[CENTER][color=lightpink][h1][b]K I M  B E V E R I D G E[/b][/h1][/color]
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[sub][b][color=ff4500]Location |[/color][/b] The campgrounds on Red Rock Canyon
[b][color=ff4500]Interacting with |[/color][/b] Sami [@BrutalBx], Rando hitchhiker [@BeastofDestiny], Emi [@NeoAJ], Umbra [@Severance], Val [@Dirty Pretty Lies], Jules [@Vox], Nate [@spooner]
[b][color=ff4500]Mentions |[/color][/b] Matt [@Legion02], AJ [@TootsiePop][/sub]
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[color=lightpink][center][i]♪ In the gallows or the ghetto,
In the town or the meadow. ♪[/i][/center]
Relentless was the summer heat - they hadn't felt much of it during the ride either due to the air-conditioned interiors for the enclosed cars or, in Kim's case, the wind whipping by Matt's hoodless ride. Trudging up the canyon, though? Whole other story. Despite this, Kim hadn't minded it much. The warmth of the sun against her back was no more different than the times it beat down on her in her leisure hikes with Jules. She only wished she could've changed into clothes more suitable for the hike, but they'd been left in her suitcase, which was under her bunk bed on Sami's RV, which now sat somewhere in Victorville. 

The ride here had been uneventful. Matt had been gracious enough to let Kim to hitch a ride in his car. Kim had no interest in cars and no substantial knowledge about them for her opinion to hold any real weight, but the sleek design of Matt's car was definitely something she could appreciate. 

Then Matt stepped on the gas pedal and Kim was dearly glad for the seatbelt habit her mum had drilled into her all her life. Good [i]God[/i], how had Matt gotten his driving license?! That was [i]not[/i] a safe way to drive! Still, as the car sped by the minutes, the landscape all but a blur, her shock faded and a burst of laughter escaped her. Too focussed on beating the devil's speed limit, Matt was hardly good company for small talk - but then again, neither was Kim most times. With adrenaline in her veins and her mind abuzz, she relaxed in her seat and let the wind and the music take her.

[center][i]♪ In the billows, even over the sun,
Every end of a time is another begun. ♪[/i][/center]
That was then. Now, the air sat still around her, her hair more or less a bird's nest from the wind's earlier tousling, and she stared back at the glare of her phone. Her fingers tapped against its back, though they didn't follow along with the beat of the song playing in her ears. A tuneless tapping, with only frustration in their movements.

At least she had her messenger bag. Slightly sticky in her hand was the leftover crumpled packaging of the Mars bar, which she'd eaten in Matt's car. It had been a little melted - Matt must've been hanging onto it for a while. Her earbuds were back on and even now, sitting round the campfire, she made no move to remove them.

She'd kept her parents updated, as they'd made her promise to in exchange for letting her go on this trip. Needless to say, her mum was worried, especially with how things were at the moment. Asking if she was fine, if the tow truck service she'd gotten was trustworthy, if the road trip had been a good idea at all. The usual questioning. 

[quote=Mom][color=crimson]Why didn't you take your suitcase with you?[/color][/quote]

[quote=Mom][color=crimson]You should've checked the tow truck service reviews. Who knows what they could do with your things?[/color][/quote]

[quote=Mom][color=crimson]Do you need us to come fetch you?[/color][/quote]
The last message stared back at her, a silent accusation. Kim's expression was one of flippancy, schooled neutral boredom which she'd achieved through years of practice. Yet, instead of typing out a message, her fingers continued to tap their tuneless beat on the back of her phone.

This was ridiculous. Her mum was just worried. Kim shouldn't be worked up about this. No-what was she saying? She [i]wasn't[/i] worked up about this. 

[center][i]♪ You understand, mechanical hands are the ruler of everything. ♪[/i][/center]
The sound of Sami's voice had her looking up, placing her phone screen-down on her lap. She smirked at his enthusiasm, an expression that leaned towards bewilderment at AJ's disgruntled follow-up offer. Even if such a place seemed like a spare bedroom to him, it was a generous, unnecessary offer. She opened her mouth to thank AJ, but the subsequent arrival of a... hitchhiker, she should say, stayed the words. She closed her mouth, eyeing the stranger during the brief conversation between him and AJ.

[center][i]♪ Ruler of everything. ♪[/i][/center]
Then AJ walked off, leaving the Gearheads, the Misfits, and one random dude sitting together around the campfire. Kim lifted a hand in greeting to the hitchhiker. Then she took up her phone, firing off a quick text to her mum.

[quote]Nah. Don't worry abt it.[/quote]
Locking her phone, she shoved it back into her messenger bag. It was easier to ignore any forthcoming notifications when she didn't have it vibrating in her back pant pocket.

'[b]So how about it?[/b]' she asked, glancing around the others. '[b]The Bellagio?[/b]'

[center][i]♪ I'm the ruler of everything in the end. ♪[/i][/center][/color]