So I'm pretty sure I've had the plague for the past few days. That's not a joke I should make with recent events but oh well. I've been doing better but let's see if this will rejuvenate me.

Year One: Shotgun!

[Thursday - 11:37 AM]

Group Chat - SA Babes
Members: Daniel, Merida, James, Angela, Xavier

Merida: Alright, I'm heading home tomorrow night for the weekend. Does anyone want to come with?

James: Miss your folks already?

Merida: I miss my car.

Merida: And them too.

Xavier: Angela, you want to get the car or do you want me to do it?

Angela: You want me on the interstate for four hours minimum?

Xavier: Count me in, Merida.

Daniel: Me too.

James: Daniel, I have my cars here. You don't have to go back.

Merida: WOW THANKS FOR THE OFFER!

Xavier: Same here.

James: I only have four on me and one needs a paint job.

Merida: … I fucking hate you.

Daniel: I'm homesick.

Angela: That's so sweet. I'd go but I have to meet one of my profs tomorrow night. For some reason, their office hours are at that time which is weird, but what can you do?

Daniel: So it's me, Merida, and Xavier heading home?

Xavier: Sounds like it.

James: You can borrow my car that needs a paint job. Drop it off when you're back in the city.

Xavier: I hate you too.

-o-

Friday - Hudson Residence - 17:38 PM

"I'm heading home for the weekend," Xavier tells Ashton as he packs a bag.

Xavier pauses. Did he really need a bag? He didn't bring all his things here so there were still some clothes at home. He could bring back some laundry because he wouldn't have to pay for it there. He should. Xavier isn't staying for long. Only for the weekend. He plans to be back Sunday night because he'll get yelled at for not being in class early Monday morning.

Instead of asking why the sudden departure, Ashton cheers. Xavier, feeling offended, gives him a face. Some friend he is. Even when Ashton notices Xavier's wordless response, he doesn't stop.

"Thank you for the dorm," Ashton says, patting Xavier's shoulder. "Have a safe trip. See you Monday."

-o-

Outside Edison Residence - 18:42 PM

Everyone stands in Edison Residence's parking lot. Xavier, Daniel, and Merida have small bags with them to take home. Beside them, James has a fanny pack with an assortment of cars in it. He won't waste his money on a parking pass which made perfect sense.

Once James finds the car, he puts it in a free space and grows it back to its normal size. The trio heading home didn't understand the issues with the car since it looks fine. The paint looks better there than on any of their cars back home. Rich people. But James had to jump-start it by popping open the front hood and gripping two wires, sparking them with bioelectricity.

"I hope we don't die on the way…" Daniel mutters.

"Or break down in the middle of nowhere," Merida adds.

"Whatever," Xavier says. As long as they get from here to home, he's alright with anything.

James tosses the keys in the air. Xavier snatches them once Merida tries to jump for retrieval. She tries to get them from him as Daniel puts their bags in the trunk. And he will claim shotgun before their argument is over. He gets in the seat, buckles up, and picks a radio station. And they're still bickering out there. At this point, they should just cancel their trip home.

"I don't want to go to jail along the way," Xavier argues. "And I want to be there before Saturday."

Merida pauses. She can't argue with Daniel's slow driving. So she concedes, getting in the backseat. She won't pick a fight with Daniel over the front because she'll get more leg space in the back and can kick Xavier's seat whenever. Which will be often.

They'll be home by at least midnight. Or later once they meet New York traffic. James and Angela wave them off as they drive away. She holds his hand with both of hers, smiling brightly as she rests her head on his shoulder.

"You know…" Angela whispers to him. "Your roommate isn't here and neither is mine. We room options, nothing due for Monday, and a weekend to ourselves."

James grins for a second. "But we need a plan."

"Babe, we don't."

"We won't know what we're doing!"

"It's fine," she reassures.

"No, but I don't want to screw this up for you."

"You won't."

"I'm sure I will. Trust me, Angela. The only thing I'm ever sure about is anything involving you."

Angela smiles sweetly as she kisses him on the cheek. She's a lucky girl.

-o-

Somewhere on the Interstate - 19:55 PM

The make-believe paint job wasn't a problem. It still gave them a vehicle to get home. The hot-wiring was worrisome, but it got them some distance. The only reason it was some distance was because James gave them the car with low gas. It was a hybrid which meant Xavier could switch to electricity for a bit, but with no gas came no functioning battery. He hates this car.

"Come on…" Xavier groans.

"I think the Academy's in New Jersey so that everyone has to travel to get there," Merida says. "It's only fair. Is anyone there even from New Jersey?"

Not that they know.

He exits the freeway and they look around for the nearest gas/recharge station. Might as well do both since this car had to be finicky. Once they find a station that was a pit stop centre, Xavier turns in. Merida leaps out of the car with Xavier's card to go pay for gas. She saunters into the convenience store and pays before looking around for a bit.

It was a typical gas station stop. Everything from the merchandise to the people were questionable. As she roams the aisles, Daniel walks in and joins her. Before he could say anything, his eyes land on a shelf of blue boxes that made her heart stop. Oh, they definitely needed those. Merida and Daniel grab a few boxes, pay, and head back out to where Xavier was now charging the car. He looks over and sees the boxes of Pop-Tarts.

"Why?" Xavier asks.

"Maybe we can summon Apollo," Merida suggests. "Look, I know it's been a few months and they asked for a year, but we all miss them like crazy."

"I was never against it."

Merida pauses. "You're not?" She sees Xavier nod his head. "Huh."

"Besides, we need something to pass the time." Xavier pats the charging car they have to wait for. "Are those still edible?"

Daniel checks the sides of the box to find the expiry date. "I guess?"

Daniel didn't find an expiry date but it didn't matter. They would eat one pastry at most and attempt voodoo summoning with the rest. Besides, there were enough chemicals in those boxes to survive the apocalypse.

"If we do this and need stitches, you're paying," Xavier says, taking some boxes.

"I'll even do the stitches," Daniel promises.

So they walk off to the nearby open grassy space. Each of them takes a box and opens it. With one pop-tart in their mouth, they're not quite sure what to do. Do they crumble them all and start a fire? Not smart to do beside a gas station. Do they make a shape of some sort and chant songs or prayers? They don't know any. If anyone walked by and thought they were a cult, they wouldn't be completely wrong.

The best they manage is making a 3-D lightning bolt out of various pop-tart flavours. It was about three feet long and three pastries tall. Instead of singing, they resorted to calling Apollo's name while looking up at the night sky.

No response. Not surprising. He likely didn't hear them.

Instead, Merida video-calls Emily. Maybe she'll know what to do in this situation. Or how to make it worse without even trying. When she answers, she sees the mess of Pop-Tarts on them and the masterpiece on the ground. She doesn't even bat a lash.

Emily: You guys are always doing stupid shit.

The PNG foreshadowing although I wrote it in PNG first. But in terms of events, this happens first. It still hurts me but makes me smile.