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strawberry soda and pinky promises

The warm sun peeked over the horizon, illuminating the open road ahead of Rosie and her best friend, June. Blowing a strand of dirty blonde hair out of her face, Rosie gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter. Something inside of her refused to budge leaving an unsettling feeling of dread in her chest. She 'hoped to god' that she'll make it out of the journey feeling okay. After all, June pinky promised.

A small smile replaced Rosie's uneasy expression at the sight of June sprawled out in the passenger seat. Remnants of sticky gummy candies from their late night venture made themselves a home in the crevasses of her ring-clad fingers. June looked almost hopeful as she slept, a smile mimicking Rosie's evident on her unconscious face. She made sure to avoid the potholes in the worn highway so her friend could get a few more hours of peaceful sleep. She could picture the dreams running through June's head clearly; the two of them on a beach somewhere tanning in the warm sun, strawberry soda stained lips, and attractive men. Rosie laughed.

The past few weeks had been hard on her. Their senior year had ended and everyone received their acceptance letters to their dream colleges (or in Rosie's case-- a rejection letter). She's had her eyes on the beautiful city of portland since sophomore year. Unfortunately, she had been too focused on the death of her great-grandmother to properly focus on schooling. After hearing the news, June immediately announced the two of them were to go on a trip to her great-aunt's cottage which resided across the country. Rosie could still hear June's squeal as she planned the trip, "oh my god! we can buy matching bikinis and ooh- maybe get you a boyfriend!" Rosie laughed the idea off, switching topics to the important things like how they could possibly afford it with minimum wage-paying jobs. June ushered her to be quiet, insisting she'd been saving money for a trip anyway.

The two had been best friends for years. They've been through it all– the boy band obsessions, the oh-so-dreadful scene phase, and more arguments than they could count. Rosie loves June endlessly regardless of the bumpy road they've been on (--literally). The last thing she ever thought would happen was being separated after high school. June couldn't have another best friend besides Rosie, it defied the natural laws of, well, everything! It's always been 'Rosie and June'.

The unsettling feeling emerged in Rosie's chest once more. The thought of being stuck in her hometown her entire life made her sick. Maybe she'd have to move somewhere near June and get a job instead of furthering her education. Rosie grew warm at the idea. She may not get to become an editor like she's always wanted, but she could always open a business.

June woke up not long after Rosie pulled into a gas station, filling up the gas tank. She grinned, opening the door and stepping out to greet her best friend. "Good morning sunshine!" June spoke happily, giving Rosie an obnoxious slap on the back. Rosie narrowed her eyes at the gesture, shoving her in retaliation.

"How about we get breakfast and then you drive?" Rosie suggested, suddenly feeling extremely fatigued. June agreed, her expression much softer than before.

"How long have you been driving?" She asked, getting back into the vehicle. Rosie shrugged at her question, putting the keys into the ignition.

"Don't know, I was busy."

"Doing what?"

Rosie sighed.

"Thinking."