Mile 0-493. Chicago- Joplin. Day 0.

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An excess of free time in the summer, combined with the wealth of a social group and a desire for adventure, brought together a group of high school teens to embark on a month-long journey through Route 66. After a few swift calls from my best friend Gus, we learned that our cars were already waiting for us in Chicago, and a few days into summer break, we were on our way.

Gus greeted us outside the terminal in a beautiful Prevost H3-45 party bus, promptly dubbed the "Headquarters." He led us to a large garage where our rides for the month awaited us. I couldn't help but wonder how Gus had managed to convince everyone's parents to ship out ten supercars to Chicago, but that was just one of the reasons we all loved him.

As we approached the lineup of luxury cars, excitement pulsed through the group. Ava, a close childhood friend, and I climbed onto some girl's G-Class to survey the scene.

"Alright guys, let's go over this one more time. Gus goes in front, Ava and I trail him. Follow our lead, make sure we aren't too close to other cars behind," I instructed the fleet. "Drive carefully and check in on the radio from time to time."

With those words, everyone climbed into their own vehicle. Alex chose a 911 Turbo S, while his sister Maya opted for a blood red Ferrari 488 GTB. Ethan got into his dad's GT-R Nismo, which we had to modify with a restrictor plate to ensure he wouldn't crash before we'd even started.

The rest of the group climbed into Mercedes, Supras, and other high-end cars, most of them friends of the original crew who had been invited to join the adventure. As I climbed into my own car, a matte black Lamborghini Aventador, I felt a rush of excitement. This was the moment I had been waiting for all year, a chance to let loose and truly experience life.

I revved the engine, feeling the power of the car beneath me, before following Gus out of the garage and onto the open road. The wind rushed past me as I picked up speed, feeling the adrenaline rush that only comes from driving a car like this. We made our way through the busy streets of Chicago, drawing plenty of attention from onlookers.

Gus led the way, while some of Ethan's friends trailed a few hundred feet behind to give the rest of the fleet some breathing room. It was barely 4 PM, and the sun was still up. Our original plan was to drive until 10, then find somewhere to rest along the highway.

"Feels good to be on the road, doesn't it?" Ethan's voice came through the radio, and the rest of us cheered. Honks sounded in celebration as we officially began our journey.

"Don't jinx it. It's your life for the next month!" Ava replied, carefully driving beside me. Although she was no stranger to driving that 911, she was both excited and nervous to be behind the wheel of it now. After a few dozen minutes on the road, I gave her a thumbs up as we began to speed up towards the highway.

"Highway's coming up in a couple of miles. Remember to stay behind Gus, single file line. Let's not annoy anyone else on the road," I reminded everyone. We'd all done our homework, or rather, Gus had. He had made sure that we would spend the least amount of time possible dealing with the police during our journey.

As we merged into a single lane, I couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with my fellow travelers. We were all in this together, on a journey that would shape us in ways we couldn

"Highway in a couple miles. Remember to stick behind Gus, single file line. Don't be an annoyance for anyone." I spoke, as we all merged into a single lane. We'd done our homework, or well, Gus had. He was making sure the least ammount of us had to spend any time with policemen through the entire journey.

We were on the highway for a couple hours, the sun slowly set behind us, and the sky turned a deep shade of orange and pink. The endless horizon stretched out before us, and the scenery around us transformed from cityscapes to open roads and vast expanses of farmland. Silence wasn't an issue, as the radio channel quickly became more like a "Say whatever you want" chat once eveyone grew accustomed to eachother, sharing stories, jokes and of course, scolding Ethan any time his hand reached anywhere near his handbrake.

We followed Gus as he led us off the main highway and onto a small service road that wound its way to a gas station a couple miles from Joplin in Missouri. It was time for us to find a place to rest for the night. We all parked our cars in the gas station's lot, and Gus went inside to check in while we stretched our legs and chatted with one another.

We aren't sure how it started, but someone had apparently brought like 5 frisbees, and we promptly spent the next hour tossing the frisbees around, laughing and joking with one another. It was moments like these that made the trip all the more special. We were all friends, all in this together, and the open road was ours to explore.

As the sky darkened, we gathered our belongings and followed Gus to the motel he had booked for us. The motel was small, with a single row of rooms that faced a small courtyard. It was clean and tidy, but not exactly luxurious. Still, it was a welcome sight after a long day of driving.

We all settled into our respective rooms, which were arranged in pairs, and the exhaustion of the day quickly caught up with us. I paired myself with Ava for the night like we always used to. We'd even lived in the same room for a few months when we were younger and her house was being refurbished. She had always been there for me, despite the clear clash in our lifestyle and personalities. 

As I drifted off to sleep, my thoughts turned to Ava. I couldn't help but wonder if there was something more between us. We had been friends for years, but as we grew older, our relationship had started to feel different, more charged with possibility.

I shook my head, trying to clear away the thoughts. This was supposed to be a fun adventure with friends, not a romance novel. I shut my eyes like a finished book as I tried to wipe my mind clear if any thought related to the topic, but I couldn't get the sense od antidipation and excitement off my head.

After all, we're spending a month togther, something is bound to happen to at least one of us 10, right?

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