The EPIC Road Trip

It had been a while since I got out of town and did something fun and crazy. Okay, that’s not entirely true. It had been about 6 weeks since I went to Seattle and spent that last insane weekend with Red aka Melina and did the whole BASE jumping thing, etc.. Anyway, it had been long enough and I was stressing from work. I decided I needed to break away for a little while and I wanted to take my brother with me. We both had vacation time, and both had been working our asses off, so we made plans to just go for it. I cleared it with Sam, and Embry and I took off the last day of March.

That was the same weekend that Claire was flying out to Colorado to see her dad for a week. My nerves were completely shot, and I couldn’t really think about anything other than her and how far away she was going to be. I know that her dad would keep her safe and I shouldn’t worry, but it’s kind of my job to worry, you know? I am the one that is supposed to take care of her and keep her safe, so when she’s a few STATES away, I get a little crazy and feel helpless. This trip would be a distraction for me as well as a hell of a good time.

So, Embry and I headed out of La Push, all stocked up on junk food and camping gear. We had been on Google for-freakin-ever that week, trying to make final decisions about where we were headed. We thought about going south down the coast to California. (Which will probably be my next road trip destination to be honest) We chose to drive into Canada and check out Whistler. It was supposed to have great ski resorts and all the sites we checked out kept pointing us there. Of course, we had 10 days of vacations. It would only take a day to drive up there. We could make a stop or two along the way, right? *smirks*

Seattle was only a few hours from us, and they were having a huge beer festival that weekend. Beer from all over the world. Samples, booths, wenches… and food. Honestly, I’m not that into beer. But I am into food and wenches. *grins* Embry and I spent the first Saturday there in Seattle hanging out and having a good time at the festival. They had bands and music there too, which was awesome. We mingled around, ate enough food for 10 people, and then decided we’d camp out that night. I love camping, and used to do it a lot as a kid. I haven’t been into it as much the last year or two, and I missed it. We explored around the city, checking out places we’d never noticed there before, and ended up in this park. There was a lake and it was quiet. They had people hanging out to fish and everything. Honestly, I’m pretty sure we weren’t supposed to be there camping, but we didn’t get caught. It was fun to hang out by the fire and talk about all kinds of crazy things, catching up with him. I can’t wait until this summer, so that maybe we can start having bonfires and cookouts and things again with the packs. This just made me miss it and remember how we used to do that all the time. We should all make time for it again.

The park we stayed at was close to Port Orchard, actually. Okay, It’s not like I could really come right there into town where Melina was and not stop by, right? >.> So, after a day of exploring the city a little, Embry and I went to Mel’s place for a visit. She offered to let us crash there for the night which was fine with me. Her place is comfortable for me, and it was raining, so I’d rather stay there than out in the tent that night. Embry went the guest bedroom, after Duke, her Great Dane gave him a grumbly greeting and stared him down for a while. Then I was getting ready to crash on the couch. It was awkward with us talking at first. I mean, after that last weekend we spent together in February, we had kind of said our goodbyes, so to speak. We left it open, but it was goodbye. She seemed happy to see me, though. She brought me a pillow from her bed and I was taking my shirt off, getting comfortable. We started talking a little bit, trying to break the ice and everything started coming back to me. I sat on the couch and looked up at her in that little shirt she was wearing and.. what can I say? Sometimes I don’t have that much self control. I pulled her down onto my lap and… we’re skipping to the next day. >.>

I meant to get up that morning early so that Embry and I could go ahead and head to Whistler. I ended up sleeping pretty late.. about lunchtime, actually. I woke up in her bed and went out to the kitchen, where they were both eating breakfast. She was getting ready to go to work. I said goodbye to her at the door, and she trusted me there to lock up after I took a shower and stuff, before leaving. I didn’t really say goodbye this time. We just have this “see you later” thing that we do. We did kiss goodbye. It’s not exactly in the rules for FWB’s but whatever.

Embry was a little pissed that I slept so late, but he was mostly mad that I stayed up most of the night, because I slept in the car for hours. >.> I guess he was bored and tossed Skittles at me in my sleep. He also swerved the car into the other lane, scaring the shit out of me in the process, just to be an ass and get me to wake up. It worked, but damn. It was a long ass drive, but it didn’t seem that bad. We were soon in Whistler, BC and checking out the place. We spent the whole next day snowboarding. The view was amazing, the snow was awesome and the girls.. There were a lot of girls there. Embry thinks that’s how it got it’s name.

We met these two girls who were staying at this ritzy little lodge. He called dibs on a blonde named Inga. Yeah, that was her real name. And she had the accent and everything to go along with it. She was Swedish and said his name all funny. He had a goofy grin on his face each time. “Iiiimbry” *laughs* There was a girl that I started talking to there, too. I saw her on the slopes, and then at breakfast one morning when we were scarfing down pancakes and bacon. Her name was Cassandra, and she only knew basic English words. I wished I had paid more attention in Spanish back in the day. The way she rolled her R’s got to me big time and she was very touchy and lovey on me when she spoke.. even if I didn’t know what the hell she was saying most of the time. And she had these lips, man.. they just. *clears his throat* I went up to her after breakfast and tried to turn on the charm. I guess the only reason she seemed to like me was because I was confident and I was far away from home, so I wasn’t really worried about what she would think of me or anything. I was just there to have fun, anyway. But she did seem to like me, and she talked in that heavy accent, speaking Spanish so fast that I only caught bits and pieces and words here and there, enough to KIND of get what she was saying. I did pick up on one word she repeated to me before she went back to the lodge, and that translated (thank God for Google) to “hot tub” or “jacuzzi” or maybe “bath”.. *shrugs* I was up for any of those. I had a lot of fun there in Whistler that week. I did a lot of snowboarding, but Embry and I also spent time apart, with the girls, exploring the city and having a good time. I really wish I could have taken Cassandra home with me to La Push. I could speak Spanish. I’m a fast learner & I wanted to keep her.

Everything on the road trip had been great. I hadn’t felt that relaxed and more like myself, away from the worries of wolf stuff back home in a long time. It was perfect, until… the last couple of days. That’s when the shit hit the fan. I could write a ton of paragraphs to explain it, but I don’t want to bore you, and I know I already have talked a lot.. so I’ll just show you the tweets, so you can really see what went down. We stopped at this bar to chill out and play pool before we camped for the night on our way home. We were still in Canada at this time, and… well…. Here it goes:

QUIL: *leans over the pool table, taking his last shot & then smirks over at@_EmbryC as he takes a sip of his drink* Looks like we’re about tied.

Embry: @_Quil_Ateara ::smirks, chalking his cue:: Yeah, yeah.. That last shot was lucky. ::moves around the table, lining up his shot::

QUIL: I hate to say it, but I think those two girls left.. *shrugs* It’s okay.. I didn’t like them as much as the ski girls, anyways.

EMBRY: ::follows your glance:: Yeah, I think you’re right. ::sighs:: Inga.. ::puts his cue on the rack, then finishes his drink::

QUIL: I know.. it was hard for you to leave her at the lodge. *smirks* Hell, I really miss my Spanish girl & I have no idea what all she said half the time.

EMBRY: ::smirks, grinning:: Gotta love those accents. I should really go to Sweden sometime.. >.> ::reaches in his pocket to get his wallet:: Ready, man? ::frowns, patting his other pocket:: Shit.. ::checks all pockets:: I must’ve left it in the car.

QUIL: Whatever.. you just want me to pay for the drinks. *laughs, reaching in his pocket for his wallet* ….. o_o Embry….

EMBRY: ::snorts:: Whatever, dude. I’ve got cash.. ::smirks and puts his glass down, finished his drink:: What’s up?

QUIL: I don’t have my wallet either!! -_- *growls* Don’t you see what happened?! Those two sluts robbed us!

EMBRY: o_o What?! ::checks his pockets again:: No.. NO. It’s gotta be in the… car.. ::thinks of the one girl loving all on him::

QUIL: They’re long gone. *rubs his hand over his face, thinking* I can’t remember if I put that emergency credit card in the car or not.

EMBRY: No, noooooooooo! -_- COME ON!! ::looks around the bar, trying to see them:: lets out a long string of curse words; presses the heels of both hands against his eyes:: This cannot be happening. Dude, I do not have an emergency ANYthing!! All my shit is in my wallet! ::thinks if he’s got any cash in the car somewhere::

QUIL: *slips out of the bar & hurries to his car, checking the glove compartment for the credit card; pulls everything out of it* NOOOO!!

Yeah, so.. -_- That happened. I can’t believe I let some girl steal my wallet. She had her hands all over me. Now I know why. Slut. Back to the story. We camped out that night after we left the bar. It was hard to go to sleep, when you’re mind’s racing, trying to figure how far you will get on the amount of gas in the nova, and how in the hell you’re going to eat with our kind of appetite when you have $5 and a quarter between the two of you. We were standing in line at McDonald’s when Embry said he was so hungry he’d phase and eat a squirrel if it ran out in front of him. That scared this little old lady in the line and I stepped away, trying to pretend like I didn’t know him. *smirks* This was going to be a LONG day and an even longer afternoon, trying to get back home.

My stomach growled in the car after that tiny little breakfast, and we were singing along with the radio, to take our minds off our bellies. I was singing “We Are Young” while hanging my arm out the window on the driver’s side. The next song came on, and before I knew it, Embry was belting out Adele at the top of his lungs, squeaking a little at the high notes. I gave him a look and he stopped, embarrassed. I asked if he wanted to sing anything else before I changed the song. He was blushing until he noticed that it was MY phone that was on shuffle, and Adele was my fault. >.> Okay, everyone loves her, so shh.

We were laughing until we noticed the gas light was on. We had hours to go and we were flat ass broke. What could we do? We had to stop and get gas, right? So.. we did what we had to. We pulled up to the gas station and here’s how it went down:

QUIL: *sighs, pulling up to the gas station* Okay, I seriously have a couple of dollars in change here in the car..

EMBRY: I’ve got nothing. ::shakes his head, sighing loudly:: What the hell are we gonna do? ::looks over at the pumps::

QUIL: *bites his lip, opening the door & looks inside, seeing the girl at the register* Okay, you fill up the tank. I’ll go distract her.

EMBRY: >.> ::is suddenly very shifty-eyed, almost crouching while he pumps gas; looks up at the sky for a second::

QUIL: *goes up to the register, commenting on the girl’s tattoo on the back of her neck* >;;.>;; *glances outside at you pumping gas*

EMBRY: ::taps his hand nervously, looking around:: >;;.>;; ::finishes filling the tank, glancing over at the gas station::

QUIL: *puts on his best little smirk, flirting with the girl who’s smiling at him, talking about her other tattoos*

EMBRY: ::finishes pumping gas, glancing constantly over at the station as he walks around to the drivers side, getting in::

QUIL: *isn’t paying attention, getting carried away talking to the girl and almost forget about you pumping gas*

EMBRY: ::starts the car, revving the engine once; sees you inside, not paying attention, talking to the girl:: -_- ::starts to pull away::

QUIL: *looks outside when the girl freaks out, saying someone’s trying to leave without paying for gas* o_o He IS leaving! *looks at the girl as he steps away from the counter* I should.. Go catch him!! *darts out the door, running towards the nova*

EMBRY: O_O ::reaches far over, holding the wheel with one hand; pulls the door handle with his other hand, still driving::

QUIL: *runs up next to the nova, placing his hand on the roof just long enough to make the jump, sliding down into the passengers seat*

EMBRY: ::guns it once you’re in the car, looking in the rear view mirror:: Holy shit! O_O ::peels out, flooring it down the road::

QUIL: *runs his hand through his hair* That was crazy!! Remind me to mail tattoo girl some cash. I feel bad, but we have to get home

I didn’t like stealing.. in fact, I felt really bad about it, and I did send some money to that place in the mail, just so you know.. >.> By later in the afternoon, I was starving and I didn’t want to have to dine and ditch or anything like that. Embry and I knew we weren’t going to be able to stand driving hours longer on empty bellies. We did what anyone would do in our situation. Okay, that’s not exactly true.. We did what any wolf would do in our situation. We phased and ate raw that way. *makes a face* Not something I enjoy doing all that much, but I was starving. I thought of it as a really, really rare steak.

By the time we made it to Seattle, it was around 8pm or so, and we were exhausted. I could have driven 4 more hours and got home in the middle if the night, but I called up Red (Mel) and she took pity on us one more time. I was looking forward to a good shower and sleeping in a warm bed. When she opened the door, she was happy to see me, but then her smile faded quickly, looking at me. I didn’t know what was wrong, until she pulled me inside and was really worried, looking me over, searching for cuts or some kind of injury that would explain the blood on my face/neck. Note to self: When eating as an animal, you need to remember to hide the evidence. I’m blaming sleep deprivation on that one. I calmed her down and she was hugging in me, asking what happened. I said the first thing that came to my mind, which was that Embry and I got into it in the car. That he hit me and snagged my lip ring in the process. That’s where the blood came from. >.>I don’t like lying, but sometimes it’s necessary. He rolled his eyes and made smartass comments while the dog stared him down again. Mel hugged on me, babying me, and I flipped Embry off behind her back. *laughs*

The road trip was so much fun. I really need to make plans for us to do it again sometime. Maybe we could bring some of the other wolves along and go to California or something, like we had talked about. It was great and a much needed break, but it felt good to be home. I missed my friends and family.. And I remembered why I love La Push so much when I picked Claire up from school the next afternoon.

I didn’t tell her I was coming to get her. I wanted it to be a surprise. I waited by my car when the school let out. I watched as she looked down at the ground, heading toward the school bus. She sure looked grumpy that day. I didn’t tell to her or run up and attack-hug her, like I wanted. I kept calm and casually walked, catching up to her side. I glanced down and was able to see the moment she caught a glimpse of me. Her face changed and she lit up. I love seeing her happy and knowing she missed me that much too. She pretty much jumped at me, and I hugged her for the longest time. I took her back to the car and my face hurt from smiling so much. She talked that entire afternoon about Colorado and everything she did with her dad. I listened, watching her babble on about all the fun she had. I carried her around like a toddler and hated to leave her that night for her to go to sleep. No matter where I go, I’m never as comfortable and complete-feeling as I am when I’m with her. It’s fun to get away, but I know where I belong.