Keep Right

Chapter 2 ~ Keep Right

The road seemed endless as it whirred by. Baxter just kept staring out of the Passenger window. They had passed into Ohio not that long ago. They had been on the road for about six hours and he was starting to feel the hum of the roads settle in his bones. He could hear Brice and the girls laughing in the back, but he refused to go over and join them. He would much rather stay up here and keep Elathan company while he took his turn driving the camper.

If he was being completely honest with himself, he’d admit that he was a little scared of Mira. Out of the entire group, she was the one he was the least close to. The few times that they had hung out, she was always jumping on him and trying to steal his leg hair. That girl had the warped desire to somehow clone him. If it wasn’t for the oddly attached friendship between Mira and Magdalene, then he’s pretty sure the woman wouldn’t have it out for him.

It was only a year ago, but it felt like so much longer. The group had been hanging out when Mira had called up asking to join them. They didn’t have enough room in the car, but decided it would be fine if one of them sat in someone’s lap. Magdalene, being the smallest of them was the one who was going to have to sit on someone. Being the way that they were, Magdalene was going to sit on him, but when Mira got to the car, she didn’t like that idea very much. Instead, she had wanted Magdalene to sit on her lap. That led to Mira’s obsession with trying to pull out his leg hair. At first it was just in retaliation for not letting Magdalene sit on her, but eventually it became about cloning him.

However, the thing that was worrying Baxter now was not Mira’s obsession with the cloning, or even her jumping on him. Since they had started the trip, she had been extremely nice and polite to him. It

 Had been six hours. He was sure that she would have pulled something by now, but there was nothing. She would just look at him and smile before taking out her phone to text someone. A few times she just started giggling and went to get Magdalene to whisper something to her and the both of them would get really excited. It was unnerving to say the least. It was like he was a part of some big secret that everyone but him knew about.

Baxter was snapped out of his worries when Elathan started talking to him. He looked up from the window and turned to face his friend.

“There’s a rest stop coming up soon. Wanna see if the others want to stop at it?”

“Yeah. That sounds good. Might distract them from plotting against me.”

Elathan laughed.

“They are not plotting against you. They’re just being girls and gossiping.”

“They keep looking at me.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re hot?”

Baxter smirked and waggled his brows.

“You think I’m hot?”

Elathan froze for a second before a pale pink started creeping it’s way up his neck and dusting over his features. He sputtered incoherently for a few minutes before Baxter laughed again. 

“I’m just teasing. I’ll go see if they want to stop.”

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Turns out the rest stop was a good idea. The girls wanted to stretch their legs, and Brice said he needed more glitter. Elathan didn’t even want to know why; the man had an entire suitcase full of glitter already. All he was told was that there was a plan for Colorado and he didn’t have nearly enough glitter to complete it, and that he had to get a purple feather boa. After that, he dropped the subject. He was afraid to find out what the answer would be.

Magdalene had gone to make a private phone call. All she said when asked about it was that it was a secret, and she didn’t want to get everyone excited over something that might not happen. She said when she got definite news about it then she would tell everyone.

Elathan had gone to the bathroom. While they had one in the camper, there were a lot of people and he had spent the last couple of hours driving them. As he was washing his hands, the door opened to the nearly empty men’s room. He didn’t think anything of it until he heard the distinct click of the lock. He looked over his shoulder and saw Baxter standing by the door, looking at him.

Suddenly the room felt hotter under the scorching look his friend was giving him. Elathan stood frozen as Baxter made his way over. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. The effect his friend had over him was surprising. 

When Baxter reached Elathan, he backed his friend against the white tiled wall. He could see the blush rising up Elathan’s neck, and it only served to spur him on. He raised one hand to Elathan’s shoulder, effectively pinning him to the wall, while the other hand went to gently cup his friend’s cheek. Baxter slowly leaned his head in, giving Elathan time to dodge if he wanted to. 

Elathan’s heart sped up as he felt his friend gently caress his face.  He couldn’t believe that this was happening; it had to be a dream, but why would he dream this? He was straight, so why would he be dreaming about his best friend kissing him in a locked men’s room at some rest stop in Ohio? He tried to focus on Baxter slowly moving closer. Subconsciously he licked his lips. He couldn’t breathe.

Baxter saw Elathan staring at him, emotions whirring in his head. He was sure that Elathan was going to turn his head away, but instead the shorter teen licked his lips, eyes zeroing in on Baxter’s own mouth. At that, all thoughts of Baxter moving slow went out the window, He crushed his mouth to Elathan’s, using the gasp of surprise to his advantage.

Elathan whimpered. He could feel Baxter’s tongue moving against his own. He didn’t know what to do. He’d kissed a few girls before, but never another guy. To him though, this wasn’t just any guy; it was Baxter, his best friend. It made his heart beat loud enough to thrum in his ears, it made his head hazy, and then he was returning the kiss. He couldn’t bare to tear himself away.

The taller teen’s hand slid from Elathan’s shoulder to settle firmly on his waist. He couldn’t get close enough. Elathan’s hands came up to grab at Baxter’s shoulders. It was intense and neither wanted to let go.

The moment was broken by a banging on the door.

“Bax, El! You two in there?”

Baxter growled, and pulled away from Elathan, straightening out his rumpled shirt. 

“Yeah, Brice! We’re in here!”

“Well hurry up! We need to go! The girls got us kicked out and we need to leave fast!”

“S**t!”

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When they pulled into the rest stop, Magdalene excused herself to make a phone call. She told them it was nothing serious and walked away from the group. When she was sure that they couldn’t hear her, she took out her phone and called Dez. She only had to wait a few rings before her roommate picked up.

“Yo! What’s up? What state are you in? And did you take your pills yet?”

Magdalene rolled her eyes at Dez’s rapid fire of questions. She never was one to beat around the bush.

“Hey, we’re at a rest stop in Ohio. The other’s are inside, and I will take them right now.”

As she was speaking, she started to walk back to the camper. She walked inside of it and went to one of her bags. She pulled out a bottle of water and her pills. Looking out the window to make sure no one was coming, she quickly swallowed them and put everything back in her bag.

“Just took them.”

“Okay, good. So how’s everything going so far?”

“It’s good. Evie is pissed that she wasn’t allowed to go and has been calling Mira incessantly just to yell and b***h.”

“Oh Lord. Doesn’t that chick ever give it a rest?”

“No. I don’t think  she even knows how to. On the bright side, Brice and I have a plan for Colorado.”

“Does it involve glitter?”

“Of course!”

“Okay, I really don’t want to know, but take pics and get a video. I’m gonna want to see this when y’all get back. That is if I don’t see it on the news first.”

Magdalene rolled her eyes at her roommate’s response. She couldn’t really argue, considering that her and Brice had made it onto the news before. They had never been mentioned by name, and the police still had no idea who exactly had set up the stunt that had closed down 4 miles of Route 34.

“You won’t see us on the news. It’s not like we’re gonna end up losing control of a highly explosive, glitter filled firework that will end up taking out the entire power grid in a four mile radius. Again.”

“See, that would be reassuring if it weren’t for the, again. The fact that you two have already done that makes me fear for peoples’ lives.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you or Trav when we stop for the night. We’re going to make a pit stop in Dayton, go to a club or two, then sleep. Tomorrow we’ll go to Colorado. The day after, we’ll be in California. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Alright. Bye Madge. Talk to you later.”

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The gift shops that littered every corner of the rest stop, did nothing but give Lenora a headache. She had just gone in with Gwin to get some snacks for the ride in to Dayton. Magdalene had gotten them a motel room for the night, but Len wasn’t going to go on a late night food run when they all settled in. It was just going to be a simple run in; grab a few bags of chips, several liters of soda, a couple boxes of tasty cakes, and some bags of candy. She had forgotten about Gwin’s shopping addiction. 

Once they had gotten inside, Len was led around to each gift shop, waiting for her sister to go through every item before deciding that she didn’t want anything. It was to same scene in each store, and it was wearing thin. 

She had lost sight of the boys when they had ran into the building. She knew that Brice was trying to find a feather boa for some reason or another, and Magdalene was outside making a phone call. Mira was on line getting fast food for everyone. She had no idea where Elathan and Baxter went; if she had to guess, then she’d say they were back in the camper making out, but she knew that it would take a miracle for those two to get their acts together. It was clear to everyone around them that they had feelings for one another, but they were too dense to realize it for themselves.

As Gwin dragged her into yet another gift store, Len decided it was time to put a stop to the madness.

“Gwin, we need to get snacks for everyone.”

“But I might need something in here!”

The elder looked around the shop, eyeing stuffed bears, flowers and tacky souvenirs. When they got home she may just have to look up a shopping rehab for her younger sister. She was about to argue when something caught her eye. She picked up and smiled before handing it to Gwin.

“I really doubt that you’ll need a self help book about erectile dysfunction. Or how about the one that’s about the mating rituals of cicadas. Why do they even have these?”

Gwin just looked at the books as if they were going to attack her if she made any sudden movements.

“Okay! So how about we get those snacks!”

Gwin shoved to book back onto the shelf and ran out of the very odd store. Lenora just followed behind while shaking her head. Sometimes Gwin was just too much to handle. At least it was never all that boring when the blonde was around. Now if they could get out of this entire situation without any major incidents, then they would be set.  

Len shook her head as she caught sight of Brice running by with a bag filled with something feathery. The chances of them getting out of here with out police escorts was very slim. At least there wasn’t any explosives this time. She made sure to check everyone’s bags for anything that might get them arrested. As much fun as Brice and Magdalene would find that, it wasn’t something any of them needed to deal with on vacation. 

Walking into the convenience store, she picked up a basket and followed Gwin as she started to pick up any random snack that piqued her interest. It wasn’t until they were getting ready to check out before they realized that they had to put half of the items back because of everyone’s allergies. No strawberries, pineapples,  mustard, onions and a few other things. 

Gwin walked around putting things back, while Len dealt with the tedious task of reading through all of the ingredients to make sure that no one would have to go to the hospital. She did put a bottle of Benedryl into the basket just in case. Magdalene and herself tended to not care so much about things they couldn’t eat; it wasn’t disastrous so they didn’t worry too much. The worst they ever got was hives and red patches of skin. 

Sometimes she wondered how she ended up where she is. It was like she was the mother of an over-active, and insane group of young adults. It wasn’t exactly a bad thing; it just felt odd at times. There was a severe lack in personal boundaries that never seemed to bother any of them, and sometimes it felt like they could read one another’s minds. It was as scary as it was comforting for her. It wasn’t often that you find a friend that you feel that connection with and she was lucky enough to end up with a group of them. 

As it was, she felt like she knew some of her friends better than they knew themselves. It was that gut feeling that led her to believe that Magdalene was hiding something from her. She had known that something was off for the last couple of months, but she could never put her finger on it. Her sister just seemed to get spaced out easier, and seemed jumpy. She was sneaking off to make secret phone calls to God knows who, but kept saying it wasn’t anything important. 

She placed a bag of cookies back on a shelf, deciding against getting them. She moved to the next isle, getting lost back into her own thoughts and theories of what her sister was hiding from everyone. No, not everyone. Lenora had a hunch that Dez and Travers knew exactly what was going on with Magdalene, but were keeping it hush-hush. A part of her felt a little hurt that her sister wouldn’t trust her with something that was apparently taking a toll on her. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions or worry over something that could be nothing, but if it really was nothing, then why wouldn’t Magdalene tell her?

The thought of Madge being afraid to tell her what was going was fleeting. There couldn’t be anything that that her sister would have to fear telling her. Even if it was something that was potentially bad, then why would she tell only her roommates? She knew that over thinking it wouldn’t get her any answers. Something was going on, but she didn’t know what it was. They have two weeks on this road trip, and sooner or later her sister would tell her what was going on. They weren’t really ones to keep secrets from each other.

Lenora put a few more items in her basket, before getting Gwin. The two of them walked up to the register and paid. They were going to text the others that they were done and ready to go, but Mira yelling and the sound something falling over caught their attention. They just looked at each other before running over to where they could still hear Mira flipping out. The closer the got, they could make out other voices as well, including Magdalene’s. Apparently she finished her phone call and ended up joining forces with Mira in a fight. Heaven help the poor soul that had pissed them off.

It didn’t take them long to push themselves in front of the crowd that was forming in the food court. Gwin and Len were preparing to get the other two out side and apologize to whoever they had picked a fight with, but when they realized what the fight was started over, it  was game over for the woman and her boyfriend. Lenora was furious at the audacity that some people have. 

It was only a matter of minutes before security was called on all of them. Normally she would pretend that she wasn’t with the group when that happened, but this time she was proud to be a part of this. That couple deserved a lot more than what they got. It was a good thing they had finished their shopping, because it looked like this was going to end up being another place that they weren’t allowed back into.

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When they parked at the rest stop, Mira pulled Baxter back. She saw the looks he was sending Elathan through the entire drive so far. She could also tell that he was getting nervous around her and Magdalene. It was time to set things in motion. Baxter would be easier to get through to than Elathan. 

“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you are anything.”

“Sure. And Brice is going to declare that he hates glitter and wants to become a football player.”

The dark-skinned teen rolled her eyes. This wasn’t going to be easy, but it’d be worth it when they made her the Best Woman at their wedding years down the road. They’ll be so thankful to her for getting them together that they’ll pay for her to go on some lavish vacation somewhere in the Caribbean. 

“Oh just shut up. I’m really not plotting against you or anything. Well not for hurting you at least.”

“So you are plotting against me!”

“I’m not trying to hurt you!”

“Then what are you plotting?”

“To get you and Elathan to admit that you want to jump each other’s bones!”

Baxter stopped and looked at Mira like she had a second head. He couldn’t believe that she had just told him that he wanted to jump his best friend’s bones. It wasn’t true. It didn’t matter that he had, had dreams starring Elathan in less than innocent situations. The waking up with sticky sheets, and heart beating in his ears didn’t mean a thing. Even in his head he knew that it sounded like he was lying to himself.

“It doesn’t mean that he feels the same.”

“A-ha! So you admit to wanting to get into El’s unbelievably tight pants!”

“Does that really matter? A few wet dreams doesn’t mean that I’ll suddenly declare my undying love for him. It’s just a little lust that I won’t risk my friendship over.”

“Oh please. You look at him like he’s God’s gift to earth. If he’s in the room, your eyes don’t leave him once. It would be cute if it wasn’t for the suffocating amount of UST between you two.”

“UST?”

“Unresolved sexual tension. And believe me, your’s is so thick you could cut it with a knife.”

Baxter colored slightly at Mira’s words. He didn’t realize that anyone else had picked up on his feelings towards Elathan. According to his sort-of friend, everyone, but Elathan knew. On top of that, some of them were now plotting to get them together. It was going to be a long two weeks if the girls have their way. 

“He doesn’t want me like that. It’s not going to happen so you might as well save the effort for something more likely to happen.”

“Oh Baxter. You don’t get it; this is the most likely thing to happen on this trip.”

“What makes you so positive that this plan of yours is going to work out?”

Mira looked at Baxter, all traces of teasing gone. She took a deep breath and answered him.

“Because. I see the way he looks at you, Bax. When you aren’t around, it’s like he has no clue what to do with himself, but the second you walk into the room, it’s like everything in his world makes sense again, You don’t notice it because he’s always happiest when you’re around, but everyone else can see it. You mean everything to him,”

The sincerity of her words struck Baxter silent. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but something in her voice made him believe her. Maybe there was something more to his friendship with Elathan, and he just wasn’t seeing it. He just wasn’t sure, If he really meant that much to Elathan, then wouldn’t he have said something?

“But then why hasn’t he said anything to me?”

“Why haven’t you said anything to him?”

It was a fair point, but that didn’t mean that Baxter was going to let this go.

“It isn’t like he’s showed any interest in me, or anyone else for that matter.”

“Okay, really? Elathan is so awkward that he probably has no idea what to make of his feelings, let alone act on them. He probably doesn’t even know what to do when he gets a hard on.”

Baxter chuckled at that. Elathan was the most awkward one in the group. It wasn’t his fault. There was just something about social or sexual situations that turned the teen into a bumbling, and awkward mess. It was a quality that Baxter found more adorable and endearing than anything else. 

“I like that he’s awkward.”

Mira smirked at Baxter like she had just won the lottery. 

“You’re really just making this easier for me. You are so totally in love with him,” Baxter looked like he was about to protest, “Don’t deny it, don’t try to hide it.”

The dark-skinned girl paused and thought over her words before continuing.

“I swear! Do I need to get my cousins out here and do a Hercules reprise with you as Meg? Because that’s where this is heading.”

“Depends. Will you be one of the muses?”

“Of course! It’s way to good of a chance to pass up! Why?”

“Because sometimes you are just too white to be one of the muses,” Mira stuck her tongue out at Baxter, “You are without a doubt, the whitest black girl I have ever met.”

The older girl laughed. Even she admitted to that on more than one occasion. At least Baxter was finally starting to relax. He just needed a little push in the right direction.

“Just go get your man. He loves you back; he just doesn’t know what to do with his feelings. You’ll have to spell it for him or show him. He won’t get it any other way. And I don’t want to hear any negativity from you. You two are best friends, and care about each other a lot. If it doesn’t work out, and by some slim chance of fate, he doesn’t return your feelings, it won’t end your friendship. It might get awkward for a bit, but you’ll work through it. The only thing you’ll regret is not trying and wondering if I was right, years down the road.”

With that said, Mira walked into the rest stop. She had to pick up fast food for everyone; the group can get testy when they haven’t eaten all day.

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The lines at the fast food stalls were insane. Mira couldn’t remember why she had agreed to be the one to go on them. She should have traded with Lenora and gone to get snacks. Thankfully she was nearing the front of the line. She just hoped that she wouldn’t have to wait too long for the food to be made after she places the order. 

Behind her, there was a couple that looked so cozy and happy, but there PDA and pet names were bordering on nauseating. There was no need to get that affectionate in public. Holding hands and a quick peck was one thing, but you don’t have to go all out at some rest stop in Ohio. If they got anymore tangled up in each other, Mira was positive that they would morph into one person. Before she could say anything, Magdalene had walked over to her.

“Hope you didn’t have to wait too long on this line.”

“It’s crazy in here. Why did you have to leave me?”

“I had to make a call. I was barely gone 5 minutes.”

“It was forever! You know I don’t do well with people.”

Magdalene laughed at her friend’s antics. Mira always got a little antsy if she was left alone in large crowds. It made her nervous, and she felt slightly awkward when she was by herself. They were joking around for what felt like a few seconds, but they had made it to the front of the line and placed their orders.

The two moved over to the pick up area and waited for their food to be ready. It didn’t take long for Mira to start pointing out every hot guy that she saw. It soon turned into a game on who could spot the hottest guy in the rest stop. It was immature and probably sexist, but it was a fun way to pass the time. They spotted Brice walking by them and Mira cat-called at him. Brice turned around and winked at them before walking toward one of the gift shops. Magdalene giggled at Brice’s flourish as he turned away.

Their number was called and they were going to pick up their food when the couple behind them scoffed and pointed at another couple walking by holding hands. Mira followed the couple’s line of sight and saw they were looking at a sweet lesbian couple buying a couple sodas.

“Disgusting.” The male said, his girlfriend quickly agreeing.

Mira turned on them.

“What’s disgusting?”

“The two holding hands over there.”

“Why? They’re just holding hands. You two looked like you were about to have sex in the line before.”

The man’s girlfriend spoke up.

“So? We aren’t doing anything unnatural. We’re a normal couple.”

“They aren’t being unnatural either. They are just like any other couple.”

The man scoffed again.

“Please. They’re just a couple of dykes who want to pretend that they deserve what us normal people have.”

Magdalene had heard enough of the couple’s stupidity and rounded on them.

“What the Hell is your problem? They do deserve the same rights as anyone else! All people are created equal, you jack a*s!”

The girlfriend stepped up to Magdalene and shoved her.

“Don’t talk to my boyfriend like that you b***h!”

“Oh, you did not just do that!” Mira slapped the woman, and it soon turned into an all out brawl.

The boyfriend went to shove Mira off of his girlfriend, but Magdalene knocked him away. While Mira was holding her own against the woman, Magdalene and the boyfriend got into a screaming match.

“What? Are you a dyke to?”

“No, I’m just a decent human being!”

“What decent human would defend that abomination?”

“They’re just holding hands and going about their day! There’s nothing wrong with that!”

“They’re going to rot in Hell where they belong! It’s man and woman, that’s it!”

“You’re a complete idiot! Love is love! Get over yourself!”

The fight was starting to gather  a lot of attention. And a crowd had formed around the quartet. There was cheering for both sides. Some people were filing the fight, holding their phones up to get a better view. It took a bit of force before Lenora and Gwin had made their may through the crowd.

When Magdalene saw her sisters, she thought they were going to break up the fight and try to make peace. It was to her surprise that they jumped into the fray and started to help her and Mira. The fighting only lasted a few more minutes before security was called in to break up the commotion. 

It would have been over if the man hadn’t clocked one of the security guards. His girlfriend and Mira were struggling to break out of the hold the guards had on them in order to attach one another. Lenora and Gwin were taken outside and asked what happened. They didn’t have much to say since they weren’t there for the start of the fight. Magdalene was still yelling at the man as he was restrained by three guards. 

When things finally calmed down and the crowd dispersed, Mira and Magdalene were handed their food and the group was asked to leave. They were escorted out to their camper, and were told not to come back to this rest stop. It wasn’t the first time they’d been kicked out of somewhere and it wouldn’t be the last.

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Going into the rest stop like a man on a mission, Brice headed to find glitter. While he wasn’t using dangerous explosives this time, he still wanted to cover his bases. He needed to be prepared for the explosion of glitter. It would fountain over them all.

The feather boa was going to be for something else entirely. He wasn’t sure if he was going to need it or not yet, but when the time came, it would be amazing. He was pretty sure that Baxter would love to walk into his hotel room in California and see Elathan dressed in nothing, tied to the headboard by the boa. Maybe he’d light some candles and leave some toys spread about on the bed. 

Sitting between Magdalene and Mira for the better part of six hours, helped to clue Brice in on wht the two girls were planning. It was genius, and a great mission for the two week trip. He was going to have to make sure to keep extra batteries around to get it all on film. Baxter and Elathan would thank them all eventually. If it wasn’t for them being so stubborn, then the group wouldn’t have to interfere in the first place. 

He was proud of Magdalene, though. He knew about her feelings for Baxter.. She had been in love with him for awhile, but she knew that it was a fruitless endeavor for her to attempt a relationship with him. He was in love with his best friend. She knew this and she was going to help him get his guy. Not many people would help the one they were in love with, get with someone else, Baxter meant a lot to her, and she wanted to make sure he would be happy, even if it wasn’t with her. Brice didn’t think that he would be able to do the same in her place.

It didn’t take him long to get what he needed. The cashier was looking at him like he was high, but that couldn’t be helped. How many times do you see someone buying about four pounds of glitter at a rest stop. The boa probably didn’t help either. It was funny that the cashiers back at home didn’t even bat an eye when Brice came in anymore. The more you deal with him and his friend, the more you learn not to question them.

After leaving the shop, Brice walked around the rest stop, trying to find the rest of the group. He almost passed by Magdalene and Mira, but Mira’s whistle caught his attention. Deciding to be playful, he winked at the girls and turned around with flare before walking away to find out where the others were. He didn’t feel like standing in line with the girls. 

He knew where Baxter and Elathan were, and he wasn’t going to disturb them. It was about time that something happened with them. Even if they were just talking, at least it was something. He couldn’t find Lenora or Gwin, which was odd. Usually they’d have been loud and arguing over Gwin’s insane shopping addiction. This time, he hadn’t heard them at all. 

He was about to check another gift store when he heard yelling behind him. He knew it was going to be one of his friends. Even in another state, they’d find a way to cause trouble, not like he was one to talk. At least he wouldn’t be the one to get them kicked out this time.

He walked back to where he heard the yelling, He managed to get there in time to see the security team breaking up the fight. He couldn’t figure out what had happened, but he knew that he needed to get the guys when he saw Lenora and Gwin being escorted outside.

Walking towards the restrooms, Brice banged on the door. He called out for them, and when Baxter answered, he sounded annoyed. Brice would have felt worse about interrupting whatever was going on in there, but they needed to leave.

A few seconds later, the door clicked open and the two walked out. They looked rumpled and had kiss swollen lips, but Brice held his tongue. Teasing them now would just set back any progress they had made. The three of them quickly slipped out of the rest stop and went to the camper. They managed to make it there right after the security team had walked the girls over to it. 

‘Oh, yeah,’ Brice thought, ‘We’re definitely not going to be allowed back here again.’

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Lenora took the wheel as they pulled out of the rest stop parking lot. Elathan sat in the passenger seat, staring out of the window. He wasn’t saying much, but would add in a comment or two as Mira and Magdalene were recounting the tale of how the fight started. 

“I swear, if they didn’t break up that fight…….I woulda knocked that b***h out!”

“Seriously! What kinda prehistoric imbeciles say that?!”

“They were the ones that were being obscene! I thought I was gonna puke all over them when we were in line!”

“They couldn’t keep their hands off each other! And the et names. Jeez, it was horrible!”

Baxter opened his mouth to add his two-cents about the fight.

“If I was there, I would have knocked that guy on his a*s! The security guards should have beat him to a pulp!”

At the sound of Baxter’s voice, Elathan started, a blush spreading over his face. He refused to turn his head away from the window, instead choosing to have a staring contest with his reflection. His reaction failed to go unnoticed by Lenora. She was going to have to tell the girls that it looked like the plan was moving forward. Step One: Complete. Dayton, here they come.