# The Trip Of A Lifetime Chapter 3

Chapter 3
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Cracking open my eyes, I gave a stretch of my limbs, a wide yawn coming through before I began clearing the drowsiness from my vision. Without a doubt, that was some of the best sleep I had ever had. Something about having the one I love in my embrace while one of her downy wings lay over me just put me at ease and practically made me fall asleep near-instantaneously. I wish I could sleep like that every night. Once the drowsiness was properly cleared from my eyes, I noticed Fang was no longer present, an indent in the mattress left behind along with some of the bedsheets in a bit of a wrinkled mess. I peered at a nearby clock, noticing the time being 07:34. That explained the rays of sunlight peaking through her blackout blinds, which made the room look so much darker, that I thought I slept until the next evening. Swinging my legs off the bed, I got to my feet and padded through the halls and down the stairs, keeping as quiet as I could so as not to wake Fang's parents. As far as they were aware, I was sleeping at my shitty apartment in Skin Row, so getting caught this early in the morning would probably earn me a one-way ticket to being a smear on the wall. Spotting Fang in the kitchen, I noticed digging through the freezer, probably trying to sate her voracious appetite for every dino nuggy in existence. Her attention, however, was turned towards me as one of the steps creaked under my weight, which she greeted me with a smile.
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"Mornin', dweeb. Sleep well?" She asked, turning back to the freezer, stacking her massive plate with an inordinate amount of dino nuggies.
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"You kidding? I slept like a baby." I responded, letting out another yawn.
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"Yeah, I could tell. You drooled all over my wing." She responded, popping the stacked plate in the microwave.
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Deploying bullshit measures. "Ah shit, my bad. I was dreaming of, uh, burgers."
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Fang's face contorted into that of amusement, a shake of her head indicating she wasn't believing me. "Suuure."
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Fang periodically peeked at the spinning plate of nuggets, her attention snapping back to me every moment or two.
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"So what are you looking forward to, Anon?"
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"Honestly, I wouldn't mind going swimming in a lake or head to the beach or something. I'm down for whatever you wanna do though. Not too picky."
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"Good, good. There's so much I wanna do. I think you might like what I have planned. Where you wanna head to first?"
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"Up to you, really. And where the gang wants to go."
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Fang opened the microwave door, only a couple seconds before it was about go off, setting the plate on the table and beginning to dig in.
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"Reed and Trish got some ideas, I think Stella and Rosa do too. But that's about it. I'm basically running the show. I might throw Naser and Naomi a bone and let them pick something to do if I'm in a good enough mood. Otherwise, they're just getting dragged along for the ride. They'll have to make their own fun or some shit."
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I tried to sneak a nugget from the massive plate, only to be met with Fang's hand gripping my wrist, squeezing the life out of it as gave me an death glare, like I had just told her I cheated on her. Holy shit she's way stronger than she looks. Oh fuck this actually hurts owowowowowowowoOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW. With a grip like that, I wouldn't be surprised if she could tear my arm clean out of its socket, something which I wasn't willing to experience, not even if it was from my own girlfriend.
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"Okay okay okay! I won't take any nuggets, just let my go!" I pleaded, trying not to yell at the top of my lungs.
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"Good boy." Fang leaned in and kissed my cheek, relinquishing my hand so I could nurse it.
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"You and those fucking nuggets of yours, I swear..."
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She gave a cheeky grin, resuming polishing off her plate of nuggets in what had to be record time. Fucking hell, she could really put down nuggets. It was incredible she had the lithe figure that she did.
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"Anon."
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"What's up?" I asked, snapping out of my gawking over her
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"You got your stuff packed, right?"
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I think for a moment, realizing that the entire time we were preparing for our road trip, I had done absolutely zero packing. "Shhhhhhhhhhhit..."
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"Way to go, dweeb. I got all my stuff packed since like, 2 days ago. How are you so bad at managing your time?"
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"I guess I..."
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Shit, why didn't I prepare sooner? I had all the time in the world to just pack a suitcase or two. Am I really that autistic that I can't even pack to go on a trip with my girlfriend? Fucking hell, Anon. You really need to get your shit together before your actual life starts. Otherwise college is just gonna be like high school, except you won't have the love of your life with you. College is gonna be a drag without Fang, but that's not something I wanna worry about just yet. I'd have to talk with her about that during Christmas or something. Then again, thinking about my feelings for her, especially as of late, I realized I was really enjoying my time with her, even though most of it was spent performing back breaking labor and almost baking alive in a camper. It was still time well spent, especially when I got to see her so full of joy.
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"I guess I was just having so much fun with you that I kinda forgot to get ready."
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My words managed to get a slight bit of blush across the ptero's face, a light-hearted scowl lighting up her visage as if I just embarrassed her in public.
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"You get off to this, don't you?"
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"And what if I do?"
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"Then you're a perv that deserves to get his ass beat." Fang downed the last of those nuggets, her blackhole of a gullet just now being satisfied. "You need help packing your bags? We've got until tomorrow. I wanna leave before noon."
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"Nah, I shouldn't need an-"
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"So that settles it. I'm coming with you so I can help you pack."
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"But-"
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"Shut up. We're leaving."
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Fang took me by the wrist and lead me out the door, practically dragging me back to my shitty apartment on skin row much to my own chagrin. Not gonna lie, it was kinda embarrassing having Fang dig through my closet and tear apart my place to help me look for clothes to bring and other various shit to pack. It was a constant battle of either digging through mountains of laundry and fighting with the ptero when she started digging a bit too deep to keep her from finding the weird stuff I kept tucked away, like the scrap book my mom gave me of some of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood, or Saturnia. She can NOT find those, even if it means-
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"Awwwh, is this a scrapbook your mom made you?" Fang said, nearly gushing like she did when we had our date at the aquarium.
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"NONONONONONONPUTITDOWNPUTITDOWNPUTITDOWNGIMMETHATRIGHTFUCKINGNOW!" Sprinting across the room, I snatched the book out of her hands. Thankfully, she had only gotten to the first page, and didn't see those other embarrassing moments in my life, like the costumes I wore for Halloween.
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"Awh, come on. Why won't you show me your scrapbook? My mom showed you mine!"
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"Listen, there's a part of me I don't want you seeing yet. One day, I'll show you. But not today." I tucked the scrapbook under my mattress.
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Fang pouted, eventually turning back to stuffing some of my clothes and various odds and ends in a mixture of a duffle bag, backpack, and a suitcase. Before we knew it, after lots of slacking off to watch a movie or two, the day was winding down, the sunlight gradually waning and giving a berth for the evening. As bad as I felt having my girlfriend help me pack my bags due to my own ineptitude, it was still kinda fun since it was just more time spent with her before our lives would inevitably lead us to go our separate ways. The night was made even better when Fang stayed the night with me, doing our usual schtick of watching movies, playing games, and eventually falling asleep.
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...
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Fang and I were both jolted awake by her phone erupting in some kind of esoteric indie shit of a ringtone. Groggily, she fished it out of her pocket and set it on speaker.
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"What's up?" She asked with a yawn as I looked at her phone, seeing a picture of Reed as an icon.
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"Faaaaang, mi amigaaaa. We still good to go today?"
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Fang instantly perked up, snapping out of her groggy state and sitting up, her tail thumping a beat into my bed. "Uh, duh! I just finished helping Anon pack his bags last night!"
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"Suuuup." I called, sitting up behind Fang, my lap covered by my bedsheets as I rubbed my face.
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"Sick! I'll swing by your place with Trish here in an hour or so. I'll see ya then, dudes!"
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The call ended and Fang looked at me over her shoulder, rubbing the top of my skull. "Ready to go? I'll call us a cab."
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Getting things rounded up, we did a final check to make sure I had everything, even grabbing a few drinks and snacks for the road to add to our already large stockpile of grub. Just as we sat on a bench just outside Skin Row, a familiar taxi pulled up in front of us, with a VERY familiar raptor in the driver seat.
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"Ayhayhaaaaay, if it ain't my favorite lovebirds, how ya been, skinnie?"
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Seriously, how is it always this guy? Whatever, I don't really mind him. Turns out, he's been pretty chill after our first ride when I lost a fight with the stairs.
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"Pretty good. We're heading out for a road trip today." I responded, throwing my bags into the trunk before joining Fang in the backseat, the driver peeling out and speeding off before I could even buckle my seatbelt.
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"Niiice, where you two planning on going?"
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"Not sure." Fang interjected. "We're just doing things in the spur of the moment. Seeing where the road takes us, ya know?"
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"I getcha. I remember doing the same thing after I graduated high school. Got into HEAPS of trouble, heheh. But it was worth it in the end. Couple times friends and I nearly got mixed up with a bunch of goons in a bar once! I still got the stitches from where one of them bastards shanked me! Wanna see?" The raptor asked, beginning to lift up his shirt, nearly running over an old couple in the process.
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"M-maybe next time! Just get us to her place!"
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He lowered his shirt. "Alright, alright, no need to get ya panties in a bunch." He said, giving a little chuckle to himself before pulling up to Fang's house where our friends were already waiting.
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"Thanks for the lift." I said, tossing a couple bills and a bit extra into one of the cupholders.
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"Any time, skinnie. Stay safe out there. Ya know how to get a hold of me."
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The moment I closed the trunk, that sketchy raptor sped off, leaving me to lug the bags towards the van as Fang greeted the gang with hugs abound while they shared all the locations they wanted to visit. Checking my phone, it was 11:30, which gave me plenty of time to load up my bags and join my friends, the tension in the air not being present when I noticed I wasn't under the sentry-like gaze of the patriarch of the family. Just as I closed the trunk of the hippy van, Fang called out to me.
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"Anon, can you grab my sunglasses? I left them in my room!"
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"Gotcha!"
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Heading through the front door, I waved at the small matriarch as she messed around in the kitchen.
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"Oh Anon, please stay safe! Look out for our sweet Lucy, okay?" She chimed, giving a wave back at me. Something about her voice seemed off. That usual sweet and bright intonation of her voice sounding noticeably melancholic. Poor thing, she was clearly going to miss her daughter. Though her voice was a tad choked up, it seemed that seeing me only reaffirmed her that she would be looked after.
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"I'll make sure she stays safe, ma'am." I reassured, giving her my best comforting smile, which seemed to noticeably put her at ease.
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Heading up to Fang's room, I spotted her pair of aviators on her dresser and snatched them up, heading right back out into the hall. As I touched the hand railing of the stairs, I noticed a door off to my right was open about halfway, something I didn't spot before. Curiosity getting the best of me, I poked my head through the doorway, seeing a hulking figure sitting on a made bed. I only knew one person with a body as wide as a semi-truck. It was Fang's Dad, and from what I could tell, his body sagged, his head looking down at the ground in what was likely deep contemplation. Considering what had happened only a couple days before, it was safe to say Fang's final words to him had cut him deeper than any blade possibly could.
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"Anon. I need to have a word with you."
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Shit, how did he know I was there?
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Did he hear my footsteps? What was normally a voice that would cause me to soil my trousers from a mile away bore the unmistakable tone of depression. It sounded worse than I could've imagined. I had never seen someone as stoic as him be reduced to a shell of a man.
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"Is uh... everything alright, sir?" I asked, stepping into the room, my hand resting on the door handle.
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"Anon, do you really love Lucy?"
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I gave a confused look. Where was he going with this? Was he suddenly warming up to me? "I do. I've never cared for anyone before. She was the first person I ever came to care for on an intimate level."
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Fang's dad stood up, and trudged towards me, a pen and slip of paper in his hands, which he began to write on.
"Frankly Anon, I don't particularly like you. You know this well enough. But I still care for my daughter more than you could even begin to comprehend." He handed me the paper. "So I'm putting my trust in you." Taking the slip of paper, I looked down at the line of digits, which I would instantly realize was a phone number. "This is my personal cellphone number. If anything happens to Naser or Lucy, and ESPECIALLY Lucy, call me. I WILL pick up."
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The father patted my shoulder. The usual heavy hand that threatened to crumple me feeling noticeably lighter.
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"You have my word, sir."
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"Call me Ridley."
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"Sure thing, uh... Ridley."
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As I turned away, Ridley's grip on my shoulder tightened, freezing me in place.
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"Keep her safe, Anon."
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There was a deafening silence as my brain bore the brunt of his words, his voice gravely with a bassy rumble.
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"You can count on me."
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Once Ridley relinquished my shoulder, I stepped back through the doorway, dragging the door behind me. Just as the metal latch of the door hit the frame, I suddenly remembered something. Now that I had a bit of a heart-to-heart moment with Ridley, it was the perfect opportunity to ask him a question I had nagging at the back of my mind. I wheeled back around and pushed open the door just in time to catch Ridley before he sat back down.
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"Hey, Ridley... Why do you not like humans?"
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The question stopped him in his tracks as he gave me a look over his shoulder, his gaze telling me it wasn't a topic he was looking forward to discussing.
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"I haven't had the best experience around your kind for many years. I'll leave it at that. When you kids return, we'll sit down and I'll tell you more. Until then, you kids have your fun."
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That wasn't really the answer I was hoping for, but at the very least, he opened up to me ever so slightly. Closing the door behind me I ran down stairs, Fang's mother sweeping me up in a feathery hug and giving a kiss to my cheek.
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"Ooooh I'm gonna miss my sweet little Tooth Fairy! Take care of her, Anon. I know she can be a handful."
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God, it was so weird seeing the personality difference between the two of them. I felt so safe around Fang's mom.
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"I promise I'll keep her safe, ma'am." I said, beaming a smile at her and returning the hug.
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"Oh sweetie, call me Samantha. No need to be so formal with me. Now go! Shoo!" She responded, shoving me towards the door, the gang's heads all turning towards me as they took the signal and began piling in the hippy van.
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"Let's go, Anon!" Shouted Naser, pulling open the driver-side door. "I got the whip."
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I walked over and snatched the keys out of Naser's hand. "No way, retard. I'm driving."
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Naser recoiled in shock. "Wh- do you even have a license!?"
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I ignored his question and hopped into the driver seat, slamming the door shut as Fang hopped in the passenger seat, leaving Naser to have to climb over a couple laps to sit next to Naomi. Giving Fang her shades, she immediately put them on, the smoky lenses concealing all but the most minute traces of her eyes.
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"You ready for the road trip of a lifetime?" She asked, taking my right hand to give it a squeeze, along with gifting me a that bright and beautiful smile I came to love.
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My head turned to hers, my own grin decorating my face, before I turned to see Samantha waving us off. Giving her a wave goodbye, my attention was turned towards one of the windows on the second floor, where Ridley was standing, watching. And he was looking directly at me. The look in his eyes were as clear as day. Without a spoken word, I knew what he was saying.
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"Bring her home safe."
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I turned the keys in the ignition and put the gear shift in drive.
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"Let's get this show on the road."