The car rolled down the wet asphalt as Ivy slumped down further in her chair, still clutching the steering wheel begrudgingly. The four of them;-- Jace, Ivy, Haley, and Tad– Are on a roadtrip to Hollywood, in hopes of spotting a ‘celebrity in the wild’--- as said by Jace, and to hopefully help Haley pursue her lifelong dream of being a world famous pop star. In the backseat, Haley opened her mouth in an attempt to talk with Tad, who was sitting directly to her left, but clamped it shut at once when she realized that he was already beginning to talk to Ivy.
“Ivy, If you don’t sit up straight, we’re almost certainly going to run into a tree….” Tad whined.
Tad was always annoyingly sensible and persistent— And Ivy despised him for it. He had pale skin and deep-set brown eyes, with the addition of light dirty blond hair that always laid unpleasantly flat on his forehead no matter how much gel he put in it.
Jace looked up from his phone in the passenger seat, whipped around, and smirked back at tad. “Oh, shut up will you? We’re not going to run into a tree,” –He pauses– “Unless you keep distracting the driver.” He adds, and returns to his phone, leaving tad wide eyed and offended;– unable to form a response.
Jace had unruly curly dark-brown hair, pale skin— still much darker than Tad’s—, and emerald eyes with such heavy eyelids and eyebags he almost always looked sleepy. Jace looked like the complete opposite of Tad, and he acted it too. Ivy hated him equally as much.
Ivy had curly pearl-white hair, and cold gray eyes surrounded by blonde lashes. She was about as pale as Tad, With rosy pink eyebags and heavy eyelids. She would honestly rather be anywhere else right now, but she’s trying (and failing) to make the best of the situation at hand.
The only person in the car that didn’t make Ivy feel the urge to strangle them was Haley, her best friend, who was now watching the raindrops run down the window with one headphone in,glassy-eyed and full of hope—as usual. She was olive skinned, with silky chestnut brown hair pulled into a high ponytail;-- bouncy curls surrounding her face. Haley had striking hazel eyes and long lashes, along with perfectly manicured eyebrows.
Everyone in that car was an orphan, and all of them had a loving foster family… Except Haley, maybe. Even though Haley would never say this herself, Ivy always thought that Haley’s adoptive family only adopted her because of her beauty. It sounds crazy, but what can you say? She thought, They’re crazy. From around the time she turned three, they started signing her up for beauty pageants, And then that was the only thing that mattered to them. Haley was only allowed to watch TV if she had won first place, and if she got anything other than that…. …..Ivy shuttered at the thought.
They’re ridiculous, Ivy thought. Haley would never dare to say anything bad about them;-- or anyone, really. Ivy always tried to avoid going to Haley’s house, because her ‘parents’ had been trying to convince her to compete in a beauty pageant or go to a photoshoot with Haley. “I’m flattered,” She’d say, “But i don’t think i’m fit for that sort of thing.” Haley had to sneak out of her house to go to Hollywood with the three of them, And it took a lot of consideration on her part before she even thought to do that.
Ivy’s foster parents, on the other hand, were… old. Not rude or oppressive, just… older. They owned eight cats;-- Sherlock, Mocha, Stormy, Pants, wheat, spud, coco, and boots. In Ivy’s case, it wasn’t too bad living with the elderly; There was always candy on the coffee table– The grandma kind that everyone loves. And the cookies…. To die for. Okay, so maybe the only good part was the food, Ivy thought, but food plays a pretty big part in human happiness.
Tad actually grew up with his biological parents until he was ten-years-old, and while the others were all a little jealous, they knew that made it harder for him. Ivy and Haley had no idea who their parents were… They didn’t know if they died, If they fled the country… They had no clue, and neither did the staff at the orphanage. They both couldn’t imagine how hard it would be if the person you loved most left. Ivy and Haley didn’t even know their parents, let alone get the chance to love them.
Jace was on a road trip when his whole family got in a car wreck— He was the only one who survived. He was only six. Tad was ten, Ivy and Haley were barely one.
All of them besides Haley, who was adopted, recently outgrew the foster care system. Currently, They’re all 18 years old.
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Lighting struck, and the rain poured down even harder as the car struggled in the mud. “Stupid.. Freaking–,” – She slammed her head on the steering wheel– “MUD.” Ivy complained, exasperated. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rJoqngPs4
Jace took out an earbud. “Ivy, can you take the complaining down a notch? You're interrupting my Lorax soundtrack.” Ivy gaped at him incredulously. “The LORAX soundtrack?” –She flails her arms around— “THE LORAX? WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE!”
Jace blinked at her slowly. “Someone needs a nap.” 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QAbakCJ9p
“FINE! YOU DRIVE THEN!”
He considered it for a second before saying, “I’ll pass.” and putting his earbud back in.
“Running into a tree is sounding really appealing right about now…” She grumbles, returning her eyes back to the road. The four of them sat in silence for a while as the rain pounded on the roof of the car. Ivy drove through the night, and when they finally got back onto the dry road, The rain cleared as the sun faded through the foggy horizon, stringing beams of angelic light through the clouds. Ivy, on the other hand, was not feeling very angelic. Everyone in the car was fast asleep, and she’d been listening to Tad’s snoring all night. To add to the misery, she hadn’t slept since they started the journey. The snoring is getting annoying, She thought, the sun is up, so……
“ALRIGHTY PEOPLE THE SUN IS RISING AND SO SHOULD YOU!” Ivy’s voice filled the car, followed shortly by the waking groans of her friends.
“Ughh…” Haley groans “Why……??”
“Honestly?” said Ivy, “Tad’s snoring was annoying.”
Haley blinks groggily. “Huh,” –She yawns– “Seems reasonable.”
For one beautiful moment, everything is silent. Until….
“Can we pull over? I don’t feel so good…” Tad gags.
Ivy had started to pull over onto the side of the road but Tad stopped her immediately. “EW! No. I am not throwing up on the side of the road!! I want a gas station.”
“Beggars can't be choosers,” she said.
“I will throw up in this car.” He quips.
…
“Jace, where's the nearest gas station?” Ivy asked, reluctantly– and went back driving.
Jace paused, looking at his phone. “Actually… right here.” He gestured out the window, and Ivy took a sharp turn to the right and into probably the most sketchy gas station in existence. The windows were shattered, and there were vines and trees growing out of the windows. The car skidded to a stop, and the engine powered off.
“Uh…. do we have to go in there?” Haley asked skeptically, Putting her earbuds away in their case. Jace opened the side door and started making a beeline for the gas station before anyone could respond. “I guess so…?” Ivy said. They walked up towards the gas station in a confused huddle, and something in the misty air… changed. For a split second, it felt like the air was spinning. And then… all at once, it was back to normal.
The gas station bell chimed as they entered, echoing through the empty store. The place was deserted. No people, Just Haley, Jace, Ivy, Tad, and the echoing–dusty gas station. Everyone split up in different directions to explore the store, and then gathered back at the door afterwards. Ivy had picked out a blue gatorade bottle that hadn't expired, somehow, Jace had gathered three stale Dorito bags, and Haley & Tad turned up with nothing.
“How’re we supposed to pay for this?” Haley asked. 8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYnju0MShv
Jace eyed her like she was crazy. “That's the thing;--” –He smirks– “You don’t.” And then he simply turned around and walked out of the gas station without paying. Haley sighed, and put her face in her hand, leaning on a nearby shelf. She was wearing an oversized graphic hoodie, baggy jeans, a white ball cap, and a cross body purse. Ivy was in sweats. Haley always made her look unattractive in comparison, somehow. Tad walked out to join Jace, muttering about how unsanitary the gas station was.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qENeZbUBW
“Well, I’m still putting money on the counter,” Haley stated stubbornly, rummaging in her purse, pulling out a 20-dollar bill, and placing it on the dusty counter. Ivy followed her out, and the gas station bell seemed to echo again, even though they were outside. She lifted her eyes off of the wet pavement, and there were her friends, silhouetted in the mist. They were no longer at a sketchy gas station on Starsbury Road. They stood, feet rooted to the ground, in a parallel realm. The scent in the air was unfamiliar and wet, and the colored luminescence from bright billboards pirouetted off of every wet surface, creating a multifariousness of dizzying shades and shadows that caused her vision to blur.
