18 Years

My First Road Trip: Part II

Sebastian
The unexpected is what makes up memories
-Anonymous

After the whole parking lot scenario, we checked into a cheap motel and crashed. All of us were so exhausted from driving, besides me. I basically slept the whole time in the car so I was wide awake. All the lights were turned off and the curtains were drawn. The small motel room was cozy, and Beij and Clyde were snuggled up on the couch. They were in the middle of watching an episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia when they passed out. Clyde's toned human arm was protectively wrapped around Beij, who was making small sounds in her sleep. To be honest, they looked pretty cute together. I got out my phone, snapped a picture, and shoved it back in my hoodie pocket. I've been randomly taking photos the whole time, tying to document my first road trip the best I could. I walked over to the mini fridge, grabbed a carbonated water and a pack of cigarettes, and went out to the small balcony. I smelled the fresh air, and closed my eyes. I heard the patio door open a moment later, seeing Beij's pink fingernails beckoning me back inside. I guess those two were up, and we still had to pack up the van to get going again. We dragged our belongings to the parking lot, and I dropped my suitcase right on my toe when I saw it.
A human woman was being pushed around by these two guys, and it looked like they were trying to grab her purse. I stood in shock, my body not knowing what to do but my brain kicked in.
"That lady is being mugged!" I pointed and shouted. Clyde and Beij looked up, and in a split second Clyde has transformed into some godly vampire creature. Something in his mind clicked, like when a mother's baby is trapped under a car and some impossible adrenaline kicks in and she lifts the car off the baby, y'know? Large, tough looking wings spread from his back, and his shirt tore when they sprouted. He stepped off the ground and swiftly flew over to the scene. I heard him shout something, and then I ran over to him. One of the guys was being held back by the other, and I yanked Clyde's shoulder back. I yelled "Stop!" but there really wasn't any use. I could hear Beij's frantic voice piping up behind me too. The two guys eventually ran off after Clyde cursed them out a final time. His wings folded in, and he began to settle down. I helped the woman up from the ground, where she was pushed away by one of those guys. She let out a strangled cry and ran off, scraping her knee even worse. My hood had fallen down, and my big clunky horns were out in the open. But yet I still called to her.
"Ma'am! Please come back!" I cried, cupping my hands around my mouth. It was no use. The fight was over, everybody go home. Beij was checking Clyde all over like a concerned parent, and Clyde looked pretty stunned. I shielded my eyes from the sun and looked around, hoping not to see any unlucky bystanders. I swiveled around, spotting what appeared to be a middle school boy dropping his groceries all over the place. He had definitely seen us. Oh good Lord. He jogged towards us, in his hand a large sheet of paper. I sat there, puzzled by him. Why in the heck was he coming over to us? He didn't even look scared. Once he got closer I could see his facial features better. Bright purple hair, Indian-looking, and a little pudgy in the middle. What I thought was an oddly sized piece of paper was indeed a Twilight poster, and he was beaming from ear to ear.
"OHMYGODTHATWASAMAZINGCANYOUSIGNMYPOSTER!!" His phlegmy voice screamed in a cringeworthy high pitch. All of his words strung together, and once he was done rambling he gulped for air. Clyde gave him a I-literally-hate-you-so-much-but-I-pity-you face. The kid introduced himself as Frank, who was surprisingly 21. He persuaded Clyde to sign his poster, and I started warming up to him. He looked pretty dorky, which I related to a lot. He had these awesome shoes that had bright green laces, which I really wanted to compliment him on. He told us that he wasn't staying anywhere, but he was boarding buses to get to New England. Obviously, like the good Samaritans we are, we let him travel with us. We loaded up the van and drove for awhile until we could find another hotel by nightfall. Frank sat next to me in the back, and we chatted about the monster world and our hidden neighborhoods. He knew all about us, and he's researched us since he was a freshman in high school. He also told me where he got his shoes, which was totally cool. I guess you could say I was geeking out because I'd made a new friend, who was also a total geek.
About eight hours later, we were tired again. The sun was setting and Beij was dozing off in her shotgun seat. Clyde was still singing along to the radio, which Frank thoroughly enjoyed.
"It's like he's got this awesome soul voice," Frank whispered to me, hidden in the small blanket fort we made in the back of the van.
"I know right! That's what I said!" I whisper-screamed at him. Sharky won't believe it!
We chose a hotel, and got settled in right away. We all had to share a room, which was fine with me. Clyde hummed in his sleep and Beij made those cute little noises. It really calmed me after the whole day of driving and that fight. We got ready for bed, and soon everyone was asleep. I rolled over in my boxer shorts, careful to not disturb my friends. I carefully snuck out of my bed, stepping over to my suitcase. My bare legs, arms, and chest were freezing when I wasn't under the covers so I decided on a t-shirt. I grabbed a pack of cigarettes, looked back at the lumps of Beij and Frank, and climbed to the roof by the fire escape stairs. I sat there, cross legged on the roof, smoking my stub of a cigarette and thinking about the trip so far. The moon was brighter than usual, and the stars shown bright like little flashlights in the sky. My weirdo crush feelings for Clyde has simmered down, and I felt a little homesick. I dialed my mom's phone number.
"Hey mom, just wanted to check in. Everything is going great! We met a new friend, perfectly safe and harmless! Anyway, love you and see you in a couple of days! Lots of love to dad too." I left a voicemail, knowing that they were asleep. I looked into the night sky, blowing a smoke ring at the moon.
"Hey Sebastian, didn't know you were up here." A familiar voice spoke behind me. It was Clyde, wrapped up in some of his bed sheets.
"You're welcome to join me." I smashed my dead cancer stick on the roof and smiled. He sat down next to me, sharing his blanket with me. He offered me a drag of his fresh cig, which I gladly took.
     "What's wrong?" Clyde asked, reading my mind.
      "I just feel like you're uncomfortable around me," I admitted. I awkwardly told him about my bisexual tendencies and I never really realized  if he was okay with it or not. He looked me straight in the eyes, his long eyelashes blending in with the night sky.
     "I would never be uncomfortable with you. And I've kind of noticed you checking me out, and I'm honored." He looked down with a smirk, and let out a chuckle. He didn't even mind me icing his back bruise or anything? We "bro-hugged" and continued chatting. By the time we were done, the cigarette was the length of my fingertip and the moon didn't shine so bright anymore. I didn't expect this conversation, or any of the things that went down today. But now I have so much more memories, and I'll try hard to never forget them. I also had about fifty blurry pictures on my phone, which would help with remembering.
-R