Chapter 2

3:45 am
Mari Chanel

Mari woke up to the sound of her phone's alarm blasting near her ear. She had no idea how her phone ended up in her bed. She was usually good with sitting it on her night stand before she closed her eyes. She let out a sigh and reached around until she felt it in her hand. Once she held it up she opened her eyes slightly enough to see so she could stop the alarm officially. Mari's Mom must've been up all night and listening closely for when Mari got up because she heard a light knock before her door opened.

"Good morning baby." Her Mom smiled at Mari and walked across the room sitting beside Mari on her bed.

"Ma how long have you been up?" Mari asked rubbing her eyes as her Mom grabbed her phone and placed it on her changer that was already plugged in the wall.

"Now what would you do without me? You'd have a dead phone for our trip if I didn't come in here." Her Mom laughed and rubbed Mari's cheek gently. "Go get ready and when your done come and get some breakfast. It'll be hitting the table as soon as you come down." Her Mom added before standing up and tapping her phone making sure it was still charging. Mari gave her Mom a soft smile and rolled on her back trying to get motivated to tear herself out her bed.

After Mari finally got herself to get out of the bed she got ready in her bathroom for the last time. She'd really miss her bedroom and the bathroom she's spent all of high school using. She cried here, threw up from being to drunk here, almost lost her virginity here when her parent were at their class reunion. A lot of things went down and could've went down here.

After finally oiling up and putting on her cute yet comfy clothing for the ride and putting her hair in a messy bun she exited her bathroom and flipped off the light heading downstairs at her Mom's request but before she reached the bottom she remembered her sister asked her to wake her before she left. She figured she wake her up a bit earlier to eat breakfast with her to get some extra bonding time in. Mari jogged back up the stairs and opened her sisters door seeing her sprawled out across the bed sleeping good. Mari laughed and stepped back before running too the bed jumping on it landing on her sister.

"WAKE UP BITCH!" Mari screamed and Deandrea woke up immediately slamming her fists into her pillow.

"Mari that shit ain't funny!" Deandrea used her legs to kick Mari away from her so she got sit up on her bed.

"I mean you told me to wake you up." Mari pointed out with a smirk getting up straightening out her clothes. "Now come on and eat breakfast with me and Ma."

"Give me 10. And I'll be down." Deandrea rubbed her face and stood up as Mari left the room laughing to herself jogging downstairs and skipping into the kitchen.

Her mom was playing eggs, bacon, and chicken and waffles with syrup on three plates and the fourth plate had a bowel on top with oatmeal for most likely Mari's dad since his last scare her mom makes sure she makes healthier meals for him.

"Heyy ma!!" Mari said as she sat down at the table as her mom sat her plate in front of her with a smile.

"Eat up baby." Her Mom grabbed the other plates sitting them on the table and then she sat across from Mari digging into her food.

"This smells so good Ma thank you." Mari said gratefully as she stuffed food in her mouth.

"Maaa your favorite child is in the building!" Deandrea jumped in the doorway putting her hands on her knees twerking.

"Would you stop all that damn jittering!" Their Mom fussed throwing a spoon at Deandrea.

"Owww Ma! And it's called twerking" Deandrea corrected her immediately pulling a chair plopping in it before Deandrea looked at Mari making her laugh.

"No ma didn't call it jittering." Mari laughed harder coughing as she almost choked on her food.

"Good morning my ladies." Their dad walked in the dining room kissing their Moms cheek before he walked around kissing both his daughters forehead.

"Hey daddy." Deandrea said with a smile as Mari gave her dad a wave from her mouth still being full.

"We got a long drive ahead of us my ladies." Mari's Dad sat down starting to eat his oatmeal.

"I know daddy." Mari said cleaning the rest of her plate. After she was finished she put her fork on top of the plate.

"Well I'll help Mari pack the rest of her things in the bathroom." Deandrea offered standing up pulling Mari up with her. With that both of them went upstairs to start packing up last minute items.

-
4:49 am

"Bitch you better text me when y'all make it to the hotel!" Deandrea whispered to her sister as they hugged outside near the running car as their dad put the last bag inside the trunk.

"Alright you two come on Mari we ned to start heading on the road. And Deandrea you make sure you lock up and double check when you get ready to leave you hear?" Their dad broke up their hug and hugged Deandrea tightly since she would be gone before they got back.

"I will daddy. Bye Ma i love you." Deandrea hugged and kissed their Mom as Mari got in the backseat. Before she closed the door she held up her air pod case to show Deandrea she had them and Deandrea have Mari a thumbs up along with a wink.

After everyone got their hugs and goodbyes in Mari's parents finally got in the car and headed off. Mari rolled down her window waving at her sister until they reached the end of their block and turned the corner. Mari was a bit sad being that this would be last time in a while that she'd see this familiar street she walked up and down to get to the corner store with her friends she used to be cool with senior year.

"Mari have you texted your roommate yesterday to be nice and say that your looking forward to meeting her?" Mari's Mom asked. That kind of irritated her because Mari had manners and she was 18 now she hated that her Mom still thought she could dictate what she said in her texts and what not. This was the time Mari took Deandrea's advice and slowly put the air pods in her ears connecting them to her phone and immediately turning on a random song on her Spotify playlist. "Mari?! You hear me??"

"Baby I think she has her earphone in." Mari could hear her dad muffly say making her Mom immediately just sit back and talk her dads head off instead.

-
1:15 pm

After the 8 and a half hour drive which consisted of stops at gas stations to pee and get snacks they finally made it to the hotel. Mari's dad pulled into a park in front to the hotel and made Mari go inside and get a hotel rack.

Mari stepped inside after the automatic doors opened getting immediately greeted as she grabbed on the racks.

"Good afternoon! Welcome to Archer Hotel!" The receptionist smiled from being the desk.

"Thank you ma'am." Mari smiles and pulled the cart outside to the car. "Okay daddy here you go." Mari said as she started helping her dad pull out the bags stacking them neatly on top of each other since they of course wouldn't dare leave all these valuables in the car. Even some things that were brand new for her dorm were stacked neatly.

"I'm gonna go and get our hotel key cards and check us in." Mari's Mother announces to both Mari and her father before she headed into the hotel to do just that while Mari put the last item on the rack.

"This is gonna be tough the push daddy." Mari said looking at the cart that was once empty now stuffed to capacity as she shut the car doors and the truck locking the car up.

"I got this Mari. Go along with your mom." Her dad said shooing her starting to push the car up a dip that led up to the hotel doors.

"Okay daddy.." Mari said hesitantly but headed inside with her mom seeing her grabbed two key cards from the receptionist.

"Come on baby we room 309 and 310" Mari's Mom rushed towards the elevator excited to see the room pressing the up button just as her dad cake trailing behind now with a male employee helping him push a second cart making Mari laugh softly knowing her dad was trying to play it cool outside.

"Hush your mouth Mari." Her dad glanced at her making her cover her mouth as she stepped inside the elevator with her mom followed by the employee and her father and then two carts before the doors closed. Mari reached over and pressed the 4th floor button at her mom's request and leaning against the cool wall as the elevator went up.

As soon as the doors opened the two men pushed the carts out and them Mari and her mom stepped out giving each other an amused smile.

"Now here room 310 is yours. We are right next door so in the morning just come inside and get what you need for your shower we'll be up at around 6 so we can be a bit early to the campus."

"Thanks ma I'll come visit y'all after I get situated. I need a nap." Mari laughed and walked a few steps past her her dad and the employee sliding her car in the door pushing it open. She scanned the room and let out a sigh followed by a spin pulling her phone out her pocket shooting her sister a quick text as she requested before Mari landed backwards on her hotel bed.