On Friday night, I was exhausted. I had done three new activities this week, and they were taking a toll on my body. Plus, schoolwork and classes had me studying overtime. As I worked on a biology assignment, I got a text.

River: Pack your bags

Confused, I texted back.

Alani: ????

River: Guess where we're going

Alani: I don't have time to do anything this weekend

I didn't. I had to study to keep up with my classes.

River: Too bad

I sighed at his pushiness.

Alani: Where are we going?

River: WONDERWORLD

A part of me lit up inside at the thought of spending the weekend with River at Wonderworld. I'd always wanted to go to an amusement park, but the other part of me knew that I had to study.

Alani: I can't. I have to study :(

River: We'll leave wonderworld early on Sunday morning, and you can have that whole day to study

Wonderworld was only a three-hour drive, so it might work for me to spend all day on Sunday studying and the rest of the weekend riding rollercoasters. A chance to get out of my comfort zone and do something spontaneous sounded nice.

Alani: Okay, fine

River: We leave in 30 minutes

Alani: 30 minutes!?

River: Yes

Why on earth did he think I would be down for this in thirty minutes? This was a good opportunity, though.

Alani: Fine. I'll be downstairs soon.

I rushed out of my bed and grabbed a duffel bag.

"Where do you think you're going?" Nadia asked, studying from her bed.

"River and I are going to Wonderworld."

"No! You can't go. I'll be so lonely all weekend," She whined.

"I'll be back Sunday morning, and we can study together all day."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Fine," Nadia said, getting back to her work.

I packed all of my toiletries and clothes before heading downstairs. River was outside as promised. He opened the trunk to stuff my bag inside, and I got into the passenger seat.

"Excited?" He smirked as he drove.

"Yes, but also worried."

"About?"

"Getting all of my studying done."

"You'll be fine."

"I'm trusting you," I said, and honestly, I was putting a lot of trust in River, but for some reason, it didn't bother me.

"I feel so honored."

"Shut up."

"Do you want to play a game?"

"What kind of game?"

"A game where we ask each other questions."

"What kind of questions?" I asked.

"Anything we want. We can take turns asking each other things and get to know each other better."

I remembered our ice skating topics, but those weren't typical questions.

"I'll go first," I said since I did want to know more about River.

"Okay, go ahead."

"What is your favorite animal?" I asked.

"That's the most boring question ever."

"Answer it!" I said, wanting to know normal things instead of what cartoon character he would be friends with if he had the chance.

"Fine, a cheetah."

"Why a cheetah?"

"Because they are fast and look awesome."

"Bad answer," I said, expecting something cooler.

"Well, what's yours?"

"A panda bear because they are soft and snuggly."

"And you said my answer was bad? They're practically the same!"

"Whatever. Your turn to ask a question," I said.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"I have an older sister and a younger brother."

"How old are they?"

"Lola is twenty-one, and Landon is seven. Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope. I'm an only child."

"Do you like being an only child?"

"Eh. It was good because I got all of my parent's attention when they gave it, but bad because I was bored and by myself a lot when I was younger."

"You seem to get bored easily."

"I do."

"That can be a good thing, though," I said, envious of his outlook on the world.

"How so?"

"You get to have a lot of adventures in life."

"Yeah, but I also can't commit to anything. Like a relationship."

"Do you want a relationship?"

"I don't know. I don't think I could ever be with someone for a long period of time."

"Maybe someday you'll find the right girl."

"Maybe."

"Okay, now it's my turn," I said, wanting to move on from talking about River's love life.

"Okay."

"Who is your favorite Disney princess?"

"Mulan."

"Why?"

"Because she's a badass. Dressing up like a guy? That's cool."

"My favorite is Tiana," I said.

"That's a good one too. She's hardworking like you."

"Your turn," I said, ignoring his compliment. Compliments were something that most people liked receiving but only made me feel awkward.

"Okay, let's get into more juicy questions. Have you ever kissed anyone?" He asked.

I hesitated before telling him the answer. I didn't want him to think that I was a loser any more than he already did, but I did trust him, and if we got this far without him judging me, I figured I would be okay.

"No, I haven't," I said.

"Why not?" He said, not surprised at all, which bothered me. I ignored that annoyance, though.

"I guess it's just because I never found the right guy. I never had time for any romance anyway."

"I'm sorry," He said.

"Don't be sorry. It's not a tragic death story. I'll find someone someday," I said. "Okay, my turn. How many girls have you slept with?"

"I haven't kept track."

"So, a lot?" I laughed.

"Fine, a lot. Now it's my turn. Did you have friends in high school?" He asked, eager to learn more about me, which I found nice. Nobody had ever taken an interest in me before.

"No."

"Did that ever bother you?"

"Sometimes, but I knew that high school friends don't usually last anyway."

"True," He said.

"I'm assuming you had a bunch of friends in high school?"

"Yeah, but I never got that close with anyone. It's like I was only friends with people because we ran in the same social circles."

"I understand that."

We continued to play the game until I fell asleep. I didn't know when I had drifted off, but when I woke up, we had arrived at a motel that looked run-down and old.

"We're here," River said, motioning to where we would be staying.

"Oh, joy. We get to stay in a filthy old motel," I joked.

"It's the best I could do. I can't blow all my savings."

"It's fine," I reassured him, realizing I shouldn't complain.

We got out of the car and walked through the doors. An old lady sat behind the desk, working on a crossword puzzle.

"Hello. I called a few hours ago to make a reservation for two?"

"What's the name?" The lady murmured.

"River Cohen."

After getting set up, the lady handed a key to River, and we walked to our room. When he opened the door, I could have sworn a rat scurried across the floor. The room was filthy.

I set my stuff down on my bed, and River sat his stuff down on his. After changing into my pajamas and getting ready for bed, I came out to find River snuggled beneath his covers.

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure," I said, feeling well-rested since I slept on the car ride here.

"Let's watch an action movie," River suggested with a boyish grin on his face.

"Whatever you want," I said, not feeling like getting into an argument about the movie.

River fell asleep about ten minutes into the film. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the remote from his bed. After snuggling into my covers and turning off the tv, I fell asleep, excited for our day tomorrow.