Usually I write German…
Sorry, for German swearing… most of the time I won't translate: D
Okay, I adore your Ben/ Riley friendship fics! So I want to start my own….
The perspective will switch…. I hope this won't be confusing. But there will be only the following perspectives: Ben's and Riley's, but mostly Ben, I think…
I have to warn you, if you hope for any kind of gun- actions and bad guys… I have to disappoint you… there will be REALLY no treasure :D
The story is SHORT AFTER the second movie…
So… I want to thank Masterarcher, whose reviews made me squeal silently,… so THANK YOU :-).
Ben's Perspective
"So, you're sure, that there is NO other treasure?" This kid will drive me crazy, he really will; oh boy.
"This is a vacation! Not more, not less. A VACATION! Holiday! So would you please shut up?" I snapped. It felt like the millions time that he asked that question and we were not even on the way yet. Abi suppressed an eye- roll, and threw a towel into her suitcase, her lower jaw tensed.
"You know Ben; it's not very you-ish to go on a trip with friends without history or a treasure wish." Riley smirked. Oh yeah, this kid enjoyed to go on my nerves.
"Abi? Why did I ask him to join us?" I asked through gritted teeth. Abi only shook her beautiful head, so that her soft hair flew in the air. She was lost in thoughts, whether she had forgotten something.
When I looked back at Riley, I saw him sitting on his big suitcase, pouting, arms crossed over his chest. Usually I would hate this sight. But not today, a little hurt Riley was silent.
For a moment.
"When you don't want me with you, I will stay here. I didn't ask to come with you, did I?" Okay, this was something I really hated. This quiet feeling of being abandoned in his calm, sad voice. He didn't dare look at me; I knew the kid was worried what he will be able to read in my face.
Did he REALLY believe I didn't want to have him with me? I was looking forward to this trip the last two month, since we have found the lost city. It was something we three really have earned.
And I would never go on this trip without him.
I bit my lower lip, not really sure what to say. I looked at Abi for help, but she shrugged to tell me that I have to handle it myself and left the room: "I'm going to close all the windows!"
'Thank you for help darling!' I thought ironical.
"Riles! You really have to stop nagging." I said crossing the room, stopped in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder.
He looked up at me with a hopeful look on his face.
I smiled at him and added while I was rubbing his upper arm: "And if you don't stop, you will accidentally get lost at a freeway parking lot! Take that as a warning!" he chuckled at this statement of mine but nodded.
"So, now come on, before Abi is going crazy with her preparations." I murmured.
After Riley stood up I took his and Abi's suitcases, which were much heavier than my baggage that was carried by Riley.
"Oh my God! Ri, what's in there? Stones?" I moaned.
"Yea, lot's of them! Oh come one, Ben! Don't give me this look! Why are YOU allowed to make fun of me but I can not even defence myself?"
Okay, this was an argument. But I wouldn't admit this. So I just smiled at him and made my way to my van, followed by a computer nerd.
Oh wait. Not followed by a computer nerd. Where was he?
"Ri?" I asked, just when he appeared out of his room, my suitcase in one hand and the reason for his disappearing in the other hand. His laptop, in his new laptop bag.
"No reason to worry, I'm here!" He said with a huge grin on his face.
I shook my head and turned around to lead the kid to my car again.
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"Okay, is everything in the car?" asked a very nervous Abi. It was her first road trip through the USA. At first she was not so found of the idea not staying in one hotel, but driving from motel to motel.
Riley and I have done this, before our first treasure hunt, when we were looking for clues for who or what 'Charlotte' was. This was a great time! But Riles was right; I have never done a vacation with him, without a treasure on my mind. Sad, but true. This was the first.
"Okay! I'll drive." Riley said, and went to the driver- side of the car.
"NO" Abi and I shouted in common.
"Why not?" Riley asked hurt.
"I am going to drive! You are not going to drive my van!" I stated gentle, but firm.
He let out a frustrated sigh, turned around to the passenger side, but Abigail was on the door, before the he could reach it.
"Kids in the back." Abi teased. I was not even trying to hide my smile.
"This trip will be so boring! Why me?" he grumbled angry, while he sat down in the back and shut the door with a loud BAM, what let my smile disappear and change into a glare.
Abigail turning up her nose, before sitting down at the passenger seat.
I let out a deep breath and sat down behind the wheel and started driving.
The radio- clock showed that it was noon.
"Very well done, Mr. Gates! It was planned to start driving at 7 am. Yeah, now we can start ca. five hours after. Cool! Originally it was planned to arrive New York in another half an hour. This was not really possible now, was it?" I thought sarcastically. But it was typical for us three. Everybody of us was really pigheaded and we all wanted to get our will in the preparations.
Let's see, if we can keep any of our plans.
I turned around to see a very morose kid, who leaned against the window with headphones of his iPod in his ears and closed eyes.
Abi sat next to me with a map on her lap.
"Okay, when we reach New York in five and a half hours, it will be short after 5pm, so we can visit the Central Park, take a few pictures of the statue of liberty and search a motel.
And tomorrow morning we can start to West Virginia to visit the New River Gorge Bridge."
And again she repeated the whole trip. I was only half listening. I thankfully could resist the urge to tell her, that I have got the plan the last hundred times she told me. But she was excited. I didn't want to destroy her joy.
So let's the trip begin.
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Riley's Perspective
Ugh, I had to get used to this long rides. That was bad. My behind was really sore, when we arrived New York finally.
"Wow, we really did it." I cheered fake.
"RILEY, if you START like this I will make you suffer through the whole trip." I blamed Ben's lack of sleep for these rough words.
Finally we walked through New York, now and than we stopped at on spot, the statue of liberty and the central park, for example.
These sides of New York we saw now were really beautiful. I remembered New York, but the nasty sides, those, which almost cost my life, several times.
Ben remembered these sides of this city, too, when we saw the city hall, he had immediately a conforming arm over my shoulder.
"Is everything alright, Riles?" he asked calmly.
I nodded.
"Ri. Please enlighten me! What you are thinking? I can only imagine how you are feeling right now." There was a strong plead in his voice. This guy knew how to make me speak.
"Truth to be told, I hate being here, this is one of the most frightened spots in New York, but I also love it more than any other places here." I whispered and shifted a little, so that I could look at him, his arm still over my shoulder.
"You can say that again, kid." He responded with an encouraging smile and ruffled my hair with his other hand. I didn't mind, he wanted to comfort me and I really needed exactly this right now.
"Could you please tell me what's that about?" Abi asked with an irate look on her face. Yea, she always talked German with us but get mad when we talk about something she didn't know.
"It's okay, Abi, this is a way to long story to tell. And it isn't very entertaining." Ben laid this other arm around Abi and kissed her head.
Abi sulked a little, but her mood rose again, when we entered our motel. This wasn't something we had expected. In every movie, motels were nasty and creepy but this motel was nice, not like a hotel, but it was not too bad.
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I won't update the next chapter, until I get a beta-reader, but I wanted to give you guys a first expression,… Ugh, please tell me the grammatical mistakes,… I am not that good in English at school,.. And I hate it to make so many stupid mistakes…
So I'll be back in two weeks,… (England vacation, without parents… :-))
Tell me if you liked it or not….
If you think it's crap,… feel free to tell me…