Hey Monday

m u s i c

-noah-

Today was the day. It was our last stop on Ellen's road trip. We were going to NYC for this Christmas-themed music festival that Morgan and I had nabbed everyone tickets to.

Ellen was positively radiant that day. She had woken up at the ass-crack of dawn to get ready- she was dressed in a tank top with an American flag on it and some red leggings. She also sported some white converse that I'd never seen her wear before, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. Ellen had an endless supply of sneakers. 

It was dark out, because I'd been driving my ass off the entire day in order to get us there on time. 

"Are we almost there?" Morgan asked impatiently, bouncing on her heels. Some of her favorite artists in the world were performing, so she was understandably anxious to get there. 

"Almost," I replied with a nod. "But we aren't even in the city yet, Mo." 

She paused and looked at me curiously. "Did you just call me Mo?" 

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at her for just a moment. "Um, yeah. Sorry." 

Morgan smiled and blushed, looking down at her feet. "No, don't be. I like it. No one's ever given me a nickname before." 

 "Well, if it makes you feel better, no one really nicknames me either," I said, a faint smile playing onto my lips. "They try, but what are they going to call me: No?" 

Morgan laughed, little crinkles appearing on either side of her eyes. "Well, I'll think of something," she promised. "Give me some time to think, okay?" 

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, good luck with that." 

• • • 

"Guys there it is!" Ellen gushed excitedly a short while later, pressing her face up against the window as we drove into New York City. "The skyline." 

Let me just say that driving in the city, especially when your vehicle is a 20,000 pound RV, was downright terrifying. The cars were relentless, They moved fast, often at very close quarters, cut into each other's path, and generally left no margins for error. My knuckles were turning white from how hard I was clutching the steering wheel, praying to God that I wouldn't make any fatal mistakes. In order to drive New York, I had to remain alert, decisive, and calm. I wasn't doing the best job.

Somehow, though, I made it out okay. I eased the RV into a parking position outside McDonald's and gathered everyone by the door.

"Seriously, Noah? A McDonald's?" Ellen smirked. "Real classy."

I shrugged. "Hey, it's six already, and we need to get to the venue super early. This is the quickest place to get food, wouldn't you think?"

Everyone seemed to agree. We hopped out of the RV and bustled into the McDonald's.

The first thing I noticed was the surprising abundance of homeless people. It was a little sad. I guess fast food restaurants were a good place to take shelter, considering the 24-hour availability.

It was crowded in the city, and the restaurant was no exception. The five of us were together in a tight little pack, pushing through the sea of people in an attempt to reach the register without any of us getting lost. 

Once we finally made it to the front, we ordered as quickly as we could. I knew that crowded spaces made Ellen uncomfortable, so we retrieved our big macs and fries and got the hell out of there. 

"This has been so wild," Evelyn said, smiling to herself as she ate her fries. "I'm never going to forget any of it."

"It's not over yet," Logan reminded her. "We've still got this music festival, and then..."