Page 14 of Alice & Meg, Girls Trip

We all laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls of the Mini Weenie.

“We’re not even touching, thank you very much,” Nikki replied, her voice filled with laughter.

“Well, I just want you to know, Wendy, I’m used to being the little spoon, so if things get cold tonight for some reason, you know what you need to do,” Karmen warned, her tone playful.

“Maybe I should go see if there’s any room in Meg’s RV,” Wendy laughed, the sound tinged with exhaustion.

“Oh, come on,” I jeered, “the Mini Weenie will miss you.”

“I know, I know,” Wendy sighed, her voice growing softer. “I’m too tired to move, anyway.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Nikki murmured, shifting beside me. “Who knew camping would be so exhausting?”

“And it’s only the first day,” I giggled, the sound tapering off as sleep started to creep in.

For a moment, there was silence. The kind of comfortable quiet that only comes after a long day with people you care about.

“Thanks for inviting us along, Alice,” Nikki said sleepily, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“Ditto,” Karmen and Wendy called out in unison from their bed.

A warm glow spread through me as I listened to their soft breathing, which soon turned into the rhythmic sounds of sleep. The camper was filled with peace, a perfect end to our first night.

I laid there, staring up at the ceiling of the Mini Weenie, feeling the gentle rise and fall of Nikki’s breathing beside me. The day had been everything I hoped it would be. We had laughed, teased, and talked until the fire died down, and now, here we were, tucked away in our camper, surrounded by friends.

Freaking perfect.

Chapter Five

Golf Carts and Sliders

Meg

I was deep in sleep, wrapped in the warmth of my blankets, when a strange feeling started to pull me out of my dreams. It was that eerie sensation of being watched. My eyelids fluttered open, and as my eyes adjusted to the dim morning light, I saw two figures standing beside my bed—Raven and Greta. Their faces hovered just above mine, wide awake and grinning.

“What are you two up to?” I asked sleepily, my voice raspy from sleep.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Greta smiled, clearly pleased with herself. They both stepped back, but they were still too close for this early in the morning.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and stretched my arms over my head, trying to shake off the remnants of my dreams. “I think that might be because you two were boring holes into me with your eyes. What are you guys doing up so early?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around why I was awake before my alarm. I had set it for eight, and I was pretty sure I hadn’t slept through it.

“It’s seven fifty-three,” Greta said, stepping closer again. “We went for a walk.”

I propped myself up on my elbows, giving them both a quizzical look. “Um, that’s good, I guess.”

“We went by the store place. Bought three bags’ worth of stuff for everyone back home,” Raven said, pointing to her chest proudly. “Got this shirt.”

She was wearing a bright, rainbow tie-dyed T-shirt with the campground’s logo splashed across the front. The colors were so vibrant they almost hurt my eyes in the early morning light.

“Uh, that’s real nice,” I said, still not fully awake. “I’ll have to see if they have a purple one.”

“It’s not my normal attire, but it seemed fitting,” Raven shrugged.

“That’s not why we’re here,” Greta piped up, her excitement bubbling over.

“Just spit it out,” Cyn moaned from one of the bunks in the hallway, clearly not appreciating the early morning enthusiasm. “We’re on vacation, and you two are waking us up before eight.”

“Yeah, shut it!” Reva called from her bed, sounding equally irritated.

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