The Senior Trip

Chapter 31

Harper

His palm is warm on my cheek, blocking the morning sun as it rises in the sky. I find myself clinging to him, completely wrapped around his large frame, not wanting an inch of my skin to make contact with the ground below. If his body wasn't so accommodating, I imagine my muscles would be sore, but he's cradled me all night, protecting me mostly from the creatures of my imagination--and perhaps an ant or two.

Day three of our trip is beginning and we are still separated from the group. My bikini needs adjusting beneath my dress as I lift myself off of him and he kindly looks away.

"What time do you think it is?" I ask.

"It's not too hot yet so maybe before ten. I can't remember a time I've been without my phone this long." He sits up and muses his hair, taking a second to look around.

"Do you hear that?" I ask. In the distance I hear the faint sound of what I hope is an engine.

"Yes!"

We're on our feet in no time. It doesn't even matter what's coming up that road. A motorcycle for one, a family van with only room on the roof, or a serial killer with the promise of candy and puppies, we're ready to go.

Thank goodness it's a cute older couple. They don't speak English, but they're happy to let us in with a look of shock at first and then welcome as they motion for us to climb inside. The wind whipping through the open windows as we cruise towards town is relief and I tip my head back and let it cool the sweat on my neck and brow.

"I can't wait to get back to the hotel," Asher says as the first signs of life appear outside the front windshield.

I lean forward, peaking through the front seats to try and catch a glimpse of the city we left two days ago. It's not familiar, but maybe that's because we left at night. Or maybe that's because we entered from the other direction.

Beside me, Asher's hand finds mine. He squeezes my small fingers in his palms once and I smile to myself, loving the gesture of earned familiarity, but then he squeezes them harder.

"Ouch," I hiss. I turn my head to scold him. What the hell?

"Where are we?" He whispers.

I don't answer. My head whips back to the front so quickly I'm momentarily disoriented. Record scratch. Time stand still. Rewind. Where the hell are we?

"This isn't happening," I manage to say.

"Oh, it's happening..." he replies.

"Do you think they'll pick someone famous to play my part in the made-for-tv-movie they'll make about us?" I ask.

"Depends on how quickly they find our bodies. If we're still missing in a few years," he pauses for dramatic effect, "and Nancy Grace has done some reporting on the case, then I'd say there's a pretty good chance we'd get some B-listers at least."

"We can't be far, right?"

"I don't see the ocean anymore." Asher's clear statement shouldn't be helpful. It's random and not specific, but he's right. Our school sanctioned senior trip is at a tourist town on the edge of the ocean. A few days ago, we were surrounded by it. Why hadn't I thought about that yesterday as we walked miles and miles through farmland without even the hint of sea air?

"How much tequila did we drink?"

Asher doesn't answer this question with words. His expression is enough. The wince and full body shrug lets me know it's more than I'd like to remember anyway. Enough to get us far away from where we are supposed to be.

His hand around mine is gentle once again. His thumb grazes my skin soothingly. "You wanted an adventure."

My lungs fill with fresh air until they hurt. I release it slowly, letting my body sink back into the old seat of the car. My eyes find his, "You needed some space," I add.

"Blue water beaches are overrated," he says trying to minimize.

"I HATE swim-up bars."

"They're the worst," he playfully and sarcastically agrees. His hand pulls mine closer, his fingers intertwining with mine as he stares down at them. The car rumbles along the old highway. "We're going to figure it out."

I watch him looking at where our hands are connected, my stomach tightening with anxiety and excitement. I should be terrified, but I'm not. Somewhere in the back of my head I almost wish I had more time with him all to myself. A few more days to get to know Asher Kennedy before he goes back to Jess. He's the only boy that's made me forget about Finn.

****Sorry!! It's been sooooooo long. I'm back!! Hope you enjoyed the update. I'll be trying to update again soon. Sorry if you had to reread to remember what was going on lol...so did I. Don't forget to comment and vote. Let's get going again with Harper and Asher...I've missed them <3