Chapter Text
“Hope Andrea Mikaelson, have you been listening to a single word I’ve been saying?” The irate blonde, better known as Lizzie Saltzman, huffs loudly, her annoyance growing as she stares at her best friend seated across the table from her at the cafe just off campus.
“Yes, Lizzie.” Hope answers back as she looks up from her laptop to take a quick sip of her coffee, less than enthusiastic about this whole thing. “If I’m not out front by 8:00 AM sharp, you will-
“Leave your sorry ass behind while the rest of us drive down to Florida for unforgettable spring break trip.” The taller girl reminds her curtly, tapping her expensive new shoes impatiently against the gray concrete. “Got that?”
“I’ll be there, don’t worry.” She assures her friend, brushing off her unnecessary concern. As tempted as Hope was to find a way out of this trip, because she knew damn well Lizzie had plans to try and find her a fun 'spring fling' after her recent breakup, she just didn't have the energy to fight with the resolute blonde about it. This was meant to be fun a vacation after all, not a stressful one. Hopefully once they got there, she could weasel her way out of her friend's well meaning matchmaking attempts.
The shorter girl's response seems to ease Lizzie's concerns for the time being, as she relaxes back into her seat. “Good. With Ethan already down their with the rest of the boys, I'm gonna need someone to keep me company on the ride. Because you know when my sister isn’t driving, her and Finch are gonna be groping each other in the backseat.” She huffs, scrunching up her nose at the thought. Lizzie was happy her sister had found someone, but she really didn't feel like watching it on display in the rear view mirror the whole ride.
"I'm already packed, and I have my alarm set to wake me up bright and early tomorrow morning. It's gonna be fine, all according to plan.”
The twin folds her arms over her chest and hums doubtfully. Having spent many a road trip with her family over the years, she knew very well they never went off without hitch. Something always went wrong. "Whatever you say."
A surprisingly well rested Hope rolls over onto her back the next morning, stretching her arms over her head as she lets out a yawn. She can't believe she actually woke up before her alarm went off. Seems like it paid off going to bed early after days worth of non stop all-nighters she'd been pulling studying for exams this past week.
Reaching over for her phone to check the time, she's greeted with a display screen filled to the brim with notifications. Squinting her eyes to make sure she's seeing things right, she tips her head to the side in confusion. "What the hel?"
‘37 New Text Messages. 9 Missed Calls. 4 New Voicemails.’
Utterly puzzled by the sight, she flicks her gaze upward to see it's practically almost noon. She overslept.
"No, no, no, no!" Hope mutters repeatedly under her breath, clumsily staggering out of bed and onto her feet, scrolling through the messages as panic courses through her body. She didn't just oversleep a little, she overslept a lot. Three and a half hours to be exact. Lizzie's gonna kill her.
"Why didn't my alarm go off!?" She cries out, trying to understand how this happened, when she suddenly notices a piece of paper laying on the end table beside her. Picking the note up to examine it, Hope recognizes the deceptively dainty handwriting scribbled across it anywhere.
Alyssa Chang. Aka the queen of mean, and unfortunately for Hope, her freshman roommate. Since day one, the two of them have been butting heads with one another over every little thing, and Hope couldn't wait until next year to finally be free of the horrid girl.
'Looked like you could use some extra beauty rest, so I took it upon myself to turn off your alarm for you. Hope you didn't have anywhere important that you needed to be.
🙂
- Alyssa'
Hope glares daggers down at the insincere note with it's mocking little smiley face staring back at her, sheer annoyance pulsating like an electrical current under her skin. With a disdainful growl, she noisily crumples up the paper into a tight wad before slamming it into the nearby wastebasket.
Feeling the sudden need to get out of the apartment before she starts chucking all of Alyssa's things out the nearest window, Hope slips away from her dorm and into the adjacent hallway for a little air.
Resting her back up against the tan stucco wall, she takes in the ghost town like appearance of the normally bustling, and at times chaotic, college corridor. It was a strange sight seeing the place so empty. By now, most of the student body had already been long gone, having left for home or off to some tropical beach filled destination to de-stress. At this point, there was a pretty good chance she was the actually the last person still stuck on campus.
Closing her eyes, Hope exhales a heavy sigh as she repeatedly bangs the back of her head against the wall, frustrated by her situation. Now what was she going to do? The girls were already 3 hours out, so having them turn around and come back didn't seem sensible. Her own car was in the shop right now after some drunk frat boys decided to have a brawl up against it, so that was out of the question, and she highly doubt she could get a plane ticket on such short notice. A bus ticket was always an option, but it would take ages to get there, and she really didn't feel like spending 18+ hours of her vacation stuck on a cramped bus full of strangers.
Groaning loudly at the unpleasant choices she had to pick from, Hope buries her face into her hands.
"You okay?" A voice suddenly asks, snapping Hope out of her thoughts as she turns in the direction of the sound.
There she finds a young man with unruly dark curls and warm green-grey eyes staring at her curiously, hands shoved in his pockets and head cocked at a slight angle as he notices her distress.
Realizing how she much of a mess she must look right now, all while wearing her Cutthroat Kitchen themed pj's that she'd bought on a whim one night off Etsy, an embarrassed blush faintly stains Hope’s cheeks as she finds her voice.
"Yes, I'm fine. Didn't really expect anyone to still be around to see my little breakdown though." Hope admits with a dry laugh as she moves to stand up straight, trying her best to appear at least somewhat put together.
“Yeah, it's mostly just the stranglers still around. As for me, one of my professors was nice enough to let me take a make up exam this morning, that I missed earlier it in the week because of work.”
As she nods her understanding, the boy frowns, face sympathetic as he takes in her rather glum state. “You sure you’re alright?”
“Totally.” Hope replies with a forced smile, doing her best to sound chipper so she won’t worry him. Earning his pity would only make this whole situation more embarrassing.
He doesn’t quite believe her, but decides not to press her any further on the matter. “Hey um, you're name’s Hope right? I'm Landon, I live a few doors down. Our roommates like to uh, ‘hang out’ sometimes.” He tries to explain discreetly as he throws air quotes around the phrase, hoping to get his point across without being crude. “You lent me your noise canceling headphones a couple of weeks ago.” He adds.
“Right, you’re Jed’s roommate.” Hope quickly realizes as she snaps her fingers, bobbing her head as it all starts coming back to her. He was the unsocial, geeky guy Alyssa was always complaining about for being around the apartment so often. Based off her description though, Hope hadn't really expected him to be quite cute.
Jed and Alyssa had this never ending, on again/off again type thing going on the past three months now. Whenever they got back together, things tended to get fairly loud to say the least. She herself had suffered through many of their late night reconciliations, leading her to buy said headphones.
Landon guiltily chews at his lower lip, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Sorry for holding onto them for so long. I've been meaning to get them back to you, but uh-"
"They been coming in pretty handy?" Hope finishes, a knowing smile tugging lightly at her cheeks, and Landon can't help but chuckle sheepishly at how she's nailed it on the head. "Yeah. You know how they can be."
"Pfft. Unfortunately." Hope concedes as she blows out a sharp puff of air through her teeth, grimacing as she tries her best to block out those memories. "But don't worry about it. I have a couple of pairs, so you can keep them. Consider it a solidarity gift from a fellow member of the rowdy roommate club."
He laughs heartily at the joke, a wide grin taking over his face as he nods in appreciation at the kind gesture. "Thanks. I appreciate the warm welcome to the group, does it also come with a handbook by chance?"
"No, but we do hold meetings every third Tuesday of the month." She smiles up at him, continuing it play along with this little back and forth they've started between them.
"Good to know. Next time I'll bring the donuts."
"Great. Just make sure to get a couple of the jelly kind, those are my favorite."
"I'll be sure to remember that." He grins, eyes holding each others gaze before the two of them quickly succumb to their own amusement with a fit of quiet chuckles.
"So," Landon starts back up. "I told you why I'm still around, but what about you? Shouldn't you be out of here already? I'm sure you have way better places to be than on campus."
Hope sighs at the reminder. "I was supposed to go to Florida for spring break with some of my friends, but Alyssa thought it would be fun to mess with me and turned off my alarm. Hence all this." She says, gesturing with a hand to her sleepwear attire and the bed head she's undoubtedly sporting. "She made me miss my ride out this morning, and I'm currently in the midst of figuring out what exactly I'm gonna do now."
"Florida? I got invited by some friends to go down their too."
"You did?"
Landon nods. "Yeah. I hadn't decided whether I was going or not, but with my mom traveling for work right now, there doesn't seem to be much point in heading home. It's just, I'm not exactly a big spring break, party kinda guy, so..." He trails off with an uncertain shrug.
"Me neither," She confesses. "but I've been told by my mother that I should fully embrace the college experience and try different things. She never went to college, and couldn't help feeling like she missed out it, so she doesn't want me to do the same and have regrets."
Landon hums quietly in understanding, expression thoughtful but somber as he stuffs his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I get that. My mom didn't exactly have the college life she was planning either." Releasing a small sigh, he shakes off the remind before continuing. "Well, it's about a 9 and a half hour drive, so we could still probably get there before midnight if we get on the road in the next thirty minutes."
"Huh?" Hope's head snaps up in confusion, her mind taking a second to process what he's just said. "Wait- time out. Are you... offering me a ride?"
He scratches awkwardly at the back of his neck, cheeks pinkening slightly. "Yeah. I mean, if you want one that is."
"Oh." Hope responds thoughtfully, thinking it over. From what she can see, he seems harmless enough. Nevertheless, she planned to take the proper precautions on the ride just in case. Like many women, she always carries a thing of pepper spray with her, and if you pair that with her years of self defense training she took as a teen, she was fairly certain she could handle herself if things went sideways on this little road trip of theirs.
"But you totally don't have to if you think I'm like, some kinda weirdo or whatever. I didn't mean to assume anything." Landon adds swiftly, and Hope is quick to shake her head. "No, it's okay. I really appreciate it actually. Thank you."
Landon smiles, lighting up at her answer. "Cool. Then um... guess we should get our things together and meet back out here in the hall when were finished?"
"Sounds good."
The two students go their separate ways back into their individual apartments. Hope tames her messy locks with a brush, and changes into more suitable clothing for the long drive, before grabbing a duffel bag with the rest of her stuff off the bed, and slinging it over her shoulder.
She's the first one finished, so while waiting out in the hallway for him, Hope decides to finally give Lizzie a call so that she can fill her in on what's going on. Inhaling a slow deep breath and bracing herself for the blonde's incoming fury, Hope finally hits the button to dial her friend.
With each drawn out ring of the phone, Hope can feel her anxiousness building until finally she hears a click signaling someone has picked up. Before she can even say a word, Lizzie beats her to the punch.
"You better be calling me to tell you got kidnapped or attacked by monsters or something, because I know you did not skip out on this trip like you promised you wouldn't."
"Well, Alyssa screwed with my alarm, so does that count as a monster attack?" Hope quips dryly as she recounts the incident from earlier.
"God I hate her, she really ruins everything."
"Tell me about." She sighs. "But don't worry, I am still coming. I'll just be a little late."
"Good, because I've already met a guy staying at the hotel that you're absolutely gonna love." Lizzie gushes, as Hope tries to stifle back a groan. Knowing her friend, she's already been chatting the guy up and telling him all about her, which Hope always hates. It's awkward when someone knows so much about you from the get go, especially when what they know has been enhanced and exaggerated by your best friend.
After this morning's chaos, Hope really wasn't up for dealing with all that nonsense soon as she got there. She has to find a way to squash this well meaning, but unwanted set up fast if she actually plans on having any fun this trip.
"My boyfriend is giving me a ride." Hope suddenly blurts out without thinking, saying the first thing that popped into her head to get out of the situation.
The other line is met with shocked silence before things take a turn for the loud. "Wait- what!? You bitch! How could you not tell me you had a new boyfriend!? I'm your best friend, it's an unspoken rule that I'm supposed to be the first one know about these sort of things!"
"Uh, you are. It's just really new though, so I didn't want to jinx anything." She lies, trying to ignore the guilty feeling that was building up inside her chest, and Lizzie chews over this new information as she decides on her verdict. "Well, hurry up and get your butt down here already. I look forward to meeting and judging him thoroughly."
"Yeah. See ya soon." Hope tells her as she hangs up the phone with a heavy sigh. What had she gotten herself into?
"Boyfriend, huh?" Landon muses aloud, unintentionally startling the young woman as she spins around, traces of amusement in his voice swirling about likes leaves in the wind. She hadn't even heard him come out into the hallway.
A sheepish laugh bubbles out from her lips, a look of embarrassment on her face. "Right, about that... I'm sorry. I just told her that to get her off my back, because I really needed a break from my best friend playing matchmaker for a bit. I never mean to drag you into this. You by no means have to play along. I'll just tell her we got into a fight on the way there and broke up."
The curly haired boy shrugs his shoulder dismissively. "It's cool. No worries. I've got a friend who's the same way."
Hope nods appreciatively in return, glad he isn't bother by the misunderstanding.
"So, ready to get going then?"
The duo head out towards the school parking lot to retrieve Landon's car, and it doesn't take long for Hope to realize which one's his, since it's basically the only vehicle still left on campus. She stares at the old, beat up blue sedan sitting before her, featuring a Star Wars bumper sticker on the back that reads: "My Other Ride is The Millennium Falcon".
“Uh, not to be rude, but do you really think this piece of junk will actually make it all the way down to Florida? It’s a pretty long drive from here.”
A look of pure offensive forms on Landon’s face as he scrunches his eyebrows together. “First, ouch. She's got a name, it's Arwen. And second, yes it’s true she’s probably seen better days, but this old girl totally has it in her to take the journey." He assures her, patting the roof of the car.
Hope eyes the vehicle skeptically, struggling to believe that optimistic notion he's toting, but this was her only decent ride option, so she didn't seem to have much choice either way. With a helpless shrug of her shoulders, she moves to the passenger side and crawls inside as Landon does the same on his end.
As he sticks the keys in the ignition, the engine hums to life, and though Hope doesn't know much about cars, it starts up much better than she expected it to. Maybe it will actually hold up after all. Clicking her seat belt into place, Landon offers her a confident smile as they get going.
After quickly stopping off to get a coffee and pastry to go, since Hope hadn’t eaten anything yet, they finally head onto the interstate. The unlikely duo make a bit of small talk throughout the ride, and play a game of who can spot the most license plates from all fifty states states (which Hope is currently in the lead), as music plays in the background. It’s a pretty enjoyable time until a song on the radio brings a sudden shift in mood about the vehicle.
As Landon's ears pick up the familiar tune emitting from the speakers, he's quick to change the station, snapping the dial the other direction and piquing Hope's curiosity for such strong a reaction.
“Not a big fan of the band Malivore I see.” She observes from the passenger seat as she takes a sip of her bottled water.
“Yeah, not really.” Her companion murmurs, gripping the steering while a little tighter than he previously had been.
“Me either. If you ask me, they're kinda overrated."
Landon looks over at her, blinking in surprise for a moment before the corner of his lips turn upward slightly, and he returns his attention back to the road. "I completely agree."
Sitting back, Hope can't help feel like there's more to this story here than just a simple dislike of music, something seeded far deeper. A sore spot of sorts maybe. But considering the fact that the two of them barely even know each other outside of their roommates, she decides it's probably best to keep her mouth shut for now. They still had hours more left to go before reaching Florida, and she really didn't think making things awkward between them would be very a wise choice.
Letting the topic go, they drift into a comfortable silence for awhile, as Hope watches the scenery zip by as they enter the fairly empty backroads of Georgia. Wildflowers bounce and sway in the breeze on the side of the road, like child's dance recital. She's so engrossed by the scene out her window, that it takes her a moment to realize the world outside is moving far more slower than it had been only minutes ago, as the vehicle starts coming to an unexpected halt.
"Uh, Landon? Why isn't the car moving?" Hope asks sternly, a sense of dread creeping into her voice as she notices smoke slowly coming out of the engine.
A grimacing Landon swallows roughly as he tries to peer up over the hood of the car. "Not sure, but I suspect whatever's smoking is probably the culprit."
Rolling her eyes at the joke, she watches as he eases the snail pace moving hunk of metal off to the side off the road. Popping the hood, both Landon and Hope get out to check how it looks underneath.
Letting out a sharp cough as the gray colored smoke billows out, Landon waves his hand back and forth, trying to help dissipate it. Reaching inside, he fiddles with a couple of things as he examines the parts, hoping to suss out the culprit behind all this.
"Well?" Hope asks as she peers over his shoulders. "Can you fix it?"
Exhaling a heavy sigh, a guilty looking Landon turn around and frowns, shaking his head. "This kind of issue exceeds my basic car knowledge, sorry."
She groans loudly, tossing up her hands. "Well that's just great."
Landon rubs his palms against his jeans before reaching into his pocket for his cellphone. Despite their rural surroundings, he was lucky enough to still have service out here, and he makes quick use of it. After doing a quick online search, he manages to find some good news.
“Looks like the nearest tow place is a small town about 30 minutes from here." He tells his companion, who's been pacing anxiously on the side of the road. "I'll try and give them a call and see if they'll come get us.”