The Better to See You With (My Dear)

From a Distance

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Two hours and twenty-eight minutes. She had two hours and twenty-eight minutes of uninterrupted silence. And honestly, those two hours and twenty-eight minutes were the least insufferable moments that Jade had ever spent with the gang.

Granted, most of the group had drifted off to sleep as soon as they had set course to Oregon, so it wasn't like there was much conversation to be had. After they feasted on sausage and egg sandwiches and hash browns from the local fast-food joint, the RV had fallen into an undisturbed bliss.

Cat and Robbie had quickly taken up residence on Beck's makeshift mattress, the former passing out on the latter's shoulder. Naturally, Robbie remained as staunch as a wall for fear of stirring the redhead beside him. Jade couldn't help but bark out a laugh when the boy nervously admitted that he needed to pee. (He ended up holding it in...she thinks.)

Meanwhile, André and Beck found themselves seated at the front of the camper. André was supposed to keep track of the GPS on his phone and look out for any upcoming pit stops, traffic jams, or obstructions in the road while Beck drove. But an hour in, the musician was slumped in the shotgun seat snoring placidly. This didn't surprise anyone, especially since André had volunteered to spend the days leading up to their departure planning every single detail to a tee. Without a look-out, though, Beck had adopted a slow-and-steady approach that would have put those elderly mobility scooters to shame.

Of course, that left Jade and Tori to awkwardly recline on opposite sides of the sleeper sofa. Fantastic.

Well, in all fairness, Tori had only made a few hapless attempts at conversation. They stopped altogether when Jade inserted her earbuds into her phone and turned on her personal playlist. It was fascinating how, for once, the usually sociable brunette struggled to break through the silence. Jade would occasionally peek up from her device and observe the slight crease between Tori's brows and the conflicted pout that graced her features. The sight reminded her of an attention-starved puppy.

So, the vibrating of tires against the interstate and the whirring of passing cars were the only noises that cut through the quiet. At least, that was the case until Cat's eyes fluttered open and she spoke the sound back into existence.

Everyone decided then and there that they preferred a sleeping Cat over an awake Cat.

"...Oh! I've been studying my geography for the trip, too! Did you know that there are two states called Washington?! There's one that's right on top of Oregon! I wonder if they're twins.'"

"There are so many things named after Washington. There are the two Washington states, washing machines, George Washington..."

"Cat," Jade gritted out. "Your luggage will be washed up along the river banks if you don't quit talking right now."

"Uh, you know, we could always put on some music," Tori interrupted a little too eagerly. "Jade, you were in charge of the playlist, right? Maybe we can jam out to some songs to pass the time."

"I second that," André murmured while recovering from a yawn.

"Alright," the goth exhaled, scrounging through the playlists she had saved on her Stripify account to share the link to André, who then connected it to the camper's radio. Everyone in the vehicle immediately recognized the riffs to the song and turned to Jade with an assortment of gobsmacked, impressed, and bewildered expressions.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! I love Dancing Queen!" Cat squealed.

"We are not listening to this! Skip the song," Jade groaned to the occupants in the front seats. A faint blush crept its way onto her normally milky white skin as she placed a palm on her temple.