Somewhere In Neverland (Sequel to Oh, Calamity)

The Beach

Marina's POV:

I woke up on the couch alone. Everything he said last night- was it real? Was it just some sort of twisted, nonsensical nightmare, or did he really mean it? I hardly slept, but now, completely sober, it still graced my mind.

I rolled off the couch with Circles and Sebastian, moving to the bedroom. I opened the door, where Alex was asleep. How badly I wanted to crawl back in bed with him. How badly I wanted to apologize, and see if he really meant it. But I had to leave in fifteen minutes. I opened the closet door, searching for something that would transition from the brisk autumn in Baltimore to the eternal summer in Orlando. It also needed to be wild enough to lack accessories, because taking off necklaces at the airport was a pain.

I eventually found a pair of grey vans, cropped and ripped boyfriend jeans, and a white Harry Potter tee. I tossed over a light blue unprinted flannel. This looked alright, I guess. I tossed around my hair until it looked mediocre enough. That was my new thing- mediocre. I guess it was the best I could produce under such situations.

I finished applying just a little bit of under eye eraser and mascara in the bedroom mirror before I noticed the time. The girls would be here soon. And a honk outside. Okay, so they were early. Never underestimate Lisa's persuasion. 

I ran up to Alex, who shuffled. "I'm going, baby. I love you."

"What? Leaving already?" He peeled open his eyes, heart broken. "But we didn't even get to make up."

I sat beside him. I wanted to cry. "I know, but they're here. I can't make them wait."

"Whatever." He hissed.

"I'll call you when I get off the plane." I bent down to kiss him. It was still sparking.

"Okay." He ran his fingers through my hair. He was still mad, I could tell, but he needed to hold on. Just like he told me last night.

I kissed him again, then grabbed my bag and walked out the door. My throat dried, but I slapped on a smile. I was going on a vacation with a bunch of my friends. I felt like a teenager again.

Jennifer was driving her SUV, which gave us plenty of rooms for us and our bags. The trunk flew open, as did the driver's window. "Get in the car, bitch, we're going to Orlando!"

I just laughed, shoving my bag in the back. "God, I can already feel the butter beer trickling down my throat."

"Is that really all you brought?" Jenna asked as I got in beside her.

"This is a lot for me." I was reffering to my tiny ass suitcase (which legally can be considered a carry on) and LL Bean backpack. "I can pack up to three weeks just using the carry on."

"And the minimalist award goes to Marina!" Jennifer laughed, pulling out of the driveway.

"Materialist award going to Jennifer, that is." Lisa spun around to look at Kara, Jenna, and me in the backseat. "That ginormus suitcase, and duffle bag, and PINK tote? Yeah. All her's."

"Not including my purse." She pointed to her black Louis Vuitton purse on the console.

"Or your car." Kara added.

"I'm leaving that at the airpot." Jennifer explained.

"So how was your birthday?" Lisa asked.

"Um, a stress reliever! Now that I'm actually twenty one, I can actually drink in public." I laughed. "So you guys never told me what hotel we chose."

They all looked at Lisa and crossed their arms. I assumed she hadn't told them, either. "Well...I decided to take a page out of your book and get a two bedroom suite at the Animal Kingdom Lodge."