Sunshine City (Petekey)

VIII.

~

I was smiling as they drove through Maine, playing games with street signs and playing music.

"S... Uh, Subway sign over there," I sipped his milkshake out through the straw and pointed over at the yellow subway billboard.

Pete groaned and focused his attention back on the road. I chuckled and propped my feet against the dashboard, leaning my seat back.

"T..." Pete murmured. "Target sign in the distance," Pete motioned to the sign in the distance. I cursed under his breath.

"Where am I going to find a U?" I rolled his eyes, grumpily. "Can I just say 'UWalmart or something?"

"Maybe we'll pass an Umbrella store," Pete suggested. "Why am I helping you?" He added, scoffing in disgust. "You're my enemy."

"You're being a little ridiculous," I rolled his eyes, grinning over at Pete before closing my eyes. "That's not even the right name..."

"Looks like your out of luck, Storm. Does this mean I win?" Pete's teasing voice drifted over to me.

"I'll find a 'U' sign soon enough," I murmured. "Are we almost at the hotel? We barely made any stops today and I'm tired," I added.

"Calm down, little baby. We're almost out of Maine," Pete rolled his eyes.

Little baby? What the fuck? Pete had never used that term before...

"Okay. I just wanted to get out Maine soon. Some of those power lines were connected to Canadian towers and I was getting charged more for texting and calls," I replied.

"We'll be out of Maine in no time," Pete promised. "There'll be a nice hotel waiting for us, and everything. It'll be great."

"Okay," I replied. "I found a 'U'. There's a U-turn sign over there," I leaned forward, pointing at it, earnestly. "Try to find a 'W'," I smirked.

"That's easy. I just have to find a Walmart," Pete winked back.

-

"See, Mikey? What did I tell you? Nice warm hotel!" Pete grinned, proudly, placing his hands on his hips. "I did good, didn't I?" His smile grew.

"It's very nice, Pete," I agreed. Of course it wasn't as fancy as some of the hotels we stayed at in New York, but it wasn't as shabby as some of the ones we stayed at in Maine. I was very happy.

"The night is just getting started, Mikes. I haven't had a chance to try out my new fake ID yet. Not even in New York!" He pouted. "Maybe some other day. How about it, Storm? Ready for some bar-hopping?"

"Pete, you're nineteen. You're not old enough."

"Storm... Fake IDs," he repeated. "We can get through, I promise. It'll be fun! Just me and you drinking beers and wines. Well get drunk on the night and it'll be great!"

"I'm not very comfortable with this," I murmured. "I don't want to go bar-hopping. Just go have fun without me, okay?"

"I don't want to go without you," Pete pouted, stubbornly. "Please come with me?"

"No, thank you," I replied, shaking my head and curling up on one of the beds, grabbing a book and my glasses.

"I'm not wasting my fake IDs though," Pete murmured. "I'll be back by eleven-thirty, I promise."

"Okay," I nodded. "Please be safe, Pete. Don't go crazy and don't drink more than you should."

"Okay, okay, he nodded, grinning in anticipation. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done," he waved me goodbye and before I knew it, the door had slammed shut and I was left alone in silence.

-

I read my book in silence and it felt nice. It also felt a little bit lonely though. I hadn't had a moment without Pete for a few weeks now and I kind of missed his company. I missed his late night stories and his on-the-spot fables about the places we'd visited that day. He'd tried to convince me that the Ruby Tuesdays we ate at in New York City was haunted and of course I saw right through his stories.

The silence was deafening now, and I yearned for the time when Pete got back. I just missed his noisiness and constant talking and I guess I was about scared of being in a strange town all by myself. I worried about Pete a little bit. I hoped he would hopefully be responsible and not do anything horrifically stupid. I missed home a little bit too. I missed my mom and my brother. I didn't miss my father though. I wouldn't care if I never saw him again which was just my luck because I probably wouldn't ever see him again.

It was approaching eleven o'clock by the time I started getting a little bit sleepy. I set my glasses and book on the night table and went to go brush my teeth. I came back and curled inside my covers, trying to wait for Pete to come back.

He eventually did come back, but he wasn't alone.

I heard the rattle of the doorknob and I looked up just in time to see Pete dragging some girl who was giggling, behind him. They fell onto the bed smiling and laughing and then they increased.

"I'm going to show you a good time tonight, baby," I heard Pete whisper. I groaned softly and put my pillow over my ears, trying to block out the unwanted sounds.

I heard the girl giggling again and I squeezed my eyes shut. I did not need this right now. This was supposed to be a nice, relaxing night in New Hampshire. Not listening to Pete fuck some one-night-stand he found in a bar. This could only end badly. Probably for me too. As they started moaning, I winced as I heard her start to wine Pete's name and I got up, finally done. I didn't have to listen to this anymore. I picked up Pete's keys from the table and shoved them into my pocket.

I closed the door quietly behind me so I wouldn't disturb either of them too much. Although it looked like not much could break them apart any time soon.

I went down to Pete's car and lay down the blankets I had brought with me in the backseat. I tried very hard not to think about what was happening in that hotel room.

-

Hey y'all.

Can't think of anything to say.

Oh well. It's 12 am. Good night