Calamity's Blessing

Chapter One

At the beginning of senior year you and MJ planned a summer road trip. It included random pit stops at hiking places only someone like MJ could find, along with cool landmarks and interesting restaurants that had cultural food from the areas you would be visiting.

The two of you added on to the plan throughout the school year as you two decided which destinations you wanted to go to. The trip also went from the quantity of two people to five in total. MJ had invited a couple of her friends, Ned and Peter and you both let Ned bring along Betty since you had hung out with her several times.

You were now crammed into a packed, unorganized, SUV that belonged to MJ's mom. Who required a lot of convincing in order to take the SUV. MJ called shot-gun and Peter was voted as driver since his reflexes and ability to stay up through the night suited him best for the position. This landed you, Ned, and Betty in the backseat.

It was now the fourth day of the trip. You all had started to get comfortable with each other and with sharing personal space. You had stopped through Delaware and South Carolina, and now were stopped in Georgia, the next destination on your list.

"Everyone back from the bathroom?" MJ asked, doing a quick headcount. "Where the hell is Parker?"

Your head turns toward the gas station entrance where you see Peter walking out. He takes out another piece of beef jerky and chews on it as he jumps into the driver's seat. You can't help but laugh as MJ rolls her eyes.

"Where's our next stop?" Peter follows the GPS that MJ has popped up on her phone.

He glances at the time arrival, only a couple of hours away. He wished it was closer, driving through these big cities was starting to make him feel sick. But he didn't dare complain to his friends.

"Destin, Florida," You answer, "I heard the water is so clear you can see your feet even when you're neck deep."

Betty, who had been staring out the window for a majority of the day had taken a sudden interest.

"It's true! My family and I used to go when I was a kid. Crystal clear water."

Ned took this as an opportunity to talk to the girl he personally was trying to get closer to during this trip.

"How often would you guys go?" He shifted his weight toward the middle seat where Betty was. This made even less room in the already jammed packed car.

"Usually once a year in the summer, my family always made it a week trip to go down there." Her voice faded away as you turned your attention back to the front.

You watched Peter through the rearview mirror. He was shamelessly bobbing his head to "Say my name" which he claimed two days ago was a total jam. He kept the volume at a reasonable level, not wanting to drown out the conversation sparking between Betty and Ned. Peter smiled at his best friend through the mirror before his eyes met yours. It was only a second.

You watched as his eyes went back to the road, observing signs, cars, and billboards. It amazed you how he seemed to be able to guess when a car would suddenly slow down or randomly turn. Peter would react at an almost superhuman speed and steer the car safely, hardly disrupting the passengers inside.
Ned had said that music kept Peter focused when driving. And since everyone was trying to drive out of town, most likely because it was summer, traffic was much more hectic than it normally would have been. This made you feel better when you noticed Peter drumming his fingers against the steering wheel and mouthing the lyrics.

MJ peeled her eyes off of the sketch she was working on and craned her neck to look back at you. "Who's turn is it to pick dinner? It's getting late."