[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Boy was I wrong, when I said early would, probably, be noon! I was rudely awoken this morning, around 5:30, by Nick rolling me off the bed and onto the floor. Mason was woken the same way, and we were ordered to get our ‘lazy butts up and ready’. After dressing and grabbing our things, Mason and I headed toward the lobby area. We were greeted by Anthony’s mom, who ushered us into a small dinning room and served us a hot breakfast, before we started loading up.

Anthony gave me his e-mail address and phone number, so that we could keep in touch. I wasn’t sure that we would become friends, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with having an e-mail buddy. While I was stuffing his information into the pocket, of my backpack, his sister, who I found to be his twin, ran up and hugged me. I’m not exactly sure why she did it, but whatever…chicks are so weird!

Howie and AJ had been discussing the route, all through breakfast. Since AJ couldn’t see well, out of his eye, Howie would be taking over the driver’s seat, with AJ as the ‘co-pilot’. So that left Nick and Kevin, in the middle, while Mason and I shared the very back seat.

“I’m bored.” Mason sighed, shifting in the seat, next to me. It was, now, nearing 11, and we had just gotten, back, on the road, after our third stop. We’d probably be stopping, again, in an hour, to eat. I let out a sigh, as I realized that this little road trip was going to take forever. At least there hadn’t been any major arguing, not yet anyways.

“Entertain yourself, Mason.” Kevin turned around, obviously, hearing Mason’s complaint. I doubt that Kevin knew what result would come, from his words. Looking over, I saw Mason shrug his shoulders and slump against the window. Trust me…he wasn’t the only one that was, insanely, bored.

“Ninety-nine bottles, of beer, on the wall…” I couldn’t help, but smirk, as Mason began to sing, softly. “…ninety-nine bottles, of beer…”

“Stop.” Kevin glared, over his shoulder. Wow, that didn’t take long. I had expected Mason to, at least, get through a verse, before his dad would get annoyed.

“Oh he isn’t hurting anything, Kevin.” Nick rolled his eyes, putting down his book. I gotta hand it, to him, Nick is pretty hard to annoy. Sure, when I’m in one of my…uh…moods…it’s pretty easy to upset him, but annoying him…that’s a task. Kevin grunted, slouching, in his seat.

“…take one down, and pass it around…ninety-eight bottles, of beer, on the wall.”

“Ok…enough, now.” You could hear the annoyance, in Kevin’s voice, as he turned around, again.

“I have to say, I hate that song, too.” AJ voiced, from the front. “Nick always annoyed the shit, out of me, when we were younger, by singing that song. Unfortunately, he made it to the end, every damn time, too.” Seeing AJ lift a brow and look at Nick, I turned my eyes, to Nick, too. Sure enough, Nick had a satisfied smirk, on his lips.

“I’m with you, on that.” I grinned, putting away my player. Alright, so this was just going to make it worse, but I couldn’t help myself. “This one is so much better…” I cleared my throat, and began to sing. “John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt…his name is my name too!”

“Whenever we go out…” Mason and Nick piped up, together. I could see AJ pursing his lips, trying not to laugh, as he looked at Kevin’s face.

“…all the people shout ‘There goes John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt’…” Nick, Mason, and I, were now singing together. What I wasn’t expecting was for AJ to go in, on the…

“LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!” The four, of us, tilted our heads, back, and screamed. We tried to control our laughter, as our voices lowered, to a whisper, “John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt…his name is my name tooooooooo! Whenever we go out…”

“Enough!” Kevin’s voice boomed, filling the entire van. Unfortunately, for him, it went ignored.

“…all the people shout ‘There goes John Jacob Jingle Heimer Schmidt’…” We were now bobbing our heads back, and forth, as we sang.

“STOP IT!!” He was getting angrier, by the moment, but as long as Nick and AJ were singing, I wasn’t about to stop, either.

“LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!” The whole point, of the song, was to see how loud, you could scream that part. Now, if you ask me, we were doing pretty darn well, at it, too!

“Shut…UP!” This time, his hands flew in the air. The van went silent, for a moment, but only a moment.

“Okay…fine. Look. We’ll cut you a deal…” Nick shifted, so he was facing Kevin. His face was straight, and serious. “I’ll pick one song. If you just deal, with it, once the song ends, we’ll stop singing. Just…one…song.”

“Damnit…fine! Just get it over with!” Kevin crossed his arms, and huffed. That was when Nick got the grin, on his face. AJ must have seen it, because he let out a loud groan.

“I think you just sealed a deal, with the devil, Kevin.” AJ looked back, raising a brow.

“It’s only one damn song.” Kevin looked, directly, at Nick. I think he was trying to emphasize that only one song would be permitted. Mason and I looked, at each other, as Nick nodded his agreement.

“This one might be a little before your time, boys, but it’s easy and you’ll catch on fast.”

“This can’t be good.” Howie finally spoke up, shaking his head. He, and AJ, must have known what was about to happen. Nick cleared his throat and I leaned forward, interested in the events, about to take place.

“Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis…” Nick grinned wickedly before breaking out into full song. “..the song that never ends!”

“FUCK!” Kevin screamed.

“Told you so!” AJ shook his head. I looked, at him, with confusion. A song that never ends? That was pretty good. I’m not, at all, surprised, coming from Nick.

“Yes, it goes on, and on, my friend…” Snapping his fingers, and bobbing his head, Nick continued on, with his song. Obviously, Nick hadn’t made this up, because Howie and AJ joined in.

“Some people…started singing it, not knowing what it was…and they’ll continue singing it forever, just because…”

“NO! Damnit, not again!” When I saw Kevin slap his forehead, I knew that a similar experience had happened, in the past. This comes as no surprise, either!

“This is the song that never ends…yes it goes on, and on, my friend…” Okay, now, I see how this is repeating. It’s a continuous loop, and that’s why it never ends. How cleaver is that? Who comes up with this stuff? Well…whoever it was…I commend them! I will have to burn this song, to memory, for use, at a later date! I wonder how long it would take me, to drive Morgan crazy, with this song?

“I’m warning you!” Kevin had on his toughest, meanest, look. Somehow, the others didn’t seem to be phased, this time. Maybe it was because…statistically, Kevin was out numbered. If push came to shove, Kevin would lose, by a landslide. Not to mention, we were in a van…how much damage could he, possibly, do, in such a confined area?

“Some people started singing it…” I felt confident, enough, to join in, now. Mason was, still, sitting there, with a bewildered look. Poor kid was, probably, afraid, of his father’s head exploding. Crap…and I’m sitting right behind him!

“I said shut UP!” Kevin’s voice couldn’t get any louder, as his rage became obvious. We really were pushing our limits, with this one. To think that Nick, was the one who, started the song!

“…not knowing what it was…”

“DAMNIT!”

“…and they’ll continue singing it forever, just because…”

“I…SAID…ENOUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!” That did it. The van went dead silent, as we all looked around, at each other.

“You are such a kill joy!” Nick huffed, crossing his arms. At this, very, moment, he reminded me of a child. His bottom lip was stuck out, in a pout, and his brows were furrowed. He looked like his dad just took away his favorite toy.

“Aren’t you a little old, for this shit, Nickolas?” Kevin’s scowl deepened…which I didn’t, even, think was possible. How could one man, be so serious? Everyone needs to cut loose, sometimes…right? Here, I thought that party helped, to loosen him up…boy, was I off!

“Chill out, Kevin.” AJ came to Nick’s defense, turning to face us. “We were just having a little bit, of fun. The whole trip doesn’t have to be silent, you know.” Shaking his head, he rolled his eyes, at Kevin. It was obvious, that Kevin did not appreciate the gesture, because he, immediately, had a finger pointed, at AJ’s face.

“You keep your nose out, of it, Alexander James!”

“You know what…you’re a fucking dick.”

“Let’s not start.” Howie’s voice was, surprisingly, calm, as he tried to intervene. Leave it, to Howie, to be the voice, of reason. “This isn’t exactly the time, or place, for you two, to have at it.”

“He’s the one who started it!” AJ turned, to Howie, with his eyebrows furrowed. “You know…now that I think about it, he always starts it.” Crossing his arms, he huffed, leaning back.

“You have some real nerve, Alexander! How dare you speak, to me, like that?!?” Kevin’s voice roared. Mason, and I, slouched, in our seats, pretending not to exist.

“Funny, ‘cuz, I thought I was talking to HOWIE…not you! What is your issue, anyways?” Tilting his head, AJ was actually keeping an even tone, to his voice. “Not everyone likes to spend every, waking, moment, in utter silence and boredom!”

“I asked you, all, to stop. Common courtesy says that when someone asks you to stop…you STOP!” Kevin’s voice was still, much, louder than AJ’s, and it was dripping with irritation. Who knew that some simple singing, would cause such a problem?

“Do you hear yourself?” Furrowing his brows, Nick weaseled, back, into the conversation. “I mean…honestly…you’re throwing a temper tantrum because we were singing goofy songs. How old are you? To think, that you complain about me acting childish!” That sounded like a valid point, to me! Somehow, I didn’t figure Kevin would think so.

“Ok…let’s not bicker.” Howie’s attempt, to intervene, proved pointless. I could, practically, see steam rolling out, of Kevin’s ears. Glancing, at Mason, I sighed. This really was going to be a long trip. The passing scenery, suddenly, seemed so interesting. I could hear their voices continue, to bicker, as I just stared out, the window. Have you ever felt like you just wanted to disappear?

“Shit.” I mumbled, just wishing I could melt, into the seat. Evidently, my mumble wasn’t so quiet, because Kevin’s booming voice, immediately, penetrated my thoughts.

“Nice, Nickolas! I see how well your parenting skills are working! Did you just hear that? HUH? Did you?!? Baylee should have never been entrusted, into your care! Now, my own son has been exposed to your sorry excuse, for guardianship!” This has got to be as bad as divorce. I feel like I am the cause of every fight…how fair is that? It seems like they use me, to attack each other. Heck…I’m not sure if that even makes sense. Maybe, I should look into counseling, for myself! I should call Morgan…she’s good at that whole psychology thing.

“Wow…a little harsh, there, Mr. Druggie?” AJ jumped, to Nick’s defense, again, before Nick got the chance, to reply. I could see the hurt, on Nick’s face and I felt bad, for him…heck, I could relate, on that level, too. Why does Kevin attack him, all the time, like that?

“Oh look who’s talking! You’re a crack head and an alcoholic!” Okay…the blows were hitting lower, and lower. The whole thing was getting out of hand, and it seemed like they were, just, doing whatever they could, to hurt each other. The conversation didn’t even seem to have a direction, or purpose…but, I guess, fights never really do have a purpose.

“Excuse me? I’m recovered and I’m sober, thankyouverymuch! Not that we can say the same, for you!”

“He’s been sober, for years, and you know that Kevin.” Nick’s voice was, surprisingly, low, as he was, now, coming to AJ’s defense.

“That’s it…this is ridiculous!” Howie grumbled, as I felt the van swerve, sharply. My hands, quickly, went to brace myself, as the van flew down the ramp, into a rest stop. Howie slammed on the brakes, causing us, all, to jerk forward. “Everybody over the age of 15…get out!”

“What the…” AJ started to object, but was cut off, by a stern look, from Howie. Slamming the driver’s door, Howie motioned for the rest, to join him, a few feet away from the van. Mason, and I, moved up and sat on the floor, of the van, letting our feet stretch outside. We sat there, observing the scene, as Howie spoke up, again.

“Get it out, of your system, because we aren’t going anywhere, until you’re done bickering!” Turning, on his heel, Howie stormed toward the van. His eyes were narrowed, and he looked just as mad, as the others.

“You aren’t going to help us, here, D?” Whipping around, Howie came face, to face, with Nick. Right now, I could be at home, with my friends and enjoying my break, but NO…instead, I am here, watching a real life soap opera. You know…I hate soaps…aren’t they mainly for chicks? I continued to sit on the floor, of the van, my shoulder leaning against the sliding door, with my heels resting on the pavement. Leaning my head, against the door, too, as I watched the drama, continue to unfold.

“No, Nick…I’m not! I am so sick of being the ‘peacemaker’! All these years…I have spent trying to keep the peace, in this group, and let me tell you, it has gotten really old! I think it is way past time, for you, all, to work shit out…on your own…without me, to coach you. Good luck.” My eyes followed him, as he got back into the van. He flipped open his cell and tuned out the surroundings.

“This is going to take a while.” Mason huffed, crossing his arms, too. He was right, of course. There was no end, in sight, to this argument. They never seemed to gain any ground, when they fought. It wasn’t like they were resolving anything.

“We might as well get comfortable, Mase. If we aren’t leaving, until they stop bickering…we’ll spend our whole Spring Break, in this stupid rest stop parking lot.” I groaned, at the thought. Who, the heck, wants to be at a rest stop any longer than it takes, to pee? Not me! These places are creepy. Do you have any idea the messed up things that happen, at these places? My shoulders shuddered, just thinking, about it.

“This sucks. I’m hungry, too.” Moaning, he rubbed his stomach. I looked up at the threesome that was, now, not only bickering, but randomly shoving, too. It was mostly Kevin shoving Nick…but then AJ shoved Kevin, telling him not to shove Nick. Rolling my eyes, I pulled some granola bars that Morgan sent, from my bag.

“Here, Mason, this should hold us over, for a little while. I really don’t think lunch is in our, near, future.” We both ripped open the small packages, and settled in, for a long wait.