It was bad judgement.
That's all that it was.
We decided to drive across the country instead of flying.
Well to start, it was a stupid decision.
But it really let us have time together.
We slept in the back of the new car that Alex and I bought. We traded in my bike and bought the bigger car. Alex had the idea, and I wasn't really on board with it. I love my baby. I got it a couple years back and it looked brand new, because I took care of it so well.
Putting down the back seats and placing blankets and pillows all around, we lay down in the back of my car, a Chevrolet Equinox.
"You know, I think we should have flown instead of drove across the country" I whisper to Alex. We lay on our sides, inches away from each other's face.
Alex moves closer to me, so we're centimeters away from each other's face.
"I like this. Just me and you, not fifty other people. I like being this close to you" Alex says. I smile and kiss her nose.
"I like it just being us too" I say. "You know, there isn't any other person I would rather spend my life with" I say, and sit up. I reach into my bag and pull out the small box with the pearl necklace in it.
She cocks her head at me, causing her hair to fall off to one side. I open it and show it to her.
"This is the pearl that I thought was the most beautiful, for the most beautiful girl I bought it in a necklace. I hope you like it" I say, and hand it to her.
"But..." Alex said, obviously without any words.
"It's because I want to marry you, Alex. And until I get a ring and actually propose, I have to let you know that I do intend on marrying you. Maybe it's tomorrow. Maybe it's in a couple years. But I do want to marry you" I say, and her eyes water.
"Tobin" Alex wipes a tear and carefully takes the silver out and puts it on. She admires the pearl with silver around it. "It's beautiful"
"Like you" I say softly. She unexpectedly launches herself at me and smashes our lips together. I gasped at her eagerness, but pull her even closer.
"You're so perfect, Tobin" Alex whispered against my lips, and we lay back down, Alex nuzzled her face into my shoulder.
"You're the really perfect one" I say.
"Nothing can beat perfection" Alex counters.
"Nothing but you" I smirk, knowing I had won.
"Alright alright you win, but you have to admit you are pretty great" Alex says.
"Just great?" I ask.
"Amazing" Alex says.
"Just amazing?" I ask again.
"The next best thing to a parfait!" Alex exclaims, and I laugh, kissing her forehead.
"I'm just teasing babe" I whisper. Alex laughs.
We fell asleep to the sounds of the world around us, not caring what happened as long as we were still together. After a couple hours, I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. So instead of just laying there and doing nothing while insomnia took over, I decided to continue the drive to Florida State University. It was four in the morning and dark on the highway, with the occasional street light glowing. I decided to take it easy because Alex was asleep and unbuckled in the back.
After a couple of hours driving it was 8:00am, and I could feel the hunger set in. So I took the next exit off into Baton Rouge, LA. I parked the car outside a little coffee shop, and went inside. Alex would be awake any minute and I cant be gone for too long. Its just not safe, and I don't know the city well so I don't trust it.
I got two coffees and two bagels and two muffins. I return to the car, and put the coffee in the cup holder and the food in the empty passenger seat.
I hear a groan, and look back seeing Alex just beginning to wake up. She rubs her eyes, yawns, and looks up at me with sleep filled eyes. I smile at her.
"Do I smell bagels?" Alex immediately sits up. "Is that a muffin too?" Alex asks, looking at the muffin in my hand that I unconsciously took a bite out of. I look down at it and then back at Alex nodding.
"It looks like a muffin. And yeah we've got bagels too. I also got us a coffee" I say, and she crawls over to the front, grabbing the coffee and a bagel.
"When did you get all this?" Alex asks, then looks around outside. "Where are we?" She asks me.
"Baton Rouge, LA. Only 6 and a half hours from Florida State University" I say excitedly. "Lex, we are almost there!" I grin. She smiles at me and takes a sip of her coffee.
"I cant wait to see the apartment Mom and Dad picked for us" Alex said to me, then took a bite of her bagel. I nod and finish off my muffin, taking large bites and small sips of coffee in between.
"Me too. I bet its nice" I say.
"Watch it be trash or something" Alex laughs. I chuckle and take a bite of the bagel so big that Alex just stares at me in disbelief.
"What?" I say with my mouth full. She just smiled, shaking her head and finished her coffee with a muffin. I started the car, but Alex stopped me.
"I'll drive" She says. "You rest. You were driving for a long time" Alex pats my shoulder.
"But-"
"Nope I'm driving get out of the front seat or I'll sit on you" Alex teases, already climbing in next to me.
"That doesn't sound too bad" I smirk and Alex laughs, rolling her eyes.
"Get in the passenger seat, dork" Alex says and I chuckle, and we trade spots.
Alex drives and I fall asleep, probably from being tired of driving for a lot of the morning and not sleeping much last night.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Tobin, wake up" Alex shook my shoulder lightly. My head darted from side to side clumsily trying to look at where we were, and I hit my head on the window. Alex suppressed a laugh, and giggled instead. I smiled a crooked smile and rubbed my head, more sense going into my brain. I slowly looked around this time, and saw we were parked, and there was a gorgeous place in front of us. My mouth dropped.
"Your parents said that we were getting an apartment, not a mansion" I whisper, and Alex nods.
"Its not a mansion, Toby. But its really nice I hear" Alex smiles at me.
"Lets go get to our place!" I say, darting up and opening the car door, tumbling out and falling on my hands and knees. Alex bursts out laughing, and I begin to laugh as well, getting up and brushing myself off.
"Slow down, tiger" Alex teases.
We grab our bags, and Alex goes into the place that is ours. Inside, I grit my teeth. The wound was still all too fresh.
"What do you want?" I spit at them. Even Alex is surprised.
"We came to see you" Katie said, nervous.
"Why?" I asked, anger showing quite obviously.
"Are we not allowed to see our little sister?" Perry asked annoyed. That got me even more fired up.
"You can see me through the window, now get out of my home" I spit at Perry and Katie.
"That is no way to treat your sister and I. We came all the way down from New York to visit you" Perry said.
"Where were you?" I ask them harshly. They have confused faces. "When I was in the coma, asshole" I say in a dubious voice.
"Tobin we can explain-" Katie started to say.
"No! Its clear you two are just around me when I have my good times, so you can ride the train with me. But whenever things get rough, you run away like the cowards you are!" I yell.
"Tobin-" Perry tries.
"NO! I have had enough of you! Get out! Stay out of my life! I don't want to see you again!" I yell. I feel Alex's arm slip around my own.
Perry notices the contact, and narrows her eyes, glaring at full force.
"She," Perry points at Alex. "is just temporary. Family is forever, Tobin. She isn't family. She is just some girl who happened to trick you into loving her." Perry shoots. "Just watch, Tobin. You're going to wake up to an empty bed" Perry tells me, then grabs Katie's arm and begins to walk out the door. After she passes me, I grab her shoulders and pin her against the wall.
"You are not my sister" I whisper, threateningly close to her face. She bites her tongue and glares at me now.
I let go of her, and she leaves with Katie.
Not sure of what else to do, I drop to the ground and cover my face with my hands, trying not to remember every memory that is flooding into my head right now. Every little memory of Katie and Perry, and Jeffrey and I. Running and playing as kids, playing board games with our father and mother, getting ice cream and swimming in the lakes.
A sob racks my body, and I cant believe what just happened.
"Dad would be so disappointed in me" I cry. Alex crouched down to my level and put her arms around me, and rubbed my back.
"No he wouldn't. That was brave of you to do, but your sister wasn't being very nice. You had to do what you had to do. Now the past is the past. The best thing you could do is not dwell on the past and look to the future.
I nod, pushing the memories aside and stand up wiping my nose with the back of my hand.
"Lets focus on now. We have a place to live, we have each other, and we're going to an amazing college come fall" Alex says, and I smile. When she sees my smile, she plants a quick kiss on my lips, and says, "come help me unpack and lets get settled"
I nod, and we spend the afternoon unpacking and getting situated in our new place.
My phone starts to ring, and I answer it.
"TOBIN" Christen yells when I answer.
"What? Whats wrong?" I ask, nervous.
"Oh nothing I just wanted to say we're standing outside and let us in" Christen says calmly. I frown.
"What?" I ask, unsure if I heard that right.
"Yes, JJ and I are standing outside doofus now let us in" Christen laughs.
Still confused and in disbelief, I go to the front door and open it. Sure enough, Christen and JJ were standing right there, with three small dogs at their feet. Two were the same type, one was different.
"What are you guys doing here?" I ask.
"Julie decided to take me to Florida for vacay, and we heard that you guys were in town, so we asked Kelley for your address which she gave to us" Christen smiles.
"How did Kelley get the address?" I ask.
"Tobin, Kelley knows everything" JJ says, and I nod, chuckling.
"Tobin, who's at the door?" Alex calls from the other room.
"Alex you wouldn't believe me even if I told you" I say, laughing a little.
Alex came over, and immediately grinned.
"Christen, JJ, what are you guys doing here?" She asks, hugging them then dropping down to the dog's levels.
"We wanted to pay our best friends a visit" JJ spoke up before Christen did.
"How nice of you" Alex smiles at them.
"Whats with the dogs?" I ask.
"Christen, care to explain?" JJ asked in a pointed tone.
"Well I saw these two online and I just had to have them, and put them in a good home" Christen tells me. "But the third one JJ said we couldn't keep" Christen pouts for a second, patting the little dog on the head. "So instead we're just fostering him" She perked up again.
Alex's eyes flew up to me.
"What?" I ask. She raises an eyebrow. "You're not telling me you want to...oh Lord" I groan.
"JJ, Christen, we'll take the foster one off your hands" Alex said.
"We will?" I ask.
"We will!" Alex jumps into my arms, and I hold onto her, confused.
"Thats amazing! I'll get the papers!" Christen said, and took off towards her car.
"JJ what just happened?" I ask JJ after Alex followed Christen to her car.
"You just adopted Junior" JJ laughs.
"Junior?" I question.
"Junior" Then she holds up the little puppy for the to see. I take a good look at him.
"But we don't have enough yard for a dog! Look, we've got a small apartment thingy ground level and all we have room for outside is a pool that I want to get" I say. JJ laughs. "I'm not ready for a dog. I want to propose to Alex first before we do anything like this!" I groan.
"You'll warm up to Junior. He really is a sweetheart. You'll love him" JJ says, suddenly placing the dog in my arms and I awkwardly held him.
After talking with Christen, Alex squealed and ran back up to us.
"C'mon JJ we gotta tell the others the news!" Christen yelled, and grabbed JJ's arm, running back to the car. "Bye lovebirds! Enjoy your puppy!" Christen called out to us.
"Bye you two!" JJ waved with her free arm.
"Bye! Thank you!" Alex said in a really happy voice.
"BUT I DONT KNOW HOW TO RAISE A DOG!" I yell, they laugh and get in their car and speed away. "Bitches" I say with a light laugh.
"I'm soooo excited thank you Tobin thank you thank you thank you!" Alex prances around the room. I go inside and close the door. The puppy looks up at me. I look down at Junior.
"What?" I ask, as if waiting for an answer. He sat at my side and jumped onto his hind legs, placing his two front paws on my shin and wagging his little tail. "What?" I ask again. Junior licks his chops and wags his tail some more.
I roll my eyes and crouch down to him, rubbing him behind the ears.
"He is sooo adorable!" Alex says, and lifts Junior up, holding him in the air. Poor thing looked so freaked out. I decided to not say anything. Alex was pretty cute right now.
I sit down on the couch, and pinch the bridge of my nose, muttering about how this was going to turn into a disaster.
"Toby what are you complaining about? We've got a family!" Alex says, then jumps on the couch after putting Junior down on the ground. Alex jumps next to me and puts her head on my thighs, looking up at me. The word family made my stomach turn in a knot. "Don't you want a family with me?" Alex asked, this time softer.
"Yes, I do. I do so very much" I say, and she grins.
"So be happy! This is the beginning of our infinity!" Alex says in a loud voice. The puppy puts his front paws on the couch, and barks a high pitched bark. "Aw, he said his first words!" Alex said.
"Alex, its a dog" I say.
"He's a dog. Yes I know" Alex smiled at me, then lifted the puppy up and onto her stomach, where the puppy's face was almost inches from mine.
"Are you happy with this puppy?" I ask.
"Junior? Yes! I am really happy with him" Alex grins.
"Then I'm happy too" I say. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy" As soon as I say this, a question pops into my mind. "Alex, do you know what breed he is?" I ask her.
"A bull terrier" Alex says in a perky voice I could relate to a cheerleader. I remember when I dated a cheerleader. Not a good idea. Drama is basically their best friend.
"Well, you get to train him" I say.
"And I will do it gladly" Alex grins. I lift Alex off my lap and go to our room, where I relax for a while, trying to process everything that happened.
I'm going to be here a while.