Ethereal

Road Trip

Your Monday was like any other. You woke up at 5:00 am, went to work, and got home at around 6:30. Like usual you were absolutely exhausted when you got home, so you took a shower and crawled onto the couch. You ordered Chinese food and finished your night with a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream (your favorite) and a few episodes of a new true crime documentary on Netflix. It's about a Jack the Ripper copycat killer called the Yorkshire Ripper. It's pretty interesting.
You plug in your phone and crawl under your covers, falling into a deep sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

You wake up the next morning in very good mood. You start your day by getting ready for your road trip to Williamsburg. You pack your suitcase making sure to bring your laptop, lesson notes, and of course clothes and toiletries. You decide to wear a plain blue t-shirt and some gray sweatpants for the car ride. You know you're going straight to your hotel room when you arrive in Williamsburg, so you dress comfortably. You want to settle in and rest before your big day at William and Mary.

You throw all of your stuff in your car and drive to the nearest gas station to fill up the tank and grab some snacks. You get a bag of Cheetos and a diet Dr Pepper. To maintain this good mood you're in you play Ice Cube's "It Was A Good Day". You know all of the words by heart, so you yell out the lyrics as you stuff your face with Cheetos, leaving bright orange dust on your fingers. You lick the dust off and wipe your fingers on your sweatpants as the song ends. You love that song. Not many people would expect that you listen to 90's hip hop, but you were lucky enough to be introduced to all types of music in your childhood and teenage years.

The rest of the car ride is full of you listening to more 90's music and thinking about what to do during your time in Williamsburg. It's the middle of March, so you could do something outside in nature. Or maybe you'll find a nice coffee shop to sit in and read your favorite book. It's either doing something productive, or sitting in your hotel room and relaxing the whole trip. Neither seem like a bad idea to you.

Your thoughts are interrupted by a call from Cecilia. You answer her and put your phone on speaker so you can focus on the road. "Hey!"

"Hey, are you driving right now?"

"Yeah, I'm like 2 minutes away from my hotel though. What's up?"

"You'll never believe what happened last night." She said. You hear her crunching on something on the other end. "I ran into Tristan at the museum last night. He told me that the him I met at the club 'wasn't who he really was' and he asked me on a date this Thursday!"

You are definitely surprised by the news. You're happy for her, but also scared with a hint of jealousy. But you want to be a good friend, so you decide to show the happy side of your feelings.

"Wow, that's pretty cool! Did he seem genuine?"

"There was definitely something different about him compared to him that night at the Golden Gate. You know me, I like to give second chances so I said yes."

"That's awesome Cecilia. I totally want to talk about it, but I have to go. I just pulled up to my hotel. I'll call you later?"

"Yeah of course. Tell me if you see any cute guys." She says, and you smile. "Love you."

"I love you too. I promise if I see anyone worth it I'll tell you." You say, with absolutely no hope of actually seeing anyone. You hang up the phone as you look for a parking spot. Once you find one you pull in and get out of the car. You take out your suitcase and walk into the hotel lobby, asking the lady at the front desk for your room key. Once you are checked in and in your room you lay on the bed. You close your eyes and imagine Cecilia on her date with Tristan. You told her you would call her back, but you don't feel like talking about somebody else's romantic life. That hint of jealousy from before may have grown a little more than you would like to admit.

You walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. You turn the faucet all the way to the left, making sure the water is as hot as it can get.

•••
The reader is in Williamsburg now.... you know what that means
The next chapter will either be up tonight or tomorrow. I don't have a definite update schedule but I try to update at least once a day.
Happy Kwanzaa!