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[sub][color=D2691E]Collab with [@NeoAJ] & [@smarty0114][/color][/sub][/center]
[indent][color=FDF5E6]The roads of New Mexico were bumpier than Savannah remembered. She wouldn’t have thought there was so much traffic that it would have resulted in such a sorry state of affairs on their roads. But the constant bumps of the “borrowed” van into potholes proved otherwise.

Maybe she would feel a little better if she was driving, but she hadn’t driven anything in a while. Not since she left Stillwater, however long that was ago. It seemed like it was forever, when in reality it was what? Four months? Still, the van was a manual transmission, and she definitely had no skill for that. She wasn’t one of the farm kids who knew how to drive tractors by the time she was 12. She drove a beat-up Civic, and that sucker was automatic. This van was a far cry from that little coupe. 

It was serving its purpose though. It was ferrying this three-person expedition off to the promised land that Erica had foretold of. The gas station on the main highway was no heaven, but it held the promise of manna from the gods themselves. More importantly, it offered the promise of Savannah’s salvation from her hubris earlier in the week. If Erica’s intel was correct, there would be enough booze to cover Sav’s blushes in the cafeteria and then some. Plus, now that the Texan was rocking a full array of ammunition for the mission, thanks to her scavenger hunt victory and the agreement of both Wesley and Talya that all their proceeds would go towards the party. The party that apparently EVERYONE AT SCHOOL knew about now. So no pressure or anything. 

Besides, it wasn’t Savannah that had to go in there and be all cool under the circumstances. That was Kelsey Marston’s job.

She leaned to her left and addressed the driver. [color=ff4de1]“Hey, so… where are we? I definitely don’t recognize that cactus… or anything really…”[/color]

[color=ffcc00]“It’s cause we were coming the other way,”[/color] Erica said, gently pressing her foot into the clutch and shifting up a gear, then picking up speed. Her dad had taught her to drive stick last summer, and amidst Erica’s screams of frustrations, they actually managed to have a father-daughter bonding moment. It was a good thing he had too, because neither Wes or Sav could drive stick. [color=ffcc00]“If I’m right about where we are, it should be coming up on our right in a few minutes.”[/color] 

Erica’s eyes looked out on the barren desert, wishing the AC in this van worked just a bit better. She had yet to hear just how many people were coming to the party tonight, having been more concerned with getting alcohol and passing her chemistry test.

Finding the key to the school van just laying on a table in the library had been a stroke of good luck. After the catastrophe that was the scavenger hunt, Erica felt like she deserved some good karma, and the key only made her more sure that tonight would go off without a hitch. The universe [i]wanted[/i] this party to happen.

The backseat of the van was probably the worst place to be. Every bump and pothole jolted Wes towards the roof and he’d gotten a couple of whacks on his head already to show for it. Being tall could be such a curse. Or perhaps it was just Erica’s driving. Or the road condition. Or the fact that he opted out of wearing his seatbelt. If you're riding in a stolen vehicle, what’s the point of following any other laws? Seatbelts were restrictive and Wesley Slater absolutely hated sitting still. Plus, thanks to repeated memory wipes, he couldn’t really remember those videos he was forced to watch in school where the kid not wearing his seatbelt becomes a projectile and kills all of his other friends in the car. Brutal.

[color=98817b][b]“So…”[/b][/color] Wesley leaned forward between the two girls, propping his lanky arms around the backs of their seats as he spoke. [color=98817b][b]“You’ve both already proven that you guys got that femme fatale Charlie’s Angels thing going on with the whole van theft, but, what’s the plan now?”[/b][/color]

[color=98817b][b]“Because, let’s be honest,”[/b][/color] Wes looked over to Savannah, eyeing up her pink hair in particular. [color=98817b][b]“You’ll totally get clocked for your age with that punk dye, and I look like I belong in [i]Twinks Gone Wild[/i], so I’m assuming Erica is going to be doing the buying?”[/b][/color] Wes’ brows furrowed at how casually he referred to himself as a twink. He meant to point out his babyface, but somehow this other brand of self-degradation came more naturally. It probably didn’t mean anything. Probably.

Savannah was going to ask Wes what the heck he meant by a twink, but there would be time for those sorts of questions later. [color=ff4de1]“Hey, you don’t think I asked you for your grand prize without an idea of how this was going to work, did you?”[/color] she responded with an eyebrow raise of her own. [color=ff4de1]“And for your info, this plan involves me doing the buying and you coming to help carry all our booze with that big ole backpack of yours. You know, like a proper gentleman and all.”[/color] She punctuated that last remark with a wink. [color=ff4de1]“All you have to remember is that until that booze is back in the van, my name is Kelsey. Got that? Kelsey. And we are three grads travelling from Oklahoma to visit some friends at Arizona State for the weekend.”[/color]

It should have been shocking to Savannah how easy it was to fall into this mindset of blatant lying in order to facilitate more law-breaking. Truth be told, she could only remember being in a place that sold alcohol once, when she was 12. Her momma went in to buy some back up wine for a party and had Sav follow around before standing at the checkout waiting for the purchase to be made. There were no enticements to break the law back then. Now she was going to go full out and lead an entire class down a road of debauchery.

It was kinda fun really. Why hadn’t she done this before? [color=ff4de1][i]Right, the moral quandaries and risk/reward factors and the Jesus. Right. Ah well. It’ll be over soon.[/i][/color]

[color=ff4de1]“We should probably save a little bit of credit card money to buy some mix and snacks and junk too, right?”[/color]

[color=ffcc00][b]“Definitely. I don’t know about you two, but I’ll die if I spend the whole night drinking nothing but straight liquor,”[/b][/color] Erica replied, impressed by how readily Sav was taking charge. It soothed the pit in her stomach that had been expanding rapidly as they sped down the road. She’d done this sort of thing before, back in New York and she recognized the anxiety from memories, that unique sort of panic over the possibility of getting arrested. Whatever she felt inside, she kept her face calm.

[color=ffcc00][b]“Alright ‘Kelsey’, get ready,”[/b][/color] Erica said. Taking a deep breath, she slowed down, downshifting and turning the van into the parking lot somewhat faster than she intended to. She heard Wes thud against the side of the van and called out her apologies. [color=ffcc00][b]“My bad!”[/b][/color] Oof. Maybe her driving [i]could[/i] use a bit more practice.

The thump was followed by a grunt. [color=98817b][b]“Eh, s’okay. I’m just getting a headstart on tomorrow’s inevitable hangover headache.”[/b][/color] Wesley replied with a laugh as the vehicle finally reached their destination. Ah, the smooth relaxation of a parked vehicle, not a pothole or sharp turn in sight. 

[color=98817b][b]“Okay… so you’re Kelsey and we’re… nobody. Just a bunch of college friends. We got this.”[/b][/color] Wes gave himself a pep talk as he hopped out of the back seat and onto the asphalt, shutting the car door behind him. He waited for ‘Kelsey’ to take the lead and followed after her. He did his best to be nonchalant, arms loose and relaxed, his hands in the pockets of his unzipped hoodie. The backpack was left in the van, he could pack that up full on the drive back.

A bell jingled above the door as the trio entered the trio entered the liquor store. Wesley briefly scanned the signs marking the aisles before choosing one to walk towards. [color=98817b][b]“Rum?”[/b][/color] He asked the others before committing to that direction.

Sa… “Kelsey” grabbed one of the little carts that were stacked by the doorway. No sense pretending they weren’t bringing a haul through the checkout. Go big or go home, right? Her scavenger hunt teammate was proving just as adept at finding the prime spirits as well as puzzle pieces. 

She gave an approving nod. [color=ff4de1]“Rum is a good idea. The sorority sisters will be pleased,”[/color] she added, getting right into character now. The key was immersing herself, shoving Savannah far from her mind at the moment. Kelsey had to get everything she needed for this party here because they were banned from all the shops in Tempe for various drunken infractions, and this was better than loading up in Oklahoma because this way they only had to stop once. Erica was her fellow sister and Wesley was the new boyfriend Kelsey was bringing to show off at the party and… OK, things were getting a little much. Wesley as her boyfriend? Couldn’t happen.

[color=ff4de1]“Keep an eye out for some Hpnotiq. That’s Lyndsey’s favorite. She’ll flip if we don’t show up with some,”[/color] she informed the others. While searching through the choices, she lifted a cheap bottle of vodka which would serve their purpose well enough. 

Erica trailed behind the other two, pocketing the keys to the van. She flashed the guy behind the counter a grin that he returned. Something about him rang a bell in her head… strange. She wasn’t used to reaching for a memory only to come up empty. She remembered everything! Turning away, she narrowed her eyes but kept quiet. It was probably nothing. 

While “Kelsey” grabbed some cheap vodka and Wesley went for the rum, Erica craned her neck over the shelves, in search of the pastel bottles that she knew ment Hpnotiq. For a second, she wrote it off as an impossibility, figuring this place wouldn’t have anything your local hick couldn’t buy, but just as she was gonna give up, her eyes landed on a row of blue bottles. Perfect.

She sidled past Sav and Wes, and grabbed the bottle out of the fridge, holding it up as a trophy for her friends. [color=ffcc00][b]“This should keep Lyndsey happy,”[/b][/color] she said, taking more pleasure in playing along with Savannah's story than she’d expected.

These two girls kept surprising Wesley, Erica especially. Looking at someone like Savannah, you kind of expect her to have a few secrets and tricks up her sleeve. But Erica? She was the kind of girl you would expect to be valedictorian. Turns out he was instead surrounded by car thieves and filthy rotten liars. It was kind of sexy. Well... intriguing, at least. It just goes to show that you can’t always believe what's on the label.

Speaking of labels, Wesley scanned the variety of rum options on the shelves. He figured quantity was more important than quality for their situation, but at the same time, he was flipping some of this bill, so he should treat himself. Clearly [i]Lyndsey[/i] was. Wes grabbed a small bottle of Captain Morgan spiced rum for his enjoyment and a couple of lower shelf bottles for the masses. He couldn’t remember the last time he had drank, but he was pretty sure that rum and cokes were his go to favorite.

[color=98817b][b]“Hey, do you think Mikey is still obsessed with Jägerbombs, or has he finally outgrown them?”[/b][/color] Wes asked the girls once he regrouped. He was trying to think of what kind of drinks Leo and the other hooligans might be into. Wes couldn’t stand the taste of Jäger himself, but there were usually a handful of people who wanted that at parties.

[color=ff4de1]“Ugh!”[/color] “Kelsey” moaned in anguish at the mention of Wes’ alter-ego friend. [color=ff4de1]“Let’s hope Ariana has outgrown him! Better get some just in case though.”[/color] This was fun. It was nice that her companions were playing along with everything. Plus, it had to help sell the story to the clerk. Other kids coming in would probably be stiff as anything, and petrified of getting caught. The way they were playing off each other, it had to be at least mostly believable.

Savannah could barely hide her excitement seeing Erica come up with the fabled blue bottle she had heard so much about. This was going to be hers for the evening, even if it did end up tasting bad. She would drink her mistake in that case. [color=ff4de1]“Should we get some beers or ciders or anything? In case someone wants to play flip cup?”[/color] Flip cup was a game she had heard of before. That had to be a thing played at universities.

[color=ffcc00][b]“Oh, good call,”[/b][/color] Erica said, placing the Hpnotiq in Sav’s cart before turning around and grabbing two racks of Corona’s. She handed one off to Wes, and then replaced it with a large bag of solo cups that ended up snuggled next to the Hpnotiq. [color=ffcc00][b]“And, last but not least, mixers!”[/b][/color]

Erica led them over to the non-alcoholic drinks, where a variety of two liter bottles filled with juices and sodas were lined up. With her free hand, she passed down two bottles of Coke, for the rum, a lemonade for the vodka, and some fruit punch for a bowl of jungle juice. [color=ffcc00][b]“We all set?”[/b][/color]

Wesley added a case of Red Bulls to the pile of mixers and assessed their collection. Hopefully this was enough, because he was pretty sure that they were tipping pretty close to the edge of their budget. [color=98817b][b]“Yeah, I think so. Besides like snacks, which I guess we’ll have to get somewhere else. Unless you guys already got that covered.”[/b][/color] At the very least, food wasn’t really contraband, so they could easily buy them at the school store later.

Savannah offered a shrug. [color=ff4de1]“We can run around to the gas station section to see what they got. If not, we can grab food once we get to campus. This is the important stuff.”[/color] A few packs of coolers hit the cart to balance things out but that would likely be all they would need. It was a bunch of high schoolers after all. One cooler would probably be enough for Hana. But no one would be getting anything if they were stopped at the checkout.

As “Kelsey” brought their wares to the counter, she motioned for the other two to back off for the moment. The less people present to ask questions the better. [color=ff4de1]“Howdy,”[/color] she offered in her best Oklahoman accent, which sounded like her regular one but rougher. [color=ff4de1]“Sorry ta make you work for this sale. Gotta lot here.”[/color]

[color=gray][b]“Ain’t got nothin’ better to do,”[/b][/color] the clerk replied, shooting Savannah a white toothed grin. His eyes lingered on her, before flashing to Erica and Wes, sizing them up almost. The hair on Erica’s arm bristled, but she kept her cool. [color=ffcc00][i]Just, keep smiling.[/i][/color]

[color=gray][b]“Y’all go to school around here?”[/b][/color] the clerk asked, in between computerized beeps from behind the counter.

[color=ff4de1]“Nah, just passing through,”[/color] “Kelsey” confirmed. [color=ff4de1]“Gonna surprise some friends with a right proper engagement shower. Just hope it don’t give some other people ideas, amirite? Can’t afford too many blenders this summer!”[/color] That seemed like a good enough reason to make the trip from dang near Arkansas through New Mexico to Arizona. She nodded back at Erica and Wes during that last bit. If nothing else, the clerk could draw his own opinions on who that was referring to.

[color=gray][b]“Well, your friends are lucky. From the looks of it, they’re in for a damn good time,”[/b][/color] he said, smirking as he scanned the Hypnotiq. [color=gray][b]“You got an ID lil miss pink hair? Needa birthday to put into this bad boy,”[/b][/color] he said, gesturing to the monitor that rested behind the counter.

While Savannah searched for her fake ID, Wes continued on with their charade. He put his arm around Erica's shoulders with a dumb grin and said, [color=98817b][b]“I don't know, whadya think, babe? Should we get hitched and make Kels buy another blender? I mean, we'd probably be worth a full on KitchenAid mixer, two best friends in one and all that.”[/b][/color]

Erica’s eyes widened as she felt Wes’ arm swing around her shoulder, but her grin remained steady as ever. She swung her own arm around him, squeezing them together harder than was probably necessary. [color=ffcc00][b]“You know I’m just waiting on you to buy the ring, [i]babe[/i],”[/b][/color] Erica said, doing her very best to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Her very best, wasn’t quite good enough.

[color=ff4de1]“Calm down back there!”[/color] “Kelsey” shouted as she rummaged through her person for the wallet that contained the credit cards and Kelsey’s ID. [color=ff4de1]“I ain’t made of mixers either! And I ain’t drivin’ anymore after whatcha pulled outside’a Weatherford!”[/color] She produced the Oklahoma license that she still had no idea how she acquired. But the pink hair matched the tone of the scowling picture and the date of Dec. 7, 2013 should be good enough for the clerk’s needs. [color=ff4de1]“Sorry ‘bout the lovebirds. They do not know how to keep the PDAs to a minimum, ya know?”[/color]

The man behind the counter smiled, Erica wasn’t actually sure he’d ever stopped in the first place, and took a quick look at “Kelsey’s” ID. He punched her birthday in, and then directed her to the credit card kiosk on the counter. [color=gray][b]“Looks like two hundred in damages for ya,”[/b][/color] he said.

Savannah breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have to dig into her personal account just yet. Maybe for snacks, but who knew if they needed to go heavy on those. [color=ff4de1]“I can take the hit. Let me swipe these through,”[/color] “Kelsey” swiped the three gift cards the school had offered one-by-one, the first two being rendered useless afterwards but the third one showing $25 remaining. [color=ff4de1]“Think the fine folks at VISA gotcha covered there, sir!”[/color] As the cash register dinged open, “Kelsey” motioned for Erica and Wesley to come grab their illicit gains.

Wesley did his best to carry the majority of the items, as a gentleman should. But by the arm strength of Erica’s unnecessarily tight squeeze, he was beginning to think she might be an even heavier lifter than him. [color=98817b][b]“Thanks man, have a good’un.”[/b][/color] He said to the smiley clerk before making his way towards the door.

Erica grabbed a rack, and a bag of clinking bottles, and followed Wes and Sav out to the car. [color=ffcc00][b]“So, on a scale of 1-10, how necessary was it that Wes and I pretend to be a couple?”[/b][/color] she asked, shooting Wes her classic side eye as the door swung shut behind her.

 [color=ff4de1]“Hey, I didn’t say nothin’,”[/color] “Kelsey” confirmed as she carried what the other two didn’t along with her repatriated fake ID and other belongings. [color=ff4de1]“What y’all do on your time is on you.”[/color]

As the trio got their newly-acquired arsenal of booze to the van, “Kelsey” dropped her cargo into the back seat and Savannah breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her eyes were closed and her arms were shaking a little bit as the adrenaline from her dabbling in fraud and illegal activity was starting to wear off, pushing her back into her regular state. [color=ff4de1]“But I’m glad we got through that. Good work, team. Mission accomplished.”[/color]

[color=98817b][b]“Aw, c’mon, I was just getting into character!”[/b][/color] Wes said in defense. Why was she so mad about it? [color=98817b][b]“Was it because I touched your shoulder? Man, I’m sorry, I realized like half way through that was probably a bad idea because some people don’t like being touched but at point I had already committed and it’d look weird if I stopped.”[/b][/color] The rambling intensified.

Erica rolled her eyes. He really hadn’t figured it out yet. [color=ffcc00][b]“No… well yes, but, you know, I just think there are… other people who would prefer to be your fake boyfriend.”[/b][/color] She heard the fuck up as soon as it rolled off her tongue. [color=ffcc00][b]“Or girlfriend.”[/b][/color] Shittiest save ever.

Savannah was looking back and forth between the two but was just getting confused at this point. Granted, she didn’t know Wesley that well prior to the hunt, but Erica was still acting a little weird about the whole thing. Plus the whole boyfriend remark… Was Wesley…? No. Couldn’t be. He seemed too macho for that. [color=ff4de1]“Hey, you two did great, that was what mattered. I don’t know if the clerk knew or cared or whatever, but you sold it, and we got the goods. That was the important thing.”[/color]

Wes’ eyebrows stitched together from the backseat in response to Erica’s comment. It was enough to give him pause as he was shoving bottles of liquor into his large hiking backpack. Someone wanted to be his boyfriend? Was that just a slip of the tongue? Oh man, was it Theo?? Maybe that’s what the whole shirt thing was about… Thankfully, Savannah spoke up and stopped his head from spinning. [color=98817b][b]“Yeah, we did it! And tonight’s gonna be a banger.”[/b][/color] He said happily, squeezing his thoughts down into the backpack between the bottles of vodka and rum.[/color][/indent]