Scott had offered to pay for the four of them to fly to California, while he drove the moving truck with all of their bags in it. But of course nobody thought that was a good idea except Scott.
Avi had made the final declaration, that they'd all be driving to LA, considering they were gonna need a few cars once they'd arrived.
The final verdict being that Scott and Mitch would be in the moving truck, Alex and Kirstie in one car, and Avi driving a third car.
It just occurred to me that some important information was skipped, so let me just make this simple;
Scott's broken arm was not fully healed, although he still wanted to drive so Mitch could sleep for most of the trip.
Scott's mom was aware that he was moving to LA, less than twenty minutes from her.
Kirstie's concussion was mostly healed, but just in case of emergency, Alex was going to drive the full trip.
Scott sold his least favorite few cars to make some more money to bring with them, and then left the house for Rick to keep.
Mitch's parents struggled to see him go, but promised to visit as often as they could while also making Mitch promise to call them at least once a day.
Avi's mom was heartbroken to see him go, but is currently considering moving to California to be closer because Avi's her whole world now that her husband is gone.
And finally, Kevin is off to a big fancy college, but also promises to meet up with his friends as often as he can.
Another disclaimer that should be mentioned, is that Alex suggested stopping in New Mexico for the night because the 20 hour drive from Arlington to LA is a little too much to fathom. Whereas a drive to New Mexico is a mere nine hours.
Mitch checked all of this on his phone, and then nodded. "Okay, yeah... We could stay a night in New Mexico and then maybe take another stop in like... Phoenix, Arizona? That's another eight hour drive."
Avi peeked over his shoulder. "Okay, so... Nine hours, eight hours... Then how long is it to LA?"
Mitch paused to type it in, and then smiled. "Only five and a half!"
Scott groaned loudly. "Guys, this is gonna be a lot... Are you sure you don't just wanna fly?"
Avi glared at him. "And leave you to drive 20 hours by yourself? I don't think so."
Alex tried to grin at him. "Yeah, it's gonna be fun! We'll get to stay in two different hotels, and like... Explore and stuff."
Kirstie giggled a little. "Yeah, Scott. Road trip."
Scott just shook his head. "Whatever you say. When should we leave tomorrow..?"
Mitch spoke first. "I think we should all spend a final night with our parents, and then... I'll do a coffee run, and meet you guys at Scott's house at like... Six?"
Scott just pouted. "This is gonna be so awful..."
*
The next morning, when Mitch showed up with the coffee, everyone was beyond ready to go. Mostly nervous energy, but also a little bit of excitement.
Avi'd decided that he'd drive the moving truck, while Alex drove one of Scott's larger cars, and Scott drove one of the sports cars. Looking back on it, Avi regrets this decision, knowing Scott was going to speed more than necessary.
Kirstie had wanted to be helpful, feeling bad that she couldn't drive, so she called. "I think Alex and I should be first, so I can do the navigation thing on my phone and lead y'all to wherever... We said that New Mexico is the first stop, right?"
Mitch nodded once. "Alright. We should probably start going, though. Gonna have to stop for food as well at some point."
Kirstie nodded right back at him, as she and Alex began walking toward the larger car. "Okay, yeah. Just call me if you need to stop somewhere to pee or eat or whatever."
Mitch waited for them to get in their cars, climbing in Scott's expensive car with a distant look on his face. "Scottie, I can't believe we're doing this."
Scott smiled a little as he turned the car on. "I know... Are we drunk, or..?"
Mitch glanced over. "I've never been to New Mexico..."
"Well that's gonna change, huh? Could be fun. Just... Don't take any silent treatment personally... I'm probably just tired or irritated."
"You don't have to tell me that, babe. I'm totally aware of all aspects of your personality." Mitch decided to give an example. "Oh, Scott's ignoring me again? Must be upset about something. Oh, Scott's not answering my texts? He's probably in the shower, because that's the only time he ignores me. Oh, Scott's eating a bunch of potato chips? He's probably pissed off about something."
Scott just shook his head, and began to drive behind Avi's large moving truck. "Are we spending too much time together?"
"Not enough time."
"Well... You're gonna be living with me, so. Gonna be more than enough real quick."
Mitch only giggled, putting a hand on Scott's knee. "I love you though."
"Love you too, babe."
*
Kirstie was the first one to interrupt their driving experience, about three hours into the drive. She quickly texted Mitch and Avi that she needed to pee, and then Alex pulled the car over into a gas station.
Kirstie hopped out immediately to run into the bathroom, while Avi got out of his car to stretch his legs a little.
Scott pulled in last, taking the parking spot beside Alex and smiling at him.
Mitch glanced at Scott. "Can I go in and buy a snack or something?"
"Sure. Need some money?"
"No, I'm good. You want anything?"
Scott gave him a pleading look. "A Redbull would be really nice..."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"No. But thanks. Maybe ask Avi and Alex? I'll pay you back."
"Don't worry about it." Mitch got out of the car. "I'll go ask."
Scott turned the car off, and then got out to stretch a little as well.
*
The next time they stopped, was about four hours after that, because Avi had to pee this time, and also Scott wanted to stop for something to eat.
Kirstie tried to find a good restaurant that was close by, and ended up finding Mexican food that everyone agreed on.
Which is why Scott was now three tacos deep in a meal, without an ounce of shame.
Alex was joking around with Avi about something Kirstie had done while they were driving, while Mitch and Kirstie spoke about how they wanted to decorate their new house.
Scott hardly spoke at all, not really having time to as he devoured nearly five tacos in total.
Alex got up to use the restroom right before they left, so they wouldn't have to stop again before reaching the hotel.
The last drive was only about two hours, which wasn't bad, but the hours in total left Avi and Scott completely exhausted.
Alex didn't seem as tired as the rest of them, until they arrived at the hotel and he saw the two nice beds in their room.
They hardly unloaded anything, knowing there wasn't much that they'd need for a single night in the hotel.
Avi immediately laid down on one of the beds, and Alex collapsed down beside him, which left Scott the entirety of the second bed.
Mitch and Kirstie decided to walk around the hotel to explore a little, Mitch buying more snacks for himself as well.
Kirstie also found a little coffee shop within the lobby of the hotel, so she and Mitch hung out there for a little while as well.
Mitch also called his parents to tell them that he made it to New Mexico, and that he missed them a lot.
Nel almost broke down in tears, but didn't until Mitch hung up.
Kirstie was about to dial her parents as well, when a group of cute boys walked by and she rushed to point them out to Mitch.
Mitch quickly glanced back at them, and grinned. He leaned toward her. "You should see if you can get one of their numbers."
Kirstie giggled. "And if I do..?"
"I'll... Pay for the entire table." He gestured to their coffee and small desserts.
She nodded once. "Deal." And then she hopped up, glancing in the reflection of her phone to make sure she looked okay.
She hadn't put any make up on for the drive, but knew she still looked cute anyway.
Mitch leaned back and watched her skip over to them and immediately join into their conversation.
They seemed to be a team of athletes of some kind, and they all loved how short Kirstie was in comparison to the rest of them.
He then observed as she picked a victim, and focused all of her attention on him to get his number.
It took her less than two minutes, before she was passing her phone over to him for him to type his number in. She'd giggled happily at him, and leaned up to kiss his cheek before mumbling something to him.
She then turned and skipped back over to Mitch. "Guess who's paying for the table?"
**