In the Pursuit of Mr. Reeves

Chapter 12: My Own Private Vegas

I know this chapter is shorter than the others but I hope you guys enjoy! 

He was still writing in that notebook. Peyton was extremely curious as to what he was writing. She respected his privacy but curiosity was killing the cat. The car had been driving for forever and they wondered how much longer the car could go on. Until, in Grand Junction, Colorado, they looked in the rearview mirror and Shane was waving. They all pulled over to the side and Mr. Wick got out, as well as Constantine and the others.

"What happened?" he called out.

"The car needs time to cool down," Shane sighed," I think it should only take a little while but-"

"Great," Constantine groaned as he threw his hands to the air," We have a short amount of time to get back and now we have to stop?"

"John, calm down-"

"FUCK!" Constantine yelled.

The whole crew decided that stretching their legs was the best idea. Peyton was checking on Harker's eye, which had been less swollen than the night before. Rupert and Ted were trying to hitchhike, their thumbs out on the road. Shane dragged them back and scolded them for doing so. Constantine and Johnny were checking the time, waiting for the truck to cool down. As the girl fixed up the young man's eye, she looked down the road and saw a motorcycle driving down the road. She stood up, realizing it was the same guy from the fast food place and the motel. She got out of the vehicle and walked up to Mr. Wick.

"I know this is gonna sound crazy," she said," but that guy has been following us since Gary. I don't know who he is but-"

When the motorcycle pulled behind Shane's truck, everyone held their breath. The crew watched as the man walked up to Mr. Wick. He was going to protect his crew from the mysterious person. When the man took off the helmet, everyone dropped what they were doing. They felt their hearts race and Mr. Wick looked down at the man. River gave a smile that they'd never seen before.

"You're the eleventh member," Utah gasped.

"Sure am," River sighed," I would've said something to y'all, but I guess I was nervous."

"I'm amazed that you're the one," Mr Wick mumbled," but..."

"River was a close part of Keanu's life," Peyton mentioned," They were best friends."

River gave a soft smile as he nodded to her words. The group decided to gather around as they heard his story. He lived in Idaho since the wish, but he felt as though going up North was what was best. So, a month before the group headed out, he started up North. When he saw them in Gary, he wanted to say something, but he was nervous.

"I saw her," he nodded to Peyton," And I thought you had an eleventh member already."

"Oh, no," she said," I'm just traveling with them."

"John? Are you crying?" Jack asked.

"What?" Mr. Wick's voice was rough as he wiped tears away," No, no, I'm okay."

The others smiled up at him. Now that they were finally eleven, the crew felt a sense of wholeness. Mr. Wick was so relieved, he felt his tears getting caught in his eyes. They offered River a ride with them. Shane put their new friend's motorcycle in the back of his truck and, finally, his truck was cooling down. And soon, they were on the road, with River in the van with the others. He was the icing on the cake. He was going to make Keanu very happy.

The crew was tired and, with four more hours to go, they decided that they needed a final resting spot. Vegas was perfect and it was settled that they would go to a nice motel near the heart of the city. River, Utah and Jack had grabbed a few bottles of vodka and brought them back to the group. Even Mr. Wick was alright with that, and he relaxed in his own room. Within the hour, everyone was sitting around the room, laughing and completely drunk. Even Ted and Rupert managed to sneak something to drink. Peyton smiled at all of the weird interactions and how Mr. Wick was just as drunk as the others.

"You know," she yawned," This is what I'm gonna miss the most. All of my favorite people," she ruffled Ted's hair and rested her head on Harker's shoulder," But this guy? This is my guy! My dude!"

"Radical," Ted laughed.

"Oh, let's not get all sad," Johnny looked to Constantine," We have...time..."

"Nah," Peyton shook her head," Tomorrow, I get on a plane and WOOP! I'm back to North Bixbay. Then it's back to Scranton."

Then the room grew silent. They realized that, now, their entire journey was over. All of their time spent together was coming to a screeching halt. And Neo was the first one to burst into tears. The others were quiet, but Harker was in deep thought. Afterword, everyone silently filed into their rooms and went off to bed. Harker, however, grabbed his book and walked to Peyton's bag and shoved the book in. As he laid in bed next to Rupert, who was silently crying, Harker tried to sleep with a lot on his mind.