Devildice - rewrite

Vacation

Today is Friday. I finish my classes; thankfully, I only had three to attend. I made it home not too long ago. I see Bruce sitting in the living room, gaming. He stares at me as I cross the room to the stairs. The tension feels strange.

I reach my room, thankfully empty, and sit on my bed, pulling out my phone. It's about 1:30 PM, and I just received a message from Roper about the trip we're all going to take. He sent me a link to the hotel they are planning to book. The hotel is gorgeous! With all of us pitching in money, it really won't be too expensive. He mentions that since I won the most money, I deserve to have my own room, while the rest will share two other rooms, making three in total. That's perfect!

I text back, "That sounds perfect!"

"Awesome! We're leaving tonight at 7:00 PM. We'll meet at the Devil's Casino again and take Chloe's van to carpool there. It's going to be a great time. Pack your swimsuit, towel, two changes of clothes, and any other essentials. Don't overpack, as we'll have limited room in the car," he replies.

"Okay, sounds great! I'll see you guys then," I respond.

I get up from my bed, relieved to find a small suitcase that I used when moving into this house. I reach under my bed and pull it out. Laying it on the floor, I go to my closet and take out my swim trunks, three pairs of underwear, shorts, some pants, and three shirts, including a tank top. That should be good. I find a beach towel as well and neatly pack it into the suitcase.

I keep a box of essentials under my bed—sunscreen, travel toothbrush and toothpaste, lotion, and so on—and pack those into the front compartment of my bag.

I think that's pretty much it.

I receive another text from Roper. "Rooms are all booked; everyone is on board."

"Awesome! I'm basically packed and ready," I reply.

I zip up my suitcase, set it down on my bed, and sit at my desk to work on some homework in the meantime.

A few hours pass, and I finish up the last few questions of an assignment, slide it back into my folder, and put it away in my school bag.

I head downstairs, and with the kitchen to myself, I make some rice, chicken, and veggies while keeping an eye on the time.

After dinner, I see it's 6:15 PM. Alright, time to head out. I'm feeling so excited! I grab my suitcase from my room, head downstairs, and out the door to my car, load it into the back seat, and begin my drive to the casino to meet everyone.

After a twenty-minute drive, I arrive around 6:35 PM—a bit early, but that's okay; I like being early. I park my car and see that nobody else is here. I'm sure Devin is inside, probably getting ready.

I get out of my car and head indoors, scan my ID, and head to the bar but don't see him anywhere. He's probably in his room getting ready. I wish I had his number to contact him.

I head back outside and see two people walking toward the casino. I make out who they are: it's Devin and Trinity.

I make my way over to them. "Dennis! Hey!" Devin yells from a distance, waving.

I wave back, and we meet up. "You're here early," he says. "I was just here to say goodbye to Trinity for the trip, just dropping her off at her car."

"Oh, that's cool. Did you guys go on a date or something?" I ask.

"More or less," Trinity replies, turning Devin's face and kissing him passionately. I feel a little awkward watching, but she breaks away and waves. "See ya around, Dev," she says, strolling to her car and getting in.