There were only a few other cars in the parking lot. The otter parks in the closest spot next to the door and switches off the ignition.
He sighs, TJ sighs, I sigh, and finally, Jenna sighs. We were all relieved to be done with sitting in the car all day.
Chase: "Uuugh. I hope you're grateful TJ. I never wanna drive that long again."
TJ: "Thaaaaaank Chase!" TJ replies and hops out of the car.
I hear TJ groan and when I turn to him, he starts stretching. I could hear some bones of his crack. Not in a bad way.
TJ: "Gosh it feels good to be out here."
I turn to Chase and he has already left the car, and so did Jenna, with both of them stretching and cracking their bones. Guess I'm the last one out, like always.
I copy what these three did, stretch and hear the bones in my body crack, it was very satisfying.
Jenna: "Alright, I made the reservations, so I'll check us in. You boys wanna bring in our stuff?" The three of us nodded in response.
Jenna heads to the receptionist area and gets us booked in, while us grown men carry our luggage, for some reason I carry more, to the door that we will be entering.
Honestly, being the city in the state that it's in, the motel doesn't really look that bad. Other than that, Jenna comes back with the keycards and opens the door while we enter with the stuff.
...
I'm... pleasantly surprised. While a tiny bit musty, the room is spacious and generally clean, a lot more than I was expecting.
Although I lived in Echo for most of my life, I've never actually been in the motel, even while being advertised for a long time.
TJ: "Hey this is nice! And two double beds?"
Jenna: "Yeah, thought I'd get one of the nicer rooms, since everything here is dirt cheap." After saying that, all of us drop our luggages on the carpet floor. TJ sits on one of the beds.
TJ: "So I guess this'll be me and Chase's bed... And that could be Jenna and Azriel's bed." I'm not those furs that get dirty thoughts for sleeping next to a girl, so don't get any ideas.
Chase: "Welp, TJ, hope we can sleep in peace while these two fuck." Wow, thanks for the advice. My face burns a little and a small blush appears on my face, like any average Joe, I look away.
TJ: "Chase!" Then Jenna comes to my rescue.
Jenna: "Chase, you get horny thoughts with TJ, you'll most likely to fuck him first before we even have a chance." Uh, it's an alright comeback, but I know Jenna doesn't try on comebacks.
Either way, those words are enough to make otter and the lynx blush uncontrollably, both looking at each other, then looking away.
Azriel: "Anyways... when are we gonna eat? I'm starving." I heard Chase's stomach grumble, followed by Jenna, then TJ.
Chase takes out his phone, probably checking his messages.
Chase: "Leo said he's gonna get us some sandwiches from the diner."
TJ: "Did you tell-"
Chase: "Yes, I told him to substitute the bread with lettuce for yours TJ. And yes, I also told him to take out the jalapenos from your sandwich Azy."
Azriel: "Since when did you start using that name?" Weird, no one really called me that besides my mom
Chase: "Well, Azriel, take out the R I E L, then add a Y, you get Azy. Plus, it's easier to say." I look away
Azriel: "Don't, use that please, it's getting my sad memories..." I hear Chase sigh, meaning, it's the end of this conversation.
Jenna: "Alright, well, I've texted everyone that we're here. Let's at least unpack. It's going to get crowded and I don't want all our stuff in the way." Great grammar, or wording, don't know.
...
30 minutes later we've got all our stuff packed away in the motel drawers.
After doing that, all of us did our own thing, Chase toying with his camera equipment, TJ watching something on the TV, Jenna organizing her school work, which she shouldn't since, you know, break, and me listening to some good music.
TJ: "You know you're on vacation right?" TJ tells Jenna. "And, didn't you already get into grad school? You should relax."
Jenna: "That's exactly why I need to be keeping up. You'll never know if the teachers will randomly give a hard exam or quiz."
Exactly after saying that, we heard a knock at the door. Since Chase is the closest to the door, he gets up and heads to the door, and since I'm nosy, I take off my headphones and follow him.
Chase looks through the peephole excitedly, and here I'm wondering who it might be. Chase grins as he unlocks and opens the door. Lord and behold, the stoner, the weeder, shit, the guy who has the MOTHER LOAD OF WEED: Carl.
Chase: "Carl!"
Carl: "Chase! Azriel!" He slap paws with us, and then gave us a big bear hug.
...and I immediately get a whiff of the scent of flavored weed, how does that work? Despite that, his hug is warm and plush, Carl's belly squishes against our body, like a pillow through his jacket.
There's an underlying sturdiness though, and I feel his biceps bulge around my shoulders. Which made me think: Has Carl been working out?
He's not the type to work out, more of a person to get high almost everyday. Chase puts his paws on his shoulders and pushes him back, looking over him.
I get a good view at Carl, he's changed a bit since I've last seen him. He's definitely bulkier, and the fur on his face is a bit shaggier.
His eyes are a little red and his expression is a little glazed, like he's daydreaming about someplace far far away.
It is then that my neurons start working, and I figured out that he's currently higher then Bi- nevermind.
Chase: "Still getting high?" He asks
Carl: "Always." He responds. Carl puts his jokes aside and gives us a genuine smile
Carl: "I'm glad to see both of you here." I felt warm inside and smiled back
Jenna: "Is that Carl I hear?" The three of us step back into the room, the ram slouching like he always does.
Carl: "Hey Jenna."
Jenna: "Carl! How've you been?"
Carl: "Not bad, just livin' life, like I'mma be..." Then to spare you, he started to sing lyrics to a song, but he trails off as we all look at him expectantly
Carl just smiles back
Azriel: "Huh?"
Carl: "Hey is that TJ?" I'm bamboozled, what the hell?
TJ: "Hiiii~!" Though he's smiling happily, he can't help but to pinch his nose from the pot scent
TJ: "Still up to your old habits huh?" Carl shrugs
I'm starting to remember that it's something he does a lot. It's his answer to almost everything
It gets quiet for a moment, then Chase claps
Chase: "So, what have you been up to Carl? You're not online that often." Carl shrugs
Carl: "Oh, you know... just hangin' out."
Jenna: "Must be kinda boring considering it's Echo."
Carl: "Not going outside helps." The ram let out a chuckle
TJ: "You been able to find a job? I know they closed the old Corner Market you used to work at." Carl doesn't respond immediately, just waits for a few moments
Carl: "Yeaaah, been kinda hard since pretty much everything's closing around here." No wonder, though I wish they kept the arcade running "On top of that I still don't have a car that can get me to Payton."
TJ: "Oof, that's right." Don't bring up him cra- "You crashed the one your parents got you." Ruined the mood...
TJ's grinning sympathetically, or something, but Carl hunches further into himself, looking all sulky. He always does this whenever he's nervous or just embarrassed.
Carl: "Man... don't my vibe..."
Jenna: "What about school? Been thinking about going back?"
Carl: "N-not really, maybe..." Good. Carl is that one kid that appears every month for 2 or 3 days then disappears.
Other than that, Carl is starting to lose that "In a magical place far far away" look as he narrows his eyes
Jenna: "You should! You went for what, a semester? That's not really enough time to tell if you're really cut out for college. Classes get easier to handle once you get used to it."
Carl: "Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly the school work that was the problem."
TJ: "You coooooouuld try smoking less weed, that might help." Carl gasps, very dramatically. Tell Carl to take off beanie is one thing, but for this fucking to stop smoking? Yeah good luck convincing.
Azriel: "TJ... you monster."
TJ: "W-What?"
Carl: "Is this-was I set up for an intervention or something?" He looks over to Chase, as if asking for help.
Chase: "Hey, don't look at me. I had to deal with them for the last ten hours."
Azriel: "We aren't that bad..."
Chase: "Didn't you ask me 5 separate times if I like fucking, or being fucked?"
Azriel: "...Well I'm the only one that was bad." No one ask me why I asked Chase that
Carl: "Yeah, guess I forgot how naggy they can be." I call him a bitch under my breath. Carl heard it, and chuckled a bit
TJ: "That's because we care about you Carl!"
Jenna: "Anyways, I'm pretty sure Chase has been missing you ever since you left school."
Brief flashback, a one I vaguely remember, Carl and Chase were in the same class throughout school. As a result, they both entered college together.
I'm pretty sure that they roomed together for one semester, sounded like a lot of fun.
Carl seems pretty eager to get off the topic though.
Carl: "Speaking of school, didn't you get accepted into Weston Jenna?"
Jenna: "Yep! Going into experimental psych. I start in the fall."
Carl: "That's pretty cool, congrats." Then he turns to Chase "And you're into... journalism, right?" He looks over the equipment, looking confused and a little baffle. "What's all this?"
Chase: "Oh! Yeah, one of the reasons why I'm out here. I'm doing a news segment on Echo."
Carl: "Sounds like the feel-good movie of the year Chase."
Chase: "That's what you get out of the feel-good town of the century Carl."
That boy Carl chuckles and scratches his muzzle, before turning to TJ.
Carl: "And you're doing... what again? Sports... something... Bible olympics?"
TJ: "Athletic training, but ye, it's a Christian school." The ram gives a thumbs up.
Carl: "Super. So we gonna eat? I'm hungry as hell."
TJ: "Hell is a little extreme there Carl. Not even YOU can be that hungry, hehe." To much Christianity.
Carl: "Mhm, sure. Where's Leo, he's bringing the sandwiches, right?"
Jenna: "He actually just texted me that he's here. he was picking up Flynn."
TJ: "So we're all gonna be here! Just like old times!"
TJ almost looks like that little kid lynx again, his ears twitching around with excitement. Then, the doorbell rings
Carl: "Oooh there they are."
Azriel: "I'll get it." I get up and walk to the door.
I hear some voices, or a voice on the other side of the door, then I open it.
A lizard is infront of me, holding three bags. He glances at me then looks up.
Lizard: "Hey Carl, why the fuck ar-" He looks back at me
Lizard: "Oh shit... Azriel?"
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I'm still not done, I have *Counting* 9 pages from the script left. That shit is only Saturday. So I'll upload this part first for my only 4 views that probably don't read this book. Okay more writing time byeeeeeeeeeeeeee