jake has his mouth shut: act i

road trip, pt. 1

today is finally the day, i get to see molly in person for the first time in over 10 years.
everything's packed. i'm lucky it's spring break too. i could never skip school, don't care if you call me a nerd. now all i need to pack up is my telecaster, and i'm done.

"hey jake! excited for your trip?" brandon asked.

"yeah, absolutely. it's gonna be a good time." i answered.

i went to eat breakfast with the andersons. had a good breakfast and i was now off.

it's also been like, two months in total since i have last written here. so to catch you all up, i now have a job. been working in a restaurant for the time i haven't written, all to save up for a guitar i really, really wanted. that's one of the things we're gonna be doing while we're on this trip.

got a text from molly.

molly: i'm outside
you: okay, gimme 2 mins.

got my stuff, said bye to the andersons, and i was met by molly outside, who has not changed since i last saw her on video.

"oh my god, it's so nice to finally fucking see you dude!" molly said, and proceeded to hug me. 

"it's so great to see you too!" i said, returning the hug.

"well, let's go. we gotta stop for snacks before we really start the trip. it's not a road trip without snacks, right?" she laughed.

"agreed." i said, chuckling back and getting in her car.

we drove to the gas station to fill the tank, and got some snacks on the way. we then got into the car and started our drive from richmond to los angeles. for context, i have not been in los angeles in my life.

while we were driving, molly asked me this: "did you end up going to mom and dad's funeral?"

"nope. there wasn't even a funeral. but even if there was, i wouldn't have gone. i'd feel too neutral. you're not supposed to feel fucking neutral at your parents' funeral." i replied.

"i see. kinda sucks that you got completely kicked out, like, only a week before they died. weird, isn't it?" molly said.

"i don't know if i'd say weird, per se, but yeah. it sucks." i replied.

and somehow, in perfect timing, after i replied, purple rain by prince started playing. the one song i'd always play for myself when i was sad.

"oh, shit! i always play this song when i'm sad." i said.

"really? that's impressive! it's not that easy to play." molly replied.

"well, i'm not perfect with it but i can do it pretty nice." i replied back.

we sang it together for the next 8 minutes. probably the best i have ever felt.

i was next to my sister, for the first time in 12 years, singing purple rain. i was happy.

we made our first stop. it was to eat some lunch in a cafe. honestly, it tasted pretty damn good.

after about three hours, we made it to LA. and oh my god, it was fucking gorgeous. i only had one goal though, to get that guitar.

"you ready to go in?" molly asked.

"ready as ever." i said.

as we entered in, i saw it almost fucking immediately.

a fender jaguar, in 3 color sunburst, for $800.

"hello! how can i help you today?" asked the cashier, who was very eager to help.

"hey, i want that fender jaguar, the 3 color burst." i said.

"well, d'you wanna plug it to an amp first, to hear what it sounds like?" he asked.

"uh, yeah! sure." i replied.

i plugged it in and fucked around for a few minutes, before saying, "i'm taking it."

"alright, great! let's get you set up." he said, before taking me to the register.

"do you need a case? a strap?" he asked.

"um, yeah, i think so." i said, and he took out a hard case and a fender strap.

"put it on my card." molly said.

"wha- no way! you're not paying for this." i replied.

and before i knew it, boom! she already paid for it.

"what the hell, mols?" i was chuckling.

"listen, the moment you said you wanted to go out here to buy it, i immediately thought i'd buy it for you. you fucking deserve it, okay? and i have a few more surprises for you, but that's near the end." she said.

WHAT MORE COULD SHE POSSIBLY SURPRISE ME WITH?!?

anyways. we drove to the hotel, went to the arcade for a few hours and then went to eat dinner. and i guess that's where my first surprise was, because mei was there.

"MEI?!" i yelled from excitement, and immediately went to kiss her.

"hi, honey! i missed you." she said.

"what are you doing here??" i asked.

"well, your sister wanted to surprise you, so here i am." she said.

"are you gonna be with us the rest of the trip?" i asked.

"mhm!" she replied, kissing me!

i was so fucking excited. 

"i got you two a separate room." molly said.

"awesome!" i replied, and molly gave me the key.

i had brought a tablet that was big enough for both me and mei to watch stuff together. so of course, i used it. we ended up falling asleep in each other's arms.

and that was the night.