Shopping with Sack was surprisingly calm. Compared to the endless shopping trips I used to take with my parents years ago or the chaos of accompanying Charlotte and the others, this experience was almost relaxing. It wasn't that Sack was a fan of shopping, but his practical approach made everything quick and efficient. And this time, we were only looking for the essentials, so I didn't expect the experience to turn into a torture session."Just the basics," he reminded me as we walked through the store aisles. "We're not camping in the middle of nowhere; we'll be staying at a hotel, courtesy of Olivia."
"I know, I know. But if Olivia realizes we forgot something important, she won't let us hear the end of it during the entire trip," I said, grabbing a bottle of sunscreen and tossing it into the cart.
"What Olivia doesn't know won't hurt her," he replied with a half-smile.
I rolled my eyes while adding a few snacks and a small flashlight. We weren't planning to stray too far from comfort, but it never hurt to be prepared.
"We should bring something for her," I said suddenly. "She'll probably forget more than half of her stuff."
"Good idea. What does she usually forget?" he asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
"What doesn't she forget?" I joked, grabbing a pack of gum and a portable battery. "But let's bring this and an extra bottle of water, just in case."
Sack nodded, not arguing further. The shopping was quick and efficient, something he seemed particularly grateful for. In less than half an hour, we were out of the store and on our way back to campus.
"Thanks for coming," I said, feeling the cool night air on my face as we walked.
"It wasn't as terrible as I imagined," he admitted. "Still, I hope Olivia appreciates the effort."
"She won't," I laughed. "But at least we'll avoid hearing her complaints about forgetting something important."
When we arrived at the campus, we stopped in front of the dorm.
"Well, time to sleep," I said. "You'll have to wake up earlier to pick up the car."
"Yeah, hopefully, it'll be ready when I get there," he responded.
We stood in silence for a moment. The night breeze made the atmosphere feel calmer, and for an instant, I didn't want to say goodbye yet. However, instead of prolonging the moment, I simply smiled and took a step back.
"Goodnight, Sack."
"Goodnight, Lindsay," he replied, and though his tone was neutral, there was a faint glimmer in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed.
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At 3:30 in the morning, the sound of my phone vibrating against the table pulled me out of sleep. With half-closed eyes, I picked it up and saw Sack's name lighting up the screen.
"Mmm?" I murmured, my voice still groggy.
"It's all ready," he said, no need to clarify what he meant. The car, the things we bought, everything was in order.
"Good…" I yawned. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, wake up Olivia. She's probably in a deep coma. I'll get started on the rest."
I smiled sleepily. Of course, the hardest part fell to me.
"Alright. See you in a bit."
I hung up and stretched before getting up. If I knew Olivia well, waking her up wasn't going to be an easy task.
I headed to her room and knocked softly on the door. Nothing. I knocked again, this time more insistently.
"AHH!" I heard a muffled scream from the other side of the door. "Who's there?! If you're a ghost, I don't have any unfinished business with you!"
I rolled my eyes and stifled a laugh.
"It's me, Lindsay. Open the door."
There was silence, followed by the sound of clumsy footsteps. The door opened just a crack, and Olivia's sleepy eyes looked at me in confusion.
"Lindsay?" she blinked several times. "Why are you waking me up at this ho—?" Suddenly, her eyes widened. "The trip! It's today!"
"Yes, genius. So hurry up, we need to leave now."
Olivia jumped out of bed with surprising energy for someone who had just thought a ghost was haunting her. She tripped over a shoe on the floor and nearly face-planted, but managed to recover while grabbing her bag in a rush.
"Give me two minutes! I'll get dressed and find my life in this mess!"
"I'll give you three, but if you're not ready, I'm leaving you here with your ghosts."
"Cruel!" she exclaimed, disappearing into her room.
I shook my head and sighed. Definitely, Olivia was a lost cause, but at least this time she wouldn't forget about the trip. Or so I hoped.
Five minutes later, Olivia appeared at the door with her iPhone in hand and a big smile.
"Ready!" she announced proudly.
I looked at her silently, then at her empty hands, and sighed.
"Tell me you have something else ready," I said resignedly."What else do I need? I have my phone, isn't that enough?" she replied with an innocence that bordered on absurd.
I ran a hand over my face and pulled a bag out of my backpack with some things I'd bought for her."I knew this would happen," I muttered, handing her the bag. "Here's sunscreen, a portable battery, snacks, and water."
"I knew I could count on you!" she exclaimed, taking the bag enthusiastically.
"Yeah, yeah, let's go before I change my mind about bringing you," I said, dragging her out of the dorm.
When we arrived where Sack was waiting, he already had everything loaded in the car and was standing with his arms crossed. When he saw Olivia with empty hands, he raised an eyebrow and then looked at me, clearly expecting an explanation.
"She's not bringing anything, is she?" he asked, his tone suggesting he already knew the answer.
"Just her iPhone," I confirmed.
Sack sighed and ran a hand over his face.
"This is going to be an interesting trip," he muttered.
Olivia grinned widely, oblivious to the despair on our faces.
"Of course it will be! Come on, guys, adventure awaits!"
Sack and I exchanged a glance before shaking our heads and getting into the car. This trip was definitely going to be unforgettable.