The Dropout

Thursday

"Da da da da da dum dum da. Da da da da da dum dum da..." No amount of water could soften the sandpaper-like vocal chords Annie possessed. Marley decided to sit this sing-along out, and kept her eyes trained to her book, thankful they passed a drugstore where she bought some Dramamine. Her stomach growled under the radio and Annie's voice, lunchtime just around the corner. For breakfast the two girls settled for the lobby muffins leftover by the staff, the only options being raisin and plain. Marley couldn't help but glance out the window once in a while, keeping an eye out for any fast food restaurants. "From me, to you!"

"Annie, please, we don't have the money to pay for any windows you shatter," Marley spoke up turning the page. Her stomach growled a little louder, Annie's singing absent to cover it up. 

"You're one to talk," she muttered with a smirk. "So. Who are you eyeing?"

"Eyeing?"

"Yeah, who's got your attention?" Annie elbowed Marley, making her lose her place on the page. She brushed her hair out of her eyes with a huff. "In the band. AC/DC, you know."

"None of them," Marley replied, scanning the page for her line."They're not exactly my type."

"Oh please, they're our mothers' types, though they'll never admit it." Marley shook her head with a smile. "Oh come on, every girl in the country has a thing for one of them, I've got a thing for all five!"

"Annie, the only thing I've got my heart set on is a bowl of macaroni and a plate of chicken, not some man in a band I've never met." It was Annie's turn to shake her head.

"You're impossible. Oh well, I guess you don't want to see the second part of your surprise then," she sighed dramatically. This caught Marley's attention. Annie shimmied in her seat looking smug.

"Second part? What second part?"

"You don't want it, so it doesn't matter!" 

Marley was getting concerned. Any surprises from Annie had trouble written all over them. "What second part?"

"You didn't think I just got tickets, do you?" Annie asked waiting for an answer. When it didn't come, she turned her signal on and continued. "I thought it might be rad to check out behind the scenes, and maybe get an inside look at how it's done." Raising an eyebrow, Marley set her book down on her lap. The car slowed down for a stoplight. 

"How what's done?"

"The band! Music! Albums, tours, you know I want to be a musician!" Continuing down the road, Annie suddenly took a look next to her. Marley tried to get back to her book, finding it difficult to concentrate when a pair of eyes were on her rather than on the road. "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly. Her cheeks burned a fiery red. 

And Annie noticed.

But as she was too distracted by the incoming fast food restaurant to their right, she didn't mention it. "Hey, want to grab a bite to eat?" 

"Please," Marley replied, glad to get off the subject. Her stomach growled again, a bit of hunger pains growing. Tucking her book back into her purse she pulled some money out, counting a few bills. "Just don't order the whole menu, or we won't have enough for a good motel."

"Are you kidding?" Annie asked zooming into the parking space, narrowly avoiding a little red car. "We're growing women, we're on an adventure!" She turned the car off and threw her seat belt behind her. "We need a feast!"

Marley was about to protest, before her stomach growled again.

"Not bad," Annie mused. "Not quite as good as the one in town. But edible." She took another note of her sandwich and grabbed her napkin. "You gonna eat that?" she asked pointing to Marley's side salad.