Summer Days to An End

Chapter VII.

The beginning of the second month of summer came just two days later, as the group was yet to begin their next set of activities for the coming four weeks. After much thought, all of them settled on the idea to travel further than their home city of Miami; the question was how this plan was to take effect.

However, a surprise meetup at Selah's house might just be exactly what they needed.

"Did she mention why she wanted all of us to come here?" Miyo asked as Leo rung the doorbell, shaking his head no whilst waiting for an answer.

"No, she just said she had something planned, and that we had to get here right away."

"Well, at least its an excuse to get out of the house, the anniversary of my dad's death is in two days, and my mom is a mess. Even poor Mari is devastated over it, and she barely knew him. I suppose it just never hit me as hard as it should have." Miyo lamented in a low yet audible voice, hanging her head solemnly as Leo made the effort to gently lift her chin with his hand, turning her gaze to him.

Nearly ten years before, Miyo's family had lost her father in a horrific car crash, and although she was known to be the closest with her father of their family, she had never shown any clear signs of grieving, besides the fact that the incident caused her to detest driving a car for herself.

"Miyo, you can't force yourself to feel something that you truly don't. It's okay if you don't feel the same way they do because regardless you still cared about him." He stated clearly as he pulled his hand away, and Miyo nodded her head at the exact moment that Selah came to the door.

"Oh, you two came together as well. Makes sense, you live in the same area after all. Come in, Finn and Lo are already on the couch." She spoke with a smile as she led them inside.

Though not as sumptuously done as Lo's, Selah's house was still a commendable place. On the inside, the walls featured neutral modernist artwork, all laid out on a contrasting gray canvas of a wall. In the living room, it maintained a homey setting, as pale brown sofas circled a white rug with gold trim, and a dark brown accent table rested on its surface.

"Okay, now that we're all here, let's get right into it," Selah started once they all took a seat.

"This week, my parents are away on a trip to visit some family, meaning that Jordan and I are here alone. However, since they'll be away, I think it's the perfect time for us to take our trip out of Miami." She explained, and immediately their eyes widened at her thought, although Selah was known to come up with bold ideas, none were ever as far out as this.

"What do you mean "the perfect time"? They don't even know you'll be gone, and it's such short notice. I mean, I'm not saying I wouldn't want to do it, but still." Lo interjected, despite her usual reckless nature when it came to opportunities such as this one.

"I say why not, all of us are at least eighteen except for Selah, so we're already adults. My only question is where would we go?" Leo chimed in, and in agreement the group began to discuss their choice of destination.

"Let's keep it domestic, so we don't have to worry about passports or money," Miyo suggested.

"California would have been nice, but it's too far to drive," said Finn.

"Wait, I've got it, let's go to New York City! We can find a decent hotel to stay in, and there are so many places that we could go to!" Selah exclaimed as she took a seat in one of the sofas with Lo.

"Good idea, and that's a better choice too. I drove there with my parents when I was younger, and it took just less than a day to get there." Lo added.

"We could split up the driving time too, I could drive first, then Leo, then maybe one of you girls could drive at the end." Finn followed as he ran his fingers over a mild stubble on his chin.

"I like that, just as long as I'm not the girl who has to drive." Miyo said, and immediately all of them understood what she meant.

"I'll do it," Selah started, and Finn gave her a grateful smirk, to which Lo was not pleased to see.

However, despite how much this gesture unsettled her, it reminded her about the key hints she had learned about the person Finn had feelings for.

She has dark hair, and is a close friend of his too. That means from what I know, it could be either Miyo or Selah, but would he really like someone in our circle? That seems too obvious, she thought, before pushing her feelings aside and reentering the conversation at hand.

For the rest of their time, the group discussed their plans and ideas for the trip, and by the time they all went home, they had all received their parents' consent. All but Selah, of course.

Regardless, two days later they all gathered at the front of Finn's house, the pale orange hues of the early morning sun dawning over their heads as they loaded all their things into his car.

"Okay, that's everything, are you guys ready to go?" Leo questioned as he closed the trunk of the car, and with Finn already in the driver's seat, the girls nodded their heads as they all took their seats.

"Good, then let's go." Finn answered as he started the car, and within a few minutes, they had driven out of the driveway and onto the open highway, as they set off on their route to New York City.

As arranged, every few hours a new person was chosen to drive, first Finn, then Leo, and lastly Selah. By the time they had driven for a total of seventeen hours, their destination was finally within their sights, as the bright, flashing lights of the famous concrete jungle welcomed them into its midst. For a few moments, they drove through the city streets, aimlessly turning around every corner as each of them basked in their surroundings.

"Lo, you can give me the directions for the hotel now," Selah spoke, and Lo nodded her head as she pulled out her phone and searched for directions to the hotel.

"We're actually really close to it, just make a left on the corner of this block and we'll be there." stated Lo as she pointed to the building, and Selah nodded her head as she made the turn a few seconds later, pulling up to the front of the hotel in the dark of the night.

"Selah, you girls should head on and check us in, Leo and I will park the car in the garage and take the bags up." Finn suggested from the seat next to her, and in agreement the three girls stepped out of the car as Finn moved to the driver's seat, walking into the building whilst the boys drove away.

"Nice choice Lo, this hotel is beautiful," Miyo stated as the three made their way up to the front desk.

"I'm happy to hear you think so, and with the help of my dad's card, it should be easy to get us a good pair of suites." Lo replied with a smile as she gave the concierge her name and information, as well as paid for their rooms.

"Alright Ms. Somerset, your rooms are 532 and 533. They are two suites each complete with two beds, as well as an additional bed which can be made into a couch. Here are your keys, and we hope you enjoy your stay here."

"We will, thank you," answered Lo as she took the room keys and turned away from the desk, and Miyo and Selah followed behind her as they headed for the elevator.

"Don't you think we should wait for the boys? I mean, just so they know what the rooms are?" Selah asked as they stepped into the chamber, whilst Miyo pushed the number for the floor level.

"They'll be fine, once they get inside they can call and ask us where to take the stuff. Besides, I want us to have enough time to choose the better room without them seeing." Lo chimed with a laugh, and eagerly the three of them stood in the elevator before the doors opened at last, walking out into the long, red-carpeted hallway as they indulged in the thrill of their newest adventure.

One that they would always remember, for reasons good and bad.