Road-tripping Rivals

"I can't wait to see you. I'm on fire with exhilaration. See you in a week." Stacy Parker hit send on the email and leaned back. She practically released a squeal. She was really going to do this. She was going to drive cross-country to start college and stop to finally meet the love of her life face-to-face. She looked around the room she'd lived in her entire life and released a quiet sigh. She was finally free. Slipping into her favorite sundress she picked up the last box of knick-knacks for her dorm room and headed out to hit the road. As she walks down the hall to say goodbye to her parents the sound of a loud horn startles her.

"Martin, the Townsends are here," Stacy's mom yells into the basement before rushing out of the living room and through the front door.

Stacy slows her pace and mumbles under her breath, "what the fuck are the Townsends doing here?" She looks out the big bay window facing the street and sees an old white and tan RV parked on the street. Climbing out of it is Mr. Townsend and his daughter, Meredith. Mrs. Townsends pulls up behind the RV in the family car. Stacy watches as her Mom hugs Mrs. Townsend and greets Mr. Townsend.

Meredith scowls at the house as if she can see Stacy through the window. It sends chills down Stacy's spine and she stands frozen until her Dad comes bumbling up the stairs and pats her on the back. "Ah, your surprise is here, come on," he says and beckons for her to follow.

It takes a moment for Stacy to move her feet. She hadn't really thought about it until that moment, but if she could go the rest of her life without seeing Meredith ever again it still wouldn't be long enough. She considers simply grabbing the keys off the table, sneaking out and hitting the road before anyone can say anything. Instead, she sighs and sucks it up. A heavy feeling of dread hangs over her as she heads out to be a good daughter and greet Mr. and Mrs. Townsend.

Meredith, for her part, has her best smile on when Stacy's Dad comes outside. It's a significant effort considering how betrayed she feels by the raw deal she only learned about an hour previously.

Stacy matches Meredith's smile while greeting her rival's parents but gives Meredith an icy shoulder.

"So," Mr. Parker says as he rubs his neck and weakly smiles at his daughter, "we, uh, hadn't quite managed to tell Stacy the big news yet."

Stacy sees a twisted grin cross Meredith's face.

"What big news, Dad? I really need to hit the road," Stacy asks.

"We know sweetie and that's why the Townsends are here," Mr. Parker explains. "We ran into them a few weeks ago and we got to talking about the fact that the both of you were going to UC-Berkeley for school and, well, Bob mentioned that like you Meredith wanted to do the cross-country drive on her own and, well, they shared the same concerns we did about a girl traveling alone for 3,000 miles, so we thought the two of you could go together."

Stacy's jaw drops. She doesn't know it, but she's now sharing the same feeling of parental betrayal that Meredith's been feeling since she found out earlier that morning. "But Dad!" she looks to her Mom, "Mom! We had an agreement. What about my car?"

Before either of the Parkers can answer Mr. Townsend butts in. "We talked with your parents about that. Meredith here wanted to bring her car, too, but there really isn't a ton of parking around campus. Plus, you really should be spending most of your time on campus during your first year and Berkeley has plenty of public transportation options. So, I remembered my brother in Northern California had this classic 1985 Fleetwood TIOGA sitting in your grandma's backyard and has been trying forever to find a way to get it out to him. Sure, it's seen better days, but I spent the last week fixing her up so I could make the drive with Meredith but after talking to your parents....you were the perfect solution. This way you girls can keep each other company and save money on hotels. You'll drop the RV off with my brother in Northern Cali and he's agreed to drive the two of you the rest of the way to school. It's a win-win! Promise I got all of the spiders cleaned out."

Stacy's Dad adds "I couldn't agree more! Honestly, I was doing my best to let you be independent, honey, and go on your own, but I was never completely comfortable with it. I know it was because you didn't want to spend a week in a car with your lame Dad."

That wasn't why Stacy wanted to drive alone. She had plans to meet her secret online lover for the first time in person. "But I want to bring my car!" Stacy releases a petulant whine.

"Me too," Meredith shrugs, "but they're convinced we should ride together. Trust me. I spent all morning arguing."

Stacy's Mom jumps in, "I don't know why the two of you are so upset about this. I would have died for a chance to travel cross county in an RV with my best friend when I was your age. You're lucky."

Both Meredith and Stacy give one another an icy stare when Stacy's Mom says "best friend." The two girls hadn't been best friends since ninth grade. Now they were bitter rivals.

<i>Author Note: Where's the sexy??? I wanted to try something different with this story. There will be sexy. Lots of sexy, but it's going to take a bit. Bear with me and get to know our rivals.</i>