Unconditionally

Chapter Eleven

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed." -Carl Jung

At midnight, we finally decide to stop the driving. We agreed not stay at any expensive hotels since we all don't have tons of money. Carter and Ashton are sharing a motel room across from Haze and I. The motel is very different.

The bed that Haze and I are sharing is puke green with faded white pillows. The carpet is striped and the walls have stains. Truthfully, I'm scared to even sleep in here. The man who gave us our keys was eye raping Haze. I really don't want him sneaking into our room.

Haze drops her bag on the ground and sighs loudly. I close the bedroom door, making sure to lock it securely.

"It's not that bad." Says Haze. She looks at me over her shoulder and gives me a forced smile.

I scoff and place my own bag on the small wooden desk. This room seems to have come from the 70's.

"Are we really considering sleeping on this bed?" I ask her in disgust. Haze rolls her eyes and unzips her bag. She takes out a t-shirt and some sleeping pants.

"Where else are we going to sleep," She asks in mock amusement. "In Ashton's Jeep?"

I nod my head; the idea seems to be more appealing than this room. "I wouldn't mind." Haze laughs and walks into the bathroom. Before she closes the door, all I'm able to see is a green toilet. I shake my head at the tacky colors. While Haze changes into her pajamas, I change into mine. I put on my black sweatpants and my gray tank top. The one good thing about staying in this room is the A/C is pumping. Goose bumps cover my arms and I rub my arms to bring some warmth.

Ever so cautiously, I walk to the full sized bed. I lift up the green blanket to see stains. I shake my head as images on how those stains were formed pop in my mind. Don't they wash the blankets here? Haze opens the bathroom door and sighs.

"They bathroom isn't better." She tells me.

I put the blanket down and sit on it. I will not have that invested comforter over my body tonight. Haze turns off the light before lying down beside me. The only light source we have is her phone. I just sit here in silence, watching as she checks her Instagram and email. A few minutes later, she sighs and locks her phone. The room is pitch black dark. There aren't any windows in our room so you can't even see if a hand would be in front of you.

A yawn escapes my lips and I try to get comfortable in this bed. I stare at the ceiling in boredom. Minutes past. Seconds past. When Haze starts to softly talk in her sleep, I know I won't be able to sleep. I gingerly get out of bed, not wanting to wake up Haze. I head to my bag, which sits on the desk, and grab my phone and wallet. Who knows? There may be a vending machine. I carefully close the motel door, hoping I didn't wake up Haze. I look to the right of me to see a vending machine shining brightly at the end of the hallway.

I smile and head over there. Standing in front of the machine, I look at the different food items. Everything is pretty much junk food. Chips, candy bars, and five-piece gum. I open my wallet and pull out a dollar bill. Someone snatches the bill away from my hands. I whip my head around, ready to mouth out the money stealer, although the words die down on my lips.

Ashton stands in front of me shirtless, wearing a pair of flannel pants, smiling at me. He waves the bill in a mocking way. I scowl, trying to keep my eyes only on his green ones.

"Can't sleep either?" He asks me.

I nod my head and take my dollar bill back. I stick my tongue out. "Money stealer." Ashton laughs and leans against the vending machine. I try to ignore him as I put the dollar bill in the slot. I wait for the quarters to fall out but the dollar bill comes back out. I purse my lips and put it back in.