"Are we there yet?" I moaned as I sank in the car seat while rubbing my eyes. We had stopped at a car lot a few miles back to exchange the car we were in since Spike knew the registration plate number and could easily track us down so now we were driving in a brand new and heavenly white Nissan Pathfinder 2014. How Dante managed to get this car for the seven of us to ride in, I will never know (or maybe I just don't want to know).
"For the last and millionth time ... NO!" Dante snapped as he continued driving down the long freeway but was clearly very frustrated now as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. Even though we had made the stop, Dante and Blake never let anyone out the car so we were all desperately needing a toilet so we could release the pee we had been holding back for almost three hours. It had taken Dante two hours to get hold of the car and put it under the name of 'Larry Shnider' while the other was simply driving.
"Someone's on their period." Jase joked in my ear and I couldn't help but burst into laughter and clearly everyone else in the car had heard it too as we all were cracking up while Dante just seemed to get angrier and angrier by the minute.
"Guys, you should stop." Charlie grinned, doing his best to hold back his laughter as he bit his lip. "It's never a good idea to piss off the driver."
"It is when his name is Dante Carter." I muffled a small giggle as Jase ruffled Dante's hair causing him to swerve the car and earn evil glares from the drivers around us on the freeway. "Holy crap, dude! How about we change drivers so Dante can calm down for a bit, who's with me?"
"AGREED!" Juli screamed from the back almost deafening my hearing and bursting my ear drums. I turned around to face her before giving her 'are you kidding me look' but she simply shrugged before blowing a kiss my way. "Sorry."
"I'll drive." Charlie offered seeing as no one else had and I don't think Jase was going to bother driving anytime soon either seeing as he was having fun pestering everyone from the middle of the car.
"Let me park the car to the side." Dante grumbled as he quickly sped up the car dodging a few cars narrowly to the side before finding an empty space on the edge of the road and pulled the car over. He unbuckled his seat belt and got out the car recklessly not giving two damns as he opened the car and ignored the cars zooming past him.
Charlie got out the car too except while Charlie got in the driver seat and did his seat belt (because I was glaring at him to make sure he wouldn't forget) Dante went round the car and came over to my side of the car before pulling the door open and shoving himself inside before slamming the door shut.
"You could've just asked me to move down." I grumbled as I folded my hands across my chest and pouted like a small child.
"That requires effort." Dante grinned, I guess he was back to his normal bipolar self once more.
"Oh, and barging inside the car doesn't?" I snapped.
"Nope," he replied, clearly very happy with my reactions and the way I was responding. "...because being with you is effortless."
"AWH!" The whole car except Blake had turned into a live audience as they clapped and commented on everything. I could feel my cheeks burn up slightly so I looked down at my feet to ignore Dante's gaze at me.
"Don't flirt too much or else she'll turn into a human tomato." Charlie laughed.
"Just drive!" Dante chuckled as he playfully punched Charlie on his shoulder and before we knew it we were back on the road again and moving. "Idiots."
"I believe that's you." I smiled as I sat closer towards Dante before resting my head against his shoulder. He chuckled lightly as he wrapped his arm around me and brought me even closer to him so that now our bodies were glued to one another.
"Well then, I'm your idiot." He kissed my forehead lightly -causing me to blush and smile like a fool once again- and he didn't seem to care that the car had five other people excluding us.
"No, you're just an idiot." Chris chuckled from the back of the car and this caused Dante to snap his head round to where Chris was and glare at him but Dante then grinned rather evilly and I knew he was about to say something mean.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you because you're so far up Juli's ass." Dante chuckled while Blake and Charlie burst into a fit of laughter and their voices filled the car up. Jase sat next to me on my left now with a straight face doing his best not to laugh.
"That's disgusting, I'll have you know we haven't done that!" Juli snapped, this time it was her turn to blush only she was a lot redder than me and looked like a babboon's butt.
"Oh my god, Juli. You're such a retard." I burst into laughter and clutched my stomach over her stupidity. She thought Dante meant they had sex she had no clue what he meant. I did my best to hold back my laughter as I explained to her what it meant. "It means that he does everything you say, he bum licks you, he's your slave, he's your personal assistant ... do you get understand me?"
"Oh." She dug her face into Chris' shoulder as she hid her face and the rest of us continued to howl like a bunch of lunatics. "Next time, don't say stuff like that."
"Not my fault you have a dirty mind." Dante chuckled as he turned around to sit back normally in his seat.
"I get it from my sister." She mumbled into Chris's shoulder but it was loud enough for all of us to hear.
"Ah, I see." Suddenly, both Jase and Dante were grinning at me like a pair of cheshire cats. They were about to make this trip a living hell for me now. So much for thinking I was going to enjoy it. "She's dirty minded is she?"
"Psht, whaat? No." I scoffed.
********************
"LA LA LA LA!" I had slammed shut my hands over my ears to ignore the Carter brothers as nothing but filth escaped their lips.
"And that's how she ended up with her mouth hurting so much." Dante exclaimed in my ear as he made sure he was close enough that even my hands over the ears technique failed me so that I was helplessly forced to listen to them.
"She just couldn't stop after the banana AND the cucumber and heck, she got addicted to the mayonnaise too." Jase chuckled as he exclaimed in my other ear to make sure I heard his bit too. "She found it so hard to swallow."
"EWH!" I gasped as I finally removed my hands from over my ears and began to slap and punch both Jase and Dante while they just chuckled like a bunch of guys on crack. "That is disgusting!"
"Violence is never the answer." Charlie shook his head in disapproval as he looked at me in the rear view mirror.
"Are you deaf? Can you not hear what they're saying?" I sat in my seat, still with shock that my best friend was not allowing me to hurt the two fools beside me who had made the past half an hour a living nightmare for me. I don't think I have ever heard so many dirty jokes and foul play on words in my whole life and not to mention the constant sexual innuendos.
"What, they're just talking about food?" There was a playful glint in Charlie's eyes as he winked at me and continued to look at the road once more.
"I am surrounded by male perverts." I gasped once more as I hid my face into the palm of my hands and began to take deep breathes so that I could calm myself down before I hurt my hands trying to punch the two brick walls either side of me.
"After we stop for a toilet break, I'm swapping seats with you Jase." It was the first time in two whole hours that Blake had spoken up. He turned around so he had a good view of both Dante and Jase. "She doesn't need the pair of you harassing her."
"Awh, she has a good Samaritan by her side." Chris chuckled and right now I felt like punching him square in his jaw. He may be my brother but he fully well knew that Blake and I were not on talking terms just yet so the fact that Blake had even offered to sit beside was a HUGE thing. He was trying to continue the friendship but if Chris or anyone said comments like the ones he did he would find it awkward once more.
"Chris, fuck off." Dante spoke out and I don't know if he did it because he could read my facial expression or if he simply did it for the sake of Blake's and my friendship which was at stake. "Maybe we'll have you sitting at the front with Jase and Charlie can sit at the back."
"NO!" Chris replied awfully quickly and once again the atmosphere in the car was a jolly and upbeat one, no longer one full of tension and annoyance.
"Still think I'm out to get your girl?" Charlie chuckled as he made a right and got off the freeway before entering a smaller road, hopefully one that led to somewhere that had a toilet. I had been sitting uncomfortably in my sweet for the past hour trying my best to hold my pee in unless there would be an 'accident' and I would be forever humiliated for the rest of my life.
"No, I just don't like the idea of you two alone back here." Chris honestly admitted as he wrapped his arm around Juli possessively and gave Charlie evil daggers with his eyes.
"You pea brain. Juli and Charlie are like brother and sister so if you think they would go ahead with incest then you're just disgusting." I admitted too as I growled at my brother and his stupidity. Sometimes I wish guys didn't think with their man parts but their brains instead, the world would be a much easier place to live in.
"So new seating plan is arranged." Blake smiled at me before turning back to face the front in his seat. I was rather happy that we were actually speaking to each other now because before it was uncomfortable and awkward just looking at each other or standing idle by next to one another.
"We're here." Charlie pulled into the petrol station and parked the huge car next to one of the petrol pumps before turning the car off and taking off his seat belt. "You guys have fifteen minutes maximum to go pee, buy snacks, make calls or do whatever you want before we have to get back on the road and back to Dante's schedule. I want you all back here at twenty past eleven. Everyone got it?"
"Yes, sir." We all saluted Charlie before swinging the doors wide open and stumbling out the car looking like a pack of animals were escaping an animal truck.
"No one is beating me to the toilet!" I shrieked as I made a run for the petrol shop and dashed inside before looking left and right rapidly to try and find the toilet. I saw an old man who had a beer belly exit the toilet which was stupidly placed right in front of me. I accidentally barged past him and dashed into the toilet and just as I was about to shut the door a foot jammed it, not allowing me to close it.
"Can I go first, pretty please?" Dante pouted rather sweetly and I could feel myself feel rather weak and powerless against his cute and adorable face but I'm sorry no one is going to get to go toilet before me ...not even my boyfriend, heck, I wouldn't even let my mom or brother!
"Well, since you said please ..." I smiled and stood straight before taking in a deep breath. Thankfully, Dante withdrew his foot thinking I would actually let him in and stood there tall and proud that he was going to pee first... ha, sucker. "... never!"
I quickly slammed shut the door and locked it before Dant tried to yank the door open or slam his foot to try and stop the door again. Haley 1, Dante 0.
****************
Once I had finished drying my hands, I unlocked the door to see Dante crouching down on the floor with his hands over his man parts. Damn, maybe he did need to pee just as badly as me, now I felt bad as a sting of guilt flew through me.
"When I'm finished, you'll regret not letting me go first." He grinned evilly before quickly jumping and pushing past me to get into the toilet. I turned around to reply to him that I wasn't scared but he had already closed the door and I could hear him peeing inside the toilet while making relieving sounds.
"Ewh." I shivered in disgust and quickly moved away from the toilet so that I would not hear anymore disturbing noises for today, after all I was already mentally scarred from the things they said in the car.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and checked the time to see I still had ten minutes before I had to get back so instead of going back to the car I decided to buy a few snacks and essentials and just on time my stomach grumbled and growled loudly. The few people who were in the store turned to face me with scowls and glares ... I was not over exaggerating, my stomach really did growl that loud that I'm pretty sure EVERYONE in the petrol station looked at me.
Then again, the seven of us had woken up in a hurry and dashed into the car before driving off so that a gang leader would not kill us or torture us. Within that timetable we had no time to grab food and have our breakfast. Heck, we didn't even have time to drink some water so I'm pretty sure we were parched.
"Ignoring my haters." I mumbled to myself and walked away from them to go and collect a basket because I knew I would have too many things to hold. I walked over to ready food aisle (which contained foods like subs, pastas, rolls and sandwiches) and the chilled section(which had the drinks). Since I was kind and generous I began looking at all the sandwiches to see which ones everyone would like ... or simply just eat.
I grabbed a chicken Caesar wrap, southern fried chicken wrap, cheese and onion bread brown sandwich, tuna and cucumber sandwich, a BLT sandwich, an egg and cress sandwich and lastly a turkey and slaw bagel. I turned around and began to look at all the desserts which were before me and once again my stupid stomach grumbled, asking to be fed.
I grabbed seven chocolate rocky road trifles and threw them into the basket as well knowing that all seven of us loved these and I also grabbed seven tropical berry powerade bottles and placed this in the basket- so that the trifles did not get ruined. Seeing as how I was done with our 'breakfast' I quickly went to the toiletries aisle and grabbed a two packets always pads because I knew for a fact this was not in my duffel bag seeing as how I had run out at home. I put them in the bottom of the basket and walked up to the cashier and placed the basket on the table.
"That's an awful lot of food for one girl." The cashier chuckled. I looked up at him and could tell he was nice from his genuine friendly face. He seemed to be in his late teens if not maybe early twenties. He had fairly light brown hair that waved down to his ears and his eyes were a slightly darker shade of brown, like coffee. He was also about a good six foot so he towered me slightly but I didn't seem afraid because his rather big ears and adorable smile made him seem like he was a friend of mine.
"Well, if a girl was hungry I'm sure she could eat all this." I giggled as the cashier simply shook his head. "But ... it's not all for me. It's for my friends and I."
"Going somewhere nice?" He asked as he scanned each item and began to place them into bags for me.
"A small road trip." I smiled back and stuck my hand into my pocket to pull out my cash and change that I had shoved in here this morning. I looked in the palm of my hands to see I had my credit card and only twenty bucks. Hopefully this placed accepted credit cards.
"Well, I hope you have fun missus because you certainly deserve it." He winked at me playfully and I didn't realize he was flirting until he had winked and instantly I felt bad and rather guilty. Was I flirting back because I sure as hell wasn't meaning it? "That'll be thirty four dollars and sixty four cents, please beautiful."
"Do you accept cards?" I asked the cashier as I began to fidget around with my hands and stand nervously not making direct eye contact because how on earth was I supposed to buy all this if flipping cards did not work!
"Sorry, we don't."
"It's cool, I got it." I turned around to see Dante push past the small queue that had formed behind me. I let out a small breath, relieved that he had arrived.
Dante wrapped one arm around my waist -and once again I felt comfortable and safe being with him and those tingles were there that didn't seem to stop- while the other held a pack of six Busch beer cans. He placed it on the counter as well before slipping his hand into his pocket and pulled out a fifty dollar note and handing it to the cashier.
"Here's your change sir." He smiled but his smile no longer seemed genuine but forced and I couldn't feel like it was slightly my fault or maybe I was just over thinking things and being stupid. Dante took his change and grabbed the two heavier bags (the two with all the drinks) while I took the two bags that contained our 'breakfast' and the desserts to follow.
As we approached the car we noticed everyone was all ready in the car and they seemed to be waiting for us.
"You took your time." Jase grumbled as he shook his head in disapproval before a small smile appeared on his face.
"Actually, Dante was late too-"
"We sent him to go fetch you." Juli chipped from inside the car and I could feel my cheeks blush slightly. "You took forever."
"Well, I was getting us food." I replied and showed them one of the two bags I held seeing as how the other had my 'stuff' in them.
"FOOD!" Jase instantly jumped out from the passenger seat and stood tall beside me. He grabbed my top lightly and began to shake me. "GIMME! GIMME!"
"Patience, jheez." I retorted and smiled knowing this would annoy him and I didn't stop there because I was going to get small pay back for him disgusting me earlier. "I'll also be handing your food last."
Instantly his jaw dropped as he too dropped to the floor and he threw his arms over his head like little children do when they throw tantrums. "Not cool." He rubbed his eye almost to pretend like he was crying but I just stuck my tongue out at him.
I threw the southern fried chicken wrap at Dante and he caught it, then I gave the cheese and onion sandwich to Blake, tuna and cucumber one to Chris, the egg and cress sandwich to Juli (who was still in the back of the car and had made no attempt at getting out to grab her own food, lazy bum), I threw the BLT sandwich at Charlie and by the time I had given Jase his turkey and slaw bagel everyone (but him and I) had dug into their food.
"Mean." He grumbled before going back to his seat but leaving the door open so he could sit half in the car and half out. I ignored him and took my chicken Caesar wrap before scoffing it down and eating every last bit of it.
Once I was done I quickly opened the boot of the car and hid my 'stuff' which I had wrapped in another bag into my blue duffel bag before I started handing everyone their trifle (and thankfully the trifle had it's own spoon or else we would've been eating with our fingers and I think we all actually would).
"Get in the car!" Dante commanded and everyone groaned and sulked back at him. "NOW!"
"Killjoy."
"Spoil sport."
"Party pooper."
"Fine, I'll drive the car myself without you lot." Dante smirked and instantly everyone got into the car including me because knowing it was Dante who used that threat, we all knew he would actually go ahead with it.
****************************
We had been on the road for seven hours after we had driven away from the petrol station so seeing as how we had travelled a total of eight hours, we only had eight hours to drive when the morning came round till we reached Colorado and could be somewhere slightly safe and away from Spike.
"Can I have either seven single bedrooms or four double bedrooms?" Dante asked the receptionist and unfortunately it just had to be a girl ... a slutty girl. This place was so cliche, it was those relevantly modern and decent looking hotels which just so happened to have that pervy receptionist who loved looking at good looking guys and right now she was probably in her own personal heaven as she was surrounded by not one or two, not three or four but five good looking males.
"You can have anything you want." She winked as she began typing away at the computer in front of her while at the same time she tried to lean in so that her butt stuck out and her cleavage popped out. Her fiery auburn hair gave her a rather independent look but she was wearing a white button down shirt that had the top four buttons open so guy or girl would not only see her brightly blue coloured bra but also her cleavage to follow. It didn't help that she wore a black tight pencil skirt which would attract most males' attention and I was correct because both Charlie and Jase were lusting over her this very second.
"Well I want the rooms." Dante grumbled and I noticed that unlike the other two horny males he was looking at the counter and tapping his fingers against it. God, I felt so privileged to have found a guy like him (ignoring his annoying and idiotic side of course) because he didn't look at her once and if he was looking at her then he was making sure he looked directly at her face and no where lower.
"I'm sorry, but all we have left is the three bedroom suite." She explained as she turned to face Dante. "It has two double beds and a single bed."
"That's fine, that'll do." She placed her hands on her cleavage to try and 'fix' her top but she was clearly asking for Dante's attention. I couldn't help but feel rather jealous and angry. I felt the need to punch her face like I had done to those guards last night only worse. Dante noticed what she was doing this time and so he slipped his arm around my waist and brought me closer to him so our bodies were now stuck together.
"That'll be six hundred dollars for the room including a discount just for you and here's your key." She placed the key under Dante's hand that was still resting on the counter and she also slipped something else under his hand too. I was not flipping blind nor was I stupid. I was fully aware that she had just given him her number. I got ready to pounce at her but just as I was about to Dante's arm tightened slightly around me to restraint me.
"Look here." He stared into the receptionist's eyes and stared at her with disgust. "Before when I was single, sure, maybe I would've banged you but-"
"Ouch." Jase hissed from behind us and I felt rather hurt and I no longer had anger in me but some rejection. "Haley, you can always come to me."
"Fuck you, Jase. Next time let me finish." He growled at his brother and turned back to face the receptionist while shaking his head. "As I was saying, before maybe because I liked flings but every since I found this girl beside me I haven't wanted another girl. I only see her and no other girl, no matter how much they desperately try and get my attention. I don't want any other girl, because just this one is everything I need."
"Awh." I blushed a light shade of pink and could feel butterflies flying in my stomach while they had babies and produced more butterflies which made me feel more giddy and nervous now. I kissed his cheek and looked at him with admiration. How he manages to constantly sweep me off my feet, both physically and metaphorically I have no clue, but this boy may be stealing my heart and making me fall for him.
"I assure you, when you have sex with me, you won't want her anymore." She winked at Dante and that was the last straw because after that I had no control over my body as I escaped Dante's grip and leaned over the counter before grabbing the whore of a receptionist by the collar and punching her nose rather hard. Her nose started bleeding badly, as it just continued to pour and didn't stop.
"Bitch, just keep your services for the disgusting single men only!" I snapped and let her go. Dante placed a small wad of cash on the counter before wrapping his arms around my waist and forcing me away from the receptionist.
"Thanks for the discount." Jase chuckled before grabbing the key off Dante and leading us to our allocated room, everyone followed behind Jase so Dante and I decided to walk a bit slower and behind everyone else.
"I've never seen a girl almost knock out another girl over me." Dante chuckled, clearly letting his ego get to him.
"It's more of a pride thing." I half admitted. It was rather true, after any girl would be pissed if a slut was trying to sleep with their guy but they also wouldn't want another girl constantly trying to throw herself around while you were there and noticed.
"Sure, sure." He kissed the back of my head as we both waddled (he was still walking behind me with his arms wrapped around me so it was rather weird).
"Well, at least I don't threaten to beat up my mates when I get jealous." I giggled remembering the night at the fun fair where Dante was scaring Tanner.
"He asked for it."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I joked.
"You do." He flirted and I didn't know if he was being serious or not so once again I could feel my heart pounding against my chest as my blood flow quickened.
"Quit the flirting and get inside before I lock you out." Jase threatened and just like Dante he would do as he threatened so we both shut up and quickly walked to the suite before entering it.
"Looks like a regular home to me." Dante shrugged and he was right. It wasn't huge but it wasn't small either. There was a rather small living room (which contained two teal blue three seater sofas and a 42 inch plasma screen TV that had been attached to the wall, it also had a white marble coffee table inbetween the sofas and the tv) and the living room connected to the kitchen, both of which had a light orange and teal theme flowing through the rooms.
Their was two identical double bedrooms; both had the same navy blue curtains, double bed in the top center which had loads of different coloured pillows scattered across it, a rather large chestnut wardrobe, a small table which had a 36 inch LED TV resting on top of it. Damn, the hotel itself may have seemed rather normal but it definitely spent a lot of money for the decorations and interior of the rooms, now that was dedication.
"I PUT A MOVIE IN AND HEATED UP SOME POPCORN NOW GET ALL YOUR BUTTS IN HERE!" Juli screamed back from the living room and I giggled slightly. That was the Juli I knew, she didn't go anywhere without taking a few movies with her and if she did not have microwaveable popcorn with her as well then she would literally stop at nothing to go get some.
"COMING!" We all screamed back at her at the same time.
I re-entered the living room to see that all the seats had been taken and there was literally no where for me to sit unless I decided to sit on someone's lap. Frankly, I would prefer sitting on someone's lap than sitting on the floor because I had this thing where if the hotel was not well known or if it had no stars then I did not trust the ground I walked on because it could be filthy and dirty.
"Come sit here." Charlie patted his lap, reading my facial expression and I knew better than to sit on his lap. It was either the floor or his lap; the paranoia in my head made the carpets seem worse than what they were but sitting on it was better than sitting on Charlie's lap, because not only would Dantw get pissed off, jealous and angry but I knew that a girl cannot just sit on a guy's lap throughout a whole movie if they consider each other to be 'siblings' and we didn't.
Just as I was about to sit on the floor in front of Juli and Dante, I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist before they pulled me up and placed me on their lap. Judging by the warmth that radiated through my body once more and the strange tingly feeling I had I knew that it was Dante.
"My lap is always better than the floor." Dante chuckled and kissed my cheek. I rested my head in the nook between his neck and shoulder and crossed my legs before resting back against Dante's chest.
"You never asked for me to sit-"
"I don't have to. You're always welcome, even if I'm pissed because it'll cheer me up." Dante began to draw circles on my bare stomach as he placed his hand a little under my shirt, I could feel myself get nervous but I was not going to let this boy get the better of me.
"You guys, go get a room." Chris scoffed and Dante just laughed at him. Chris pulled Juli closer towards him so that Dante and I had a little more space but also so he could snuggle closer to the girl he was madly in love with but didn't admit it to. "I mean, Juli and I control it in public too."
"Knock, Knock." An eerily voice spoke out suddenly and all of us silenced and as you can guess Jase was the first one to speak.
"Who played the damn movie?" He snapped and got up to find the remote. "I'm the remote master, not one of you fools."
"Knock, Knock. Your turn to ask who's there?"
"Pause the movie-"
"The movie isn't in." Juli interrupted him and all of our heads snapped to the TV that off and then snapped back to Juli. "No one put it in. I lied to get everyone to come to the living room so we could decide a movie ."
"So then who the hell is that?" Blake got up as he asked the question and we could see that he was rather worried when his finger pointed to the door. All seven of our heads snapped to door and because this hotel never turned off their corridor lights and we could all see a shadow under the suite's door. One by one, we all shot up and stood as still as we could- Dante's hand slipped into mine and even though I felt rather safe and at ease near him, it didn't change the fact that the voice sounded familiar... too familiar.
"Knock, Knock."