Potholes

Chapter 70 As told by Rowan

"Sleep well?" I asked Parker as she slid the door closed.

After several minutes of rifling through the junk in the back of the van I was able to dig out a few camping chairs and a propane stove that looked like it would blow up if you looked at it wrong.

"Yeah, you?" She replied.

"It was alright. Although I couldn't get to sleep until Emmet was finished professing his love to you."

I was still looking at the book in my lap, but I felt Parker's eyes widen.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She did this several more times, the movement reminiscent of a codfish.

"We- well, I at least, saw this coming you know? You guys weren't all that subtle," I said.

"Do you think I should talk to him?" Parker asked.

"How could you not?" I replied, "you can't ignore each other when you're cramped together in the van."

"You're right, but-"

"Goooood morning!" Eva yelled, swinging open the door. Her bellow shook the trees, disturbing a group of birds.

"Sleep well?" Parker asked, turning her attention away from me.

"Ya, but I'm hungry, do we have any food?"

"I think there's still some beef jerky and a gatorade?" I suggested. Eva grimaced and made some sort of noise between a gag and a scream of horror. I assumed she was not fond of the proposed breakfast.

"I need to shit in the woods," Eva remarked before disappearing into the surrounding forest. A guttural scream of horror resonated through the campsite before Eva ran out of the woods.

"Poison Ivy!!!!" She screamed in agony.

"Well this certainly puts a damper in the morning affairs," I said as Hayden and Emmet emerged from the van, looks of concern on their faces.

"Eva?" Emmet asked.

We all watched as Eva ran around the campsite.

"Hold on a moment, I have some calamine lotion in my bag, I'll go grab it," I said, calmly walking into the van. I returned to the scene, lotion in tow, and handed the bottle to Eva who promptly took it back into the woods.

"Anyway," I said, reverting everyone's attention to me, "we should find something to eat."

" Is Cody coming with us?" Hayden asked dubiously.

"Um, I believe so, we're taking him to California, right?" I asked the group.

"That was the plan," Eva said, stepping out of the forest.

"What's the plan?" Cody asked, walking over to us.

I saw Hayden narrow his eyes, but disregarded it.

"I think we're gonna find something to eat, then head to the coast," Emmet said.

"Let's go then," I said, ushering everyone back into the van.

"That is unless anyone needs to go to the bathroom, although I can't say that's an advisable course of action."

We all piled into the van once more and pulled out of the campsite in search of sustenance. About fifteen minutes on the road, Eva, now at the wheel, screeched to a halt.

"Kitten!" Eva shrieked.

"Oh god," I heard Parker sigh from the back.

Before I could fully register the situation, Eva was hauling a flea ridden, malnourished, decrepit kitten into the van.

"No." Hayden said, "I will not share a space with that disgusting animal."

"Oh come on, be nice," Eva laughed, holding the kitten up to his face. He recoiled back, almost falling out of his seat.

I was silent. From the front, Cody craned his neck around to look at the kitten. Pausing momentarily to gaze longingly into Eva's eyes

"I think it's a cute little brug," he said, petting the kitten.

"See, Cody Thinks he's cute," Eva said, still tormenting Hayden with the kitten.

"Sure, now surfer dude's in charge," Hayden grumbled.

I turned to him, having heard the remark, but he was slouched in his seat.

"It's Parker's van, I think she should decide what animals stay in it," Emmet contributed. I agreed with him.

"I guess it can stay," Parker said, "but if it poops in here, it's gone. And you're cleaning it up," she added, looking at Eva, who then enthusiastically nodded.

After the kitten debacle was settled and we had obtained breakfast, we were back on the road, hoping to make progress towards our final destination: CaLi.