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California sat next to the smoking remains of his car, contemplating where it had all gone wrong.
Honestly, he tried to be a good person. He fought for conservation efforts, he fought for civil rights, and he even drove an electric car. So, what did he do to deserve this?
Florida stood next to him, a crazed smile on his face. No regret appeared on his face.
California felt rage boil in his gut. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists.
Time and time again, Florida made stupid decisions without thinking about the consequences. And there were consequences! California happened to be the one left to deal with the fallout more often than not.
“What is wrong with you?” he demanded, turning to face the other state.
Florida laughed, “What’s an adventure without a little setback? Hey, now we can check up on your boyfriend!”
“He’s not my boy-” California cut himself off by shaking his head, “That doesn’t matter. What does matter is now we’re in the middle of nowhere with no car, since you crashed mine.”
Florida waved California off, “We’re in Texas, last I checked. So we know where we are at least.”
“That doesn’t matter at all!” California insisted, voice raised.
“Chill out, Cali,” Florida said in response.
California stomped away, refusing to face his roommate. This was just like him! Not taking responsibility for his actions.
All that surrounded them was endless desert. California had been napping in the passenger seat of his car, letting Florida drive. Truly, California had no idea how the accident had happened. He had been drifting off, the warm sun lulling him to the land of unconsciousness. Next thing he knew, he heard Florida swear vehemently.
He felt himself get thrown forward, his seatbelt holding him in place so that he wasn’t thrown out of the windshield. The airbags went off, cushioning the impact.
He was still disoriented, shaking off the tendrils of sleep, trying to wrap his mind around everything that happened. He coughed as smoke filled the car. He felt a fist grab onto his sleeve and pull him from the wreckage. Florida’s face above him was the last thing he saw before he passed out.
He woke up to see Florida drawing in the sand. California’s car burned in the distance.
Which brought them to now.
California’s head hurt, and his brain felt fuzzy. Likely, he had hit his head in the crash. Which was great, honestly. No complaints from him!
“Wait!” he heard Florida call from behind him. California let out a sigh before turning around. No matter how annoying the Sunshine State was, he couldn’t just abandon him in the middle of the desert.
Florida limped along, trying to catch up to the long-legged Western state, “Fuck you, and your stupidly long legs,” he grumbled.
“Did you hurt your leg?” California asked, concern welling up inside him.
He took this opportunity to take in the state of things. Florida was limping, favoring his left leg. Blood stained Florida’s shorts. His arms were scratched up, likely due to the broken glass from their windshield. Overall, Florida was not in a good state.
California snorted internally at that one.
He wasn’t in much better condition. His head ached; he was certain that a large knob would be forming soon. His throat felt raw, a result of the smoke inhalation. He was sure that he had scratches on him, but likely a smaller amount than Florida, as he tended to cover his arms and legs on the daily.
“No, I’m fine,” Florida insisted, “C’mon, why don’t we teleport back?”
“I don’t believe you, not even for a second. Let me take care of you for a second, dude.”
California took off his flannel shirt, mourning it for a second, before ripping it up into temporary bandages.
Florida’s eyes widened, but he didn’t object, letting himself sit in the hot sand.
Silently, California worked, wrapping Florida’s arms tightly.
“Hey, Cali,” Florida said, “I’m serious, why aren’t we teleporting back?”
California sighed again, “You’re like, hella injured, dude. I don’t want to risk it. Plus, we’re not in my state, I don’t have much control over teleportation here.”
It was true that states only had precise control over teleportation within their own state. Sure, California could try to teleport them back to his state, but he had no idea where they’d end up. And with both states worse for wear, well, it wasn’t a situation California wanted to get into if they could avoid it.
Florida didn’t look happy at that, but didn’t object any further. “How are you, then?” he asked, “I pulled you out of the car, and you went and fainted.”
California suddenly felt hyper-aware of the pulsing in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut, “It’s fine. I think I hit my head or something. But I’m fine.”
Florida raised his eyebrow, “That’s it, I’m calling Texas.”
“No! Don’t!” California exclaimed, leaning forward to cover Florida’s mouth.
Florida, being the immature person he was, licked California’s hand.
He jerked away, “Ew, gross!”
“The stars at night are big and bright!” he heard Florida chanting.
He groaned internally. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a stubborn Southern state after all of this.
California felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his head. He gasped out in pain.
Florida turned toward him, eyebrows pinched in concern.
Pain engulfed him like flames. He felt his vision fading fast.
“Deep in the- wha- Florida?”
California’s eyes rolled back. The world went black before he hit the ground.