Riptide (An Emblem3 Fanfic)

Chapter 18

I couldn't wait. After I got home last night I threw everything into my bag, scrambling to pack. We were hitting the road early because we wanted to get there as soon as possible. Even the fact that I was up at 5 am couldn't piss me off. I skipped over to the closet and leafed through my remaining clothes. Most of my shirts were dirty and sitting in the hamper in the corner. I scrunched my eyebrows, contemplating each outfit choice. I was about to just wear something off the floor when the dark shirt caught my eye. I smiled, tugging it off the hanger and pulling it over my head. I walked over to the mirror and grinned down at the t-shirt. Pennywise. I love them. I've worn this shirt so many times that it smelled like me. Not my dad. I liked that though. I could wear it without thinking too much about him.

I glanced at my hair while I was at it. It looked pretty good, thank god. Getting up at 5 in the morning can do some unfortunate things to one's hair. I grabbed a black Obey hat from Adrianna's dresser and walked down the stairs. Owen was already downstairs pouring a bowl of cereal. He gestured to the box and I nodded. He filled up a bowl of Captain Crunch. I grabbed the milk from the fridge and poured it over Owen's cereal before doing my own. 

I sat down in front of my bowl and dug in immediately. I started laughing. Owen looked at me.

"What?" He asked, a curious grin forming on his face.

"I haven't had this in so long." I scrunched up my face while chewing. He laughed at me.

"Why are you making that face?" He asked me, his shoulders shaking slightly from laughter.

"I forgot how much sugar was actually in this." I told him, still chewing. "I don't know how I was able to stand this." I swallowed. He pushed a box of Cheerios towards me.

"Here you go old lady. You can switch if you want." I shook my head at him, grinning.

"Haha, no way!" I shoved the Cheerios away and took another spoon full of Captain Crunch. I finished my bowl of cereal in time to hear a soft knock on the door. Adrianna ran down the stairs and opened the front door. Drew and Wesley sauntered in to the foyer.

"Sup guys?" Wesley's smile lit up the entire room. It was also contagious. In no time at all I felt a smile forming on the lower half of my face. Wes glanced around the house and focused on Owen sitting at the table. Owen's face stiffened and he crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't say anything. I slapped him on the shoulder. He glared at me, and I jerked my head in the direction of the door.

"Hey guys." He spat out monotonously. He didn't make eye contact with any of them. Guys can be so irritating. I rolled my eyes and got up to go greet them. 

"Hey guys." I smiled warmly at them. Wes pulled me into a hug. Over his shoulder I saw Owen squinting at us. He looked at my bag on the floor.

"Hey, I’ll put this in the car for you." He stuck his tongue out at me, smiling at the same time. It was ridiculously adorable. He was ridiculously adorable. I still couldn’t believe that I knew him. He was literally perfect. I've never met a guy like him before, and if I had, there's no way they would give me the time of day.

Owen was staring at me. I walked over to him angrily. His gaze shifted to the place where Wes was standing. "Dude. What is your problem?!"

"I told you already. I don't like that guy." He said simply. That just made me angry.

"Well you're going to have to get over it." I said plainly. "You're not even going to have to see him. Keaton's pretty chill." I told him. He just shrugged. I had a feeling he was keeping something from me. "Wow. You really don't like him." I stated. "Why?"

"Seriously, Avery? You really need to ask that question?" He stood up, dropped his bowl in the sink and made a beeline for the door. He bumped into Adrianna on the way out and didn't even look fazed.

"What's his problem?" She asked looking out the door at her brother.

"I have no idea." I told her. "He just flipped a shit on me about Wes." She made a face.

"Wow. That’s not really like him." She said. "Just ignore him. He'll leave it alone eventually. Maybe they just need to spend more time together. Owen should get to know Wes a little better."

"That sounds like a good idea. Wes seems to be pretty cold towards Owen too." 

"What is with guys? They're so confusing."

"Yeah." I smiled at her. "You and Drew seem to be happy together." I smiled at her and she punched me lightly. But I saw her smiling. 

"Yeah. He's great." I could literally see her mind turning. "We went to lunch the other day, and then he took me to the park. It was really sweet."

"AWW!" I couldn't bottle up my excitement. I was so excited for her. I pulled her into a huge hug and squealed. "I'm so happy for you, you deserve it." I said as Drew and Wes shuffled back into the house.

"Ayyy! There's my two favorite ladies!" Drew said tucking both of us under each of his arms. I laughed and rested my head on his shoulder for a second, laughing. "This trip is gonna be so chill. I'm super pumped." Drew said excitedly.

"Well then I guess we should get going!" Adrianna said. Keaton was standing outside the car, leaning on one of the passenger doors. He was wearing the beanie Adrianna and I got him for his birthday. He smiled when he saw us. Adrianna and I ran over to him to give him a hug.

"Hey guys!" He said holding a travel bag. Adrianna and I squeezed him to death. This kid was too adorable. " I just met Owen. He seems pretty chill." He smiled genuinely.

"Well at least one of the Stromberg brothers can tolerate him." I sighed.

"What do you mean?" Keaton asked me confused.

"Wes can't stand him." I admitted hesitantly. Keaton frowned.

"Awh." He said. "He seemed like a nice guy." He sounded disappointed in his brother. I just shrugged. 

"I don't know. They're just really cold towards each other all the time." 

"Did you try asking Drew what's up?" Keaton said putting his hand on my shoulder. I shook my head. "Well I can try to find what's up." He told me.

"Thanks Keats." I said. For a 15 year old, this kid really knew what he was talking about. Drew must have been rubbing off on him.

"Woo! Let's get this show on the road!" I heard Drew say. I grinned and we hopped into the car. Drew got in the driver's seat, and Keaton rode shotgun. I sat with Wes in the first row, and Adrianna sat with Owen in the backseat.

My excitement skyrocketed as we pulled out of the driveway. The drive to Los Angeles was only 45 minutes, but it felt like hours before we actually got there. When we finally did get there, I couldn't un-glue my eyeballs from the city. I rolled down the window and rested my head so it hung out the window. I felt the cool wind in my hair and I rolled my head over so I could look up at the sky.

The sun was rising over the hills and light up the entire city. It was gorgeous. I couldn't wait to get out and experience it for myself.