Best Friends Forever?

Chapter 5 - Journey from Hell:

Chapter 5 - Journey from Hell:

To describe the car journey there as awkward would be the understatement of the year, beyond our parents dreadful singing to old ‘80s songs, the atmosphere was like that of a funeral.  I mean, I knew this was going to be the trip from hell, but this is simply ridiculous, how can one guy supposedly hate me that much that he can’t even look at me let alone speak for the three hours we are crammed together in the back seat of Mrs Fetchers eight seater?

To make matters worse, that pest that I am forced to call my brother wasn’t even there to lighten the mood, instead I was forced to suffer through this thick tension in the back of the car. The only contact I had from Ben was the occasional instances when our shoulders would lightly graze as we were jolted about on the road, even then he would do his best to move away, like I had some disease he knew about and no one thought to tell me.

When ‘Living on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi came on the radio next, I had reached my breaking point. I could not take any more of this dire situation and instead decided that the best course of action was to try and get a little shuteye; worse mistake of my life.

At some point I guess I must have faded out, because next thing I know the car has come to a halt and the sun gleaming through the windscreen is blinding my groggy eyes. That’s not even the worst part.

Looking around to take in my surroundings, I notice that the beady blue eyes of Ben Fletcher are sharply staring at me, with a scowl plastered across his face. It is then that I notice I had made the worse mistake of my life. In my tired and sleepy state, my head had involuntarily slipped onto the solid, yet very comfortable, shoulder of Ben, who, to say was not amused by this is to put it lightly.
I quickly lift my head away from him, in the process flinging my skull off the all to close window. Smooth Samantha, very smooth. With potential concussion, whiplash and a major dent in my ego, my cheeks take that exact second to replicate a tomato, just my luck.

In an attempt to hide my embarrassment, I resolve to looking out the window at the passing traffic zooming past our vehicle before we too start to move off again. Great, more time to spend trapped here with Ben, perfect. It is then that I notice Ben, ever so casually, lifting his hand to his shoulder and swatting away any last traces of me that had been left on his shoulder. Well, I guess whatever my mystery illness is, is contagious.

I choose to ignore his rude gesture and remain focused on the road. Had someone have told me three weeks ago that Ben and I would be reunited, he would be hot and we would be heading to Aqua Dream together I would have never believed it and never thought it possible. Now that it was happening, and I was mere inches from my former best friend, I found myself wishing that it hadn’t. He was nothing more than a self-righteous jerk now, all be it a handsome self-righteous jerk. Okay, I need to stop calling him that, so what if he is the hottest guy I know, he is still a jerk?
***