✧ * º • ☾ ❛ CHRISTIAN. ❜

( @sofialuu ) One-by-one, their friends disappeared, leaving only Christian and Sofia in line for the Navy Pier ferris wheel. “Sick,” Christian said aloud, his lips pulled tight as he watched the wheel spin another pod around for them to climb in. It eased to a stop, a ready chariot for the unlikely pairing. Christian sighed and finally looked back at her, though his eyes still didn’t quite meet hers. “You still wanna go?”

sofia never had the opportunity to ride a ferris wheel. it was just something she didn't get around doing until now. with the length of the queue, the girl wasn't too surprised to see her impatient friends ditch for other rides available in the navy pier. on the other hand, sofia remained patient-- knowing how much she'd love the view of the entire pier from the apex of the ride. when sofia had recognized the voice of christian, she wasn't so sure any more. if anything, she had expected him to be a part of the group that left. things were already awkward between the two after that 'kiss' from that spin the bottle game. sofia hadn't remembered much that night to begin with but, she did remember the game that she regretted suggesting in the first place. amid the awkwardness, sofia knew how long the wait was and she wasn't about to give it all up just because of some guy-- even if that guy was christian tanaka. "yeah.." sofia simply nodded before sitting down in the chariot-- her chocolate eyes glancing towards him. "it would be a waste after waiting so long, right?" she smiled faintly in hopes of keeping things somewhat civil. sofia was just wishing that christian wouldn't kill her excitement. everything didn't seem as tense between the two compared to their conflict on the van only days before.

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ GIANNA. ❜

seeing sofia in front of her brought back many emotions to gianna. admitting to someone that you like them is hard enough and when the worst case scenario is the result that you get, it leads to a long night of trying to forget it ever happened in multiple ways. “at least she really likes me,” she smiled, the smile not reaching her eyes as she ran her hand through the dog’s fur. maybe it wasn’t the best thing in front her but clearly she was still a lil hurt. gianna nodded at her response to her question before looking up at sofia. “it’s gonna be pretty amazing. if you plan on recording me for your channel make sure to leave my socials in the description or something, i could do with some of those followers of yours,” the girl laughed. “so, what are you looking forward to the most on the trip?”

sofia furrowed a brow at gianna's comment, not really knowing how to reply to it. perhaps she was still hurt from sofias actions -- and how harshly sofia had turned down her advances. the girl decided to just ignore what she said, in hopes that it would ease the slight awkwardness hovering in the air between the two. "don't worry, ill definitely be doing that." she laughed alongside gianna. sofia personally hadn't cared about how much followers she had. for her, the fun was all in making content that she was proud of and was able to share with the world. "honestly.." she stated before shrugging her shoulders. "i just wanna take every day as it comes. i guess you could say im looking forward to trying out new things.." she smiled faintly. "and obviously, this roadtrip would be a great opportunity for that."

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ SPENCER. ❜

it was no secret that spencer was bitter about having to leave his dog, butters, at home. the van was cramped as it is, the group didn’t want to be responsible for more than one pet, and he drew the short end of the stick. not being with butters made him lonelier than he cared to admit. but the only feeling coursing through his veins as he saw sofia step out of the van with her own pup was anger. pure, unadulterated anger. still, he wasn’t one to lash out. so he kept his face neutral, even as it leaped from her hands and scurried over to him. he stared at sofia expressionless as she apologized and scooped the furball up. “whatever, just keep the little shit away from me.”

sofia raised a brow at his reaction while holding laila back. by the looks of it, the girl had gathered that spencer didn't really like dogs that much. she didn't really understand why anyone wouldn't. "uh.. you don't like dogs or something?" she questioned. "laila is friendly, you know.. she doesn't bite." sofia chuckled faintly, in hopes of convincing him to atleast touch the small dog. "i promise!"

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ CHRISTIAN. ❜

“I’m trying,” Christian muttered to himself when Sofia told him to forget it. The words were a reflexive reaction. To what? Literally any emotion would spark his hostility, but Christian certainly didn’t know or care to consider what had. Even worse, any relief he felt when Sofia turned over to ignore him was slowly edged out by his discomfort with her presence and silence, and he found himself snapping, “Why did you even come up here anyway? Just go back with the rest of them.”

with her eyes shut, sofia tried her best to ignore the fact that her ex was right there. but, his words were not helping her do that. she kept her eyes shut, a sigh passing through her lips as she replied. "i can't sleep back there.. so, im trying to sleep here. im allowed to do that, christian." she cleared her throat quietly-- finding herself get lost in her own thoughts. the way he was speaking to her was bothering her and only reminded her of the time when they were together. which had just annoyed sofia on another level. all of the arguements between the two began flooding back into her head. sofia couldn't help but, think why she was taking all of this. she shouldn't have to and she definitely, wasn't about to. the girl opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. "why are you acting like this? last time i checked, you were the one that broke up with me."

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ DILLON. ❜

Dillon had been exploring the campsite, browsing through the list of activities that had been provided to the group upon arrival,when he heard a noise, and looked up, noticing a friendly familiar face come bounding towards him. He looked down as Laila reached his feet, and went to pick her up but found the dog SNATCHED away by unknown hands. He looked up, noticing it was Sofia. “So I’m a new person am I?” Dillon chuckled as he looked back to Laila, who was now resting gently in her owner’s arms. He offered Laila a stroke on her head, and then went back to talking to Sofia. “I didn’t know you were bringing along my favourite furry friend!” Dillon bent down to give Laila a kiss, and then wiped his cheek after she had licked it. Dillon looked back to Sofia, and sighed. “It’s been forever since you moved out! How have you been finding things? Do you miss our lttle window chats?” He finished with a cheeky grin, reminiscing back to the years before.

as sofia's hues fell upon dillon, she felt a wide grin form onto her face almost instantly. whenever she looked out her bedroom window back at home, he would always be there for her -- especially since he was sat at his desk, studying 24/7. "no.. of course you're not. i just thought you were someone else." she laughed softly, watching laila's eyes beam and tail wag at a swift pace. she was practically obsessed with dillon-- sofia had no doubt that he was laila's favourite. "dillon.. it's been 3 months.. is that really forever?? seems like you miss me quite a lot." she teased. "im kidding.. of course i miss our window chats. it's so weird looking out my window and not seeing you there anymore.." sofia smiled, reflecting back to those years herself. "anyways, everything is good!! moving out wasn't as hard as i thought and my roommate addie is super nice!!" she paused for a moment and raised a brow, curious as to how dillon was doing. she genuinely cared about him and knew more than any one, how hard working he was when it came to studies. "what about you? how's life for the soon-to-be physician?"

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ ADELAIDE. ❜

          addie’s eyes widen at the explanation. ‘ that just sounds like a really easy way to get lost, ’ she says, even though admittedly the concept of a treasure hunt sounds like an amazing time, no matter what the treasure itself is. though not competitive, addie’s undeniably starting to discover a side of hers that had previously gone unexplored. one that craves for adventure and new life experiences, a side her friends are eager to see thrive in this trip. ‘ maybe when we get there, we could ask a guide about it and see if anyone else wants to join in. make a little friendly competition out of it … and in the process, make sure if anyone gets lost, the rest of the group will be close enough to find them, ’ she proposes, eyeing the rest of the group. she was sure more than one of them would want to venture off into the unknown.

sofia had loved treasure hunts. she distinctly remembered doing a number of them as a child and how excited she got when the treasure was found -- especially, when she was the one who located it. "valid. but, with a gps it would probably make things way easier!!" sofia smiled, knowing it would be rather easy for her, considering how tech savvy she was. the girl nodded continously at addie's suggestions, finding herself get rather excited at the thought. "ooh, yes!! then, the person who finds the treasure first can win some kind of prize. nothing too big though.. to keep it friendly and not too competitive -- of course." sofia recommended, shrugging her shoulders afterwards. "i have no clue what that would even be though.. perhaps a free can of pringles or something?"

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ ELODIE. ❜

stone faced and uncomfortable in the summer heat, elodie sits rather uselessly by a log situated by one of the campfires near where their tents were set up — one arm nervously picking at tree bark, and the other using the brochure as a makeshift fan to combat against the lack of breeze. she’s snapped out of her thoughts and dismal look, when something tiny and fluffy bounds up to her. she perks up instantly … elodie was generally pretty optimistic, but nothing brightened up her day like, well, any sort of animal. however, her elation dissipates some when arms reach down to scoop up the pup. “ you’re fine! ” she assures, smiling gently. part of her wishes the other girl hadn’t scooped the puppy up and let elodie play with it, but she wasn’t about to demand sofia put down her pet. “ she’s — she’s really cute. a pomeranian, right? ”

sofia returned the girls smile. she hadn't known elodie all that well -- the two of them had never really talked until now. sofia had only seen her around dumont a few times but, that was about it. "thanks.. and yeah, she's a pomeranian-- laila's her name." she nodded, petting laila's fur coat for a brief moment before glancing back at elodie. "you wanna pet her?" sofia suggested enthusiastically, moving a bit closer to the girl stood in front of her. "her favourite spot is behind the ear." she added, in hopes that it would encourage elodie.

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ GIANNA. ❜

gianna was enjoying the view of the campsite when she felt something furry up against her leg. when she glanced down, her lips curved into a wide grin at the sight. she found her hand petting the pomeranian’s fur softly before seeing her owner pick her up. her eyes widened slightly at who the owner was. she should’ve known that pom from anywhere. when she glanced up, she knew she was right. “come on sofia, i can’t possibly be that new to her,” she said with a smile before standing up from her seat. “how are you both settling in? i imagine that drive was tough on her,” the brunette adds, running her hand through the dog’s fur once again.

with laila in her hands, sofia quickly got herself up to look at the figure. "uh-.." she stood there for a moment not, expecting that person to be none other than gianna cruz. things were extremely awkward between the two of them ever since that night sofia turned her down after gianna confessed her feelings. she wasn't into girls at all or, atleast.. that's what she thought at the time. "of course you're not!! she just really likes you, i guess." sofia returned the girls smile, attempting to move past the tension between the two. it seemed as if gia was almost trying to do the same. "she slept for most of it-- you know laila.. she just loves her sleep." sofia scratched the dog behind her ear before speaking again. "buut, as for me -- im settling in pretty well. im just so excited to record this entire journey.. my head is literally buzzing with so many ideas!!"

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ CHRISTIAN. ❜

Christian perked up at the tapping on his shoulder, his eyes just barely widening when he saw Sofia hovering over him like an ominous ghost in the night. “No, I’m not that tired, I was just resting my eyes for a second. Give me a break, I can drive the van,” he said. He didn’t need any favors from Sofia – he didn’t need anything from Sofia other than returning his silence. The only way he could envision the summer going well was if they didn’t interact at all, and she was already popping that bubble. On night one.

sofia furrowed a brow at christians response, letting out a soft exhale afterwards. the girl knew he would talk to her in a cold manner like that -- which just left her wondering why she bothered to go up to him to him in the first place. but obviously, it wasn't anything new to her due to their history together. "i..im not saying you can't drive.." she stayed silent for a moment, knowing there really wasn't any point of even trying. "forget it." she dismissed the situation, moving herself onto the passenger seat in hopes of falling asleep somewhere that was a bit more secluded from everyone else but, unfortunately -- not christian. sofia turned her head away from his direction, knees at her chest as she anticipated for the moment where she finally fell asleep. simultaneously, she was hoping that christian wouldn't comment on why she was sitting right next to him.

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ COLSON. ❜

Colson wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore. He started to roam around the campsite, made it out to the lake, and then back towards the campsite. Only to discover, it wasn’t the right section of the park. He somehow walked all the way towards the picnic tables in hopes of finding his way back. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. If there was ever a time to get lost, he was thankful it was in a park. He couldn’t imagine if they ended up in a big city and he had gotten lost. Colson wasn’t paying attention until a playful little pup ran right up to him. “Why ‘ello there aren’t you a cute little shit,” Colson grinned when he saw who the dog belonged to. “Sof, I completely forgot you were bringing your pup. What’s its name?” He asked reaching out to pet the small little dog.

sofia’s hues glanced up at the familiar face of colson before shifting a bit closer towards him to make it easier for him to pet the pomeranian. “of course!! how could i not?” she said, lips curving into a smile as she did so. “she’s called laila.” sofia added, scratching her dog under the chin. "so.. what about you?" she questioned, eyes moving back to colson. the girl could somewhat sense that he liked animals-- especially due to the way he approached laila in such a friendly manner. "you got any pets of your own??" sofia asked, out of sheer curiosity.

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ ADELAIDE. ❜

          addie wondered how hard one would have to tap the screen of a nintendo ds to crack it, and how close sofia was to that point until her own phone pulled the other out of the daze she was seemingly locked in until that point. addie had lived with sofia, so she knows how carried away the other could get by video games — and she respects that. so addie doesn’t question anything, instead matching the other’s laughter with a giggle of her own and a nod at the mention of sick shots. ‘ oh, i hadn’t even thought of that, you’re so right ! i bet there’s going to be an amazing view. ’ plans of putting together a scrapbook had been brewing since addie bought her polaroid camera, and now seemed like the perfect chance. and there was always sofia to capture whatever she couldn’t. ‘ geo … ’ the word seems familiar, and addie reviews the list to see it written as one of the options. still, other than that, addie doesn’t know what it is. ‘ what’s that ? ’

sofia wasn't too surprised to see that adelaide had no idea was geocaching was. she had only found out what it actually was only a few moments ago, herself. regardless, sofia heard about it before -- it only dawned on her to finally check what all the fuss was about when she settled in the van. "well.. i don't know too much about it." the girl found herself deep in thought, attempting to explain it in a simple way-- something sofia struggled with from time to time. "basically.. from what i gathered -- it's a treasure hunt but, instead of a map.. you just use some kind of gps app on your phone." a gentle laugh escaped her roseate lips. "because who even needs maps anymore, amirite?" sofia added.

i want to kiss you and take cute pictures with you and go on stupid dates but I also want tO DESTRYO YOU AT MAR IO KART

with her hand secured on the lilac portable dog crate, sofia slowly set it down on the campside grounds, zipping it open instantly. the girl was definitely not surprised to see her 3 year-old pomeranian, laila -- practically leaping straight into her arms. “laila!!” she laughed before snatching a bone-shaped dog treat and holding it above the dog. “sit..” sofia commanded the dog, who had followed her demand in almost no time. “aww, you’re such a good girl!!” sofia grinned, ruffling her hands in laila's fur coat while her eyes beamed up with joy in the process. before sofia could even give the second command, laila had rushed past her and towards the figure standing on their right. following a soft huff, sofia ran after the pomeranian -- picking her up by the figures feet. “uh-- sorry... she loves meeting new people.” 

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ CHRISTIAN. ❜

Fuck straws. Yeah, there was the whole thing with the environment, but more importantly they fucked Christian over when he drew the short straw to decide who had the night shift driving the van. He was no early bird, but at this hour even Christian felt the drowsiness settling in, and his eyelids started to droop as he drove. Would anyone notice if he started blasting music to stay awake?

sofia was having a rough time falling sleep -- she just couldn't get into a position that was somewhat comfortable, no matter how much she moved around. it was definitely getting on her nerves at this point. an inward, quiet groan escaped the girls lips as she sat up and glanced over the sleeping bodies-- her eyes eventually falling on christian who was supposed to be driving. sofia was hoping she could go her entire life never seeing him again but, unfortunately -- that was not the case. now, they had to spend an entire summer together. regardless, sofia was not about to let him ruin the experience for her. "is he??" she whispered to herself, noticing that he was falling asleep.. at the wheel. as her first instinct, she got up -- knowing that no one else was there to wake him up and if she didn't wake him up, bad shit could of happened. she tapped christian on the shoulder, letting out a worn out sigh. "just go to sleep, i'll drive." she said in a stern tone while avoiding eye contact at all costs.

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ CALLIE. ❜

changing into a black bikini, the girl was ready to go for a swim. it felt super cramped in the van and was thankful they were finally stopping somewhere. otherwise, she would have demanded they stop for at least five minutes to get fresh air. inhaling deeply, she stretched her arms upward before turning to the group with a cheerful smile. “So, who wants to join me to go swimming?” of course, that was the first thing that came to mind instead of setting up a tent or fixing her items. she didn’t mind going by herself either, but figured having company was a lot better than going alone.

sofia jumped out of the van almost instantly, vlogging camera in hand. she breathed the fresh air into her lungs -- it was definitely necessary after being couped up in that van for what felt like hours upon.. hours. the girl switched her cannon camera on, wanting to squeeze in some footage of the campsite before she went to help the others with the tents. sofia's brows furrowed at the familiar voice of callie hernandez. sofia couldn't help but, feel intimidated by her presence-- she was quite popular when it came to the vlogging scene. "uh.. pretty sure my camera isn't waterproof." sofia let out an awkward yet, quiet laugh.

✧ * º • ☾ ❛ ADELAIDE. ❜

          ‘ biking, boating, camping, canopy challenge course … damn, this list goes on forever. ’ adelaide’s legs have been asleep for what feels like about an hour now, but it feels like a meaningless detail compared with the excitement she feels at reaching their first stop soon. blessed with the ability to read without getting motion sick, she reads off the activities the park offers as they grow closer. some, like the rock climbing and canopy challenge course, feel way too intimidating for her, but she knows some of the others can’t wait to put themselves in harm’s way right off the bat. it’s a good thing she has a first aid kit, considering the amount of chaotic energy in the van. barely containing her excitement, addie turns to a nearby face and holds up her phone, where the activities are listed. ‘ what are you most excited for ? i think i’d be down for some hiking, once we’ve set up and all. ’

sofia tapped the stylus against the screen of her old nintendo ds in a non-stop aggressive fashion. perhaps she got a little too invested when it came to simply chopping onions on cooking mama -- which was one of her favourites growing up. while almost zoning out completely on whatever was going on in the van, sofia just kept to herself for the timebeing. suddenly, her hues darted towards the phone that popped up in her vision. "oh.. wha-" she paused the game, soft laughter escaping her mouth as she spoke. she smiled at addie, loving her enthusiasm. "yes !! definitely hiking. might get some pretty sick shots with that!! sofia smiled. "buut, on the other hand -- i kinda want to try geocaching.. from what i have heard, it could be a lot of fun !!"