Joe: Vicki's making eyes at you man. Go talk to her. She's so into it.
Biaggio: There's no point in me talking to her anyways.
Joe: Why not?
Biaggio: Joe, I'm gay.
Joe: Are you sure?
Biaggio: Yes, my lungs fill up every time the seasons change.
Joe: That's not being gay, Biaggio.
Biaggio: What?
Joe: Pretty sure that's Cystic Fibrosis.
Biaggio: Oh.
—The Kings of Summer (2013)
☁☁☁☁
Sachi had texted Erin after she'd finished watching her movie with a simple text: I'm coming with you to the lake!! Erin had replied with eager exclamation points that alleviated her fear. Her breakfast was set on her sidetable, consisting of a plain bagel slathered in cream cheese with a glass of orange juice, courtesy of Akemi. She had to beg her parents to let her eat in her room, and along with the excuse of needing to finish her packing, they finally conceded.
She was almost finished. She'd taken out her shirts, shorts, sweats, among other things. Now, she was in the middle of choosing which bathing suits to bring when her phone started to vibrate from its position on top of her bed. The screen flashed with Erin's name in bold letters, and her hand darted over to press the answer button.
Sachi hit the speakerphone immediately, and waited to hear Erin's voice on the other end before greeting her. "Hey! What's up?"
"Hey," she replied swiftly. "Are you almost packed?"
"Yup." Sachi decided to screw it and took the four bathing suits on the top of the pile, throwing them into her duffle bag she'd gotten when she'd played soccer. It was large enough to hold a decent amount of clothing, so it was a necessity for this trip. "Are you?"
"Yeah." Knowing Erin, she would've packed three weeks in advance. "That's actually not why I'm calling, though."
"Okay. Why're you calling?"
"It's about Elliot and Hunter," Erin said in a rush. She spoke so quickly that their names started to mesh together, and Sachi almost didn't understand her. Once she figured it out, her heart skipped a beat.
"What about them?" Sachi asked, trying to sound nonchalant, when in reality, her heart was a jackhammer.
"They're both coming." There was a muffled sound on the other line, before she added, "Mom started telling their parents how it'd be a great experience for us to all get together, and I'm pretty sure they were forced to say yes."
Sachi swallowed. "Well, that doesn't make me feel any better. They're forced to come along with us — they're bound to be pissed off about it."
"I know." Erin sighed. "Whatever. There's nothing we can do about it."
She grunted in agreement as she started to zip up her duffle. "Mmhmm."
"I just wanted to warn you. You know."
"Thanks." Sachi tossed her duffle to the other side of the room where her suitcase was already ready to go. She turned off the speakerphone and stuck her cell between her cheek and shoulder to listen to Erin. "Are they ... coming in the car with us? Wait — stupid question."
"They're not," Erin answered before she could correct her mistake. "Mom thought it'd be a good idea for us to have two cars at Crimson. Hunter will pick up Elliot, and they'll meet us there later tonight ... maybe tomorrow morning. It depends how fast they drive."
A wave of relief washed through her, and she shut her eyes for a moment. Being stuck in a car with Erin for a few hours would be enough, and Erin didn't even hate her. Having Elliot and Hunter with them would've been a nightmare.
"Okay." She sounded too enthusiastic, even to her own ears. "Okay. That's a good idea."
"All right." Erin chuckled, and she had a feeling she knew about her uneasiness of facing the two boys. She was good at picking up small details like that. "We'll pick you up in an hour?"
"I'll be here."
"See you then."
With that, she hung up, a click signaling an end to their conversation. Sachi stuck her cell down the pocket of her jean shorts. "Anything else?" she murmured, more to herself.
She unconsciously tapped her phone again, and her eyes widened slightly. "My charger!" She nearly broke the wire as she ripped it from the outlet and hid it in the side pocket of her duffle.
Once she was satisfied that she remembered everything, she brought her suitcase and duffle downstairs, stomping down the stairs with the force of an elephant, making the whole house aware of her presence.
☁☁☁☁
Lola and Erin pulled up exactly an hour later in their beat-up minivan, a contrast to the refined life they seemed to live. She wasn't surprised at their punctuality; Erin hated being late, and they lived just across the street, so it took a mere minute to enter Sachi's driveway.
By then, she was waiting outside with her suitcase and duffle set by her side, and Akemi and Haruto hung by her, hovering anxiously. They'd urged her to go, but they couldn't contain the parental worry that came with their only daughter heading off for an entire summer.
Lola exited the car first, waving her sunglasses in greeting. "We better get going! Who knows how much traffic there will be?"
"She's right." Akemi appeared in front of her suddenly, a sad smile crossing her features. "You should get going."
"Don't be sad," she said as she pressed a kiss to her mom's cheek. "It's just a summer. I'll call you everyday — maybe you can even visit."
"Maybe. I've never been a fan of sun, though."
Sachi laughed shakily. Her nerves were starting to catch up to her, and she had to tug onto the hem of her shirt to keep her hands from trembling. Haruto stepped forward next. His eyes were shining, but he said nothing as he bent forward to envelop her in a hug. Her dad was never much for words, but she was okay with that. His actions spoke more than his words ever could.
"Be safe." Haruto spoke in a small voice, though it was reassuring all the same. She granted him a kiss too before letting him take her duffle and suitcase to the car.
"Have a good time," Akemi said as she followed her down to the car. "Remember, hon, don't think too hard. Just enjoy yourself."
"Thanks, Mom." She offered her a grin and popped open the back door of the van, revealing Erin and Lola inside. Erin had called shotgun, and her phone was already plugged into the front, a playlist humming soft tunes from its speakers. Lola leaned forward to give Akemi one last wave.
"I promise to take care of her. I'll treat her as a daughter."
"Thank you." Sachi suspected that a part of the reason her mom was so willing to let her go was because of Lola, who had a way with people, a way of convincing them to trust her. And she trusted her too.
The trunk slammed shut, and Sachi started to scramble into the backseat while waving wildly at her parents. Even as the door was shut and they started to drive away, she still kept waving and shouting her goodbyes. She continued till their figures were nothing but specks in the distance.
☁☁☁☁
"How much longer?"
Sachi was bouncing in her seat in anticipation, and being stuck in a car for hours was starting to take its toll. She had a lot of pent up energy that needed to be released, and there was only so much Erin's playlists could do for her. She tried to watch another episode of Gossip Girl, but her head started to pound after a while, and she had to turn off her laptop.
Now, she was stuck staring out the window. It was her lowest point since getting into the car.
"Three more hours, doll." Lola peered at her through the rearview mirror and gave her the hint of a smile. "You're getting antsy, aren't you?"
"Maybe." She wasn't willing to admit it, but she definitely was.
"Would playing Twenty Questions help?" Erin suggested.
"Maybe. I don't know. Can we try?"
"Sure," she answered easily, reaching forward to lower the volume on her music. The sounds dulled after a second, and Sachi felt her shoulders relax as the noise disappeared. "Okay. You wanna guess?"
"Mmhmm. D'you have a person?"
"Yes."
"Is it a girl?"
"Yes. One."
"Is it Marilyn Monroe?"
Erin's head whipped around in the front seat to face her. "How'd you know?" she demanded, not out of irritation, but out of curiosity.
"You picked one of her quotes as your senior quote," Sachi answered. She realized she might've sounded like a stalker or a freak, but she tried to push past it. "I sort of figured. Lucky guess."
Erin grinned. "Yeah. Lucky guess."
She smiled and rested her head against the backseat. "My turn?"
"Yep."
"Okay. Got one."
"Is it a fictional character?"
"Yes. One."
"Is it a guy?"
"Yes. Two."
"Is it Shrek?"
"Damn it."
☁☁☁☁
As their journey progressed, Sachi found it hard to keep her eyes opened. Twenty Questions had continued for another hour, but the two girls were exhausted and could hardly think anymore, much less guess what the other was thinking. The fatigue was even starting to catch up to Lola, who'd pulled into the first Starbucks lot she found.
"Thank God." Erin straightened in her seat as Lola unbuckled her belt and put the car in park. "I think I'm dying."
"Don't be so dramatic," she scolded her. She turned in her seat to look at Sachi. "What would you like, Sachi? Something strong?"
"A green tea latte," Sachi answered, one hand raised to cover her face from the bright light radiating off the store. "Whatever size is fine. I don't care." She reached into her pocket for some spare cash. "Here. Let me —"
"Oh no." Lola waved her money off. "I'm paying. I'm the adult."
"That hardly means you can just pay for my tea —"
"Sachi, I insist. What kind of guardian would I be to let you pay for your own cup of tea? A terrible one." She glanced sideways at Erin. "Do you want your usual?"
"Double chocolaty chip." Erin grinned. "Venti. Thanks."
Lola huffed a breath and popped open her door, slipping out of the car and into the lot.
"How much longer?" Sachi asked. She leaned forward and propped her head on the armrest. "I'm about to fall asleep."
"You can sleep, you know." She leaned against the side door, raising a hand to push back her sidebangs. "We still have an hour to go."
"If we only have an hour left, I can power through."
Sachi watched Erin struggle with her bangs some more. She'd always used to complain about them when they were younger — they were probably her least favorite physical feature. She didn't like how they kept falling into her eyes and blocking her vision, so she kept them up with bobby pins or gathered them into ponytails.
"Do you have a bobby pin?" Erin asked after a few awkward minutes of her wrestling with the stray strands.
"I don't think so." Sachi stuck her hands into the pockets of the sweatshirt she'd pulled on a half hour ago. The cold had gotten to be too much for her. She rummaged around for a bit before her fingers wrapped around a metal bit. "Here." She took out one single pin and handed it over.
"Thanks," she said, taking it and pushing up her bangs. It took only a little encouragement for them to stay there, and Erin grinned, pleased.
Erin's phone screen lit up from where it was set in the center console, flashing with a new text message. She grabbed it before Sachi could sneak a look at what it said.
Erin's eyes swept over the message quickly, and when she finished, she set her phone back where it was before. "Hunter said they're running a little late. We should have an hour or two at the lake house before they arrive."
"Okay." A few unanswered questions hung on her tongue. Are you excited about this, Erin? Do you hate that we're coming along? Do you feel as if we've ruined your vacation? She wasn't sure she could take the answer.
The front door opened abruptly, shaking her out of her thoughts. She reared back, expecting a stranger, but relaxed when Lola's familiar face popped through as she retook her seat. Cradled in her hands were the three drinks she'd set out to get, and Erin took hers immediately, letting out a soft moan she took her first gulp.
"Here you go, Sachi." Lola handed her the tea latte, and her hands curled around the plastic cup. She lifted it to her lips and allowed herself a small sip, grinning at the taste that spilled down her throat.
"Thank you."
"Oh, it was no problem." Lola started the car after taking a long sip of her own coffee, and they set off again, one lone car roaming in the night.
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a/n: i'm literally so ready to get past these car ride chapters so we can get to the lake house. i mean — i'm so excited for you guys to meet all these characters and see them interact together, because, lemme tell you, it's going to be a wild ride.
let me know what you thought of this chapter! (despite its length) vote, comment, add to your lists! thank you!! much appreciated. (:
yours truly, carolina x