"WOOO! I'm so ready! It's a six hour drive to mountains, so it's best we make the most of this amazing trip! Oh god, I'm so pumped!" Asher cheered, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him. I smiled a little and nodded. "So... The cabin your parents bought is just built in a random part of the mountains..?" I asked, looking at Taylor. Taylor nodded, looking at me from the rearview mirror. "Yeah. Whoever first owned it wanted complete privacy from all the other places, you know? That means we can yell, fuck, and party as loud and as long as we want," he joked, laughing a little.
I blinked a few times and tilted my head to the side. "You mean... Mason and Leo can fuck all they want. We're all single," I pointed out, chuckling a little. Taylor pointed his finger at me from the rearview mirror, grinning. "Hey... I forgot to mention that they have a lodge a little ways down the mountain from us. They've got a rich ass spa there and shit. A bunch of preppy girls with their daddy's cash in their pockets go there. We might get a few girls to come up to our parties if we invite them... Or... For you, little-bit, I'll snag a few guys. Just in case you want a variety," he replied, winking at me. I just snickered and rolled my eyes.
"Having that spa down the mountain will be nice for me and the other girls," Cassidy said, filing her nails in the passenger seat. I hated the sound of nail filers, but I had to admit... Cassidy's nails did always look pretty and nicely taken care of.
Asher snickered and shook his head. "I can't see Charlie enjoying a day at the spa. She'd kick one of the pedicure ladies in the face if they came anyway near her toes," he quipped. I nodded in agreement, laughing at the thought.
And speaking of the Devil, we heard loud heavy metal music in the jeep behind us, then said jeep came up next to ours. "Hey! You're on the wrong side of the road!" Cassidy yelled, practically jumping out of her seat as she leaned a bit over Taylor, glaring at Charlie. "You're going to cause a wreck!"
Charlie stood up while she was driving and threw up rock signs, screaming, "it's time to party!" She then sat back down and started vigorously turning the wheel back and forth, practically making the car almost spin in a circle. "Need to speed up, losers! You drive like my grandma!" She provoked, throwing up another rock sign. I could see Leo desperately holding onto Mason in the backseat, clinging to him like a cat as he shouted at Charlie to drive responsibly. Meanwhile, Heidi was practically melting in the passenger seat, gripping everything for safety due to the girl's crazy driving. Mollie, to my surprise but... Not really, was cheering Charlie on and telling her to go faster. I just laughed and shook my head. "Yeah!" Asher cheered, standing up in the backseat and throwing up a rock sign. "Rock on, girl!"
Charlie whooped, screaming as she sped up and cut right in front of us, causing Cassidy to scoff. "She's fucking insane!" She snapped. Charlie was indeed insane, but she knew how to have a good time, and I was pretty envious of the fact that she was so good at letting loose. I'd like to have not a single care in the world, never being insecure and always living life to the fullest. I mean, I wasn't a stick in the mud or anything, but I definitely didn't have the confidence to rock on like Charlie and Asher did.
I don't know how long we were driving for, but I had ended up falling asleep. It was dark out since we got out of school around four, and I'm guessing it's been about five hours. When Ash woke me up, I could see the clock on the jeep stereo that said 9:40pm. "Hey... Lonnie Llama... Wakey, wakey," I heard Asher say. I smiled fondly at the nickname he's had for me since the ninth grade when we met. I told him my favorite animals were llamas and that people called me Lonnie. I'm a lot shorter than him, and he always compares me to a cute stuffed llama, so... Lonnie Llama just happened.
I yawned and snuggled closer into his shoulder, grumbling a bit. "What..?"
"Our dinner is going to be gas station food. You hungry? Thirsty?" Asher asked, taking my beanie off since it was already falling off my head anyway. He pushed my hair out of my face, so I glared up at him, pouting a bit from being so rudely woken up. "I have to pee," I grumbled. Asher laughed and pushed me up into a sitting position. "Okay, well come on while we're all taking a little break. Do I have to carry you, sleepy boy?" He teased, smiling. I looked at him and gave him another little pout, causing him to chuckle. He opened up the jeep door and waited for me as I scooted over towards him and reached out, making little grabby hands. Asher chuckled again and grabbed my hands, pulling me forward as I then jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, laughing. Ash grinned and used my leg to kick the door shut.
"You guys are weird as hell," Taylor pointed out, shaking his head with a small chuckle. Asher and I did have a very close and intimate relationship, the type you could constantly joke around and say "no homo" meanwhile acting very homo. But that was just because we were very comfortable as friends, so being very so touchy didn't bother us in the slightest. It was just our love language with each other and we were happy with it; our friends surely didn't judge or question it either. After all, half this group gets a little too touchy with one another anyway.
I looked over at everyone else, near the gas station, laughing and talking and stretching their legs. "When I'm done filling up gas, I'll park over there next to Charlie's jeep and we'll snack on gas station food," Taylor told us. I nodded and waved him off, Asher heading over towards the gas station.
"You better not pee on me," Ash warned. I just grinned, and squeezed onto him tight as he carried me inside. Asher was a very important part of my life, which is why I had no problems with doing this. We were really close and I could be myself around him. Of course, even though I'm very antisocial and kind of well-reserved, I do have a very small, really tiny, teeny-weeny silly side. Like this. Clinging to my best friend who I don't know what I would be like if I hadn't met him. He taught me how to really have fun.
When Asher took me to the bathroom, he dropped me to the floor and opened the door for me. "Go tinkle, my little angel," he teased. I slapped him on the chest and laughed. "Shut up," I replied, going into the bathroom and closing the door behind me. I did all my business and went up to the sink, washing my hands and looking at myself in the mirror. God, I looked like a mess. I had dried up drool on my face and red marks all over my cheek from laying on Ash's shoulder.
I rinsed my face off and then dried myself before leaving the bathroom. I looked around the gas station for Asher, spotting him in the candy isle as he picked up something and examined it. I smiled and walked over to him, looking at what he was staring at. A thing of Hubba Bubba bubblegum. I stepped closer to him and crossed my arms. "Is gum a food?" I quoted, causing him to look at me and chuckle. "I dunno. Does it suffice your hunger when you eat it?" He quoted back.
I smiled and looked down. "I remember you asking me that question when we first met," I went on, reminiscing a bit. Asher smiled back and nodded, moving the little pack of gum around in his hand. "I know... That's why I was looking at it... Every time I see a pack of Hubba Bubba, I instantly think of you," he admitted quite dramatically, batting his eyes all sweetly. I felt my face get a little hot, so I just cleared my throat and tried to not make it look like those words had made me giddy. "I do, too," I said, smiling a little. Ash laughed a bit and looked down at the pack of gum. "I'm getting it... For old times sake. Pick you something out, I'm buying. Something that can actually suffice your hunger, okay?" He quipped with a grin. I rolled my eyes and nodded, grabbing his wrist and dragging him over to the little oven they had with food, pointing to one of the pastries, then looking at him with a big smile. Asher looked at the guy behind the counter and nodded, so he put on his gloves and used the tongs to get my pastry out, putting it in a bag. "Okay, a pastry and Hubba Bubba. Will that be all?" The cashier asked, putting them on the counter. I looked at Ash and and he pointed to me. "One sec. Pepsi, right babe?" He asked. I smiled and nodded, watching him turn around and head to the back of the store.
He stopped at the candy isle real quick, grabbing something and then grabbing a bag of chips next, before rushing back over to me, placing a bottle of water, Pepsi, chips, and... Pocky sticks down. I blinked and tilted my head to the side. "I'm a sucker for pocky sticks, don't judge," he admitted, winking at me. I just rolled my eyes and shook my head, smiling a little.
"So where ya folks headin'? I see you and your friends parked out there. Big trip?" The clerk inquired, scanning our items. "Yeah. We're actually heading up to a part of the mountains that's pretty secluded. Uh... Dreader's Escape, I think is what it's called?" Asher shared, pulling out his wallet. The clerk stopped and stared at us in shock. "Really..?" He asked, then slowly nodding before returning his glance back to our items, looking a bit alarmed. "You folks be careful up there... I've heard a bunch of bad things."
I watched him put our stuff in a bag, giving an odd look. His nerves had me nervous. "Like..?" I wondered. The man shook his head and handed us the bag. "Rumor has it that those mountains are haunted. Not just by spirits, but I've heard there's like, monsters up there or something. I don't know much, but all I've heard is that a lot of people go there and don't come back. So... Just be careful, alright? You look like good kids, wouldn't want to see you get hurt," he expressed, offering a small, but sad smile. I just smiled back and nodded. "Will do. Thanks," I replied, grabbing the bag and leaving the store with Asher.
Talk about creepy. Ghosts and monsters? I doubt it, but I appreciate him warning us.
We walked over to the others who were sitting on the curb in front of the gas station, talking amongst each other and snacking on their snacks. I sat down next to Leo on the curb, Asher sitting down next to me. He pulled out my Pepsi and pastry, handing it to me then pulled out his pocky, gum, chips, and water. "You seriously got pocky sticks? Those things are nasty," Charlie said, shaking her head. "Nah, it's the Oreo ones that are gross as hell," Mason added, wrapping his arm around Leo. "I like the Strawberry flavored ones. The chocolate ones kind of have a semi-sweet taste to it that I don't like," Mollie admitted, shuddering a bit when thinking about the taste of the chocolate.
"I like doing the whole pocky kiss thing with Mason," Leo beamed. Mollie gasped and clapped her hands. "Omg, yes! I see people in anime and k-drama do that! It's soooo cute!" She chirped, giggling. I rolled my eyes, eating my pastry. Man, that girl was obsessed with anime and k-drama, but I couldn't complain. I liked to indulge myself in an anime or two sometimes.
"I think it's kind of weird. I have to agree with Charlie on the nasty part, though. Not much flavor to enjoy. But, I'm surprised you found some in a gas station," I grumbled while eating my pastry. "Of course, of course. You have a major sweet tooth, Avalon. Pocky sticks aren't sweet enough for you," Patience teased, giggling. I shrugged, not bothering to argue as she wasn't wrong. I continued taking bites out of my pastry until I finished it all up, sighing with relief that I finally had a little something in my belly. "Lonnie Llama, look at me," Asher spoke. I turned to him and blinked a few times.
Asher laughed and leaned in, bringing his hand up and using his thumb to scrape away some icing on the corner of my mouth. I felt my face get hot, silently thanking him and looking away. "Ooo... Ash, dare time," Mollie said, grinning evilly. Ash sat back and nodded at her. "Shoot," he replied.
Oh dear lord... Dare time was something our group made up, mainly as a way to torture the others with embarrassing actions, followed along by public humiliation. It was our own fun little game, but sometimes it wasn't so fun depending on who was giving the dares. Over the years I've known these guys, I've learned to be afraid mostly of Charlie, Taylor, and Asher's dares. They were brutal.
The game worked as the way it sounded; one of us would just suddenly think of a random dare and tell one of the members of our group to do it. No matter what, you had to do it. If you refused to do the dare, you had to face the consequences; an ice bath poured and dumped all over you. But you wouldn't know when it was coming. It'd happen at random and you had to face it. Unless you willingly say you'd rather take the ice bath penalty instead of doing the dare. Which all of us rarely refuse to do the dare. The only one who refuses to do dares a lot is Heidi, so she gets so many ice bath penalties that she's practically already used to the cold.
We also added that if we couldn't find a good moment to unexpectedly ice the person, we could pants them anywhere when they least expect it and that would still count as their punishment for not doing the dare. Humiliating each other every now and then always brought us together, in a very odd way.
"I dare you to do the whole pocky kiss thing with Lonnie," Mollie commanded. I coughed and choked on my Pepsi, spitting some of it out onto the asphalt. "What??" I asked nervously, looking up at her. "Well, I know Asher is comfortable as a straight man, and is sure of himself being a straight man. So a small peck on the lips won't damage that," Mollie explained, giggling. Asher smiled and nodded. "Alright. A peck on the lips isn't a big deal. As long as we're not making out. But if Lonnie is uncomfortable with it, I'll take the ice bath penalty," he replied, looking at me.
I cleared my throat and looked down. "Pocky sticks are nasty, though," I grumbled. Asher laughed a little and nodded. "If you don't want to, we won't do it. I'll take the ice penal--"
"No, no... It's just a peck on the lips... I can drink my Pepsi to get the taste of it out of my mouth, so... Let's do it. No feelings involved, so it's not a biggie," I quickly said, smiling a little. Ash grinned and got closer, taking out a pocky stick. "Just don't fall in love with me, Lonnie Llama," he teased, winking. I laughed and rolled my eyes, grabbing the pocky stick from him. "You wish," I replied.
Taylor sighed and shook his head, probably thinking that Mollie had the perfect opportunity to dare Asher to do something crazy, but just didn't take it. "Hurry it up, boys. Gotta get back on the road, we still have one more hour until we get there," he said. I nodded and put the end of the pocky stick in my mouth, between my teeth. Ash smiled and leaned in, grabbing my chin and tilting it up. I felt my face heat up as I looked into his eyes.
This was weird. We've always been way too affectionate with one another, which wasn't a big deal to either of us, but a kiss? We've never gone that far before. I'm a little nervous.
Ash bit down on it and we both started nibbling, chewing closer to each other's mouths. I stopped, glancing up into his eyes again. I could see Asher hesitate a bit, but he quickly got over those nerves, closing the distance between us and pressing our lips together. My heart stopped and I shut my eyes tight, waiting until he was done.
Asher then slowly pulled away and swallowed his pocky stick. I did the same and opened my eyes, looking into his and noticing that he seemed a bit surprised with himself. He laughed breathlessly and shook his head, grabbing the back of mine and pulling me down into his chest, laughing some more. "Shit, that was awkward as hell," he pointed out. It was indeed very awkward; a really stiff kiss that had no emotion or passion in it whatsoever. It was just skin touching skin.
I shoved him off of me gently, and looked away. "Very," I grumbled. "Good job! I lowkey ship you two," Mollie admitted, giggling. I sighed and stood up, shaking my head. "Please don't," I replied, laughing a little. Taylor chuckled and crossed his arms. "Alright, alright. Let's go. We need to get this show on the road," he added. We all nodded and put the hoods up over the jeeps, getting back in them and heading off to the mountains.
I sat in the back seat with my little sister and Asher, sitting back and relaxing. Ash yawned and stretched his arms out, wrapping one around me and pulling me in. I felt myself blush a little as I snuggled into him, closing my eyes to try and get some sleep. Hopefully by the time I wake up, we'll at least be halfway there. I always got extremely restless during long car rides; I could never sit still for so long without wanting to scream and jump up. It was really agitating, but I had to put up with it because I've been looking forward to this trip for a while now. I mean, a vacation with my very best friends, doing nothing but being complete idiots like we always are, but ten times more now that we're away from all the rules and regulations of school life and parents-- Who could possibly pass that up?
The only thing that seemed to bug me a bit was what the cashier at the gas station said. I mean, I know the mountains can be a pretty dangerous place; there's a lot of hazards out there, like the weather, wolves, bears, avalanches-- Anything you could possibly think of that would happen in the mountains, especially living in the north during the winter time where ice froze almost every thing up. But... Monsters? Ghosts in the mountains? I hardly believed that.
I wasn't someone who believed in ghosts or anything supernatural, but I guess my mind was pretty open. Even if I didn't believe in it, there's still the possibility that something is out there. There's so much about this world that we haven't even discovered; hell, we've never even been to the most deepest parts of the ocean, let alone explored it all. Who's to say there aren't crazy monsters lurking around, or prehistoric creatures frozen in ice, just waiting to be released by climate change? Anything is possible in this world, I believe. I may be a skeptic, but even I know there's so much about the world we have yet to discover, so you can't really rule out anything and say something is real when no one really knows to begin with.
I don't think we will ever know.
Honestly, I hoped that gas station guy wasn't foreshadowing about anything. God, if he put some kind of jinx on us, I'm going to be pretty pissed. I'll drag his ass down to the mountains.
Okay, maybe that was a bit much. He was a nice guy, and I appreciated the warning. But something felt a bit fishy about all of this. I decided to ignore it and not really dwell on it, because it was just like he said; it's a whole bunch of rumors, probably even made up due to the already sketchy name the mountain had. I don't want to let any rumors freak me out and prevent me from enjoying this trip. I don't want to have to be paranoid the whole time.
This was going to be fun and I was pretty excited. I do really love the snow!