knocked on the door three times. I let out one last yawn before the door opened to a little gap. Kate's head peeked out and then smiled, "Hey Max."
"Hey Kate. Good thing it's you; I wouldn't know what to do if Victoria answered."
From what I could tell, her hair was up in a ponytail. It was probably Victoria's doing.
"She's locked in her room now. Come in, I still have some things to do."
"Uh, let me tell Chloe and Rachel first."
"Okay! The door will be unlocked for you." She went back inside and I left back to the car. I knocked on Rachel's window and she rolled it down.
"I'm gonna go inside, she still has things to do." I pointed my thumb behind me.
"Oh, are you "things" now?" Chloe smirked at me.
"No, like literally… things." I didn't understand it until I finished talking. I put my thumb down and cleared my throat.
She chuckled in amusement, "It was just a joke. It's cool, we'll stick here."
"You guys don't wanna come in?"
"Not after what happened," Rachel shook her head, "We'll be okay."
I nodded and went back, casually walking back in and was met with Victoria sitting on the couch. She had a stern look on her face and was in one of those silky bathrobes, looking at me like I just made the biggest mistake I could possibly make. We practically had a staring contest, yet somehow it felt like she was also divorcing me.
"Fancy you'd barge in, Max." The way she said my name was like a stab in the heart.
"Hey Victoria. Kate told me she'd leave the door open."
"Did she now?" She crossed her legs and her arms.
"Victoria, please don't scare her off." Kate came back with a backpack, which looked kind of empty.
"I'm just talking to her!" She defended herself too quickly.
"It's fine," I waved off, even though nothing about this was fine, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, do you want to carry this? It's my sketchbook and pencils." She handed me the white backpack covered in little rabbits. I grabbed it while I nodded my head, hanging it on my back, and watched her go back into her room.
It was awkward in the room again. Being with Warren was bad, but this was a different kind of awkward. One I didn't want any part of. I swung my arms around, clapped my hands together, and made eye contact with her twice, but they both physically hurt me. Why I dared to try at all was a mystery. Was she Medusa? I wouldn't be surprised if she really was.
Kate came back out with a small rolling bag, pausing about halfway.
"Are you guys okay?" She looked at the both of us, concerned.
"We're fine." Victoria said stiffly. She stood up and was ready to leave back to her room, only to have Kate grab her shoulder and then pushed her back to me.
"Can you guys at least hug?"
"What?" I took a step back.
"No."
"Please? For me?" Kate pouted.
Her face was still serious, looking dead into my soul. I wanted to run away, but I watched as her expression slowly changed into a smile.
"Sure, Katie, but just for you." Victoria's arms spread, but I obviously hesitated. Kate was smiling at me and waited until I reacted. I felt like her hands will go to my neck instead, killing me instantly. I approached and she pulled me into a death grab, making my life flash before my eyes. I weakly and shakily put my arms around her, showing a force smile to Kate.
In my ear, Victoria was whispering through her teeth, "Get her hurt and I'll fucking kill you…"
She pulled away again, still smiling and grabbed Kate into a hug, "Have fun in Long Beach then. Alice will be safe with me."
"Can't believe my rabbit will see your room before I do."
Victoria groaned, pushing her away, "I already said on the day we graduate."
"You mean, when you graduate. I have three years left!" Kate started to walk away, rolling her bag behind her.
"When I graduate, happy?"
Kate nodded and then waved her hand, "See you in a week!"
We walked out together; I grabbed her bag from her and carried them all the way to the car.
"I heard her saying something to you earlier, what did she say?"
"I couldn't understand her either." I shook my head. Nope, I heard it loud and clear, but Kate has had enough of us not getting along. It still ran a chill down my spine. She practically hissed in my ear.
I put her bags into the trunk and got into the car, letting Kate go in first.
"Hey Kate!" Rachel greeted, "Cute outfit! You should wear tank tops more. And it's a little cold, so good idea bringing your jacket."
I was so scared shitless that I forgot Victoria dressed her. She looked cute, but she would never choose a tank top and shorts for herself. Like before, she wore her cardigan over.
"You think? I don't know, I feel very exposed right now." Kate said with a giggle.
"Long Beach is hot, so it's perfect."
"Alright, ready to get this show on the road?" Chloe announced, turning her car on again.
We all cheered. We got back onto the dark street and went off to our destination.
It only took an hour for Rachel and Kate to knock out in their seats. Kate had her head on my shoulder, holding my arm to keep herself stable. I rested my head on hers, surprisingly comfortable, and kept myself awake. Music was finally off and the only noises we could hear were the rare cars zooming by and Rachel's light snoring.
"You don't wanna sleep, man?" Chloe saw me in her rear-view mirror.
"Wouldn't want you to be so alone." I replied.
"How nice of you." Her tone was semi-sarcastic. "What are you going to do about Kate then?"
"What do you mean?"
"Um? You have a crush on h—"
"She's right here, Chloe."
"She's sleeping anyway!"
"Not when you raise your voice!"
"Well," Chloe turned hush, barely heard it at all, "What are you doing about it?"
"Like you're one to talk. Rachel already told me how awkward and shy you were with her."
"Now look at me, fucking gay as shit. Did you even learn if she's gay at all?"
I was going by assumption at this point. Her actions spoke louder than words, but what would Chloe say if I told the truth? I didn't learn anything about her sexuality, other than her having sex with someone. I have to tell her that I haven't.
"No, I did not." I answered as I checked Kate, still sleeping soundly.
"What the fuck—"
"I'm sorry, okay? I haven't been able to."
"I will park this damn car and then beat your ass—"
"Holy shit, baby, what are you doing?" Rachel woke up from her harsh words. She reached over to touch her shoulder.
"What happened?" She looked at me with wide eyes.
Just awkward silence and shifting eyes were going on as my answer was stuck in my mind. I refused to answer; I got my life threatened twice in one night.
What the fuck are you thinking?! You're so dumb! Kate is so sweet and kind, you could just ask! Why are you like this?
"Max."
I blinked and gulped, replying sheepishly, "I'm being really stupid…"
"What's wrong? Chloe, what did you say?!" Rachel backhanded Chloe's arm. Her face was furious, but Chloe looked back, unimpressed and couldn't care less.
"Oh whatever, I was just trying to help!"
"You fucking threatened her! You know she has anxiety!"
"It's one person!"
An altercation started happening between them, yelling nonsense about me, so loud that Kate suddenly jerked up and was fully awake again.
"Wait, what's going on?!" Kate tried to break it up, but they both yelled at her at some point to stay out of it. We watched them, our heads moving back and forth, as they barked about random things to avoid Kate knowing my disorder. It was becoming things like how Chloe was too aggressive, but Rachel's temper was way worse. This ride was becoming more difficult than anticipated.
Kate and I looked at each other, knowing we were both feeling helpless in this situation. She was clearly upset as she rested her head on my shoulder again. The fighting escalated into silly and petty things, like the time Chloe was pissed off at her and decided to cut the crotches of all of Rachel's pants. Chloe fired back with times Rachel had completely covered things in glitter so she couldn't use it. Even Kate laughed at that.
"FINE!"
"FINE!"
They both huffed and turned away. I held my laughter, trying to keep my face as straight as possible, because I could see Chloe's piercing glare in the mirror. Only ten minutes pass before Rachel and Kate fell asleep again.
Chloe let out an exasperated groan, "Sorry, okay?"
"To me or her?"
"You, duh. Sorry for threatening you, I'll try to be nicer next time, but we're gonna talk about it soon."
"No prob, Bob."
It was silent. Three hours into our travel, everything had died down and the atmosphere was becoming less tense. As much as sleep called for me, I stayed awake. We stopped a few times at gas stations for small snacks and using the restrooms. Rachel was back to normal pretty fast, which worried me. She could be thinking about their previous fight and how much she wanted to yell about it.
For the last hour, they fell asleep once again, but Chloe and I avoided talking to each other. Only because it was finally daytime and we were just sick of everything. Our eyes burned from the sun rising, luckily Chloe had some sunglasses for herself. The sun was still pretty, I just wish it waited another hour before coming out.
Eventually, we arrived to Mothers Beach, where the house Rachel rented was. Apparently, the party was elsewhere, although, anything to postpone it for me was fan-fucking-tastic. I was happy to finally see the house, delighted really. Then, I saw how far away it was from where we were. Chloe and I groaned at the same time.
Chloe finally parked in the free spaces. She let out another groan, held down the car horn for a few seconds, shocking the other two awake, and then leaned back on her seat.
"We're here!"
"Oh, thank fuck…" Rachel pressed her hand against her forehead, "Let me just call to get the key and then we'll get to sleep."
"They better hurry… It's six AM for god's sake!"
Kate was still rubbing her eyes and getting her yawns out before observing everything around her. I couldn't help but watch her, a smiling growing from how cute the sight was. I looked away as soon as she put her hands down.
"Wow, it's a beautiful place." Kate looked out the windshield. A two-story light blue house sat next to the sand, with lots of windows and a balcony. The front was faced towards more to the left; it looked made more of glass. It looked lonely over there, since there weren't any other houses around it.
"I can't wait to just sleep my ass off…" Chloe said wearily.
"You need it." I replied.
"You too! You were up the whole time."
I shrugged my shoulders, humming an "I don't know" sound. All three of them were going to try to get me to sleep, holding me down or some other horrific way. Just a little something to scar me to rest.
After having waited for another thirty minutes, Rachel walked off somewhere and then came back with a key. I was worried as to where and how she got it, where she had to go, and why she didn't want Chloe to just drive over there. We were all standing outside, stretching our legs, smelling the salty air, and feeling the cold breeze against our skin.
"Rache, why did you walk? We could've driven closer?" I asked.
"You guys parked perfectly. We're in front of our house."
"Finally!" Chloe raised her arms, fists in the air, but then fell faster than when they went up.
