BEYOND The SUMMIT

Chapter 6 - Motel Memories

Rico

I slowly pull up to the motel that I marked on the GPS.

"Are we here?" Nicole asks as she opens her eyes.

"Yeah." I said. Leaning back in my seat, resting my head, "Cody," I said stretching my arm back to wake him up, "Yo" I say again, tapping his leg.

The others start to move too, "guys, get up. We're here."

"Let's just sleep in the car." Chris says from behind me, half asleep.

"You stay in the car. I'm going in the room. I want a bed." Chantel mumbled taking her seat belt off.

"I need a smoke." Cody says stretching his arm.

"All of you can do that as soon as we get our rooms." I said.

Slowly everyone gets out of the keep. We stretch and turn our bodies around. Cody grabs his wallet from his back pocket, "Okay, who's coming with me inside to pay for rooms?"

"I'll go." Nicole volunteers.

Cody looks at Nicole, "Of course you would."

Nicole walks to Cody and takes his arm as she walks by him to walk with him, "come on big baby."

"I'll come too," Chris says, jogging to catch up to them as they go inside the motel's entrance door.

I look at Chantel. She's leaning on my jeep, looking at her phone.

"Social media followers sure take up a lot of your time, Chantel?"

Chantel looks up at me, she quickly puts her phone away in her hoodie pocket, "Hum, yeah they do." She says looking at me with her fake smile. I notice her playing with her fingers. I look at Chantel, "Did you see how happy Cody was when we argreed to go on this road trip with him?"

Chantel let out a laugh, "Oh my God, yes. I don't get it. We could be doing so many other things this summer together. Why this and so far away?"

"Yeah and how our parents don't know where we are." I lean against the jeep, beside Chantel, "but he's a good guy and he would never put us in danger." I look at Chantel, "I hope no one finds out where we are so that we can have this road trip as our trip."

Chantel looks at me, "I agree." She smiles.

Dame, I thought, "So who are you texting Chantel??" I said looking straight into her eyes.

"No one, I'm just posting random stuff about makeup and hair." She said as her fingers start to fiddle.

"Chantel, you can't lie to me, but if Cody fucken finds out that you've been leaking our whereabouts, even his love for you won't save you."

"Don't tell him!" Chantel grabs my shirt.

"About what Chantel?!?" I said, reacting to my shirt getting tugged.

"Promise me you will repeat nothing of what I'm going to tell you?" She said grinding her teeth together.

I'm regretting that I brought this up, I thought," I promise."

Chantel let's go of my shirt and looks at the entrance door, "I met this guy at the mall. We started talking and we exchanged numbers. So we're texting back and forth."

I look at Chantel. Oh good. I thought she was snitching .

"Cody will freak out if he finds out about the guy and I'm not in the mood to hear it." Chantel continues.

"He wouldn't freak out Chantel, the whole trip will become about you, and, he'll be moody," I said, " Fuck. I'm not saying nothing."

Chatel smiles at me, "Good, then I'll be on your good side too."