Archive of Our Own

“Are you sure you have everything?”

Cady takes a deep breath, closing her eyes. She’s standing on her front porch with her mother, next to three weeks worth of luggage. “Yes, Mom. We triple checked the list, remember?”

Betsy wrings her hands together nervously. “I know! It’s just… Three weeks is a long time, and–.”

“And I’m used to living out of a couple of bags,” Cady points out. “We did it for twelve years, remember?”

“I know,” Betsy sighs. “But I was with you then! I’m your mother, I’m allowed to worry!”

Cady puts a hand on her mom’s arm. “I know that. And you’re certainly allowed to worry. But I promise you, I’ll be fine. I’m not going alone, and we’re staying in hotels the whole way.”

Betsy lets out a little laugh. “I still can’t believe you aren’t going to be doing any camping.”

“Yeah, well, when your girlfriend’s parents offer to pay for the trip of a lifetime, but she doesn’t camp, well, you compromise on some things.” Cady gives a little smile. “Seriously, can you imagine Regina in a tent? ”

Betsy laughs lightly. “Okay, well, that’s a good point. It was very, very generous of the Georges to pay for this trip.”

“And it was really nice of Regina to let me choose the location,” Cady reminds her. “So if she doesn’t want to camp, then that’s fine. We can stay in hotels.” She hums. “Plus, well, I’ve gotten really used to indoor plumbing.”

Betsy lets out another laugh, this one louder and longer. As she’s laughing, they both see Regina’s Jeep turn onto their street. Betsy stops immediately, taking a deep breath.

Cady, on the other hand, is all big smiles. She bounces on her heels, watching as Regina pulls into her driveway.

“Hey, pretty girl. Hi, Betsy,” Regina greets as she hops out of the front seat. Despite it being the warmer months, and Regina usually forgoing her doors, she’s had them put back on for this trip. It’s one thing to ride around without doors in Evanston, Illinois, but it’s another to take a three-week long road trip across the country in a completely open Jeep.

“Hi, baby!” Cady replies with a big smile, picking up some of her luggage. She’s packed relatively light. One big suitcase, a duffel, and a backpack for daily use. The duffel is mostly empty right now, as she intends to have plenty of space for any souvenirs she picks up along the way. There’s also some backup space in her suitcase, which isn't packed to the brim. 

“Good morning,” Betsy greets. “Ready for the big trip?”

Regina grins, taking Cady’s biggest suitcase and opening up her trunk. Cady tries to take the bag back, knowing that Regina’s not supposed to be lifting heavy things with all of the rods in her spine, but Regina just moves the suitcase further away from Cady. She gets distracted when she sees Regina’s bags in the trunk, of which there are at least three big suitcases. And that’s only what Cady can see right now. They lay all the way across the bottom of the trunk, and Cady’s not sure how she’s gonna fit all her stuff in there.

“Um…” Cady mutters, staring blankly at the suitcases.

“I’ve got this,” Regina tells her. “I just wanted balance until I got here.” She takes out two of her smaller suitcases, replacing them with Cady’s big one on the bottom. They do a little bit of suitcase Tetris to make them all fit, Cady’s duffel getting tossed on top. It takes a couple minutes, but they get there.

“What are you girls going to do when it rains?” Betsy asks, taking a look at the Jeep. Although the doors are on, the top is not, leaving them exposed to the elements.

“I can get the soft top on it in 30 minutes,” Regina explains, “and I’ve been having Cady practice with me.”

Cady nods. “It’s easy! Plus, we’re keeping a close eye on the forecast the whole way. The first drop or chance of rain, we pull over, and the top goes up.”

“What if you can’t pull over safely?”

“Which is why we’re keeping an eye on the forecast,” Cady repeats. “Gretchen found us this app meant for road trips that shows you the weather for your whole trip, down to the time you’re theoretically supposed to be in a place. We’ll check it every time we get in the car.”

“Right,” Betsy says, but Cady’s not sure that she fully believes it. 

“Mom,” Cady says cautiously, “I know you’re worried, but we’ll be fine. I promise you.”

Regina nods, closing the trunk and patting it. “We will. This baby is very safe. And I’m a very safe driver.”

Betsy pales. “That’s not exactly what I was worried about, but now I am.”

“Mom, ” Cady sighs. “We will be fine. ”

“You’ll text every day, and let me know if you change any of the hotels you’re staying at?” Betsy asks.

“Yes, Mom. Every day. And if plans change, you’ll be the first to know.”

“And you’ll keep your location on the entire time?”

“Yes,” Cady assures her. “We might not always have service, especially once we hit the desert, but I will keep it on the entire time.”

Betsy takes a deep breath and nods. “Okay. Do you both have everything?”

“Yes,” they both reply in unison.

“And if there’s anything we somehow forgot, I’m sure we could get replacements on the road,” Regina tells her before looking at Cady. “If we want to keep time, we gotta go soon.”

Cady nods. “Definitely.” She looks at her mom. “Are you ready for this?”

Betsy gives them a smile. “I am. I’m very excited for you both. But, before you go, I actually have one more thing to give you.” She hurries back to the porch, while Cady and Regina share a look. 

“Do you know what it is?” Regina asks.

Cady shakes her head. “No idea.”

Betsy returns to the jeep a few moments later, a standard Amazon box in hand, flaps already open. “For your trip!”

Cady takes the box and looks inside. There’s another box in there, but this one is actually marked and branded.

It’s a camera. A Polaroid, to be specific. Cady’s seen one like this before. Karen got one for Gretchen for Hanukkah, and she’s been using it for months to document as much of their senior year as possible. Cady’s pretty sure she used a whole box of photo film just for graduation alone. 

“It’s the newest one,” Betsy tells her. “It apparently can connect to an app? So it makes it easier to upload to Instagram or whatever. I even made sure to get extra film. Sharon suggested it.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Cady says, looking up at her with a big smile. “This is great! We’re gonna take so many pictures.”

“Definitely, ” Regina agrees. “Pretty sure this is the same one Gretchen has. She says the app is really easy to use.”

Cady smiles, pulling the box with the camera and smaller boxes with extra film out of the bigger package. She hands the extra cardboard back to her mom, who takes it and tucks it under her arm. “I’ll get it set up on the way to our first stop.” She turns and looks at Regina. “Oh! If we stop somewhere and see a scrapbook, we should get one!”

“Just no writing mean things in it.”

Regina shifts uncomfortably on her feet, staring down at the ground. Cady gives her mother a dirty look.

“Mom. ”

Betsy holds up a hand. “I’m just saying! Oh, and one more rule for the camera. And in general. Don’t post about being in a place until you’ve already left it.”

Cady blinks. “Why?”

“Cady, honey, you are two eighteen year old girls going on a road trip alone,” Betsy points out. “And admittedly, Regina, you have a rather large Instagram following. You don’t need people knowing where you two are as you’re traveling. It’s just not safe.”

Regina frowns a bit, but then nods. “You have a good point. Maybe I’ll wait until the trip is over to post anything like that.”

“Doesn’t have to be the whole trip,” Betsy shrugs. “Just a few days, at least.”

“That seems like a good plan,” Cady says.

Regina gives another nod. “Yeah, agreed.”

Cady tucks the camera, extra film, and her backpack into the passenger seat of the Jeep. She turns back to her mom, finally ready to give her the goodbye hug she knows Betsy’s been dreading.

It’s not like she’s leaving for college. No, that’s later this summer. This is just a road trip with her girlfriend. She’ll be back in three weeks’ time.

Twenty-one days. That’s how long this trip will be. Twenty-one days with just Cady, Regina, Regina’s Jeep, and the open road.

It’s incredible, really. For a graduation gift, Regina’s parents offered to pay for a trip for Regina and Cady this summer, anywhere they wanted within the United States. They originally offered anywhere in the world , but Betsy had only agreed to let Cady go if it was within the country. Even though, theoretically, they could have gone anyways; both now being eighteen, but they agreed to the conditions Betsy put out. Clearly, Betsy’s nervous enough about Cady going on any trip without her, let alone one outside of the U.S.

When Regina told Cady this, she offered to let Cady pick the trip. Cady had been genuinely surprised and even tried to protest, but Regina insisted, pointing out that she’s been to all sorts of places in the States for vacation before. She has favorites, sure, but Cady’s been in the U.S. for not even two full years yet. So, she told Cady to pick anywhere in the United States, wherever she’s always wanted to go.

Cady took the decision very seriously. She spent weeks pouring over options, until both Regina and June basically told her they needed her to make a choice, so they could book the plane tickets and hotel. To their surprise, Cady told them they wouldn’t need plane tickets.

Cady had chosen a road trip. A very specific road trip, obviously. She had specific desires for the first half of the trip, but she asked Regina to help with the second half, so they made sure to hit locations that Regina would like, and get to do things that she would want to do.

So, instead of flying somewhere for a week, they’re spending twenty-one days on the road, with different hotels booked for nearly every single night. And the very first stop on their long journey is only thirty minutes away, in the heart of Chicago.

Betsy gives them both big hugs goodbye, much to Regina’s surprise. They climb into the Jeep, and they head off, Betsy calling goodbyes and reminders to text and call often as they drive down the road.

“Were your parents like this earlier?” Cady asks, as soon as they’ve turned off of Cady’s street. 

“Not really,” Regina shrugs. “My dad helped me load up the Jeep. My mom just kept reminding me to bring her back souvenirs.”

“And Kylie?”

Regina smiles softly. “She gave me a big hug, and told me to take lots of pictures.” She lets out a little laugh. “She also said she was going to miss you way more than she’s gonna miss me.”

Cady laughs. “We both know that’s not true.”

“Eh, ” Regina shrugs again. “Doubtful.”

“She’s your sister. ”

“Yeah, exactly,” Regina tells her. “We bicker more than anything, but she adores you.”

“Well, we’ll have to get her plenty of stuff too,” Cady replies, picking up the Polaroid box and starting to open it. “This was really nice of my mom. This is so cool.”

“It’s brilliant. I’m a little annoyed I didn’t think of it myself.”

Cady grins. “You should just be glad she got the kind that connects to your phone.”

“Betsy knows me well.”

A half hour later, they’re parked on the side of the road across the street from their first destination. Chicago is nothing new or special to either of them, but they’ve never been to this specific location before. 

Well, Regina has once, on a school trip, but it's not like she cared about it at the time. Would probably still not care if it isn't for Cady. There's a sign, on the corner of East Adams Street and South Michigan Avenue, that marks the start of their trip and the beginning of Route 66, the most famous route in American history.

Cady snaps a picture with the camera of the first sign she sees, an actual street sign higher up on a light pole. As soon as she pulls the picture out of the camera and starts to shake it, Regina takes her other hand. She pulls Cady a little further down the sidewalk, where a different, ground level sign stands. It has the route symbol, with some checkered flags on top of it, and a little plaque explaining some of the history of Route 66 beneath it. 

“Oh, this is so much better!” Cady exclaims.

“Did you really think that sign on the post was it?”

Cady shrugs. “It was the one I saw. I didn’t think there was another.”

Regina chuckles, shaking her head. “The camera’s working with the app?”

Cady nods. She hands Regina the camera for a second, pulling out her phone and opening up the app. There’s two pictures there now: one of the sign, and one test picture she took of Regina in the car, driving on the highway. 

“You’re keeping that?” Regina asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah. I love every picture of you.”

Regina rolls her eyes. “Okay, you big softie. Let’s pose for the picture.”

They position themselves on either side of the sign. Regina takes the picture, having longer arms than Cady’s, so she can make sure everything’s in the frame. The picture pops out of the camera, and Cady starts shaking it to develop it. 

While Cady’s developing it, Regina checks the app on Cady’s phone. It’s a good, clear picture, with the sign and both of them smiling brightly in frame. She shows Cady the photo on the phone, and they agree they’re all done here.

The sooner they get out of Chicago, the sooner they can actually start this road trip. 

They load back into the Jeep, Regina turning to face Cady before turning her key in the ignition. “You ready, pretty girl?”

Cady gives her a big, beaming smile. “Super ready! Let’s do it!”

Regina starts the car, and pulls out of the parking spot. She drives forward, down Old Route 66, the road they’ll be on for the vast majority of the next week and a half.

Their road trip has officially begun.

The next stop is a little under a three hour drive away (and less than a quarter of Gretchen’s “90s pink princess pilates road trip” playlist). It’s still in Illinois, in a small city called Pontiac, Southwest of Chicago. Pontiac is home to the Illinois Route 66 Association Hall of Fame & Museum, which Cady was a little surprised to find out even existed, let alone was a semi-popular stop on Route 66. She supposes it makes a little bit of sense, being so early on in the journey from Chicago. 

It’s not very large, and the place is somewhat interesting, but Cady can tell Regina’s bored out of her mind very quickly. Pretty much as soon as they get there, Cady worries that Regina might quickly lose interest in this entire trip, and want to cancel it and go back home. 

To Cady’s surprise, Regina finds herself fascinated by something parked outside of the museum itself: a school bus. Well, it’s not just any old school bus. It’s been converted into some kind of home, with what appears to be a wooden second floor and rear balcony. 

“Excuse me,” Regina says to one of the overly friendly staff members, gesturing towards the bus. “What is that?”

“That’s the Waldmire bus!”

Regina blinks. “The what?”

“It’s a school bus that Bob Waldmire used to live in,” the older woman sighs, perhaps a bit dreamily. “Bob, God rest his soul, was an artist who lived on the Mother Road.”

(The Mother Road, as they’ve recently learned, is a nickname for Route 66, primarily used by enthusiasts and the older generation.)

“He was a good friend of mine. Beyond talented. He went on to be with the Lord in ‘09. We have both his bus and his van here, along with some of his artwork, to commemorate his memory and his legacy. You can go on the bus, if you’d like!”

Regina takes an awkward step back. “Sorry, I, uh, don’t really like going near them.”

The older woman gives her a confused look. “Near school busses?”

“Last time I got close to one, I ended up in a medically induced coma with a bunch of rods in my spine,” Regina replies with a shrug.

Cady watches the confusion turn into horror on the poor old woman’s face. Cady elbows Regina, and gives her a look, but Regina just gives Cady another shrug.

“You know, maybe if that was the bus that hit me, I would have gone to Route 66 instead of a hotel in Miami.”

Cady knows Regina must sound absolutely crazy to this older woman (Rose, as Cady finally sees on her nametag), but she’s glad that Regina at least didn’t finish that sentence with, “ when I died. ” She’s not sure how much poor old Rose can take.

“You poor thing,” Rose says, putting a hand over her heart. “We do have some of his artwork on display inside the museum as well, not just on the bus.”

“I’d love to see it,” Regina replies with a smile.

Cady’s relieved. Regina’s actually interested in something here, and she’s being (mostly) nice to the staff. Maybe her worries were a little unfounded.

Rose is very sweet, and shows them around the rest of the museum. She’s got a million stories about everything in here (whether or not every single one of them is actually interesting is, well, another story), and is super excited to share the history of Route 66 with a couple of young girls. She’s very interested to hear about their trip, and all the various stops that they have planned. She gives a few recommendations for restaurants she’s heard good things about from other travelers, as well as a couple recommendations for places to eat in Pontiac itself. 

She even offers to take a picture of both girls outside, in front of the giant Route 66 mural on the side of the building. It's a cool mural, depicting the Route 66 badge between the skylines of Chicago and St. Louis, Missouri, which is their next stop, and has a banner on the bottom displaying their current location of Pontiac, Illinois. They get a great photo with the camera, before saying their goodbyes to Rose, climbing into the Jeep, and heading to one of the diners recommended to them for lunch.

It’s decent food. It’s diner food, nothing particularly special. Cady knows they’ll be eating a lot of diner food in the next couple of weeks, but especially while they’re on Route 66. It’s what it’s so famous for, after all.

After lunch, they’re in the car again, on the road towards their next stop.

“You know,” Regina says, about halfway into their four-hour drive to St. Louis, “I never did ask why you chose Route 66.”

Cady blushes. “You’re gonna think it’s stupid.”

“Baby, with all the love in my heart, we’re doing a lot of stupid stuff on this trip,” Regina points out. “Fun stuff, yes, but stupid all the same.”

“Have you ever seen the movie Cars? ”

Regina glances at Cady. “Of course I have. It’s a childhood classic.”

“We didn’t have a ton of DVDs or anything in Kenya,” Cady tells Regina, “but we had a couple, and a little DVD player. And when I couldn’t go outside for whatever reason, one of the only things I had to do was watch those DVDs. Cars was one of the few we had. I must have watched that movie over a hundred times. I’ve kind of always wanted to see Route 66 myself, but I never thought I’d get to.”

“That’s not stupid,” Regina says. “It’s sweet. And I’m happy to help you fulfill a childhood dream.”

“It’s even better now, because I get to do it with you.”

“Softie.”

“Please. You’re an even bigger softie than me.”

Regina raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“You agreed to go on a road trip with me to see crappy roadside attractions and weird little museums,” Cady points out. “You’re such a softie. And I love that about you. I love you.”

Regina shoots her a little smile. “I love you too, baby.”

And with that, they continue on down the road.

It takes them nearly four and a half hours to get to their hotel in St. Louis, given some extra traffic once they get closer to the city. Their hotel isn’t necessarily on Route 66, but it’s fairly close. It’s nothing spectacularly fancy, just a standard chain hotel, but one that apparently Regina’s family has a rewards card with. They’re prioritizing staying in these hotels throughout the trip, partially to lower the cost, but also partially to rack up points. June was pretty happy about that arrangement, since it’ll make her next resort trip much cheaper. Not that the Georges need to save money, but Cady can’t blame them. Who doesn’t love a good discount?

The hotel is probably among the nicer of the ones they’ll be staying in on this trip. The lobby is pretty classy, by Cady’s standards, but Regina tells her it’s nothing like an actually nice hotel. Cady supposes she’ll just have to take her word for it for now, but it’s definitely the nicest hotel Cady’s ever stayed in.

The room is pretty straightforward: one queen sized bed, a chest of drawers with a TV on top, a desk and chair, and a simple bathroom. It’s not nearly as nice as the lobby, but it’s still not bad, by any means.

They leave their limited bags in the room, before heading back down to the car to put the top up, per Regina’s request. They’ve realized, rain or no rain, they need to keep the top up when they’re not in the car, to make sure all of their belongings stay safe. It doesn’t take long, and once they’ve got it up, they head back out for dinner. 

They’ve got reservations at apparently the most popular restaurant in the city (according to their research, or well, Cady’s research), The Fountain on Locust. It’s a fun place, a retro themed cafe. They get delicious sandwiches and ice cream, which is this place’s claim to fame. It’s overly sweet, but still really good. They head back to their hotel with full stomachs and tired minds, ready to rest before another long day of traveling.

Honestly, one of the most exciting parts of this trip for Cady has been the idea of sleeping in the same bed as Regina for three straight weeks. She’s such a cuddler, especially in her sleep, and she treasures the nights she gets to spend over Regina’s house. Three straight weeks of sleeping while holding Regina and being held by her? Cady’s thrilled.

They take turns showering in the mediocre hotel shower, which is the first thing so far that Regina actually complains about. The water pressure isn’t very strong, which even Cady can admit is annoying, but not the biggest deal in the world to her. She did spend her entire childhood living in a tent without any indoor plumbing, but she’s pretty sure Regina’s never gone a day in her life without a fully functional bathroom. Still, she lets Regina get it out of her system, ranting and raving about crappily made shower heads and cheap pipes, until she’s back to normal again.

They crawl into bed together, Cady nuzzling close to Regina. Regina wraps her arms tight around Cady, kissing her forehead softly.

“I’m so happy to be here with you,” Cady says softly, tracing patterns on Regina’s back lightly.

“Me too,” Regina replies, running her fingers through Cady’s hair. “Even if the shower heads suck.”

Cady laughs. “Thank you. For all of this. Both the trip itself, and being willing to go to all these places with me.”

“Are you kidding? I’m really excited about it. Yeah, this might not have been the trip I would have picked, but it’s not about me. It’s about getting to spend this time with you, and make memories together.” Regina presses another kiss to Cady’s forehead. “And any memory where you’re happy is a very happy memory for me too.”

“I love you, Reggie.”

“I love you too, pretty girl.”

The next morning, they’re up bright and early. They pack the bags they brought up with them, and head downstairs for the generic complimentary breakfast. It’s not terrible, but even Cady wouldn’t necessarily classify it as good either. 

Regina, of course, has more specific criticisms than that. According to her, the eggs are dry, the coffee tastes like ass, and the toaster oven overcooked her bagel and burnt it. Cady’s pretty sure that’s more user error than anything else, but she doesn't say anything about it directly. There's no need to pick a fight over something as simple as a bagel. 

Regina’s mood improves once they get some real coffee at a shop down the street from the hotel, and she’s properly caffeinated. Cady’s glad this seems to work, because dealing with a grumpy Regina every morning of this trip is going to be a nightmare. She just hopes there's going to be at least some decent coffee near every hotel they’re going to be staying at, but she's pretty sure that might just be wishful thinking. 

Their first stop of the day is less than thirty minutes from their hotel: The Gateway Arch. They’re at the monument as soon as it opens, ready for a tour and to see the view from the top. Cady takes a picture of the arch before they go in, and then, another one all the way at the top of the gorgeous view. Their tour guide offers to take a picture of them together, which they take. It doesn’t have much of the actual skyline in the background, but it’s a cute picture of them together, nonetheless.

They spend a few hours at the arch in total, making sure to hit the gift shop and pick up some souvenirs for their family and friends. They get an assortment of items: keychains, magnets, and a handful of different postcards. 

Cady wants to get them matching t-shirts, but of course, Regina’s resistant. 

“C’mon, Reggie! It can be, like, clampy, or something!” Cady insists, holding a pair of very cheesy t-shirts in her hand. 

Regina gives her a look. “Clampy? You mean campy? ”

“Yeah! That one!” She gives Regina her best puppy-dog eyes. “Pretty please? For me? ”

Regina stares at her for a few moments, before sighing and taking a t-shirt from her. “I guess I can look camp straight in the eye.”

“What?”

“Old meme. I’ll show you later.”

Cady doesn’t really care if Regina forgets to explain the joke later or not. She’s just absolutely delighted that Regina’s willing to get the stupid t-shirt with her.

Turns out, there’s a lot she’ll do for the girl she loves.

That makes Cady very, very happy.

After the Gateway Arch, they stop for lunch at a barbecue restaurant. It’s really good, which isn’t surprising. St. Louis is known for its unique style of barbecue, after all, and it’s definitely delicious. There’s some good barbecue up in Chicago, but they both know it’s nothing compared to authentic places in the South.

After lunch, they hit the road again. It’s a little over five hours on Route 66 to get to their next stop: Springfield, Missouri. It’s in the same state as St. Louis, but on the opposite side, so they’ve got quite the drive ahead of them.

“God, that barbecue was so good,” Cady sighs happily in the passenger seat as they make their way out of St. Louis. “I’m so full.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Regina says with a smile. “I’m usually not that much of a barbecue person, but I have to admit, that was really damn good. Maybe it’s just the places in Illinois that kinda suck.”

Cady laughs. “Maybe.”

“Is there any other food your excited about for this trip?”

Cady shrugs. “I haven’t done too much research on the food options. I wanted to give you flexibility with it, y’know?”

Regina smiles softly, taking Cady’s hand in hers and kissing it, all without taking her eyes off the road. “Thank you, baby.”

“Of course,” Cady replies, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “It’s your trip too, remember?”

“Oh, I know. But we’ll have plenty of time for my stuff on the way back.”

Cady laughs. “Don’t I know it.”

“Can you check the traffic for me? I feel like this is slower than usual.”

Cady nods, letting go of Regina’s hand and pulling out her phone. She opens up her road trip planner app, and winces. “Yikes. Looks like heavy traffic for most of Missouri.”

Regina sighs. “Figures. We’ll probably be getting to the hotel a little later than expected, then.”

“Yeah, probably.” Cady closes the app, pulling up Spotify. “Well, on the bright side, we still have… Seven hours of Gretchen’s playlist left.”

Regina rolls her eyes. “You do know that we don’t have to use her road trip playlist she made us, right?”

“I know, I know, but you and I both know that she’s going to ask us a bunch of questions about it. And she always knows when we lie to her about that stuff.”

“Okay, good point. But once we’re through it once , play something else.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Cady agrees. “I prepared my own playlists, don’t worry.”

“Is it bad I’m a little bit worried?”

Cady laughs. “You’ll like it. I promise.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Thanks to the traffic, it’s nearly dinnertime by the time they make it to their hotel. They don’t have reservations this time, and instead, pick out something once they get there. 

(That’ll pretty much be the case for the rest of the trip. There's simply too many factors of things that could cause potential delays for them to realistically have reservations at restaurants and the like. They’ve got hotel reservations the rest of the way, but they made sure to pick hotels that don't tend to sell out in the event they get delayed by a full day at any point.)

They end up at a little Mediterranean restaurant, which is delicious. Regina loves Greek food, so it’s no surprise that she wanted to go here. It’s not Cady’s favorite cuisine, but she does still like it quite a bit. 

She’s more than willing to go for some of Regina’s favorites on this trip, even if they aren't her preferences, given just how much Regina is accommodating all of the various places Cady wants to go and the things she wants to do and see. She’s lucky, beyond lucky, and very grateful for Regina’s willingness, especially given the fact it's Regina . Cady damn well knows that she's pretty much the only person in the world that Regina would be willing to go to boring museums and everything else for. 

Once again, after dinner, they get comfortable in their regular chain hotel room, cuddling up in the bed together. Regina’s wiped from all of the driving that she did, so she's out like a light. It takes Cady a little longer to fall asleep, but she's perfectly content listening to Regina's soft sleeping noises, curled up in her arms. 

The following morning, they wake up, have another mid complimentary breakfast (which Regina has less complaints about), and get started on their day. 

Today  they're heading to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium. It hadn't exactly been surprising to Regina that Cady had picked some locations that centered around animals and wildlife. Although most of the exhibits here are centered around American wildlife, the museum has a few sections dedicated to different areas around the world. Of course, Cady wants to spend plenty of time in the African exhibit, and makes Regina take pictures with her posing next to the taxidermied lions. She tries not to think too hard about the fact that they are taxidermized, but it's kind of an impossible fact to avoid in a place like this.

It takes them about four hours to go through the entire museum and aquarium. Cady finds out that Regina actually really enjoys going to aquariums. She ends up getting a really cute picture of Regina petting stingrays in a touch tank with a giant smile on her face. 

(She does, however, get very freaked out at the sight of the giant octopus moving around inside of its tank. Cady doesn't entirely blame her; octopi are definitely on the stranger side of the animal kingdom.)  

After a quick lunch and a trip to the gift shop, bags full of ridiculous souvenirs, they make their way back to Regina's Jeep, ready to hit the road again. 

It's about a six hour drive to their next location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They don't have plans to stay here for long; just the night, however, they do have plans for a specific restaurant this evening. Before they technically get into Oklahoma City itself, they stop at Pops 66; a famous diner along the route that’s well known for their near endless soda combinations. Cady’s never seen so many types of sodas in her life, and admittedly, neither has Regina. Cady has the urge to try them all, before Regina has to stop her, otherwise she’d end up with a horrible sugar stomach ache that Regina knows Cady is prone to getting. 

They fill up on another meal of greasy diner food, this time accented with overly sugary sodas, and head to their hotel in Oklahoma City. Neither of them feel great as they head to bed on the third night of their trip, but tomorrow’s another long day of driving, so they try their best to just get some rest.

The fourth day begins as every day so far has: with a mediocre hotel breakfast. Today’s a little special, however, as it is the Fourth of July. The hotel has some special red white and blue pastries out, which are decent, but nothing super special. They’re off bright and early, hitting the road for the long, long day ahead of them. 

Cady sits in the passenger seat, and for a moment relishes in how it is unequivocally hers . Ever since she started dating Regina, even a little before that, it has been her place, by her side. It is something Cady genuinely loves.

“Do you like the Jeep?” Cady wonders.

“What?”

“I mean, would you like to change the car? Like, before college.”

Cady bites the inside of her cheek. College , life after. If this is nothing but a taste about what’s to come, she cannot be more excited. She can’t wait to spend the next four years with her (and their whole life after).

“Maybe,” Regina hums. “I really love my Jeep. Seriously, I really do. But driving it around Chicago is a nightmare. Cambridge? Boston? I can’t imagine that’s going to be much better.” She gives a little shrug. “It’s not like I have to decide right now. We can’t have cars on campus as freshmen anyways.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that.”

Regina gives her a little smile. “Yeah, because you’ve had the Regina George Taxi Service carting you around all year. You haven’t needed a car.”

“You offered to give me rides places!”

“I’m just teasing you, passenger princess,” Regina assures her. “Honestly, I think with the Jeep, it depends on what we decide to do after freshman year, y’know?”

Cady blinks. “Like… What?”

Regina shrugs again. “If we decide to stay in the dorms or move off campus. How far away, what the parking situation is like at whatever apartment we get… Ideally, I’d want some place with a garage, so I don’t have to deal with the snow.”

“Wouldn’t that be, like, super expensive?”

“I mean, probably, but it’s nothing I can’t get for the both of us,” Regina tells her. “We’ve got a long time before we have to figure all of that out, though.”

Cady’s not too sure how she feels about that. She nods, falling quiet again as she looks back out the window.

It takes them roughly five and a half hours to make it to their next destination: Cadillac Ranch. It’s a weird tourist trap with a bunch of colorful old Cadillac cars along the side of the highway. On the way there, they pass by a number of other tourist traps they don’t stop at, but Cady had seen as possible options while they were planning out the trip. There’s a humongous cross, a leaning water tower, and a bunch of signs for the “Devil’s Rope Museum”, which is apparently a museum about barbed wire. Cady loves a good museum, but even she was not willing to spend any of their precious road trip time there. 

The Cadillac Ranch is a brief stop, as there isn’t exactly a ton to look at. They take some pictures, including some fun selfies in front of a pink car (which Cady teases Regina by telling her she found her a new car), and carry on with their drive.

They continue on the road for about another hour, when they reach an important landmark on their trip: Midpoint Cafe. It means that in just four days, they’ve driven halfway down the entirety of Route 66. 

In Cady’s opinion, Midpoint Cafe is pretty much just like every other diner they’ve eaten at so far. She’s starting to get a little sick of diner food, which isn’t great. They still have a long way to go, and a lot of diners ahead of them. 

The waitress tries to upsell them on some Ugly Pies, which are apparently this particular diner’s “famous” desserts, but as far as either of them can tell, they’re just… Regular pies. They pass on the Ugly Pies, and hit the road again for the next leg of their journey. 

It’s another five hours to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they’re spending their fourth night of the road trip. They’d hoped to get there early enough to head down to the fireworks together, but thanks to some holiday traffic, they’re just barely finished checking into their hotel when the fireworks start. 

They head back out to the Jeep, Regina moving it in the parking lot so they can see the fireworks better. They hop in the back, sitting on the edge and watching the show together from their awkward half-parking spot at the hotel.

“Sorry we couldn’t get here sooner,” Regina tells her, arm wrapped around Cady’s shoulders. “I know you were looking forward to this.”

“It’s okay, really,” Cady replies, head leaning on Regina’s shoulder. “This is perfect.”

“We can see, like, half the fireworks from here.”

“Yeah, but I’m here with you. ” Cady pokes Regina lightly in the ribs, making her laugh. “That’s what makes it perfect.”

“You big softie.”

“Says you.”

Regina sighs, leaning her head against Cady’s. “You know, I’m honestly having a lot more fun on this trip than I thought I would.”

“Is it the incredible DJing I’ve been doing?” Cady asks with a smirk.

“I’m just glad we’re finally done with Gretchen’s playlist.”

“I know, I mean I took some of her suggestions for my playlists, but…” Cady shrugs, “I also took my own liberties with them.”

“Good,” Regina replies. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Gretch, but she takes things too seriously sometimes.”

“She sent me the playlist of songs you supposedly hate,” Cady tells her. “So I could cross-reference my playlists. And I did check, but there’s songs on there that I know you like, so…” She shrugs. “I left those on mine.”

Regina groans. “That stupid list… I’ve told her so many times… Sometimes I just skip a song because I don’t feel like listening to it in that moment, and if she’s nearby when that happens, she adds it to that stupid playlist.”

“That’s… Intense.”

“That’s Gretchen.”

They both laugh a little, redirecting their attention to the fireworks show as the grand finale begins. Cady wraps an arm around Regina’s waist, scooting as close as she possibly can to her, as they both watch in comfortable silence.

It’s shaping up to be a pretty good night.

Day five of the road trip begins with yet another breakfast, except this time, the food is actually quite bad. They don’t end up finishing eating at the hotel, instead opting to check out and grab something from a cafe on their way to their main attraction of the day: the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. 

Unlike the last museum they visited on this trip, this one is primarily about dinosaurs, fossils, and the like. Cady supposes it makes sense, as a lot of dinosaur bones have been found in the state. They even catch a show at the planetarium, which Cady finds absolutely fascinating. Regina doesn’t seem nearly as interested, but she doesn’t complain about being bored, or anything like that.

Cady has to give her credit. She’s been very good about putting up with Cady’s excitement over the more science-y aspects of this trip. Admittedly, with the way Regina looks so softly at her while Cady gets excited about fossils or animals or the stars, Cady’s not so sure that Regina would describe it as “putting up with” much of anything.

After a four hour detour at the museum, they hit the road once again. It’s another five and a half hours to their next destination, mostly through the desert. It’s a rather boring drive, with very little to look at. They keep themselves entertained by exchanging stories back and forth about their childhoods. It’s a little bittersweet, hearing all the stories about the adventures of Regina and Janis, who had been inseparable as children. They’d mended things somewhat senior year, and would consider each other friends again, but they’re far from as close as they once were. If anything, their friendship came from a need to be civil around each other, for Cady’s sake, as Cady remained friends with both the Plastics and the Art Freaks following the clusterfuck known as junior year.

And, well, it worked out pretty well.

Regina and Cady find themselves in the small town of Holbrook, Arizona, which boasts a population of barely five thousand. It’s definitely the smallest town they’re staying in overnight so far on this trip, and they’ve agreed to keep their PDA to a minimum. They aren’t so sure how people here (or for the next several stops on the trip, for that matter) might react to a sapphic couple, so they’ve decided to keep things hidden until they start getting back to larger cities again. 

They put the top up once they pull into the parking lot of the hotel, grabbing their bags and heading inside. The woman working at the front desk looks up when they enter, greeting them with a small smile. 

“Good evening!”

“Hello,” Regina replies. “We have a reservation under George?”

“Let me take a look!” The woman hums to herself for a few moments as she pulls up the reservation. “Ah, yes. George, two nights, in a single queen room.” She looks back up at them, and frowns. “Well, that’s gotta be uncomfortable.”

Regina and Cady exchange a look. “It’s fine, really,” Cady says, becoming increasingly nervous with this conversation.

“I’m gonna upgrade you both to a double queen room, so you don’t have to cram together in the same bed!” the woman says cheerfully, tapping away at her keyboard. “Free of charge!”

“Oh, um… Thank you,” Regina replies, exchanging another look with Cady. It’s not the end of the world, but it is profoundly awkward.

“What brings you girls to Holbrook?” the woman asks.

“Painted Forest National Park,” Cady responds. “We’re hiking it tomorrow.”

“Oh, you’ll have a blast. First time?”

Cady nods. “Yep.”

“Well, I hope you have a lovely time here in Holbrook,” the woman says, handing over two keycards to their room. “Let me know if you need any recommendations for food in the area!”

“Thank you,” Regina replies with a small smile, taking both cards and handing one to Cady. They head over to the elevator, waiting for the doors to close before saying a word.

“Well, at least we get a bigger room, I guess,” Cady says, shrugging slightly.

“Probably the same size, just more cramped with two beds,” Regina replies. “But we’ll see, I guess.”

“We could use one bed the first night, and the other the second night.”

Regina gives her a look. “Why?”

Cady gives another shrug. “I dunno. For fun?”

Regina just laughs, shaking her head. “Maybe. We’ll see.”

They don’t have the visual of a single queen room to compare it to, but Cady suspects that Regina’s theory is right, given how completely cramped the room is. There’s hardly any walking space around both beds, and they end up just dumping their bags onto one of the beds, and deciding to use the other both nights, as they really don’t have anywhere else to put their stuff.

Dinner that night is at a little barbecue spot named Big Fella’s BBQ Lounge, chosen strictly because Cady thought the name was funny. It’s pretty decent stuff, and a nice shift from the primarily diner food they’ve had for their last few meals. They head back to the hotel right after dinner, relaxing and planning to get as much extra sleep as they can for the following day’s adventure.

Of course, they can’t just go right to bed. They’ve both been wearing some makeup while on this trip, but Regina always takes longer to take hers off and finish her nighttime routine than Cady does. Cady sits on the edge of the bed they’re going to use, waiting for her to return.

When Regina enters the room, she gives Cady a little smile. “You could have gotten in. You didn’t have to wait for me.”

“But I like getting comfortable with you,” Cady tells her. “Plus, I know I’m tired enough that I’m gonna fall asleep quickly, and I didn’t wanna do that without you.”

“You’re sweet,” Regina says, climbing into bed with Cady. They get cozy under the covers, curling up against each other.

“I was thinking–,” Cady begins, before being cut off by Regina.

“Impressive."

Cady smacks her arm lightly. “Shut up. Anyways, I was thinking about the beds.”

“...What about them?”

“What are we gonna do in our dorm?” Cady asks. “We’ll have two beds. Two twin beds.”

“Twin XLs,” Regina points out.

“That only means that they’re longer, not wider,” Cady reminds her. “I dunno. I was just thinking about it, y’know? Like, are we even gonna both fit on one comfortably?”

“Maybe we can push them together,” Regina suggests. “Make a mega-bed.”

Cady hums. “Maybe. What if they start to push apart though, and there’s a gap?”

“Well, we’re gonna need to get a good mattress pad either way. For my back.”

Cady nods. They’ve been lucky so far with the mattresses on this journey not being terrible for Regina’s back, but they both know that flimsy dorm mattresses won’t cut it, especially not in the long term. 

“I can always just get a big one,” Regina suggests. “One large enough to cover both beds and kinda hold it together as a mega-bed, or something. Or we could, like, tie the legs together on the inside, so they don’t drift apart.”

“Oh, that’s smart,” Cady comments, before letting out a big yawn. She nuzzles up against Regina. “You’re very smart.”

Regina smiles, running a hand through Cady’s hair. “Thank you, baby. We’ll figure out the rest of it another time.”

“Mmhmm,” Cady hums in response. “Sleepy.”

“Me too. Goodnight, baby. I love you.”

“Goodnight, Reggie. I love you too.”

Day six begins with a very early morning, both of them getting up before dawn. Cady’s extra careful with Regina’s mood this morning, having learned she’s not really a morning person. To her credit, Regina doesn’t complain or anything, instead opting to mostly stay quiet on the earliest parts of their journey. 

They make the thirty minute drive from their hotel to the gateway to Petrified Forest National Park. Despite the name, they’re in the middle of the desert, so there aren’t really any trees outside of some clusters by the parking lot. They get to the parking lot before sunrise, and hurry over to a lookout point, where they can watch the sun go up over the gorgeous, sprawling landscapes. Cady gets a couple of beautiful pictures of the sunrise, and then some of the two of them together on the lookout point. 

They enjoy a cute little sunrise breakfast together. It's not much, given the breakfast at the hotel wasn't open yet, but they were able to get some basic food at a 24-hour gas station. Granola bars, trail mix, some crappy bottled smoothies and juice, and even a crappy coffee for Regina. Despite the bad taste, Regina downs the whole thing without any verbal complaints. Cady knows this whole thing is definitely not the norm for Regina, or the type of activity that she would have picked. Even if she didn’t know her girlfriend extremely well, her distaste is pretty clear on her face as she drinks the shitty coffee. Cady really appreciates Regina’s willingness to go along with these little ideas like a sunrise picnic, and not focus too much on how bad the food is.

They spend most of the day at the park, hiking a couple of short, easier trails. Cady would love to do some of the more advanced ones, but she knows they can’t push Regina’s back too hard, so they keep it simple. Still, there’s plenty of gorgeous sights, and Cady loves being out in the open air, so far from any real civilizations.

They have lunch at a little diner at the visitor center, near the parking lot where they’d parked. They meet an overly cheery older couple from California who are shocked to see two eighteen year old girls traveling alone. Things start out innocently enough, but they both end up getting a weird vibe from the older man, so they head back out after lunch.

It’s too hot in the afternoon to do much more hiking, so they drive the loop around the limited area of the park they can take the vehicle on. In theory, Regina’s Jeep can offroad, but she’s never actually used it that way, and is worried about getting it stuck, so they don’t go any further with that. 

They returned to the visitor center, glad to see that the older couple had left. They wait out the worst of the heat, taking some silly photos together, and going through some of the pictures they’ve taken already on their trip. They intend to stay until sunset, but they realize the sun will fully set much later than they originally thought it would, due to a miscalculation on Cady’s part. They agree to head back to Holbrook, get some dinner, and head to bed, as they have another long drive ahead of them tomorrow. 

Dinner is at a steakhouse in Holbrook, and is pretty good. The decor is pretty heavily themed to Route 66, which isn’t exactly a shock. Regina gets really freaked out when she sees the same man as they saw earlier at the visitor center. She rushes Cady back to the car, getting them back to the hotel and parking her Jeep in as hidden a spot as physically possible in the parking lot. 

Once they get up to their room, Regina practically barricades the door. Cady lets her do her thing, but when she watches Regina move the chair she’s stuck under the handle half an inch for the third time in less than a minute, she practically drags Regina away.

“He didn’t see us,” Cady points out. “We only saw him.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I get it. I got a weird vibe from him earlier too,” Cady says, coaxing Regina into sitting down on the edge of the bed. “But the door is locked and blocked, the windows are locked and the curtains are closed, and we are perfectly safe in here, okay?”

Regina takes a slow, shaky breath. “I’m just… I don’t know. The stuff your mom warned us about before we left freaked me out a bit, I guess.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a little caution,” Cady assures her. “But I just don’t want you to work yourself up into a frenzy. We’re perfectly safe here tonight, and we’re getting out of town first thing in the morning.”

“What if we run into him again? We’re literally traveling down a single road.”

“Not tomorrow, we aren’t,” Cady points out. “Besides, his wife said they were heading East, remember?”

“Right,” Regina says, shaking her head. “We should shower and get ready for bed.”

“We should,” Cady agrees. “Do you want the first one, or should I go?”

“I’ll go first. Just… Keep an eye on the door.”

“I will,” Cady assures her, squeezing her hand tight. She leans in, giving Regina a quick, soft kiss. Regina takes another deep breath, and then heads off into the shower.

The rest of the night passes without incident. They get some decent sleep, and skip the hotel breakfast in the morning. They hit a coffee shop on the way out of town, with Regina eager to get on the road as quickly as possible.

They head west to Flagstaff, Arizona, before taking a detour North. It takes them about four hours in total to get from Holbrook to Grand Canyon National Park. The views are absolutely breathtaking, and Cady takes plenty of pictures. They spend the bulk of the day there, enjoying the sights and interacting with some of the other tourists at the Grand Canyon.

It’s an absolutely beautiful sight, one Cady’s only ever dreamed of seeing. It’s one of, if not the most famous National Park in America. It is, as the name describes, an absolutely massive canyon, spanning over 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and in some areas, over 6,000 feet deep. The clear skies make it the perfect day for a visit to the Grand Canyon, and optimal for all the pictures Cady wants to take.

They spend most of their time at some of the famous buildings and lookout points along the Southern side of the canyon, and do a little bit of walking along some very basic trails. They get lunch at Hermits Rest, which is a historic building near the Grand Canyon with a gift shop and food court. Cady insists on stocking up on more cheesy souvenirs, including more crappy t-shirts, which Regina purchases with a sigh.

In the late afternoon, they head back South, towards Flagstaff. It takes them a little over an hour and a half to get back to the city, where they’ll be spending the night in yet another hotel along Route 66. 

Dinner is at an Indian restaurant not far from their hotel, a nice change of pace from the generic diner and American food they’ve been eating for the last several days. They’re fairly close to Northern Arizona University, which means they had plenty of options to choose from that weren’t just more diners, for once.

The seventh day of their road trip comes to a close as Cady and Regina cuddle up in bed together, exhausted and drained from two straight days spent mostly in the sun at National Parks. 

“Did you have fun today?” Regina asks her as they’re climbing into bed together. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Cady replies with a little smile. “It was so beautiful, and I had a great time with you.”

“Good. Me too.” She wraps an arm around Cady, pulling her in close. “I never expected to like the Grand Canyon so much. Which sounds stupid, but whatever.”

“It's not stupid. You’re not super into nature.”

“Yeah, but like… Everyone always says it's breathtaking, and I used to always think that was such a stupid word. But it's true, you know? I couldn't stop staring.”

Cady laces her fingers with Regina’s squeezing her hand softly. “I'm really glad you had a good time too.”

“I really did.” Regina lets out a big yawn. “I'm really tired, though.”

“Two days basically straight in the sun at National Parks will do that.” Cady leans up, giving Regina a soft kiss. “How’s your back?”

“It’s okay,” Regina replies, but Cady doesn’t fully believe her. Clearly, she’s not hiding that well, because Regina insists, “Really, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Mm,” Cady hums, “if you say so.” She kisses Regina again, which makes Regina smile.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Cady can’t believe they’re starting their second week of the trip, but unsurprisingly, day eight is one very long drive. They head out of Flagstaff bright and early and head West for a nearly eight and a half hours. Most of the drive out of Arizona is through the desert, but the views are absolutely gorgeous.

They stop for lunch in a little bar and grill near the border between Arizona and California, and finish the rest of their drive in the afternoon. They arrive in the city of Barstow, California in the early evening, glad to finally get out of the car for the night.

They check into their hotel, and then start figuring out where they’re going to get dinner. Regina doesn’t want another diner, but Cady’s got her eyes on one with insanely large milkshakes. Regina warns her against them, knowing damn well that Cady’s stomach is still rather sensitive to large quantities of sugar. Hell, even just looking at some of the pictures is enough to make Regina’s stomach hurt, and she’s grown up with the overly processed food produced in America. Cady, on the other hand, spent a lot of time in the first year or so living in America with near constant stomach aches. Those were partially due to the whole revenge party thing and the aftermath of the bus, sure, but they also definitely were because of her body adjusting to just how much sugar is packed into even the simplest of foods in the States. 

Something like this? It’s a terrible idea.

But Cady really, really wants to, and is convinced she’ll be fine.

Cady’s milkshake is absurd. It’s a special Fourth of July themed one, with layers of strawberry, vanilla, and blue raspberry milkshake in the glass, and an absolutely insane amount of toppings. There’s dyed marshmallows stacked on a stick, whipped cream, sprinkles, red and blue M&Ms, cherries, Twizzlers, and even strips of red, white, and blue sour candy. Cady takes a picture of the milkshake itself, and then has Regina take one of her drinking some of the milkshake. She offers to Regina to try it, which she takes a single sip of. It’s way too sweet for Regina’s tastes, but Cady keeps sucking it down and chomping away on the candy on top. Regina’s amazed that she manages to finish the whole thing, but she knows this isn’t going to end well.

“Ugh, ” Cady groans, curling up on her side in their hotel bed. She hugs her stomach, squeezing her eyes shut.

It’s the middle of the night in their hotel in Barstow. Regina sits up, looking over at Cady.

“You okay?”

“No,” Cady groans back. “My stomach is killing me.” She pauses for a beat, and then adds, “Please don’t say I told you so.”

Regina lays back down, situating herself on her side to spoon Cady. “I wasn’t going to,” she tells her, pressing her face to her shoulder. “I was just gonna do this until you felt better.”

Cady takes a deep breath, finding Regina’s hand and taking it in hers. “Thank you.”

“Of course, baby.” She gives Cady’s shoulder a gentle kiss. “If you need to throw up, just try to make it to the bathroom, if you can.”

“I will,” Cady tells her. “God, I really hope this is over by the morning.”

“If it isn’t, we’ll figure it out,” Regina assures her. “Try and get some sleep, pretty girl.”

“I’ll try.”

Cady doesn’t get much more sleep that night. 

Regina does a little bit, but not nearly enough. Cady’s still curled up in a ball in the morning, in immense pain. Regina makes the executive decision that they’re extending their stay in Barstow for an extra night, so they can make sure Cady feels better before they try hitting the road again. Cady tries to protest, but immediately concedes when Regina asks her if she thinks she’ll be able to be in the car for hours without getting carsick right now.

(The answer, of course, is no. Absolutely not.)

Cady feels miserable and upset with herself for not listening to Regina about the stupid milkshake, but to Regina’s credit, she doesn’t say “I told you so,” even once. Instead, Regina spends the bulk of day nine of their road trip taking care of Cady. She heads out mid-morning to pick up some over-the-counter medication for Cady at the local Walmart. Cady’s a little annoyed that she’s too busy being unable to move in bed and missing the unbelievable sight of Regina George in a Walmart, of all places.

Miraculously, Regina survives her perilous journey to the land of cheap goods and trashy customers, medication in hand. Cady starts to feel a little better in the afternoon, but they still spend the day curled up in bed together, watching whatever they can find on the crappy hotel TV. 

Cady gets a good nap in before dinner, which is the first real meal she eats that day. They keep it light and simple, Regina picking up some chicken noodle soup for Cady from a nearby diner, and getting herself a salad. 

When it’s time for bed, Regina lays flat on her back, Cady curled up against Regina’s side and laying her head on Regina’s shoulder. She takes a deep breath, nuzzling in and closing her eyes.

“Sorry I kinda ruined the plans for today,” Cady says.

“You didn’t ruin anything,” Regina assures her. “I had a very nice day. Well, except for Walmart. I would like to never step foot in that place again.”

Cady gives a little laugh. “Still mad I missed that.”

“Maybe I’d go once more. Just for you.”

Cady smiles softly. “You big softie.”

“Guilty as charged.” Regina sighs, hugging Cady tight. “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling very well today.”

“It’s my own fault. I shouldn’t have gotten that stupid milkshake.”

“Neither of us will ever forget that monstrosity, at least.”

“Definitely not.” Cady pauses for a moment. “Thanks for being such a good sport today.”

“Of course,” Regina tells her. “As much as I don’t want you to feel bad, I liked getting to take care of you.”

Cady nuzzles in closer. “You did a good job. A great job, even.”

Regina turns her head, kissing Cady’s forehead. “Good. I’m glad.”

“Goodnight, Reggie.”

“Goodnight, pretty girl.”

Cady’s feeling much better on the morning of day ten. They eat a light breakfast at the hotel, before heading to the NASA Goldstone Visitor Center. They spend a little over an hour there, learning about the Deep Space Network, and the communications NASA does in the area. They head out after some time at the center, once again traveling West down Route 66.

About three and a half hours later, around the middle of the day, they arrive at Santa Monica Pier, the other end of Route 66. They take a few photos beneath the “End of the Trail” sign on the pier, the opposite of the photos they took in Chicago to start off their trip. 

They spend the rest of the afternoon at the pier, riding a couple of rides and playing some of the carnival games. Cady really wants to win Regina something, but struggles very hard with all the games. Regina points out to her that they’re rigged, and Cady gives up, a little defeated. 

The stupid carnival games feel like they don't matter much anymore when they ride the ferris wheel together; looking out over the city, leaning against each other and soaking in the moment. When the wheel stops at the very top, Regina turns Cady’s face towards her and kisses her. Cady’s glad they're belted in, because she feels like she could just about melt at how absolutely sweet it is, and how Regina makes her feel. 

The sun sets over Santa Monica as the two of them stand on the pier, looking out at the Pacific ocean. Regina keeps an arm wrapped around Cady’s shoulders, standing directly at her side. 

“This trip was a great idea,” Regina comments.

“Thank you,” Cady replies with a smile. “And thank you for helping a childhood dream of mine come true.”

Regina smiles back. “Of course, baby. I’ll admit, Route 66 was a lot more fun than I imagined.” She pauses for a second, and then adds, “Well, I don’t know about the route itself, but the company has been pretty damn amazing.”

Cady laughs. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They spend a few days in Los Angeles, checking out a bunch of different sights. They visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame, take a ridiculous bus tour around to some famous locations, get some good pictures of the Hollywood sign, and even spend a full day in Disneyland, down in Anaheim. 

Cady has an absolute blast in Disneyland. She tells Regina they have to go to Disneyworld at some point together, so they can go to Animal Kingdom. Regina agrees immediately, saying they’ll make that a summer trip sometime while they’re at Harvard together. Cady wants to protest, let Regina know that she’s not taking a trip like that unless Cady can pay for herself, but she decides that’s a fight for later. 

They get a very cute photo together, posing in front of the Disneyland castle, Cady wearing Lion King Mickey ears, and Regina with  pink, sparkly ones. 

They end up having one less day in Los Angeles than originally planned, thanks to the detour in Barstow from the milkshake, but it ends up working out pretty well. They manage to get through everything they want to do in the three days they spend there, before they begin the long journey back to Evanston. The trip back home has been planned out entirely by Regina, with all of the stops and landmarks picked by her, with a few limited exceptions.

Day fourteen of their trip starts with a four and a half hour drive East, to Las Vegas. There’s not a lot they can do there as a pair of eighteen year olds, but they manage to find some stuff they can enjoy together. They eat the fanciest meal Cady’s ever had in her entire life, thanks to Regina’s credit card (Cady’s only half self-conscious about Regina paying for it), and see a concert together. They agree to come back here one day, when they’re both old enough to experience everything Vegas has to offer. Who knows, maybe a singing Elvis will get them married one day.

The next day begins bright and early, far earlier than most of the city is up and about. They’ve got another long drive ahead of them, but this time, they’re taking all interstate highways, which lets them travel much longer distances in a much shorter time than Route 66 did. After a little under eight hours, they’ve made their way out of Nevada, through all of Utah, and to the city of Grand Junction, Colorado. 

They spend the night there, taking a few hours to sightsee some of the natural landmarks around them before hitting the road once again. It’s not a super far drive to Denver, just another four hours or so. They get dinner, check into their hotel, and their sixteenth day comes to an end.

On day seventeen, they do a bit of sightseeing around Denver, including an unplanned stop at the Denver Zoo. Cady’s absolutely delighted, which makes the whole last-minute stop totally worth it to Regina. Cady seems to know more about lions than the zookeeper talking to the visitors, which Regina finds super endearing. 

(And, admittedly, watching the zookeeper get annoyed after being corrected multiple times is pretty funny, in Regina’s opinion.)

They spend one more night in Denver, cuddled up in bed together after a very fun day.

Days eighteen and nineteen are primarily travel days. It’s a nearly nine hour drive from Denver to Kansas City, Missouri, which is by far the worst drive so far. They have to drive across the entire width of Kansas, which is basically nothing but fields in every direction. It’s incredibly mundane, but they get through it, one hour at a time.

After one night in Kansas City, they hit the road again, traveling Northeast to Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s much further North than Evanston actually is, but it’s one spot Regina wanted to go on this grand road trip. It takes them around seven hours on day nineteen to get there, and after two days of almost nothing but travel, they’re wiped. They head straight to their hotel, getting room service and promptly passing out for the night.

The twentieth day of their road trip has Regina’s biggest stop: The Mall of America. She’s been there once before, when she was much younger, but she’s very excited to go now, as an adult. 

(Technically speaking, it’s not in Minneapolis itself, but rather, Bloomington, which is just South of the city.)

The Mall of America is the largest mall in the country, with four stories, hundreds of floors, and even an indoor amusement park and aquarium. Cady’s very patient as Regina drags her around from store to store, spending a frankly absurd amount of money. Cady’s glad they’re almost done with their road trip, because she’s not sure how they’re going to fit everything in the Jeep. 

Regina doesn’t just shop for herself. She buys Cady plenty of new clothes, shoes, accessories, and anything else Cady expresses any sort of remote interest in. Cady really tries to protest, to insist that Regina shouldn’t buy her things, and even tries to put some stuff back, but Regina absolutely insists. She justifies it by saying that if Cady won’t take it now, she’ll just buy it anyway, and bring it with her to college, so it’ll all end up mixed in with Cady’s stuff in a few months regardless. Cady reluctantly relents, but she knows this’ll have to be a bigger conversation in the future.

Despite all of that, Cady doesn’t protest when it comes to dorm decorations and other items they’ll need for the fall. It’s honestly really fun, collaborating together on picking out things that’ll fill their shared space. They’re both really excited to decorate the room together, come the Fall, and end up buying more than they’ll probably need.

Cady ends up practically dragging Regina into Build-A-Bear, where they make matching bears together, that Cady’s sure to take a picture of. They even do some of the more unique attractions, like riding a couple of rides in the indoor amusement park, and making a stop at the aquarium. They end up spending over eight hours at the mall, which leaves Cady completely exhausted by the time the day is over. 

They spend one more night in Minneapolis, the final night in a hotel room together. Cady’s exhausted, but she tries to stay awake for as long as she can, absorbing as much of the soft intimacy of cuddling with Regina before bed as she can before they return to their normal lives. After twenty-one days on the road, all they have left is a six and a half hour drive back to Evanston, and their incredible road trip will come to an end.

“You know, it’s only a few months until we get to do this every night,” Regina reminds Cady. 

“I know, but I’m still gonna miss it,” Cady replies. “I’ve gotten really used to sleeping like this.”

Regina gives her a little smile. “Me too.” She runs a hand through Cady’s hair. “Well, we’ll just have to have some sleepovers between now and then. Plus, it’s summer. You can stay over on weeknights, too.”

Cady smiles back. “Oh, trust me. You won’t be able to get rid of me.”

Regina laughs. “Good. Maybe we’ll spend some nights at your place too, if your mom is okay with it.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Pretty sure my mom would be mad if I spent the rest of the summer at your house. Even if I really want to.”

“I’m sure she’s enjoying all the alone time she’s getting with Sharon.”

Cady elbows her. “Don’t remind me.”

“Hey, I don’t mean it the way Janis means it. I’m sure they’re just enjoying some wholesome, non-sexual cuddling.”

Cady buries her face in Regina’s shoulders. “Ugh. You’re just as bad as she is.”

Regina laughs, squeezing Cady closer. “You love me.”

“I do. I really, really do.”