Betty was not kidding when she said early. The sun wasn't even out when everyone woke up, got dressed, and headed out with their pillows. Mike was coming as she yawned and came over by the boat to Nicktropolis. Lu wanted to come with her, only to see Manny of course. Reggie and Arnold took Lu over to the Rivera house and went to bed after that as Mike went to see Lil and the other 'Rats. The moms of course were wide awake and excited about this bonding trip all together. Stu waved goodbye to the leaving family as he then went back to sleep as his wife and sons were going away.
Belinda was the only other one wide awake. "Rocky would wake us up by now."
"Rocky?" Tommy asked her.
"Our rooster," Belinda smiled before giggling. "I used to try to get him to wake me up at 7:00 so I'd be to school on time."
"Oh, how primitive..." Rhonda complained as she latched onto Chuckie on the way outside.
Mike sat next to Lil as the girl then landed her head on the tomboy's shoulder with her soccer ball in her lap. Mike then stroked her brown hair while she rested.
"Thank you for inviting me on this trip." Belinda smiled as she stood in front of Tommy, holding his hands as the sun was slowly rising behind them.
"Hey, no problem," Tommy smiled back. "Thanks for coming back into my life."
The two were then about to kiss until Didi then walked by. "Tommy, did you go to the little boy's room? We're leaving."
Tommy groaned and winced as his mother embarrassed him even more. He was worried that Belinda would make fun of him, but she instead kissed him right on the lips and he felt sparks fly all around him. His first kiss and it had been very magical. He could've sworn he had heard angels singing for him.
"Did you see that?!" Chuckie gasped to Phil. "Did you?! She kissed him on the mouth and everything!"
"Of all the things that have touched my lips, the thought of someone else's never occured to me," Phil replied. "I'm repelled, and yet, oddly intrigued."
"You mean, you haven't kissed Courtney yet?" Chuckie asked.
"Well... Not professionally..." Phil rubbed his arm. "I kinda wanna wait for the right moment... I tried to once, but I did something that's gross, even for her."
"You farted, didn't you?" Chuckie narrowed his eyes.
"We were at Taco Town!" Phil defended. "Besides, I heard that you and Rhonda haven't kissed yet."
"I'm thirteen months, forty weeks, and five days older than Tommy!" Chuckie replied, then looked defeat. "No, I haven't. It's never gonna happen."
"Why do you think that?" Phil asked.
"Because what if Rhonda kisses me and she suddenly doesn't like me anymore?" Chuckie frowned.
"Come on, Rhonda's one of the richest kids in school and she's dating you," Phil replied. "I'm sure if Rhonda wanted to leave you, she would've done it a long time ago. Besides, this is a big country, I'm sure somewhere out there, you guys will finally have your first kiss and she won't find it freakishly repulsive."
"Ya think?" Chuckie smiled.
Before Phil could say or do anything else, everyone looked to see Betty coming over on a broken down RV which was much different than the one they saw yesterday.
"Looks like the garbage truck." Belinda commented.
Betty then tried to roll down the window as she smiled to her group. "Feast your sockets on the Itex American Cruise Deluxe!"
"What happened to the Nice Tasteful Cascade Supreme?" Lucy asked.
"Sold out," Betty replied as she pushed down the window fully then. "'Sides, I got twice the size for half the price, especially for the pups's dates!"
"Uh, it's really nice... Mrs. DeVille..." Mike said through her teeth as Lil then woke up and blushed once she realized she had been snuggled against the tomboy's chest.
Angelica, Junior, and Susie walked to the front and flinched as the vehicle looked like it was coming apart. Tommy attempted to open the door for Belinda and the others until the handle broke off and there was a scuffed up looking bed on the first floor.
"Come on in!" Betty urged them. "Oh, and don't worry about that molding baking smell; she'll air out!"
"I knew I should've brought Daddy's credit card." Courtney whispered.
"Me too." Rhonda agreed.
"Um... Well... It is roomy." Chuckie said while plugging his nose.
"Yeah... It'll still be fun..." Lil added in before her left foot then sunk into the floor and she dropped her soccer ball.
"Guys, did you see this?" Phil asked as he stood with Courtney as they looked to the side of the vehicle.
Most of the letters had been scratched out, so it spelt something different from Itex American Cruise Deluxe.
"'I Am Crud'?" Courtney read aloud.
Tad and Chad rode by on their bikes and laughed at the group before continuing to ride off. Dil sat on the bumper until it then broke down and fell with him flat on the road.
"Well... It surely is unique..." Mike said with a shrug. "Kinda reminds me of the old bus I took in St. Albans."
Junior, Angelica, Susie, Tommy, Belinda, Chuckie, Rhonda, Phil, Lil, Mike, Courtney, Dil, and Kimi then got into the vehicle so they could drive off and start their road trip adventure.
"Belinda, tell me, does your ever do anything embarrassing?" Tommy asked as he sighed about his own mother.
Belinda looked over. "No, I guess she never could or would..."
"What do you mean?" Tommy asked, not really getting it or understanding it.
"My mama died when I was born." Belinda said softly.
"Oh..." Tommy cringed. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay, Tommy, I love my daddy and he loves me..." Belinda smiled softly before she stared out the window. "There are times though where I do often think about my mom... Who she was... What she was like... I bet she was pretty..."
"Like you." Tommy then said with a soft smile.
Belinda looked over to Tommy with a soft smile back.
"I guess I never thought of what it'd be like without a mom..." Tommy said then. "I mean, my dad and Uncle Drew told me stories of what it was like without their mom. My grandpa talks about my grandma all the time..."
"I hear your friend Chuckie's mother died too..." Belinda said.
"Yeah, his birth mother," Tommy replied. "Kira's his step-mom and Kimi's his step-sister, but they all love each other like a true and natural family."
"I just hope I can be a mom someday..." Belinda said as she looked into his eyes.
Tommy looked back into her eyes and they both watch the sun come up together as the vehicle drove down the road.
Mike watched them as she overheard them talk about parents and it made her take out an old photograph of her birth parents: John and Miranda Mazinsky. She heaved a sharp sigh and hugged it with a tear rolling down her cheek. "I miss you..." she then whispered in grief and sudden sadness.