Road to Rockdale

Chapter 8 - Calm Before the Storm

SKYE: I am going to fucking murder all these tourists.

She lays on the horn.

SKYE: MOVE, ALABAMA! It's a roundabout, not a stop sign!! Jesus.

"And everyone thinks I'm a bad driver, psh."

SKYE: I'm not a bad driver, I just don't have patience for IDIOTS!

She honks some more, and after exiting the roundabout, we zoom past the SUV and Skye throws a finger at the poor vacationing family like the queen of road rage she is. Maybe I should've driven.

She parks at the Sandpiper Beach boardwalk, and as we get out of the car to join the horde of tourists going to buy overpriced flip flops and eat frozen seafood at chain restaurants, I imagine myself walking with Liam. We're on our first date, and it's a perfect 70 degrees with a light breeze. I introduce him to the best boba of his life (or at least the best boba in Coconut County), we play some arcade games and I kick his ass at skeeball, then we walk out to the pier together to take in the most stunning sunset to ever grace Sandpiper Beach. We have a deep conversation till someone says something funny, then we start acting like goofs. One of us casually grabs the other's hand, there's some flirty banter, then out of nowhere, the PERFECT kiss to top off the night-

TOURIST: EXCUSE ME!

I snap out of my trance to see an old man in a speedo yelling at me. Ew ew ew, don't look, don't look.

TOURIST: I SAID, EXCUSE ME!

"Uh, what?"

TOURIST: Do you know how to get to the beach?

Major facepalm moment.

"It's literally behind you."

He turns around.

TOURIST: Oh! Well you don't have to be so rude about it.

He scowls at me then walks away. Thanks for ruining the moment, ugh.

"Tourists are the worst."

SKYE: That's the spirit. Spoken like a true Floridian!

We reach our sacred hangout spot, Spill the Tea, and Connor is waiting out front with his foot kicked up against a column. He's furiously tapping on his phone.

"Hey-"

CONNOR: Shh! I'm trying to take down this gym.

Skye and I roll our eyes.

SKYE: Pretty sure you're the only nerd keeping Pokemon Go alive.

CONNOR: If that were true, I wouldn't be battling some noob from Team Mystic right now, would I? And you play too!

SKYE: Only because I got tired of you pestering me to download it. Come on.

He groans and pockets his phone, and we all head inside. After ordering our drinks, we take a seat in our usual corner by the front window.

CONNOR: Okay, so what's the deal with your grades?

SKYE: He didn't tell you?

CONNOR: No, I was waiting to catch up after Nubber's class but he mysteriously disappeared, remember?

SKYE: You would've seen him had Katie not whisked you away immediately after the bell rang. But Isaac, where were you, anyway?

"Sorry, I was- I had a thing."

CONNOR: A thing?

They look at me all sus. I'm not good at keeping secrets and it's obvious.

"Just- it's nothing, okay? Um, but yeah, so, I fucked up on an exam and it was apparently a pretty important one."