Roadtrip

Prologue

There was a commotion in the kitchen that woke Malin up from a light, drunk sleep. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, groaning as he peeled his back off the hot mattress. A glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand told him it was a little past four in the morning, and his expression darkened. With gritted teeth he swung his legs onto the floor, wobbling as he stood up and sitting immediately back down until the stars in front of his eyes disappeared. His second attempt at getting up was successful, allowing him to shuffle into the kitchen in naught but his worn out, checkered blue boxers. When his head peeked around the door into the lit kitchen, he witnessed his roommates casually lounging and talking over a pot of boiling water, both still in the clothing they wore last night.

"What the fuck," Malin croaked, only just making himself visible as he tried to shield his tired eyes from the light. "Did you guys ever go to sleep?"

Zach laughed, a sound too bright and ringing for Malin's sleep-deprived ears. "Sleep is for the weak."

Malin squinted at him as he made his way over to a kitchen chair he promptly plopped into. "You're an asshole."

"Hey now," Gino said gently, his brow creased slightly. He was sitting on the kitchen counter with a coffee in hand, keeping loose watch over the pot of water. "I'm sorry we woke you."

"How the hell are you two so chipper? I feel like I got run over by a truck."

There was a playful glint in Zach's dark brown eyes as he slid a cup of steaming coffee over to Malin. "That's because you drank enough to actually knock out an elephant. I would be impressed if I wasn't so worried about you, dude."

"Yeah," Gino agreed, his frown deepening as he crossed his legs. "It's been a month since you and Jessie broke up and you've been like this literally every night. It's concerning, man."

Malin groaned. "I don't care about the breakup."

Zach and Gino shared a knowing look that made Malin's face flush in a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. They knew him too well. "Okay, so maybe I do care a little bit. So what? It's not like I can do anything about it."

"You obviously still have feelings, otherwise you wouldn't be such a damn wreck."

"Thank you, Zach," Malin growled, gripping his cup strongly. "But I could care less about Jess."

"Exactly," Gino exclaimed, making the other two flinch. "You could care less! Which is why we need to take your mind off it for good."

"I meant that I couldn't care less."

Gino smirked. "Freudian slip. Come on, Mal. We're on break and you're alternatingly wasting away in your room or drinking yourself to death, that's not healthy. I think we should take a trip or something. Get out of here, see something cool. I don't know, guys, we haven't done anything for almost a week and it's making me restless."

"I think that's your caffeine intake talking," Zach joked, prompting Gino to roll his eyes. "But I think you're right. We need to get out of here! See the world! We're young, we're beautiful and we're free!"

Malin grimaced. "Did you just say beautiful?"

Zach pointed a finger at him and winked. "Precisely. Look at you, you handsome bastard. I mean, look at us! A bunch of tens, ready to dazzle the world with our otherworldly beauty!"

"You're insane," Malin sighed, but a small smile escaped him, nonetheless. "Where would we even go? Last I checked our funds weren't looking so hot."

"True," Gino conceded, his face falling a little.

"Hey, hey, hey," Zach said, standing up and perching his hands on his slender hips meaningfully. "None of this. What about a classic, old-fashioned road-trip, huh? We just hit the road and see where the wind takes us. Sounds romantic, doesn't it?"

"Gross. But you have a point. The truck just came out of the shop, so I doubt we'll have any issues there. And if we split the gas bill... yeah, it should work. But can we talk about this in the morning, please?"

"It is morning," Gino corrected Malin, pointing at the clock that told them it was five o'clock on the dot. "Though... you do look like you could use some more sleep."

"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. I slept like an hour before you idiots woke me up."

Zach put a hand to his chest, sighing dreamily. "With your sexy accent, you sound like heaven even when you call me an idiot."

Malin rolled his eyes as far back as they could go, making Zach cackle. "Alright, I'm leaving. Have fun being quiet and respectful of your roommate."

"Have fun sleeping," Gino said, laughing. "And put on a shirt!"

"No," Malin yelled back, already halfway to his room.

-

Zach clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "I crunched the numbers and- "

"You?" Malin snorted. "You've been failing math since elementary school."

"I can do simple additions... with a calculator, of course," Zach said, grinning. "My point being, we can afford to leave this dump for a whole two weeks if we're thrifty!"

Gino frowned. "Thrifty... does that mean we won't be eating?"

"It means we may need to go dumpster diving a few times," Zach answered with a serious tilt to his full lips. "But that's okay, right?"

Looking at the horrified look on Gino's face, Zach's solemn façade cracked, and he belted out a laugh. "Nah, G, I'm messing with you. It's all good, we'll eat like kings!"

"So... cheap fast food for two weeks?"

Zach wiggled his eyebrows. "You got it."

"And remind me again where we're going?"

"Florida, baby!"

Gino swallowed audibly. "Florida... in July? Are you trying to kill us?"

"No," Zach said slowly, shaking his head vigorously. "I'm trying to get us some action! Have you seen the women in Miami? Woof!"

Malin huffed a laugh. "You're off the market."

"Yes, but you aren't. And we're doing this all for you, lover boy!"

"Don't ever call me lover boy again."

Zach shrugged, then leaned over the table conspiratorially. "Guys. This is gonna be awesome."

Malin sighed as he took a sip of his coffee, checking the time on his watch. "It's too early for this still. When are we leaving, anyway?"

"Today!"

"What," Malin and Gino said in unison.

"Yeah! No time to waste, am I right?"

"But I haven't even made a packing list yet..."

Pouting affectionately, Zach put his hand over Gino's. "That... is the cutest thing I've ever heard you say. You're twenty-four, dude, you're supposed to be spontaneous and adventurous! Who needs a packing list?"

Gino scoffed, withdrawing his hand. "I already know you're going to forget your toothbrush. And your underwear. And your shoes. Just like last time."

"That's what convenience stores are for, mon Cherie."

Gino pulled a face that made Zach giggle, Malin sighing deeply next to them. "Okay, so we pack and go... when?"

Zach grinned mischievously. "We ride at dawn. No, dusk. I always get those mixed up. Nightfall. Make it scenic, you know? All the lights as we drive by... it's going to be great."

"And I suppose I'm driving?" Malin asked with a raised, blond brow.

"Of course! You know we'll crash if I drive, and Gino's license is still suspended."

"It's expired," Gino protested passionately. "I have never broken a single traffic law, you scoundrel."

"No, of course not, because people who use words like 'scoundrel' drive like my grandmother."

"Your grandmother must be a very responsible driver, then."

"Guys," Malin interrupted, tapping his watch. "We have mere hours to pack and get ready, so let's quit the squabbling and get working."