Oil & Ink

Chapter 18: Road Trip

Charlie tried to go to bed early that night. He knew he would need the sleep, but he felt anxious. He was anxious about the competition, of course, but also just worried they wouldn't leave in time or what if there were problems on the road?

These were issues he knew he couldn't solve right now — and therefore shouldn't even be worrying about them — but it seemed like hours before he was able to quiet his mind.

It seemed like he slept for five minutes before his first phone alarm went off. He'd set multiple just in case. He quickly got out of bed and took a cold shower to wake himself up. His bags were packed and were sitting by the door, he just slipped in his toothbrush and glasses in the front zipper pouch. Just when he was about to sit on the couch and wait for Sara, he saw a pair of headlights coming toward his house.

He grabbed his things and went outside. When Sara's truck pulled into his driveway, he gave her a wave, locked the door and approached the truck.

"Morning!" Amanda hopped down from the front passenger seat. "I'll get in the back."

"You don't have to," he said, tossing his bags in the truck bed.

"No, no," she said. "I don't mind."

She got into the backseat and Charlie climbed into the front, putting his cooler on the floor in front of him.

"Ready, everyone?" Sara asked.

"Let's do this!" Cody said.

It was a little early for the enthusiasm, but Charlie appreciated it. Never in a million years did he imagine that he'd move to a random town and set up shop and then meet people cool enough to help him get to the places he needed to be. This was certainly an adventure to be had.

The road to Los Angeles was a little more than 21 hours long. The plan was to drive straight through, switching drivers and letting passengers sleep when they weren't driving. They should arrive in plenty of time to check in and start loading in Charlie's supplies and begin. However, they did leave a few extra hours just in case.

Sara was taking the first shift, and she said she would drive as long as possible. The first shift was the easiest since everyone was so excited for the trip. But Charlie was the only one who'd taken a true road trip, and he'd never even gone this far before. It was something new for all of them.

It was way before any sort of traffic was expected on the road, so now was a great time to get ahead. The road was open, and the sun was already peaking up over the horizon.

"Here we go," Charlie said, rubbing his hands together.

"This is pretty exciting," Amanda said. "I'm honestly just excited to see what's along the way."

"I feel like it won't be much," Charlie said.

"Already busting my bubble?" Amanda asked.

"Ha, sorry," Charlie said.

"What snacks did everyone bring?" Sara asked.

"I went with mostly candy," Amanda said. "Sour gummies, cinnamon bears, and taffy."

"I brought Combos and soda," Cody said.

"Let me guess," Sara said, looking in Charlie's direction. "You brought jerky?"

"You know it," Charlie said.

"I made us muffins," Sara said. "And there's coffee, and I took pretty much all the fruit from our fridge."

"That's awesome," Charlie said. "We have a great mix."

"Did everyone sleep?" Sara asked.

"I did," Amanda said.