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Published: 2013-10-01 17:23:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 10791; Favourites: 79; Downloads: 6
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"Come on, you guys! We're trying to leave by seven!"
Rachelle slammed her open palm on the doors of her roommates' rooms, pausing to listen for any sign of stirring. A week ago, she'd proposed the idea of a Fall break mini-road trip, and both Chloe and Amanda were on board with it. That was before they knew they were leaving by 6am to beat the morning rush hour. Now 6:45, Rachelle had arose, showered, and loaded the van, while her roommates had yet show any signs of life.
"Come on!" Rachelle yelled, pounding her small fist on Chloe's door, before moving on to Amanda's again. "We talked about this yesterday. Get your asses up!" Amanda pulled open the door still wearing her long, faded My Little Pony nightshirt. Even with bed-head and sans makeup, she still unquestionably had the look of a former Miss Teen Missouri, her tall, lean body propped up against the door frame.
'It's early." Amanda pouted.
"Well you shouldn't have stayed up so late talking to your boyfriend."
"Ex-boyfriend. We broke up last night." Amanda said, simply. Rachelle looked for signs of distress from Amanda, but it was difficult to separate the tired from the weary.
"Geez, sorry. You okay?"
"Yeah, I just—"
"Good. Get in the van." Rachelle abruptly turned away and headed towards Chloe's room.
"Let me get ready," Amanda whined.
"I know what that means. You get five minutes to shower, and two minutes for makeup. No more."
"Come on. Eight minutes and four minutes."
"Seven and three."
"Deal," Amanda said, yawning. "See you in fifteen," she said, rubbing her eyes and plodding like a zombie into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
"Ten!" Rachelle shouted back before moving on to Chloe's bedroom. Saying Chloe lived "the fast life" put it lightly, as she wouldn't know restraint if it were tattooed on her forehead. Rachelle knocked for nearly a minute before considering that Chloe may either be unconscious, or not in there at all. Praying she wouldn't walk in on either a corpse or any manner of bodily fluid, Rachelle opened the door to find the bed not only cluttered and covered in a stack of clothes, but empty. "What the...?" she said aloud, before hearing Chloe's voice from the living room.
"Ugh. Is it 6am already?"
Rachelle stomped into the living room. "It's 6:45!" Chloe sat up, looking a total wreck. "What the hell are you doing on the couch? How late were you at the bar?" Chloe's eyes were still closed, and she appeared to be well on her way to falling back asleep. "Chloe, come ON!" Rachelle stomped her foot, though the gesture didn't have the effect she hoped. At a petite five foot in height, it came off as little more than a hissy fit, particularly when Chloe and Amanda dwarfed her by six and eight inches respectively.
Rachelle grabbed Chloe by the arm. "Hey! Don't go back to sleep. You can sleep in back of the van if you want."
Chloe opened one eye at Rachelle's offer. She still had on her stockings, leather skirt, and raggedy t-shirt from the previous night out, and she generally reeked of bar. "I can sleep in the back of the van," she offered. "Wouldn't be the first time." Chloe arched her back, and Rachelle considered a comment about the way the horizontal slits in Chloe's t-shirt showed the near-entirety of her substantial assets, when Chloe dropped one of her legs to the ground, putting certain details of Chloe's attire–and anatomy–into plain view.
"Jesus, Chloe. Where the hell's your bra? And panties?"
Unfazed, Chloe yawned again and reached down the front of her skirt. "That's a good question," she said quizzically. "Guess I lost 'em last night."
"How could you lose your underwear?"
"The band didn't throw them back," Chloe replied with a shrug. Without attempting to hide her glory, she lumbered to her feet and headed towards the front door.
"Hey! No going commando in my van!" Rachelle yelled.
"Don't worry, I packed some shit yesterday." Chloe picked up a paper grocery bag near the door, rifling through it and pulling out a pair of red thong panties. "I've got some here. Don't get yours in a twist. Oh, and tell Princess she can ride shotgun." The front door shut, and Rachelle headed back towards the bathroom, not missing the fact that the roommate who needed a shower more was already in the van.
Amanda and Chloe consistently provided Rachelle with both entertainment and frustration, though their similarities ended there. Amanda was a midwestern blonde beauty queen, where Chloe was an irreverent free spirit from Vermont with all the grace and class of an episode of Maury Povich. Amanda kept in shape by jogging and following a strict diet and fitness regimen, while Chloe hopped on the elliptical every few days to offset her diet of cigarettes, microwave dinners, and Cuervo. Amanda coordinated her wardrobe with style, while Chloe took a more found-object approach to her attire.
Rachelle knocked on the bathroom door. "Mandy, you ready to go?"
"I'm almost ready," Amanda shouted over the whirring hair dryer.
"We're spending the whole day in the car, how much 'ready' do you need?" Amanda mumbled a reply. Recognizing the delay was inevitable, Rachelle tossed some more travel snacks into a reusable grocery bag, and headed out to the van. Sure enough, Chloe was already sawing logs in the middle seat closest to the door, not venturing any further than was necessary. Thankfully, Amanda followed shortly after—her hair salon perfect—though with probably two more packed bags than should have been necessary for a three-day trip. Amanda made a half-hearted attempt to assess space for her luggage, before making puppy-dog eyes at Rachelle. Rachelle begrudgingly loaded her roommate's bags, as Amanda hopped in the passenger seat and took Chloe's cue to also fall asleep.
With both Amanda and Chloe unconscious, Rachelle was able to get in two solid hours of driving. After the chaotic morning departure, Rachelle certainly did not mind the quiet. Inevitably, around 9:30, Amanda stirred to life and asked if they could stop for Starbucks. Chloe yawned loudly and admitted she also was in the mood to fuel up for the trip, since it was early and she was hungover. Rachelle had no objections. She'd chugged a half-pot of instant coffee before they'd left and had to pee pretty badly.
Once inside, the girls ordered their drinks, and each found ways to occupy themselves as they waited amidst the early morning rush. After all three had ordered, Amanda checked out the CDs by the register, Chloe collapsed into a booth and tinkered with her phone, and Rachelle flipped through the free app cards at the counter. She'd thumbed through a dozen Scrabble download cards, when one she didn't recognize caught her eye at the far back. She pulled it out and examined it.
Humanji. Road trip game of self discovery. Fun for some, not for all.
Other than the succinct description, nothing else about the card seemed out of the ordinary. She knew the Starbucks free-app cards tended to disappear faster than the free music downloads. Not having a smartphone herself, she passed the card to Chloe. "Hey, install this. It's free."
"Mmkay," Chloe muttered without looking up. Despite having walked from the van into Starbucks, ordered, and paid for coffee, Rachelle was not entirely sure Chloe was actually awake. Rachelle headed to the bathroom, and upon returning a couple minutes later she found Chloe sipping her triple espresso, looking relatively coherent.
"Where are we going again?"
"Coastside Beach, why?"
"I'm supposed to type our destination. How long are we going to be gone?"
"We get back Sunday. Is it really asking that?" Rachelle heard her name called by the barista and headed over to pick up her drink, a grande mocha. A little voice inside her told her she should probably dieting. She was a twig when she started college last year, and she'd probably added ten or fifteen pounds in the meantime. Then again, it was October. She had no one to impress on Fall break. If she really wanted to diet, she had a half year until Spring break.
"Here, put your name in," Chloe said casually, handing Rachelle the phone.
"Can't you put my name in?"
"Won't let me."
Rachelle began typing her name. She'd gotten no further than the "Ra" when the phone auto-filled her name. This was unexpected, but not surprising, as she assumed the autocomplete had her name from the various texts Chloe may have sent in the past. She tapped the Submit button, and she yelped as a cool tingle flashed up her arm and through her body.
"What's up with you?" Chloe asked.
"I think I just got a static shock from your phone."
"Huh, weird. Me too, actually."
Amanda walked over with her nonfat sugar-free latte. "I'm ready."
Rachelle handed Amanda the phone. "Here, type in your name."
Amanda took the phone and examined it. "What is it?"
"It's a car game. We've got about six hundred miles to drive, so we may as well entertain ourselves."
"What kind of game?"
"Just type your name in," Chloe said, shoving the phone into Amanda's hands. Amanda did as she was told, and Rachelle noticed that, like herself, the phone auto-completed Amanda's name. Amanda paused a moment, punched submit, then yelped and dropped the phone.
"Amanda! Jeez!" Chloe said, crouching to retrieve her phone. "Don't drop my shit!"
"Sorry! I got shocked, or something!"
"You too?" Rachelle asked. "Okay, that's weird. You think it's your phone, Chloe?"
"It shouldn't be. That's never happened to me before."
Rachelle looked concerned. "What does your phone say?"
Chloe brushed off her phone and took a look. "It says it's your turn."
Rachelle took Chloe's phone and read the screen. Cartoonish, blocky letters read "Round 1" at the top of the screen, with no other visible commands. After a couple seconds, the message "Shake to reveal your fortune!" flashed repeatedly at the bottom of the screen. Rachelle looked at the screen, and for a moment she felt a vague unease, as if something wasn't quite right about the situation. She shook this feeling out of her head, and gave the phone a shake. The phone emitted a sound not unlike a drum roll, before a corny 8-bit fanfare sounded. Rachelle read the screen out loud:
"Your current view: quite ineffective!
Hour by hour, you'll gain perspective."
"So, it's a fortune cookie app," Chloe said, only half paying attention. "That's cute.
"I guess," Rachelle said "But what's 'you'll gain perspective' supposed to mean?"
"Perhaps it's offering a cure for your closed-mindedness. You know, how you're closed-minded, pushy, opinionated, and generally lack empathy."
"But Chloe," Amanda spoke up. "That's not Rachelle at all."
"Exactly. This app is essentially a digital fortune cookie, with no connection to reality whatsoever. Can we get going? I'm almost done with my drink, and if we don't leave soon, I'll order again."
Rachelle followed as Chloe headed toward the door, but was distracted by a weird feeling in her body. She didn't understand what it was, and patted at her torso and hips. The tingling that had run up her arm when she'd first touched Chloe's phone returned for a moment, shooting through her body like electricity. Again, she wasn't sure she felt anything, and it was gone in a flash. She did take a moment to re-adjust her sweatshirt
On her way to the car, Rachelle saw Chloe shaking her phone and giggled at the suggestive gesture. Chloe was embarrassed; less by the gesture than the fact that she was actually indulging the silly game that she'd so recently derided. "What?" she said defensively. "We've got a long trip ahead and I need to entertain myself somehow." Chloe read the screen aloud:
"It's time for a change, how 'bout your hair?
You're not so shallow that you should care."
"Wow, it's giving me fashion advice. That's original."
"What's it say?" Amanda asked, looking over Chloe's shoulder.
"It says I should change my hair."
Amanda took a close look at Chloe's hair, and frowned. "You could start by, you know, washing it."
"Or combing it," Rachelle offered.
"Hey, now. I like my hair how it is, thank you."
"Come on, Chloe." Amanda pressed. Chloe had fought this battle before. "Don't you ever get tired of the exact same short haircut?
"You know what? Bite me, you two." Chloe opened the side door to the van.
"Whoa, where are you going?" Rachelle asked, trying to catch her by the sleeve. "You aren't mad, are you? We were only kidding!"
"No, I left my drink at the table. I'm going to go grab it." Chloe started to close the door, but stopped herself. "If you're going to bitch about my hair or hygiene though, this would be the time to do it." Chloe shut the door and strided back to the shop, all the while scratching at her scalp, which tingled a bit.
As the door shut, a silence hung in the air until both Rachelle and Amanda could no longer suppress their laughter. "Maybe now that magic technology is giving her the advice, she'll take it seriously." Rachelle continued giggling.
"I know, right? I keep telling her that she's really pretty, she just could stand to put some effort into her appearance." Amanda looked over again, as if she were concerned Chloe could hear her. "Where does she even buy her clothes? Goodwill?"
"I've known Chloe a while. She's got her own fashion sense and her own style, and I've found it best not to make any suggestions. Maybe you and her will get to know each other better this trip."
"Yeah," Amanda said, with a hint of sadness. "I don't think she really li—"
The van door opened suddenly, and both girls looked up, perplexed at the unfamiliar blonde girl who climbed in. It only took a second, however, for their looks of confusion to turn to shock. "God, the barista just gave me the weirdest look," Chloe said, climbing in with her drink in one hand. She looked up at her two friends who both stared back at her, mouths agape. "Just like that, actually. What's your guys' problem?"
"Um, what's going on?" Amanda said, staring at Chloe with two parts confusion and three parts terror.
"What do you mean? I forgot my drink. I told you that before I got up. I walked inside, got it, now I'm back in the van waiting for us to get going."
"No, Chloe." Rachelle replied. "Your hair. Are you wearing a wig or something?"
Chloe looked puzzled for a moment, before smirking. "Okay I get it guys, I should have taken a shower."
"Chloe, you're blonde!"
"Hey, now. Just because I forget my drink, suddenly I'm a ditz?"
Rachelle reached forward and grabbed a handful of the blonde hair, tugging it. Chloe yelped, and Rachelle's mouth dropped open even wider. "Oh my God, it's real!"
"It's my hair, of course it's..." Chloe stopped as a lock of blonde hair dropped in front of her eyes. "...blonde?"
Chloe ran her fingers through her hair a few more times, eventually the reality of what happened sunk in, and she shrieked like a banshee.
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Comments: 5
nick2123 [2016-08-22 18:51:25 +0000 UTC]
Hey, I read all of this story that you had posted over on PBworks. I really liked it. Do you think you'll ever be able to finish it, or are you occupied with Ordinary Girls right now?
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
Robclassact In reply to nick2123 [2016-08-23 03:16:17 +0000 UTC]
I definitely intend to finish There's An App for That, and I'm currently working on all three of the final chapters. I'm just making slow progress. Ordinary Girls is my ongoing serial story to keep me busy in the meantime
Thank you for reading!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
nick2123 In reply to nick2123 [2016-08-23 03:08:33 +0000 UTC]
Oh, sorry I'm retarded. I saw your status posts now. Thanks for making that available, and here's to more from ya!
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
baubaubau52 [2015-09-02 06:54:04 +0000 UTC]
This is hands down my favorite short sorry I'd love to see the rest of the story on deviant art.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Robclassact In reply to baubaubau52 [2015-09-09 04:38:40 +0000 UTC]
Yeah, it's a little too racy for dA
👍: 0 ⏩: 0