(((February 9, 2016)))
Parker's POV
I woke up at 4:30 A.M. this morning. After the girls had went to sleep, I had told Payson my idea. I was putting Nicole in the car while she was asleep, and we were driving to Disneyland. Payson agreed that he and Hannah would take care of our grandparents.
I packed mine and her bags enough for one night, and woke Payson up to help me carry her and the stuff out to the car. Payson carried our bags and opened doors for me as I carried Nicole bridal-style in my arms out to the dark parking lot.
"Dude, if anyone saw you they would think you were kidnapping her." Payson laughed.
"I am kidnapping her. To take her to Disneyland." I chuckled.
I laid her down in the shotgun seat as Payson set the bags in the backseat. We quietly shut the doors.
"You sure you're fine staying here?" I asked him.
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Go have fun with your girlfriend."
I smirked and patted him on the shoulder. "Have fun with yours."
He chuckled lightly. "I'll try."
"You're welcome, by the way." I winked as I got into the car.
"No, you're welcome." He corrected.
"Bye, bro." I chuckled.
"See ya, man." He waved as he started back into the hotel.
***
About 9:30, Nicole started stirring in the seat. We were already over halfway there. I had stopped for coffee and food twice. I looked over at her for a second and her eyes were closed. I turned my head back to the road, as I thought that she was going to sleep for a little while longer.
About a minute later, she popped up her head and sat up in her seat. She looked around in shock, and I went to chuckling.
"The hell?..." She whispered. "Parker! What?!"
"We're going to Disneyland, baby." I smiled.
"What?!"
"Got up at 4:30, and we were on the road by five. I carried you out here while you was asleep."
"Parker! I told you no!"
"Well, I changed your mind for you."
"Parker!" She said, trying to be mad, but she couldn't help but smile.
I chuckled. "You know you're going to have the best time ever, so just enjoy the ride."
"No, I'm mad." She said as she leaned back and crossed her arms.
"No, you're not. Quit lying. Drink some of my coffee. It might be a little cold, though."
She didn't say anything, but looked at the coffee in the cup holder. After a minute, she reluctantly picked up the cup and took a sip. She then looked in the mirror of the visor.
"Parker, I look horrible." She said.
"I got your stuff in the back." I said.
"Thank goodness. Did you get me some clothes?"
"Yeah. A shirt and some jeans."
"What about for tomorrow?"
"Shit. I knew I would forget something.....I'll just buy you a new shirt or something."
"Okay." She smiled. "I can't believe I'm going to Disneyland!!" She squealed.
"There's the Nicole I know and love." I chuckled.
***
"Parkie, I'm hungry." Nicole said around 10:15.
I smirked. "You're hungry?"
"Yeah. How long till we get there again?"
"About another hour. You think you can make it?" I smirked.
"No." She groaned. "We need to stop and get something to eat, and I can do my hair and teeth in the bathroom."
"You can do your hair in here."
She looked at me for a minute. "Yeah, I guess I can. But I still have to brush my teeth."
"Okay, Okay. We'll stop at the next travel station."
" 'kay."
My phone beeped, signaling that I had a text message. She looked over from doing her hair in the mirror and said, "You got a text."
"See who it's from. Probably Payson or Mom." I said.
She grabbed my phone from the dashboard and unlocked it.
"Who's Ashley?" She asked.
"Ashley who?"
"I don't know, it just says Ashley on the contact." She said, annoyed.
"Let me see." I said, holding my hand out for the phone.
"Look." She said as she held the phone up for me to see.
It was a message from the contact "Ashley" saying "Hey cutie :)."
"Who's Ashley and why does she have your number and texting you?" Nicole asked, obviously not happy about it.
"Well, she's Jaymie's sister."
"The Jaymie you met in Australia?"
"Yeah."
She pressed her lips together while she nodded her head and leaned back in the seat. "And why does she have your number and calling you 'cutie' for?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Parker, you better tell me the truth right now."
A minute passed, and she said, "Fine, turn around. I'm not going to Disneyland."
I took an exit to a travel station, where we both got out, her putting mine and her phone in her purse. She got out the second I parked at the gas pump and slammed the door before she went in.
I went in behind her, and she was heading into the bathroom. I grabbed some drink, and payed for the gas; then, I stood outside the bathroom waiting for her to come out. She came out about five minutes later, and rolled her eyes once she saw me. I knew that she was pretty mad at me.
She walked around, finding what she wanted to eat and drink. I followed behind her. I payed for the stuff, and she grabbed her food and drink and walked out ahead of me. I caught up with her, but she ignored me and kept walking faster.
I pumped the gas as she got into the truck. I got into the truck and looked over at her seat, but she wasn't in the shotgun seat. I turned around to find her sitting in the backseat with her arms crossed and a mad look on her face.
"What are you doing back there, baby?" I smirked.
"Don't 'baby' me." She said.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't want to sit up there." She said, not even looking at me.
I turned around and ran my hand through my hair as I let out a deep breath. "Okay, look, me and Ashley just did some innocent flirting while I was down there. I hung out with her while I hung out with Jaymie. I swear that it's nothing."
"Innocent flirting, huh?"
"Baby, I'm sorry. It's nothing. I love you. I haven't talked to Ashley since I left Australia. You know I haven't; I've been with you every minute."
"You know, I think it's really messed up that you go to Australia and find a girl to hook up with."
"What the hell are you talking about?! I didn't hook up with her!"
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you didn't."
"I did not have sex with her."
"Yeah, whatever."
"Yeah, whatever." I said as I turned back around.
We sat there in the truck for about five minutes in silence.
"And while I'm back home working and taking care of our grandparents. I mean, I didn't even think of any guy but you." Nicole said.
I turned back around. "Okay, let's get one thing straight here. I didn't kiss Ashley, I didn't think about kissing her, I didn't think about asking her out, and I most definitely didn't hook up with her! The only girl I thought about having sex with is you!"
"Why does she have your number, Parker?"
"Jaymie!"
"Yeah, that's why you have her number saved in your phone."
"Jaymie's phone died and he called me from her phone."
"Yeah, okay." She said as she rolled her eyes.
"Get back up here so we can leave."
"I'm not."
"Baby, I love you."
She rolled her eyes.
"What do you want me to do?" I said.
"Nothing. Just drive back to the hospital."
"I'm not."
"Fine. But when you drive all the way to Disneyland, I'm not getting out."
"Why are you so mad?"
She sat there and thought for a minute.
She started her rant. "Maybe I'm mad because you get mad at me when I talk to any guy that isn't you or Payson. I can't even talk to Dean, my best friend since fifth grade, or Sam, who I've talked to since ninth grade, without you getting mad. You get so freakin' jealous, but I'm supposed to be okay with you talking to whoever and getting girl's numbers just because you're 'Parker Schnabel from Gold Rush'. I mean, I get that you have to be nice and everything, but you take a picture, talk with them for a minute, then you should leave, probably never to see them again. You know that I get just as jealous as you do. When you were gone, all I thought about was being with you again. While you're in Australia doing whatever you felt like."
I let out a laugh because I couldn't believe how far she was taking this. "Okay, first of all, I asked you how many times to go with me?"
"That's not the point, Parker."
"I asked you to go with me at least a hundred times. And you said no. You said that you trusted me and I trusted you. I talked to you every night and morning, and in between. I don't know what you want me to say, I've already told you the truth. Do you want me to say that I slept with her?! Fine, I did! Are you happy now?!"
"No! So you did sleep with her, didn't you?"
"No! You know that I didn't! But that's obviously what you want me to say, even though it's not true."
"Are you going to drive me back to the hospital with Grandma and Grandpa?"
"No! We're going to Disneyland and we're going to have fun."
"No, we're not. I'm not going anywhere with a cheater!"
That made me mad. "You know what? Just fuck it." I said as I turned back around in my seat and started to head back to the hospital.
She sat back in the backseat with her arms crossed. She looked through my phone and her phone. I glanced at her every once in a while in the mirror. I could've swore that I saw a tear or two come from her blue eyes that I fell in love with. That made me feel really bad that I had made her cry. But, every time I tried to say something to her, she just ignored me or turned around in the seat.
By the end of the trip back to the hospital, I felt like a piece of shit for making her cry and doing what I did.