Ice Cream Adrenaline

2

"Could you check us in as unlisted?" Alex asked the person at the hotel front desk politely but so sleepily that he could barely concentrate on anything other than the fact that he would be sleeping soon. It was 3 AM, and Alex was finally tired.

The hotel room wasn't too nice, or spacious, but it was just what they needed until they found Nick.

Alex felt his phone go off in his pocket.

//UNKNOWN//:
Brief Encounters
Fresh Strawberries
JACQUELINE
Well That Was Easy
Missing You

"Guys, he's texting me again." Alex sighed from under the thin hotel blanket.

"What is it this time?" Bob asked.

"Here, take it." Alex rolled his eyes and shoved his phone into Bob's hands.

"Sounds like a farm party. A depressed farm party." Paul observed.

"Yeah, the strawberries, the garden, and the afterparty sadness, and the entire theme of Jacqueline..." Alex mumbled.

"How did he have this all planned?"

"Well, he has been here for two days more than us."

"That's fair."

"I'm gonna sleep for a couple hours, then we can look for information about said farm party."

"Sounds good, dude. I'm sleeping too."

The guys woke up at around 9. Actually, it was more like Alex woke up and jumped on top of Bob and Paul.

"Stop it!" Paul laughed and shoved Alex to the floor.

"Fine, but only if you get up!"

Bob was standing by the door, waiting for Alex and Paul to get ready. He was mostly annoyed, but still felt left out. It felt strange to move back from a town 3 hours away to find his best friend essentially ignoring him. Paul, who he met less than a week ago, was nicer to him than his elementary school best friend. And Bob knew that Alex would make new friends. The one thing that bothered him is that Alex had barely even talked to him this entire time.

"You guys ready?" Bob called to his friends impatiently.

"Yeah, just a few seconds!"

Paul actually managed to get ready in a few seconds, and in under five minutes, the guys were walking to the local library.

"If this party's real, and relevant enough for Nick to text us about, it's gotta be advertised somewhere." Alex theorized.

"There it is! I got it!" Paul shouted excitedly, flinging open the door to the local library to inspect a flyer.

HALLOWEEN PARTY!
OCTOBER 24TH
WEAR COSTUMES!!
OPEN MIC NIGHT!!
FOOD!! LOTSA FOOD!!
16 Cherryside Hill Avenue, an hour north of here!
5 - whenever PM

"I'll give them credit, they didn't have to be descriptive. There's probably no other road called Cherryside Hill Avenue." Bob laughed.

"It's open mic. Nick's gotta be there." Alex typed the address into maps on his phone.

"Bring your stuff, guys. I don't think we're coming back." Paul said quietly.