Summer Road Trip

A summer of love and destruction.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

Ginny smirked at Lila’s response, making sure to angle her phone so that Declan behind her couldn’t see her screen, though she was sure he was too distracted by Rhiannon and the rest of those in the conversation. You think they’ll risk going off together on the first night?, she texted back.

“So if all rumors have a grain of truth, I am assuming the one with yours was the fact that you were resorting to other forms of illegal measures to make money?” Cavitt turned to face Lila behind her, “In which case, I will clear it up for you.  Uriah and I only know each other because of classes together.  People are probably talking about us because of Rhiannon and Declan and the fact that we are their cousins.  So really, the gossip is more about them than it is about us.  Since the two of them seem to draw so many rumors, people wanted to place them on us since they graduated.  So like I said, it’s more about them than us.”  Even as she said it, Cavitt found herself believing it, even though she knew the truth.

Ginny trying hard to stay quiet and listen to Uriah and Cavitt.  Because as much as they were denying the fact that they were anything other than platonic acquaintances , they were completely on the same wavelength.  Though she didn’t acknowledge it, Rhiannon had noticed the exact same thing that Ginny had.  Rhiannon, of course, also had more information than Ginny did.  Cavitt had texted Rhiannon right after the prom incident, and based on the fact that the two were in the same car, Rhiannon had no choice but to assume they were at the very least friends, but more than likely they were together.  She couldn’t imagine what Cavitt could possibly see in Uriah though, afterall, he was a McIntire.

[teamih8u2015]

Lila let out a laugh, knowing that the two pairs of cousins were too busy arguing over their respective non-existent romantic relationships to pay attention to her. Uriah loves taking risks. He won’t resist the challenge, Lila replied.

“You could say that,” Lila shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. Half of North Shore knew she was involved in something illegal already and Lila already graduated, so it was pointless to deny the rumors now. Pretending to check her phone, Lila took a moment to decide her next move. She could either push the issue further or let them have the win this time. “That is true. Declan and Rhiannon do have a habit of taking the spotlight,” Lila decided to let Caviah think they’re safe. She had the entire summer to find out if Cavitt and Uriah was telling the truth. She also had Rhilan as a source of entertainment.

Although Declan and Uriah often butt heads, he did care about Uriah which was why Declan thought Uriah could do better than Cavitt.  Prying further into this wasn’t his typical method when it came to information extraction. Declan preferred to observe and develop inferences from his observations. Declan knew Uriah was messy and would eventually slip up.  “Basically, we should be blaming Declan and Rhiannon for all of the rumors,” Uriah announced which got a scoff out of Declan. Uriah knew Lila was patient and he and Cavitt already went over this before the road trip started. They knew everyone in the car were information broker types, but he and Cavitt were determined to beat them at this. “Now that we’re done with the interrogation, can we move onto a topic more important like what’s for lunch?” Uriah asked the group.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

“We are in fact, opposites. The kind of opposites that do not attract,” Declan laid his head against the window. It was getting tiring explaining his relationship-lack of relationship-with Rhiannon. “People need to find something better to gossip about,” Declan said.  

I bet $20 that Caviah will mysteriously disappear later tonight, Lila texted back to Ginny. Lila understood the importance of platonic relationships, but Rhilan’s and Caviah’s relationships were not platonic. She was sure of it. Sure enough to bet her signed copies of Harry Potter on it actually. “There’s always a grain of truth in every rumor though, Cavitt,” Lila pointed out, “That’s makes them believable.” Her test selling business wasn’t legal and the idea that Rhilan have been hooking up since sophomore year was very believable.  

Family dinners are like a game for Uriah. A game that consists of deciding which string to pull and what string of words to say. Over the years, Uriah had perfected his craft and used it whenever he wanted to make family dinners more exciting. The best thing about being related to the McIntires was how predictable they all were. Declan might felt like the black sheep, but Uriah knew he was just as hot-tempered like the rest of his brothers. Pissing off Declan should be enough to get the topic of the conversation off of him and Cavitt. “But Declan and Rhiannon, both of your parents think you two are dating. Declan, you even told your mom and dad that you were dating,” Uriah smiled, but his eyes were cold. “I mean how people are supposed to think there is nothing going on between you two when you two go around telling your parents that you all are dating.”

[teamih8u2015]

Ginny smirked at Lila’s response, making sure to angle her phone so that Declan behind her couldn’t see her screen, though she was sure he was too distracted by Rhiannon and the rest of those in the conversation. You think they’ll risk going off together on the first night?, she texted back.

“So if all rumors have a grain of truth, I am assuming the one with yours was the fact that you were resorting to other forms of illegal measures to make money?” Cavitt turned to face Lila behind her, “In which case, I will clear it up for you.  Uriah and I only know each other because of classes together.  People are probably talking about us because of Rhiannon and Declan and the fact that we are their cousins.  So really, the gossip is more about them than it is about us.  Since the two of them seem to draw so many rumors, people wanted to place them on us since they graduated.  So like I said, it’s more about them than us.”  Even as she said it, Cavitt found herself believing it, even though she knew the truth.

Ginny trying hard to stay quiet and listen to Uriah and Cavitt.  Because as much as they were denying the fact that they were anything other than platonic acquaintances , they were completely on the same wavelength.  Though she didn’t acknowledge it, Rhiannon had noticed the exact same thing that Ginny had.  Rhiannon, of course, also had more information than Ginny did.  Cavitt had texted Rhiannon right after the prom incident, and based on the fact that the two were in the same car, Rhiannon had no choice but to assume they were at the very least friends, but more than likely they were together.  She couldn’t imagine what Cavitt could possibly see in Uriah though, afterall, he was a McIntire.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

“Friendship usually relies on two people having similar interests and actually agreeing on things,” Rhiannon spoke from behind the wheel, “Obviously Declan and I have nothing in common other than similarities in our school schedules, we are not friends.”  What Rhiannon didn’t acknowledge was the fact that she and Declan actually did just agree on something.  But that was semantics.  Even more to the point was that she refused to think about the last time she’d spent time with Ginny and Lila, on New Year’s.  And the New Year’s kiss.  Momentarily Rhiannon got distracted and nearly rammed in to the car in front of her, “You can’t just step on your breaks like that on the highway!” she exclaimed.  So maybe she was prone to road rage.

Ginny looked over at Lila and smirked at her.  While they may have been the only official couple in the car, at least they knew how to resolve their sexual tension.  And they did, often.  Ginny knew that it was only a matter of time before either Rhiannon and Declan or Uriah and Cavitt succumbed to the tension building up in the car.  She shot a quick text to her girlfriend reading Let’s take bets on Caviah and Rhilan.

Sitting shotgun, Cavitt tried brainstorming ways to get off the topic of her and Uriah.  She was perfectly content keeping the nature of their relationship a secret and didn’t feel the need to share it with anyone, let alone the meddlesome people she was currently sharing a car with.  “If I remember correctly,” she spoke, “Certain gossip circles also claimed that Declan and Rhiannon had been hooking up since sophomore year and that Lila was secretly a prostitute, so you cannot put much stock in the rumor mill.”

[teamih8u2015]

“We are in fact, opposites. The kind of opposites that do not attract,” Declan laid his head against the window. It was getting tiring explaining his relationship-lack of relationship-with Rhiannon. “People need to find something better to gossip about,” Declan said.  

I bet $20 that Caviah will mysteriously disappear later tonight, Lila texted back to Ginny. Lila understood the importance of platonic relationships, but Rhilan’s and Caviah’s relationships were not platonic. She was sure of it. Sure enough to bet her signed copies of Harry Potter on it actually. “There’s always a grain of truth in every rumor though, Cavitt,” Lila pointed out, “That’s makes them believable.” Her test selling business wasn’t legal and the idea that Rhilan have been hooking up since sophomore year was very believable.  

Family dinners are like a game for Uriah. A game that consists of deciding which string to pull and what string of words to say. Over the years, Uriah had perfected his craft and used it whenever he wanted to make family dinners more exciting. The best thing about being related to the McIntires was how predictable they all were. Declan might felt like the black sheep, but Uriah knew he was just as hot-tempered like the rest of his brothers. Pissing off Declan should be enough to get the topic of the conversation off of him and Cavitt. “But Declan and Rhiannon, both of your parents think you two are dating. Declan, you even told your mom and dad that you were dating,” Uriah smiled, but his eyes were cold. “I mean how people are supposed to think there is nothing going on between you two when you two go around telling your parents that you all are dating.”

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

“The thing is Rhiannon and I don’t have any form of friendship between us. Our relationship is purely out of necessity. We are forced into these situations, whereas you two seems to be something else. Even your own twin sister thinks there is something going on, Uriah,” Declan reasoned, pushing the memory of his kiss with Rhiannon at New Year’s Eve to the back of his head.

Lila knew something happened between Cavitt and Uriah during prom. They were both acting strange after it happened, but the strangeness disappear a week later after she gave Uriah Oliver’s number. She would have to ask Declan and Rhiannon later when they were alone.  

Uriah knew this was Declan getting revenge for the stunt Uriah pulled at the family dinner earlier this month. In fact, Uriah expected this from Declan and Lila. Making sure his face didn’t betray any emotions, Uriah answered, “Cavitt and I barely know each other. Besides having some mutual classes together and seeing each other occasionally on campus, we don’t even talk to each other that much. Have you guys forgotten about the clique system?” Uriah knew they were basing their theories off of speculations which amused him. Nobody in this car would last in the journalism world. “All of you in this car know how unreliable the gossip at North Shore is. I don’t see why my relationship with Cavitt matters to you all so much anyways.” It was none of their business really.

[teamih8u2015]

“Friendship usually relies on two people having similar interests and actually agreeing on things,” Rhiannon spoke from behind the wheel, “Obviously Declan and I have nothing in common other than similarities in our school schedules, we are not friends.”  What Rhiannon didn’t acknowledge was the fact that she and Declan actually did just agree on something.  But that was semantics.  Even more to the point was that she refused to think about the last time she’d spent time with Ginny and Lila, on New Year’s.  And the New Year’s kiss.  Momentarily Rhiannon got distracted and nearly rammed in to the car in front of her, “You can’t just step on your breaks like that on the highway!” she exclaimed.  So maybe she was prone to road rage.

Ginny looked over at Lila and smirked at her.  While they may have been the only official couple in the car, at least they knew how to resolve their sexual tension.  And they did, often.  Ginny knew that it was only a matter of time before either Rhiannon and Declan or Uriah and Cavitt succumbed to the tension building up in the car.  She shot a quick text to her girlfriend reading Let’s take bets on Caviah and Rhilan.

Sitting shotgun, Cavitt tried brainstorming ways to get off the topic of her and Uriah.  She was perfectly content keeping the nature of their relationship a secret and didn’t feel the need to share it with anyone, let alone the meddlesome people she was currently sharing a car with.  “If I remember correctly,” she spoke, “Certain gossip circles also claimed that Declan and Rhiannon had been hooking up since sophomore year and that Lila was secretly a prostitute, so you cannot put much stock in the rumor mill.”

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

While the occupants of the car were eager to change the topic of conversation, Lila’s choice in directional change was not universally liked.  While both Rhiannon and Ginny were very eager to discuss Uriah and Cavitt’s relationship, Cavitt most certainly was not.  “I can hold it maybe half an hour,” Ginny conceded.  Now that the topic of conversation had changed, she had a better reason to stay in the car and gossip.  She did love to gossip after all.

“Just because the four of you tend to fail miserably when it comes to making friends, that is not true of all people,” Cavitt tried to defend herself.  “Our cousins are, well…honestly Rhi I have no idea how to explain what it seems like you and Declan are and neither does Uriah as far as I know, but you two are nearly almost sort-of friends, how hard is it to comprehend the fact that we may be as well.”

Cavitt purposely didn’t respond to Lila’s remark about prom.  Afterall, it wasn’t like prom night really ended well for her and Uriah.  Though, Cavitt supposed it did lead to further development in the long run.  Cavitt knew exactly what angle Lila was playing at, but she wasn’t going to play in to her hand.  As previously discussed, she and Uriah had no intentions of letting the others know of their relationship.

[teamih8u2015]

“The thing is Rhiannon and I don’t have any form of friendship between us. Our relationship is purely out of necessity. We are forced into these situations, whereas you two seems to be something else. Even your own twin sister thinks there is something going on, Uriah,” Declan reasoned, pushing the memory of his kiss with Rhiannon at New Year’s Eve to the back of his head.

Lila knew something happened between Cavitt and Uriah during prom. They were both acting strange after it happened, but the strangeness disappear a week later after she gave Uriah Oliver’s number. She would have to ask Declan and Rhiannon later when they were alone.  

Uriah knew this was Declan getting revenge for the stunt Uriah pulled at the family dinner earlier this month. In fact, Uriah expected this from Declan and Lila. Making sure his face didn’t betray any emotions, Uriah answered, “Cavitt and I barely know each other. Besides having some mutual classes together and seeing each other occasionally on campus, we don’t even talk to each other that much. Have you guys forgotten about the clique system?” Uriah knew they were basing their theories off of speculations which amused him. Nobody in this car would last in the journalism world. “All of you in this car know how unreliable the gossip at North Shore is. I don’t see why my relationship with Cavitt matters to you all so much anyways.” It was none of their business really.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

“I think my parents would miss me too much if I left the country,” Uriah joked, although the idea of backpacking through Europe excited him.  “America does have some benefits as well. We could be political prisoners right now or working in sweatshop, so either way we look at it our lives are considerably better than other people’s. Plus if it wasn’t for the magnificent salad bowl/bar of this country, none of us would have met and we wouldn’t be here right now having this conversation.,” Uriah smirked  

Lila knew she should had supported Ginny, but there was no way to defend living in America especially with the more worldly occupants of the car. “Ginny had a point. It was a bit strange how this road trip came to be,” Lila admitted, seeing a way to change the subject and get everyone’s attention off of Ginny. “Uriah and Cavitt, you two seem to spend a lot of time together. I even been hearing rumors that you two danced together at prom. Very closely apparently,” Lila gave a coy smile, letting her implication hang in the air. Lila wanted more information on them and her grandparents weren’t able to get anything out of them.

Declan rolled his eyes at Rhiannon and was about to comment on Uriah and Cavitt, when he heard Ginny. “Are you serious?” he groaned, he felt that it was early to stop. “Can you hold it for a bit longer?” Leave it to Ginny to be that person.

[teamih8u2015]

While the occupants of the car were eager to change the topic of conversation, Lila’s choice in directional change was not universally liked.  While both Rhiannon and Ginny were very eager to discuss Uriah and Cavitt’s relationship, Cavitt most certainly was not.  “I can hold it maybe half an hour,” Ginny conceded.  Now that the topic of conversation had changed, she had a better reason to stay in the car and gossip.  She did love to gossip after all.

“Just because the four of you tend to fail miserably when it comes to making friends, that is not true of all people,” Cavitt tried to defend herself.  “Our cousins are, well...honestly Rhi I have no idea how to explain what it seems like you and Declan are and neither does Uriah as far as I know, but you two are nearly almost sort-of friends, how hard is it to comprehend the fact that we may be as well.”

Cavitt purposely didn’t respond to Lila’s remark about prom.  Afterall, it wasn’t like prom night really ended well for her and Uriah.  Though, Cavitt supposed it did lead to further development in the long run.  Cavitt knew exactly what angle Lila was playing at, but she wasn’t going to play in to her hand.  As previously discussed, she and Uriah had no intentions of letting the others know of their relationship.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

“And let us not forget where the Statue of Liberty actually comes from,” Cavitt added at Declan’s statement, “It is because of the French that you even have the structure.  I suppose that would of course explain why you do not even know what is written on it.”  Cavitt didn’t know the exact words written on the Statue of Liberty, but unlike Ginny, she wasn’t forced to learn the words in elementary school and later forget them.

Ginny hated losing arguments, but what she hated most of all was when she felt ganged up on.  She expected it from Uriah and Declan, and even to an extent Rhiannon, but Cavitt and Lila as well?  “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you just leave,” she crossed her arms across her chest.  “I mean, Lila you’re leaving for college, but why are we doing a road trip across the US.  Shouldn’t we be showing Cavitt and Uriah countries outside of the US if it sucks here so much.”  She sunk down in to her seat, annoyed with all of them.

Rhiannon was now pushing 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on I-95.  They’d already crossed in to Connecticut and she was loving the cruise control on her car, it allowed her to keep her speed up without even really trying.  She looked through her rear view mirror and adjusted it to look at the complainers behind her.  “One state down,” she smirked, loving the timing she was making.  Sure, the purpose of the trip was to enjoy themselves, but she did get a sense of satisfaction from pushing the limits.

As the arguing continued, Ginny realized that the venti dirty chai she drank right before they left was not the best idea.  Luckily, she was already getting ragged on by everyone so it couldn’t hurt to complain even more, “I have to use the little girl’s room,” she announced.

[teamih8u2015]

“I think my parents would miss me too much if I left the country,” Uriah joked, although the idea of backpacking through Europe excited him.  “America does have some benefits as well. We could be political prisoners right now or working in sweatshop, so either way we look at it our lives are considerably better than other people’s. Plus if it wasn’t for the magnificent salad bowl/bar of this country, none of us would have met and we wouldn’t be here right now having this conversation.,” Uriah smirked  

Lila knew she should had supported Ginny, but there was no way to defend living in America especially with the more worldly occupants of the car. “Ginny had a point. It was a bit strange how this road trip came to be,” Lila admitted, seeing a way to change the subject and get everyone’s attention off of Ginny. “Uriah and Cavitt, you two seem to spend a lot of time together. I even been hearing rumors that you two danced together at prom. Very closely apparently,” Lila gave a coy smile, letting her implication hang in the air. Lila wanted more information on them and her grandparents weren’t able to get anything out of them.

Declan rolled his eyes at Rhiannon and was about to comment on Uriah and Cavitt, when he heard Ginny. “Are you serious?” he groaned, he felt that it was early to stop. “Can you hold it for a bit longer?” Leave it to Ginny to be that person.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

Since the entire car was getting pulled into the argument, Lila gave up on trying to sleep and joined in, “Building on to what Cavitt said, America is severely lacking in several departments. “Norway, Australia, Switzerland, and Netherlands are ranked higher than America in human development. In most countries, healthcare is universal, free of charge and quality. The European countries have a greater life expectancy and their education systems are often superior to ours.” Nobody hated America as much as Americans, Lila always thought.

Declan made sure to glare at Rhiannon after she slammed on the brakes. He was going to make sure he would be the next driver. He gave in and added, “We might have more rights than people in places like China, Russia, Nigeria, and North Korea, but America is one of the most ignorant countries in the world. It’s so homophobic and racist which is really ironic when you remember what’s written on the Statue of Liberty.”

Uriah bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing, Bashing America was his favorite pastime, but he felt a little bad for Ginny. Everyone was on the opposing side, and she was the only one defending their problematic country.  “Monaco might be more ideal place to live compared to America, but it’s not the best place to live-Denmark is. Denmark is known as the happiest country in the world, the health care is best in the world, and it is in the top 10 for countries when it comes to gender equality. Plus they’re very eco-friendly.” He hoped to knock the Europeans down a few pegs.

[teamih8u2015]

“And let us not forget where the Statue of Liberty actually comes from,” Cavitt added at Declan’s statement, “It is because of the French that you even have the structure.  I suppose that would of course explain why you do not even know what is written on it.”  Cavitt didn’t know the exact words written on the Statue of Liberty, but unlike Ginny, she wasn’t forced to learn the words in elementary school and later forget them.

Ginny hated losing arguments, but what she hated most of all was when she felt ganged up on.  She expected it from Uriah and Declan, and even to an extent Rhiannon, but Cavitt and Lila as well?  “If you hate America so much, then why don’t you just leave,” she crossed her arms across her chest.  “I mean, Lila you’re leaving for college, but why are we doing a road trip across the US.  Shouldn’t we be showing Cavitt and Uriah countries outside of the US if it sucks here so much.”  She sunk down in to her seat, annoyed with all of them.

Rhiannon was now pushing 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on I-95.  They’d already crossed in to Connecticut and she was loving the cruise control on her car, it allowed her to keep her speed up without even really trying.  She looked through her rear view mirror and adjusted it to look at the complainers behind her.  “One state down,” she smirked, loving the timing she was making.  Sure, the purpose of the trip was to enjoy themselves, but she did get a sense of satisfaction from pushing the limits.

As the arguing continued, Ginny realized that the venti dirty chai she drank right before they left was not the best idea.  Luckily, she was already getting ragged on by everyone so it couldn’t hurt to complain even more, “I have to use the little girl’s room,” she announced.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

Rhiannon ignored Declan, but did slam on the breaks simply to annoy him and cause him maybe a bit of neck pain.  Deciding that she needed to chime in on the argument going on behind her, she spoke, “You’re both wrong, The United States in general sucks.  Monaco is much more ideal of a place to live in.  Our weather is much more consistent year round, we have the excitement of world class races and of course our government greatly exceeds yours.”

“America is the greatest place on the planet,” Ginny pouted in typical privileged WASPy style.  “The fact that anyone would want to live anywhere outside of the United States is actually insane.  I mean, we all live here for a reason, don’t we?  Cavitt and Rhiannon aren’t even citizens and they live here!”  Ginny wasn’t exactly the most worldly person in the world.  Sure, she’d traveled a lot on vacations, but she never bothered to learn much about the places that she’d travelled to.

Unlike Ginny though, the rest of the car’s occupants actually did know more about the outside world and Cavitt was the first person to call Ginny out on her naiveté.  She was still somewhat mad at Ginny, not just for passing her over for Head Plastic, but also for making her realize how superficial it all was.  She much preferred living in ignorance.  “The United States isn’t even ranked first in anything that matters anymore, not in literacy, not in life expectancy, nothing.”  She shook her head and sighed, “Oh l'ignorance.”

[teamih8u2015]

Since the entire car was getting pulled into the argument, Lila gave up on trying to sleep and joined in, “Building on to what Cavitt said, America is severely lacking in several departments. “Norway, Australia, Switzerland, and Netherlands are ranked higher than America in human development. In most countries, healthcare is universal, free of charge and quality. The European countries have a greater life expectancy and their education systems are often superior to ours.” Nobody hated America as much as Americans, Lila always thought.

Declan made sure to glare at Rhiannon after she slammed on the brakes. He was going to make sure he would be the next driver. He gave in and added, “We might have more rights than people in places like China, Russia, Nigeria, and North Korea, but America is one of the most ignorant countries in the world. It’s so homophobic and racist which is really ironic when you remember what’s written on the Statue of Liberty.”

Uriah bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing, Bashing America was his favorite pastime, but he felt a little bad for Ginny. Everyone was on the opposing side, and she was the only one defending their problematic country.  “Monaco might be more ideal place to live compared to America, but it’s not the best place to live-Denmark is. Denmark is known as the happiest country in the world, the health care is best in the world, and it is in the top 10 for countries when it comes to gender equality. Plus they’re very eco-friendly.” He hoped to knock the Europeans down a few pegs.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

After his argument with Rhiannon who would be the first driver, he settled into the back row with Uriah. “Rhiannon, where did you learn how to drive?” Declan shouted from the back row as Rhiannon hit the brakes a bit too sharply, jerking him forward. He was going to end up dead before they even reached their first stop. How did he not know that Rhiannon was a horrible driver?  “And slow down. You’re over the speed limit again,” Declan frowned. He gave Uriah a “See how much better if it was just the two of us?” look, but Declan was met with an eyeroll as his cousin continued his conversation with Ginny.

“The New England region is so boring. Sure, it’s fun to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here or attend school here,” Uriah sighed remembering that he was in the car with two Yale students and two girls who grew up here. “Also, cite your sources. Who did this study? How many people did they study? Did they run a stats analysis on the data?” Uriah blinked, closing his book and giving Ginny his undivided attention.  He wasn’t looking for a fight, but it was bound to happen with the people he was in the car with. “The winter are the harshest in all of America, whereas in the West Coast, the weather is always ideal. Everything is so fast-paced and pretentious here, and the people here are generally so uptight and arrogant. No offence,” Uriah shrugged his shoulders, “I’m just trying to assess my college options.”

The sound of people raising their voices woke Lila up, but she kept her eyes shut hoping to fall asleep again. Lila expected an argument to occur during the trip, however unless the situation got out of hand, Lila was staying out of it.

[teamih8u2015]

Rhiannon ignored Declan, but did slam on the breaks simply to annoy him and cause him maybe a bit of neck pain.  Deciding that she needed to chime in on the argument going on behind her, she spoke, “You’re both wrong, The United States in general sucks.  Monaco is much more ideal of a place to live in.  Our weather is much more consistent year round, we have the excitement of world class races and of course our government greatly exceeds yours.”

“America is the greatest place on the planet,” Ginny pouted in typical privileged WASPy style.  “The fact that anyone would want to live anywhere outside of the United States is actually insane.  I mean, we all live here for a reason, don’t we?  Cavitt and Rhiannon aren’t even citizens and they live here!”  Ginny wasn’t exactly the most worldly person in the world.  Sure, she’d traveled a lot on vacations, but she never bothered to learn much about the places that she’d travelled to.

Unlike Ginny though, the rest of the car’s occupants actually did know more about the outside world and Cavitt was the first person to call Ginny out on her naiveté.  She was still somewhat mad at Ginny, not just for passing her over for Head Plastic, but also for making her realize how superficial it all was.  She much preferred living in ignorance.  “The United States isn’t even ranked first in anything that matters anymore, not in literacy, not in life expectancy, nothing.”  She shook her head and sighed, “Oh l'ignorance.”

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

[teamih8u2015]

Rhiannon hated not being in control, and that is why she had insisted that they drive her car for the road trip and that she start the trip as the first driver.  Her car was spacious, with three rows and captain’s chairs in the second row, but with all their luggage it was still a bit cramped.  She and Ginny had been the biggest offenders of over packing.  She wasn’t a great driver, something that soon became evident as they nearly went through three red lights in a row, but she certainly was assertive.

“Stop complaining,” Ginny rolled her eyes at Uriah.  While she hadn’t managed to snag shotgun, she did have one of the captain’s chairs and was able to move her body so that she was facing Uriah.  She tried to keep her voice at a low tone so as not to wake her girlfriend, but in general, she had a fairly shrill voice.  “New England is one of the best places to live.  We have all four seasons and they are all gorgeous, and statistically people in New England are smarter and more well adjusted than those in any other part of the country.”

Cavitt, who had somehow managed to ride shotgun for the first leg of the trip, turned around, ready to witness the first argument of the trip.  She knew it wasn’t going to be the last, and to be honest she was surprised that Uriah and Ginny would be the first, she had expected it to be Rhiannon and Declan.  In a way though, she was glad that the first argument was already underway.  She knew that the trip would have its awkward moments, and now it was starting to feel normal.  As normal as roadtripping with your best friend, her girlfriend, your cousin, your sort-of-maybe boyfriend and his cousin who just happens to have a confusing relationship with your cousin could be.  So she attempted to hide a smile behind her hand as she watched Ginny speak to Uriah.

[teamih8u2015]

After his argument with Rhiannon who would be the first driver, he settled into the back row with Uriah. “Rhiannon, where did you learn how to drive?” Declan shouted from the back row as Rhiannon hit the brakes a bit too sharply, jerking him forward. He was going to end up dead before they even reached their first stop. How did he not know that Rhiannon was a horrible driver?  “And slow down. You’re over the speed limit again,” Declan frowned. He gave Uriah a “See how much better if it was just the two of us?” look, but Declan was met with an eyeroll as his cousin continued his conversation with Ginny.

“The New England region is so boring. Sure, it’s fun to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here or attend school here,” Uriah sighed remembering that he was in the car with two Yale students and two girls who grew up here. “Also, cite your sources. Who did this study? How many people did they study? Did they run a stats analysis on the data?” Uriah blinked, closing his book and giving Ginny his undivided attention.  He wasn’t looking for a fight, but it was bound to happen with the people he was in the car with. “The winter are the harshest in all of America, whereas in the West Coast, the weather is always ideal. Everything is so fast-paced and pretentious here, and the people here are generally so uptight and arrogant. No offence,” Uriah shrugged his shoulders, “I’m just trying to assess my college options.”

The sound of people raising their voices woke Lila up, but she kept her eyes shut hoping to fall asleep again. Lila expected an argument to occur during the trip, however unless the situation got out of hand, Lila was staying out of it.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

It was the day after Mr. Evers’ wedding and the group was finally hitting the road (after a very amusing argument between Rhiannon and Declan over who would be driving). They had left the Evers household early in the morning in order to beat traffic and Lila spent most of the morning sleeping while they left Massachusetts. She didn’t have an official role for the role trip which she didn’t mind since she was still recovering from what happened at the wedding. However, Lila did map out the entire trip and created what she considered the perfect road trip route, but she left the decision up to Declan and Rhiannon since it was originally supposed to be their road trip. “So where are we heading off to?” Lila asked.

Still affected after his phone call with Sloane last night, Uriah spent most of the morning staring out the window or reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. Although Holly had her baby already, Uriah still considered himself the youngest McIntire. He was childish one of the bunch, and the idea of him being a big brother was too strange for him. He was even the younger twin, a fact that he didn’t like to admit. Uriah had always embraced change, but this time he wasn’t so sure. “I hate the New England region” Uriah finally spoke up, realizing that it would be a good idea to get his mind off of the matter. Maybe it was a false positive? 

[teamih8u2015]

Rhiannon hated not being in control, and that is why she had insisted that they drive her car for the road trip and that she start the trip as the first driver.  Her car was spacious, with three rows and captain’s chairs in the second row, but with all their luggage it was still a bit cramped.  She and Ginny had been the biggest offenders of over packing.  She wasn’t a great driver, something that soon became evident as they nearly went through three red lights in a row, but she certainly was assertive.

“Stop complaining,” Ginny rolled her eyes at Uriah.  While she hadn’t managed to snag shotgun, she did have one of the captain’s chairs and was able to move her body so that she was facing Uriah.  She tried to keep her voice at a low tone so as not to wake her girlfriend, but in general, she had a fairly shrill voice.  “New England is one of the best places to live.  We have all four seasons and they are all gorgeous, and statistically people in New England are smarter and more well adjusted than those in any other part of the country.”

Cavitt, who had somehow managed to ride shotgun for the first leg of the trip, turned around, ready to witness the first argument of the trip.  She knew it wasn’t going to be the last, and to be honest she was surprised that Uriah and Ginny would be the first, she had expected it to be Rhiannon and Declan.  In a way though, she was glad that the first argument was already underway.  She knew that the trip would have its awkward moments, and now it was starting to feel normal.  As normal as roadtripping with your best friend, her girlfriend, your cousin, your sort-of-maybe boyfriend and his cousin who just happens to have a confusing relationship with your cousin could be.  So she attempted to hide a smile behind her hand as she watched Ginny speak to Uriah.

[teamih8u2015]

Eyes Wide Open

It was the day after Mr. Evers’ wedding and the group was finally hitting the road (after a very amusing argument between Rhiannon and Declan over who would be driving). They had left the Evers household early in the morning in order to beat traffic and Lila spent most of the morning sleeping while they left Massachusetts. She didn’t have an official role for the role trip which she didn’t mind since she was still recovering from what happened at the wedding. However, Lila did map out the entire trip and created what she considered the perfect road trip route, but she left the decision up to Declan and Rhiannon since it was originally supposed to be their road trip. “So where are we heading off to?” Lila asked.

Still affected after his phone call with Sloane last night, Uriah spent most of the morning staring out the window or reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. Although Holly had her baby already, Uriah still considered himself the youngest McIntire. He was childish one of the bunch, and the idea of him being a big brother was too strange for him. He was even the younger twin, a fact that he didn’t like to admit. Uriah had always embraced change, but this time he wasn’t so sure. “I hate the New England region” Uriah finally spoke up, realizing that it would be a good idea to get his mind off of the matter. Maybe it was a false positive? 

[teamih8u2015]

Keeps Getting Better | Lila

When doesn’t Lila have a plan? 

Lila always found it easy to remain calm during stressful situations. This wedding was going to be no different, she thought as she stepped out of the cab in front of her grandparents’ townhouse. It was 7 AM and she made it back just in time for breakfast with her grandparents and father.

Her grandparents explained that she didn’t have to attend the wedding if it made her uncomfortable, but Lila knew that neither of her grandparents wanted to attend the wedding- however the Evers lived on politeness and manners. It was a way of life so ingrained into Lila that she knew she would be at the wedding five minutes after she ended her phone call with her father in May.

Her weekend with her future step-family was a disaster. She despised Hannah more than she thought was humanly possible. Lila always knew about her father’s affair with Hannah’s mother. In fact, she ended extorted money out of her father because of it. However, Lila never did her research on Hannah. The fairy tales were right, wicked stepsisters do exist.

Lila might had been bounded by her own moral code, but nobody said the wedding said had to go smoothly. It started with the ring going missing. Something very crucial somehow ended up in the sink drain. The happy couple managed to find the ring as Lila watched over her breakfast of waffles made by her grandparents. Then someone disrupted the refrigerator’s power killing the flowers for the ceremony.  Her stepmother to be confronted her grandparents, believing they hated her. They did. Nobody suspected Lila. Nobody ever did. Her hands had never been lily white like people believed.

The cake topper was the arrival of Ginny, Declan, Uriah, Rhiannon, and Cavitt. Their arrival would light the fuse, Lila thought as she had dinner with all of them at one of her favorite cafes. It was the night before the wedding and it was the first time all six of them have been together in the same room. Their behavior in the café was only a preview for what would happen tomorrow.

Lila stood up in front of all of her father’s friends and her new “family”, holding a champagne glass in her hand. It was time for her speech. Unlike her graduation speech, she told the truth. Lila talked about her father’s love for the chase, how the love he had her for her stepmother was so powerful that it was enough to start the collapse of a marriage, how she was stronger than he ever realized and cutting him out of her life was the best decision she made, and she ended her speech wishing the happy couple the best of luck. Second chances happen, don’t they?

As she took in her seat, Lila smiled to herself. She was pleased. More than pleased actually. Her grandparents only chuckled in amusement, pleased that their granddaughter knew how to use manners as a weapon. Meanwhile, Declan’s and Rhiannon’s arguing caused the wedding cake to topple, but she did managed to convince her grandparents to get them to share a dance beforehand. Lila learned to not ask questions when it came to Uriah, but he managed to lace her father’s food with laxatives and his drink with Viagra. She asked Cavitt and Ginny to keep Hannah company as she finished her masterpiece.    

Lila remembered the smug face Hannah had when she told Lila that she was admitted to Harvard early decision. Her pride was offended, but the way Hannah assumed she could consider herself an Evers because of Harvard was disgusting. First of all, her father was a discarded branch on the Evers tree. Second, admitting Harvard, a subpar school compared to Oxford, did not make someone an Evers. An Evers is ambitious, resourceful, independent, and elegant. They were polished. Evers don’t name their child something as mundane as Hannah. Evers don’t slouch. Evers don’t score less than a 2200 on the SAT. Hannah will never be an Evers. In ten years in the future, she still doesn’t regret what she did to Hannah.

After she met Hannah, Lila called her old friends from the prep school scene and started working her favorite part of her plan. Figures that Hannah wasn’t popular or well-liked, Lila thought. Lila collected the pictures of Hannah at parties, a copy of all of her offences at prep school, and proof that she plagiarized a research paper. No amount of her mother’s money was going to save her this time. Lila sent everything she could find that could harm Hannah’s status at Harvard in.

“Have fun at Harvard, sis,” Lila whispered before she and her group of friends left the wedding.

[teamih8u2015]

Summer Paradise | Uriah

Besides Uriah calling Declan a corporate sellout and Declan calling Uriah an immature brat, the two cousins managed to avoid picking fights with each other for most of the trip to Boston. It was a fairly short plane ride from Chicago to Boston.

Lila was supposed to be picking them up from the airport, but she had to deal with the wedding so Declan and Uriah had an hour and half to spare at the airport. After grabbing food from one of fast food places at the airport, Declan and Uriah was sitting at Starsbuck waiting for Lila. He picked at the “healthy” salad he order, while Declan enjoyed a greasy burger.

They talked about Uriah’s college prospect, the newest addition to the McIntire family, and reflected on their recent family dinner. Nothing changed between the two cousins as they laughed and argued in the coffee shop.

Lila arrived exactly an hour and half later just like she promised. She found Declan and Uriah doing the crossword puzzle together and ushered them towards the cab. In the cab, she pointed out buildings and told them anecdotes. People talked about LA and NYC, but Boston will always be her favorite city no matter what.

Uriah knew that this summer was going to be eventful from the start as he arrived at Lila’s grandparents’ townhouse. Did he make the right decision?  

[teamih8u2015]

In Her Shoes || Cavitt

After learning that she wasn’t going to following in her cousin’s footsteps as Head Plastic, Cavitt couldn’t wait to get away from NSHS.

Cavitt couldn’t wait to get away from the Plastics, but not for the reason she originally suspected.  After all, she was spending her summer going on a road trip with two past head plastics.  The reason why she wanted to get away, was because while she outwardly appeared to be the unfortunate runner-up in the race for head plastic, there was a part of her that was somewhat relieved.  A part of her that was glad that she didn’t have what it took to be a ruthless leader.

The road trip was starting in Boston, but before heading there for Mr. Evers’ wedding, Cavitt flew in to a small airport in Connecticut where Rhiannon picked her up with a car service.  They took the car service together up to Boston where they would be meeting up with the rest of the group.

Rhiannon was the first person Cavitt told about how she wouldn’t be Head Plastic.  Rhiannon offered to try and change Ginny’s mind, but Cavitt told her not to.  She told her she didn’t mind, and that she could be just as good of a plastic without the title.

As they sat in the back of the town car, Rhiannon wondered what had changed in her cousin and Cavitt wondered why Rhiannon seemed different to her, why she didn’t have the glow of perfection she usually did.  Or maybe, Cavitt was just starting to realize that Rhiannon wasn’t the ideal person and that she was just a human all along.

Before long, Boston came in to sight and the dawn of her summer.  Her summer with Rhiannon, Ginny, Lila, Declan and Uriah.

Shit, she thought, this summer is going to be a shit show.