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xp_logsIn which Rogue, Tandy, Julian and Jessica drive to Jackson, Mississippi. No one's going to road trip with Rogue again.
5:00 am
It was still dark when Rogue forced her fellow roadtrippers into the car. Being as she was nervous, she'd been awake since 4, packing the rental car and ensuring they had everything. The only one who looked remotely awake was Julian, and even he had the appearance of a sleep deprived teenager.
Before she could assign seats, Julian called shot gun, leaving Jessica and Tandy in the backseat. Rogue wasn’t surprised. She was just impressed that both Julian and Tandy still came, even with finding out the other was coming.
She got into the driver's seat and turned to everyone. "Now, if any of y'all have anything to say, now's the time. Once I start, I ain't stopping. Not even for a goldfish farm, or an orchard or nothing. Maybe not even for a bathroom. Y'all gotta earn those rights." She was trying to joke, elicit an answer from the others but nothing. Just the blank stares of people who wanted nothing more to sleep.
"Boy," she grumbled, turning on the car, "some people can't take a joke."
The trip was on.
6:00 am
Tandy jolted awake, breathing heavily. "Sorry." She whispered looking at her fellow passengers as the teenager was glowing brightly with her crescent moon glowing even brighter around her right eye. Running her hands through her hair and pulled out her water bottle, her hands slightly shaking. She turned to look outside, hoping to avoid any eye contact or questions from her them. She had hoped that her nightmares would stop in the car but sadly she was mistaken.
7:00AM
Jessica looked over at the young woman she happened to be sharing a backseat with. She hadn't met Tandy before today, but her dull brown eyes scanned the young woman with the piercing perception that came from wanting to be a P.I. She recognized the still slightly flushed face, the ghost of fear remaining. She had seen that face all too often in her own mirror. She leaned over to Tandy, grateful that there weren't any mutants with super hearing or telepathy in the car.
"You alright there? I mean, just between us girls." She asked in a whisper.
She got a nod back, but Jessica made a mental note to talk to her later about it.
8:00 AM
The sun was rising behind them as the interstate curved westward. Julian was still awake and could feel the bags under his eyes starting to grow heavy. "You do not need to drive the whole time, Rogue- I'm happy to take the wheel for a few hours if you'd like." In truth, he didn't much care for the self-proclaimed driver-for-life's policy on rest stops.
8:15-8:30
The riot in the car was only quelled when she pulled over at the nearest gas station/fast food combo. Why people couldn't keep on driving without any breaks was beyond her. If you don't drink anything, you don't have to pee. Biology.
At least she could top off the gas tank. That would give her another 6 hours to go before having to stop again.
8:35
Before they finished getting loaded back in the car, Julian tried to say something to Tandy, but before he could she forced her way past him and climbed into the back seat on the passenger's side. Slightly dejected, Julian spotted Rogue, car keys in hand. A quick pull from his TK brought the keys to his hand as he pointed to the seat behind him, "My turn to choose the radio station."
9:00 am
"No!" Tandy said suddenly as her virtual pokemon trainer accidentally fainted the pokemon she was trying to capture. Looking over at Rogue, "Pokemon. You have to catch them all you know."
9:30 am
Jessica was bored. Like, really. She was a New Yorker and one who could fly to boot. Car rides really weren't her thing. She looked down at the puff corn she had purchased back at the gas station. She'd considered stuffing the rest into her face as fast as possible but, after a quick look back at Rogue and Tandy, she decided that something far more...sinister was in order. She stared straight ahead as she slowly drew a handful of the snack from the bag. She weighted the treat in her palm before, with incredible precision, she tossed it backwards, intent on hitting Rogue in the face. The other woman may be one of the most awesome people she'd ever had the pleasure of meeting, getting hammered with and learning from, but she'd been a bit of a road trip nazi and it was time for a little payback.
10:30 am
Julian felt great- the caffeine from the forty-ounce fountain drink he'd picked up from the gas station was now an empty cup in the center console as they cruised seventy-miles-an-hour down the interstate. For the past twenty miles he'd started to feel the rising need to pee- but he would be damned if he was going to pull off and give Rogue the driver's seat again. Instead, he tried to pass the time by exchanging stories with Jessica, "So we creep up on this trailer- Simon takes out their sentry with a single punch. We start to creep up on the door, ready to bust up this meth-lab- when we hear barking...."
11:30
It was only a matter of time.
She almost bored holes in the back of Julian's head, willing him to pull over and when he did,she was waiting.
While the rest of them went into the store, to use the bathroom or get snacks, she sneaked into the front seat. Once Julian came into sight, she dangled the spare set of keys. "Always be prepared, darlin'! Tandy, girl, come on up to the front seat. We need to discuss our shopping plan."
12:00
"No seriously. I can get designer clothes for pretty cheap. These jeans I got for pretty much free. It pays to know people. Or be the daughter of a fashion icon. But if you want anything let me know and I can hook it up." Tandy was telling Rogue about her connections in the fashion world.
12:25
Jessica sighed as she leaned back in her seat. She'd been listening to Tandy and Rogue talk fashion for far too long now. She tapped Julian on the knee and held out her closed fist.
"Julian, I'm fucking bored. Thumb wrestle?" She asked. "I promise not to break any bones." She added with a wink.
1:00 - 4:00
Another mutiny had to be stopped, and an appropriate lunch locale had been found. Even Rogue had to admit she needed food.
An hour later, everyone was fed, the gas tank was topped off and Rogue remained firmly in the driver's seat. One by one, they all fell asleep, and Rogue was left with her thoughts and the soothing sounds of Abba.
"Dig it, the dancing queen....."
4:30pm
Julian awoke in the back seat, where he'd been forced into close quarters with Tandy, who was now dozing on his shoulder. She was drooling on his sleeve, and a lock of blonde hair had fallen across her face, somehow he wasn't upset by the intrusion. Gently, he pushed her hair back, the action inadvertently waking her and catching a glare that he felt was rife with suspicion. After a beat of silence and Tandy leaning to the outside of the car, as far away from him as she could get, he gave her an equally judgmental look and turned his attention to the driver, "Are we there yet?"
5:30pm
Tandy had doze off again after her embarrassing drooling on Julian only to awake with another jerk her arms spreading out in a defensive motion. After a moment she relaxed. "Umm...what state are we in?"
5:45 pm
"Geezus, you'd think I'd know how to read a map." Jessica answered with a curse as she turned her phone up, down, and sideways in an attempt to read it properly. "I think we're in either Georgia or Alabama. One of those." She answered, severely tempted to snap her phone with her superior strength. She was starting to get cabin fever being cooped up for so long.
6:30PM
Firmly ensconced in the front passenger's seat, Julian watched the countryside pass by as they pulled away from the rest stop. He was starting to get sleepy, and the sun was setting against the horizon. Shutting his eyes for a moment and resting his head against the window, he allowed himself to relax and start to drift off asleep.
7:30
She pulled into the parking lot of what looked to be a family restaurant. "Alright kiddos, you all did real good, and we only have like four hours to go. We can eat a real meal, relax, charge your iPads, gameboys, whatever. Then there's two options: stay in this town, wherever the heck we are, and we go again in the morning, or I keep on drivin'. Think about it while we eat."
She was a benevolent leader.
8:30
They were nearly there, the radio was off due to stations playing only country and gospel in the area, and Julian sat listening to three exhausted women bicker about some such a wide range of topics he couldn't really keep up. The mantra of three more hours played on a loop in his brain as he did his best not to glance at Tandy in the rear-view mirror.
9:30 pm
Jessica's head lolled as she sat in the backseat, her nose scrunching as her hair fell down into her face. Her invulnerability provided her protection from the soreness of sitting for so long, but it didn't protect her from the sheer boredom and fatigue that she was starting to feel. She yawned and urged herself to loose consciousness as she slowly counted backwards from 100.
9:45pm
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Tandy leaned against the window peering out into the darkness.
10:45pm
The sign for the turn-off read Jackson, and GPS had told him to turn off here, "Is this the right exit, Rogue?" He looked over at the woman who had planned the trip...she looked, palid.
"Guess so," she said,quietly. Allowing Julian to actually drive in the city was a good thing. Her stomach was in knots, and she was a general mess. She heard Jessica and Tandy pep up in the backseat, excited to finally get to Jackson. She heard Julian grumble about the other drivers. She saw them find the apartment-hotel.they'd rented for the weekend. She noticed it all, and yet the only thing she could process was the visit tomorrow.
Once everyone was in the apartment, in their respective bed (two beds, a pullout couch and a cot), she spoke up. "Thanks guys. I don't think I can explain how much this means to me. Y'all rock."
Tomorrow was a new day.
5:00 am
It was still dark when Rogue forced her fellow roadtrippers into the car. Being as she was nervous, she'd been awake since 4, packing the rental car and ensuring they had everything. The only one who looked remotely awake was Julian, and even he had the appearance of a sleep deprived teenager.
Before she could assign seats, Julian called shot gun, leaving Jessica and Tandy in the backseat. Rogue wasn’t surprised. She was just impressed that both Julian and Tandy still came, even with finding out the other was coming.
She got into the driver's seat and turned to everyone. "Now, if any of y'all have anything to say, now's the time. Once I start, I ain't stopping. Not even for a goldfish farm, or an orchard or nothing. Maybe not even for a bathroom. Y'all gotta earn those rights." She was trying to joke, elicit an answer from the others but nothing. Just the blank stares of people who wanted nothing more to sleep.
"Boy," she grumbled, turning on the car, "some people can't take a joke."
The trip was on.
6:00 am
Tandy jolted awake, breathing heavily. "Sorry." She whispered looking at her fellow passengers as the teenager was glowing brightly with her crescent moon glowing even brighter around her right eye. Running her hands through her hair and pulled out her water bottle, her hands slightly shaking. She turned to look outside, hoping to avoid any eye contact or questions from her them. She had hoped that her nightmares would stop in the car but sadly she was mistaken.
7:00AM
Jessica looked over at the young woman she happened to be sharing a backseat with. She hadn't met Tandy before today, but her dull brown eyes scanned the young woman with the piercing perception that came from wanting to be a P.I. She recognized the still slightly flushed face, the ghost of fear remaining. She had seen that face all too often in her own mirror. She leaned over to Tandy, grateful that there weren't any mutants with super hearing or telepathy in the car.
"You alright there? I mean, just between us girls." She asked in a whisper.
She got a nod back, but Jessica made a mental note to talk to her later about it.
8:00 AM
The sun was rising behind them as the interstate curved westward. Julian was still awake and could feel the bags under his eyes starting to grow heavy. "You do not need to drive the whole time, Rogue- I'm happy to take the wheel for a few hours if you'd like." In truth, he didn't much care for the self-proclaimed driver-for-life's policy on rest stops.
8:15-8:30
The riot in the car was only quelled when she pulled over at the nearest gas station/fast food combo. Why people couldn't keep on driving without any breaks was beyond her. If you don't drink anything, you don't have to pee. Biology.
At least she could top off the gas tank. That would give her another 6 hours to go before having to stop again.
8:35
Before they finished getting loaded back in the car, Julian tried to say something to Tandy, but before he could she forced her way past him and climbed into the back seat on the passenger's side. Slightly dejected, Julian spotted Rogue, car keys in hand. A quick pull from his TK brought the keys to his hand as he pointed to the seat behind him, "My turn to choose the radio station."
9:00 am
"No!" Tandy said suddenly as her virtual pokemon trainer accidentally fainted the pokemon she was trying to capture. Looking over at Rogue, "Pokemon. You have to catch them all you know."
9:30 am
Jessica was bored. Like, really. She was a New Yorker and one who could fly to boot. Car rides really weren't her thing. She looked down at the puff corn she had purchased back at the gas station. She'd considered stuffing the rest into her face as fast as possible but, after a quick look back at Rogue and Tandy, she decided that something far more...sinister was in order. She stared straight ahead as she slowly drew a handful of the snack from the bag. She weighted the treat in her palm before, with incredible precision, she tossed it backwards, intent on hitting Rogue in the face. The other woman may be one of the most awesome people she'd ever had the pleasure of meeting, getting hammered with and learning from, but she'd been a bit of a road trip nazi and it was time for a little payback.
10:30 am
Julian felt great- the caffeine from the forty-ounce fountain drink he'd picked up from the gas station was now an empty cup in the center console as they cruised seventy-miles-an-hour down the interstate. For the past twenty miles he'd started to feel the rising need to pee- but he would be damned if he was going to pull off and give Rogue the driver's seat again. Instead, he tried to pass the time by exchanging stories with Jessica, "So we creep up on this trailer- Simon takes out their sentry with a single punch. We start to creep up on the door, ready to bust up this meth-lab- when we hear barking...."
11:30
It was only a matter of time.
She almost bored holes in the back of Julian's head, willing him to pull over and when he did,she was waiting.
While the rest of them went into the store, to use the bathroom or get snacks, she sneaked into the front seat. Once Julian came into sight, she dangled the spare set of keys. "Always be prepared, darlin'! Tandy, girl, come on up to the front seat. We need to discuss our shopping plan."
12:00
"No seriously. I can get designer clothes for pretty cheap. These jeans I got for pretty much free. It pays to know people. Or be the daughter of a fashion icon. But if you want anything let me know and I can hook it up." Tandy was telling Rogue about her connections in the fashion world.
12:25
Jessica sighed as she leaned back in her seat. She'd been listening to Tandy and Rogue talk fashion for far too long now. She tapped Julian on the knee and held out her closed fist.
"Julian, I'm fucking bored. Thumb wrestle?" She asked. "I promise not to break any bones." She added with a wink.
1:00 - 4:00
Another mutiny had to be stopped, and an appropriate lunch locale had been found. Even Rogue had to admit she needed food.
An hour later, everyone was fed, the gas tank was topped off and Rogue remained firmly in the driver's seat. One by one, they all fell asleep, and Rogue was left with her thoughts and the soothing sounds of Abba.
"Dig it, the dancing queen....."
4:30pm
Julian awoke in the back seat, where he'd been forced into close quarters with Tandy, who was now dozing on his shoulder. She was drooling on his sleeve, and a lock of blonde hair had fallen across her face, somehow he wasn't upset by the intrusion. Gently, he pushed her hair back, the action inadvertently waking her and catching a glare that he felt was rife with suspicion. After a beat of silence and Tandy leaning to the outside of the car, as far away from him as she could get, he gave her an equally judgmental look and turned his attention to the driver, "Are we there yet?"
5:30pm
Tandy had doze off again after her embarrassing drooling on Julian only to awake with another jerk her arms spreading out in a defensive motion. After a moment she relaxed. "Umm...what state are we in?"
5:45 pm
"Geezus, you'd think I'd know how to read a map." Jessica answered with a curse as she turned her phone up, down, and sideways in an attempt to read it properly. "I think we're in either Georgia or Alabama. One of those." She answered, severely tempted to snap her phone with her superior strength. She was starting to get cabin fever being cooped up for so long.
6:30PM
Firmly ensconced in the front passenger's seat, Julian watched the countryside pass by as they pulled away from the rest stop. He was starting to get sleepy, and the sun was setting against the horizon. Shutting his eyes for a moment and resting his head against the window, he allowed himself to relax and start to drift off asleep.
7:30
She pulled into the parking lot of what looked to be a family restaurant. "Alright kiddos, you all did real good, and we only have like four hours to go. We can eat a real meal, relax, charge your iPads, gameboys, whatever. Then there's two options: stay in this town, wherever the heck we are, and we go again in the morning, or I keep on drivin'. Think about it while we eat."
She was a benevolent leader.
8:30
They were nearly there, the radio was off due to stations playing only country and gospel in the area, and Julian sat listening to three exhausted women bicker about some such a wide range of topics he couldn't really keep up. The mantra of three more hours played on a loop in his brain as he did his best not to glance at Tandy in the rear-view mirror.
9:30 pm
Jessica's head lolled as she sat in the backseat, her nose scrunching as her hair fell down into her face. Her invulnerability provided her protection from the soreness of sitting for so long, but it didn't protect her from the sheer boredom and fatigue that she was starting to feel. She yawned and urged herself to loose consciousness as she slowly counted backwards from 100.
9:45pm
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Tandy leaned against the window peering out into the darkness.
10:45pm
The sign for the turn-off read Jackson, and GPS had told him to turn off here, "Is this the right exit, Rogue?" He looked over at the woman who had planned the trip...she looked, palid.
"Guess so," she said,quietly. Allowing Julian to actually drive in the city was a good thing. Her stomach was in knots, and she was a general mess. She heard Jessica and Tandy pep up in the backseat, excited to finally get to Jackson. She heard Julian grumble about the other drivers. She saw them find the apartment-hotel.they'd rented for the weekend. She noticed it all, and yet the only thing she could process was the visit tomorrow.
Once everyone was in the apartment, in their respective bed (two beds, a pullout couch and a cot), she spoke up. "Thanks guys. I don't think I can explain how much this means to me. Y'all rock."
Tomorrow was a new day.
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