The Experience Buddy [Completed]

Chapter 4

Warning: Mild coarse language (one sentence)

After a couple of days of discussion over breakfast, lunch and dinner, we have finally settled on the final destination of our trip as Lake Tahoe. It will be almost a 4 hours drive from campus.

"We can leave on Thursday afternoon." Cheryl stated.

"Sorry, I have afternoon lectures on Thursday. You guys go on ahead and I will join afterwards." I told the group apologetically.

"You sure?" Nat asked and I nodded in reply.

"Call us if you can't find the place." Cheryl said.

"Skip class, your lecturer won't even know you aren't there." Hugh said in a matter-of-fact tone as he leaned back on his chair.

"That's you. Your lecturers don't even know you're from their class." Toby snorted. Toby's comments made Cheryl and Nat go, "Oooooo! Burn!" and Hugh pretended that he got shot in his chest.

"Our little scholar has to keep up her full attendance." Nat smiled like a proud mother would and patted gently on my head.

"I can pick her up." Hero offered all of a sudden. "There's some matters that I need to tend to beforehand. I can pick her up when I'm done."

"Am I hearing things wrong?" Hugh gasped as he put his arm around Hero, who looked nonchalant. "You've never offered me a ride before."

"That's because you need the exercise to purge all that alcohol." Hero patted Hugh's abdomen as he remarked.

"Girls nowadays prefer beer bellies over chocolate bars." Hugh retorted as he put Hero into a chokehold.

The playful bickering ensued for about five minutes or so, and stopped when we all had to split up to go about our own schedules. When I met up with Davin to go for class together, I wanted to ask him to join us on the trip but before I could, he was already filling me in on his plans with his family for Thanksgiving so the question never left my mouth.

"So my auntie Sally is going to make her classic chicken pot pie. It's the best!" Davin exclaimed, with a lot of his dramatic gestures as usual.

At the end of class, as we were making our way back to our dorms, Davin asked about my plans for the long weekend. So I filled him in about the trip to Lake Tahoe.

"Fraternizing with the Hero, I see." Davin winked and smiled at me cheekily.

"No...?"

"Beware of jealous bitches who might start pulling your hair out."

"What??"

-----

Trip D-day finally arrived and I only started packing that morning. I did not know where to start and what to bring. In fact, I have never been on a trip before. The only times I ever spent the night out was during school organized camps.

"Why are you packing like an elementary school kid would for a school camp?" Nat shrieked as she entered our room after she was done showering.

"Well..." I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed.

"What is this hideous thing? Where is your bikini?"

"Uhm, my swimming costume? I don't have a bikini."

"You can borrow mine."

In the end, Nat helped me with the packing and the room was filled with her shrieks every now and then. That would be the last time I saw Nat for the rest of the day as I left our room to attend the first class on my timetable.