He drops the bag and turns to face me. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, dealing with my dad can be a bit difficult.”
Alex chuckles. “You’re kidding, right? Your dad wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s cool. I don’t know if I’d let my daughter take off on a weekend camping trip with a bunch of dudes.”
I shake my head. “Me neither. My parents are crazy.” We both laugh.
“I’m still surprised Stephanie convinced her parents to let her go. I thought she’d be the one to stay behind.” He takes my hand and we walk back up toward my house to say goodbye to my parents.
“Me too. But we all did it. We’re all going.”
“We’re gonna have a blast. And then it’s gonna suck because I have to drive up to school when we get back.”
“Let’s not talk about that now. Let’s just forget about it and have fun,” I tell him, as if that’s really going to happen. Like I can forget he’s leaving, again.
When we finally make it on the freeway, heading north on the 15, we’re only a half hour behind schedule. We would’ve been right on time if Keesh hadn’t packed her whole bedroom. It took what seemed like hours in the blazing sun for the guys to rearrange the gear so that Keeeh’s stuff would fit.
“Are we there yet?” Stephanie asks, from the backseat.
I laugh at her. “It’s only been an hour. Try that again in about five.”
“I know, I’m just bored already.” She gestures over at lifeless Dominic.
Alex smiles at her through his rear view mirror. “The big guy can sleep anywhere.”
“Tell me about it.” She pulls out a book and settles herself with her back against the door, and her feet in Dom’s lap. He doesn’t budge a inch.
I’m playing Words With Friends with Andi—who is in Ben’s car behind us—when my phone rings for the first time. “Hi, Dad.”
“How’s it going?” he asks.
“Good, we just passed Kramer Junction.”
“Did you stop?”
“No, we didn’t need to.”
“Okay. Call me when you make your first pit stop.”
“Sounds good.”
He lingers on the phone in silence.
“Okay, Dad, I’ll call you.”
“Bye.”
I look over at Alex. “Well, he lasted a lot longer than I thought he would.”
He nods.
Back to my fake Scrabble game. Andi is killing me with some made up words. There should be a rule. If you’ve never in your life used the word in a sentence, you shouldn’t be able to play it. What the fuck is qua? What does that mean? I’ve looked it up and I still don’t get it. I’ve never heard Andi say it in conversation. Not qua, qi, or qat. If I need to use a Q word, I always hold out for queen, or quite, or something that makes sense. Words With Friends should block that shit.
A honk snaps me from my concentration. I glance out my window and do a double take. Bare asses are greeting me.
“Oh crap, babe, look.” Steph shakes Dom awake.
Alex is cracking up and I’m still in shock, although I shouldn’t be.
I press a button and my window slides down. “Josh, your ass needs some sun.”
He sticks his head out his window and yells, “I know. I was trying to get a tan.”
“I should moon them back,” Dom says, his voice raspy after having slept for a few hours.
“No, Meggie and I will do it,” Steph says, as she jumps over his lap.
“I’m not flashing my ass at them.”
She starts tugging at her shirt. “Just lift up your top.”
I glance over at Alex, and he’s still chuckling.
“Fine.” I flip the shoulder part of my seatbelt behind me and push myself up on one knee.
“Ready?” Steph shouts. “On the count of three, we flash, and Alex honks. One. Two. Three.”
Here it goes. I flash my boobs to my friends in the car beside us. Ben swerves and almost hits our truck. Andi’s face looks panicked. Keesh has her hand over her mouth. And Josh and Travis are pumping their fists in the air.
“What did you do, Meg? Ben almost caused an accident,” Steph asks me.
“Same thing you did. I flashed them.” I sit back in my seat, and pull my seatbelt on correctly.
“Just your bra, right?”
I whip around to look at her, my face heating up to about a thousand degrees. “No, you said to flash them. You didn’t say to fake flash them. You left your bra on?”
“You didn’t?”
Dom busts up laughing, “I should’ve been in the other car.”
Alex joins him. “Me too.”
By the time we make it to our campsite in Mammoth, we’ve made two pit stops. Once to eat, and another to pee. And each time, I called my dad to give him an update. I told my mom I can’t believe he’s freaking out. I’m almost eighteen. She said it wouldn’t matter if I was forty, he’d still worry about me. Cute, I guess.
“Let’s go for a walk so we can see where the bathrooms, showers, and stuff are before it gets dark,” Ben says as everyone piles out of the cars and stretches after the long drive.
“Who needs bathrooms? We can just change right here. We all know Meg’s not shy.” Josh is shaking with giggles.
I roll my eyes. “Isn’t it getting old already?” They cracked jokes about my Playboy pose and porn star status at both stops. I was hoping they had forgotten by now.
Alex tosses an arm over my shoulder. “Oh, I think you’re in for it for a while.”
“Yup,” Josh says, “it’s not getting old anytime soon.”
Keesh smacks him in the chest. “Okay, dumb ass. Let’s go.”
Ben and Dominic walk ahead as we follow them on the trails around the campsite. This is one of the few with showers. Though, it might be better to just put on some deodorant and call it a day. The facilities are kinda lacking in luxury.
We’re all quiet as we walk around, taking in the vast scenery, listening to the crunch of gravel under our shoes. The trees are enormous, tall, wide, and lush with branches, leaves, and some with needles. The smell of the fresh air is cool on my nose. It’s all so much bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced.
“This is beautiful,” Steph says, looking in all directions.
“Dude, it totally is,” Andi agrees. Travis pulls her close to him and kisses the side of her head. The two of them have to be the cutest couple I’ve ever seen.
“Alright. Now that we know where everything is, let’s get back to camp and set up the tents.” Ben dishes out orders like an expert camper.
We survive Operation Tent Construction with only a few cuts and bruises. Josh almost lost an eye but that doesn’t count since it was his fault he was playing with the poles. He was fascinated with their flexibility and one kind of bounced back into his eye. After screaming like a little girl, flushing it with water like he got some kind of chemical burn, and then putting ice on it, he seems to be fine. Those poles are dangerous though. One snapped back and scraped Alex’s leg, and another one smacked Keesh in her arm.
Just as the sun starts to disappear, two fully constructed family-sized tents stand before us.
“Okay, how about we unload the bags now. Put your stuff in your tent and don’t leave any food around.” Ben continues to lead the group and we all do as we’re told.
Dominic whistles to get everyone’s attention. “Don’t open any bags of food you’re not going to eat. Bears can smell that shit and we’ll end up having unwanted visitors.”
“Don’t they have those bear-resistant containers here? Or aren’t we supposed to tie the food high up in a tree?” Travis asks.
“That’s dumb,” Keesh tells him.
“Dude, it’s true. I’ve read about it,” Andi comes to his defense.
Just when I thought all was good, now we’re worried about bears. Maybe we should’ve gone desert camping. No. Then, we’d have to worry about snakes.
“Travis is right. Most campgrounds have meta
l storage containers. I didn’t see them around here so when we’re done eating, we’ll pack everything up and put it in the back of the truck. With the lid on, it should be hard for bears to smell anything.” Alex has a good plan. Sounds easy enough.
“We also need to put all our deodorant, toothpaste, and lotion in there. Basically, anything with a scent,” Dom adds.
“I guess we should throw Josh in there too,” Travis jokes.
Josh bats his lashes at him. “Aww, you think I smell pretty?”
We all chuckle at the boys, before Trav says, “Dom said scent. No one said anything about you smelling good. If anything, your stench should keep all the animals away.”
Josh lifts his arm to get a whiff of his pits. “Dang, you’re right. We don’t have to worry about any bears tonight.”
Dominic and Alex have finished setting up the camping stove. It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It almost looks like a mini version of my dad’s BBQ grill. Of course, it only has two burners but Dom is laying griddles across the grill. Interesting.
“Hey, Steph. Can I help you with dinner?” I ask. Being that she’s the mother hen of the group, and the only one who really knows how to cook, she and Dominic volunteered to do meals. We all gave them money, and they did the grocery shopping. I have no idea what we’re in store for. Anything edible will be great because I’m starved. The jumbo package of gummi worms I got at our last stop didn’t do anything for my growling belly.
“Just relax, we got it.” She smiles at me and waves me away from her chef’s table and cooler.
I leave her to her business and join the rest of the crowd around a slow going campfire. Ranger Ben, as I’ve decided to call him, told the boys not to build a big one since we have to wait until it’s entirely extinguished before we can go to sleep.
Sleep? I thought we’d be up all night talking, having a good time. I’m not so sure now. It was a long drive, and setting up the tents stole all my energy. Not to mention this forest. It’s breathtaking and relaxing. The sound of nearby running water and the smell of pines could seriously put me to sleep.
Which is just what I’m about to do when I hear the faint sound of Steph’s voice tingling in my ear.
“Huh,” I mumble.
“Did you get a good little cat nap?” Alex asks me. Nodding off for just a bit and waking up to those gorgeous eyes makes me smile and sigh with content. I smile at him, and he takes my hand in his and brings it to his lips for a soft peck.
“You all ready to eat?” Dom calls out. He’s carrying a container while Steph has a hand full of napkins. She trots around handing one to each of us while Dom passes us a burrito.
Josh moans in delight. “This is bomb, Steph. You made these right now?”
I take a bite of my own and sigh once again. The intense flavor of spicy beef, beans, rice, and cheese dances in my mouth. This is delicious.
“No, silly. I made them this morning. All we had to do was put them on the griddle and close the lid until they warmed up.”
“Smart,” Ben says.
“That’s the key to cooking when you’re camping. My mom always makes our meals ahead of time, and then all we have to do is reheat them.” Steph looks very proud.
There’s silence while we all devour our dinner. The only sound comes from the crackling of the fire and the shuffle of Travis’s feet as he helps himself to seconds. It’s not long before the rest of the guys join him. I consider getting another but I’m not really hungry anymore. I want to taste the burrito more than I want to eat it. If that makes any sense.
After a few hours of talking about nothing and everything, we decide to get ready for bed. Since the bathrooms are barely big enough for three people, we make the trip in shifts.
Andi and Keesh are already in the tent when I get back to camp with Steph and Alex. We gather up any scented items and store them in the bed of the truck as planned. Ben and Travis have already cleaned up after dinner, stowing our trash away in the proper bear-resistant dumpsters, and they’ve put out the fire.
Dom throws out one of his big hands, grabs Steph by her waist, and hauls her in. “Goodnight, babe.”
He plants a hot kiss on her that makes even me blush. I glance up at Alex and he flutters his brows. I fan myself, jokingly, and he nods.
When Steph comes up for air, she mumbles a breathy, “See you in the morning.”
He slaps her on the behind and watches her sway her booty for his pleasure as she disappears into the girls’ tent—part of my dad’s orders.
Dom’s silly smile makes me laugh. He turns around to see us watching him. “What?”
“Nothin’,” Alex says. “Don’t let us interrupt your girly smile.”
Dom raises a brow at his friend. “Dude, want me to stick around for yours?”
Alex chuckles. “You got me.”
“Good night, you two.” Dom walks passed us and makes his way into the boys’ tent.
“So, we really have to be up at the butt crack of dawn?” I ask, jokingly, looking up into Alex’s dreamy eyes.
“Yup, butt crack for sure.” He closes the space between us and places his hands on my arms. “Make sure you girls don’t stay up all night talking. You’re gonna need all your energy for the hikes we have planned for tomorrow.”
“Maybe you should sleep with me and make sure I get my rest.” I tug on the waistband of his basketball shorts and pull him closer.
“Not gonna happen. I told your dad there would be separate tents. One for the guys and one for the ladies.”
“Technically, we do have one for each but it doesn’t mean we have to sleep in them.”
He lowers his head, and places his soft lips on mine. “Goodnight, Megan.”
I reach up and grab him by the back of the neck. One soft kiss just isn’t going to cut it. He doesn’t resist as I guide his face to mine and claim his mouth like it’s my very own property. Our lips smash together and our tongues mingle long enough for me to feel my heartbeat in every part of my body.
“Now that’s a good night,” I tell him, and I walk away, shaking my ass just like Steph did. I turn around to smile at him as I put one foot inside our tent. “That girly grin looks good on you.”
He shakes his head with a chuckle.
“Close the tent all the way, now that we’re all here,” Keesh says. “I don’t want any bugs to get in.”
“Did you all put some of that bug spray on?” I ask.
“Yes,” they say in unison. Ben brought more than enough cans for all of us to stay bite free for months. He takes this camping thing very seriously.
I remind the girls about getting enough rest and not staying up all night.
“Dude, don’t worry about me. I’m beat. I’ll be the first one out for sure.” Andi turns over on her belly, hugs her pillow, and closes her eyes. She means business.
“Me too,” Steph says. “We can talk tomorrow. I’m so tired. I should’ve slept on the ride over here like Dom.”
Keesh already has her eyes closed too. What you can see of them. She’s wrapped up tight in a mummy bag, and the only thing you can see is a tiny circle of her face. How she can sleep like that is beyond me. I’d feel trapped.
I unzip my sleeping bag and slide in. With blankets underneath us, the ground isn’t too hard and uncomfortable. “Fine then, party poopers, good night.”
I hear Keesh and Steph mumble something, but Andi is out.
I’m starting to fall asleep when I hear the zipper moving on our tent. Josh peeks his head in. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m sleeping in here,” he says, holding his pillow and dragging his sleeping bag in with him.
“No, you’re not.”
“Meg, there are four other big ass guys over there in that tent. There’s no room.”
“There’s four of us.” I gesture to the girls.
“Yeah, and all of you combined are like the size of two of them.” He drops his stuff between Steph and me.
Steph squis
hes closer to Andi. “Fine then, stay. Just shut up and go to sleep already.”
Fine. If Steph doesn’t see anything wrong with it, then why should I? I scoot closer to the wall of the tent, get cozy again, and pass out.
Hiking
The whisper of my name drags me away from my slumber. My body aches from sleeping on the hard ground. It wasn’t bad at first, but now my back hurts. My eyes squint against the brightness filtering in through our tent.
“Megster, you awake?” I turn my head toward the faint sound of my name. Startled to see Josh smiling at me, I close my eyes tight and pull my sleeping bag over my head. I forgot he stayed with us last night. “Get up, silly. I wanna play a joke on the guys.”
“C’mon, this is gonna be funny.” I peel the material back to see Steph leaning over him.
Keesh stands over us. “I’ll be back in two minutes with the others and a camera. This is going to be awesome.”
What do these crazy people have planned? It’s still early. Or I think it is. I’m not ready to wake up. I have a good hour of sleep left in me. “I don’t wanna get up. What are we doing?”
“It’s okay, just come on over to Papa.” Josh lifts his arm. “Come here. I’m gonna pretend to be asleep with you and Steph in my arms.”
Laughing inside, I smile as I scoot in and cuddle against him, resting my head on his shoulder. “You’re gonna look pimp.”
Steph lifts her head off his shoulder to glance over at me. “Look is the key word.” She rolls her eyes as she falls against his chest and fakes sleep.
“Shh,” he whispers. “They’re coming. Oscar performances, ladies.”
I don’t know how that’s possible since my body is already shaking with laughter.
“I had to get a picture of this and my phone died. I can’t believe I woke up to seeing those fools all snuggled together.” Keesh’s voice is getting closer along with the sound of several sets of feet crunching on the gravel.
We hear the zipper first. And then silence.
“Did you get a picture, Trav?” That’s Dom, but I don’t hear a response. Only a few giggles. “Okay. Do you wanna crack him first, Alex, or should I?”
Double Time (Double Threat series) Page 22