Plotting: The 4-Hour Road Trip

The three friends are reunited after not seeing each other for almost a year. While these friends knew each other before they even reached puberty, time changes things to where long times friends will have to thrift apart. After a semi-entertaining summer, there was a last-minute decision to complete a 4-hour road trip.

The trip started off with laughs and off-key car karaoke as we passed by many broken-down cars on the side of the interstate. “Glad that isn’t us” was the phrase that the trio would repeat until the rear passenger side tire said otherwise. The tire blew out in a dramatic fashion, almost as if it heard the trio being cocky. The popped tire was a significant change for the trip as the trio tried to change it with the little tools they had. The driving friend was deeply ashamed as he witnessed the roadside assistance changing his tire. The rest of the drive was taken over by the wealthier friend who paid for the assistance, but the energy was noticeably different in the car.

The original driver started to open up about the pressures of the transition into becoming an adult. The wealthy friend began to relate with their struggle with maintaining the life their parents pushed onto them. The third friend who was only two years older began to tell their thoughts on the subject. “I am older than both of you but have a lot less accomplished, but I am anything but stressing myself over it.” The other two friends asked how their older friend could be so stress-free to which he responded with, “it's like popcorn seeds, we all get put in the heated pot at the same time, but we pop into a full fluffy piece of popcorn on our own pace.” The other two friends were quiet at first then quickly filled the car with laughter at how simple, but helpful their friend’s advice was.

While the friends grew into puberty with each other, they rarely spoke about their feelings and struggles with each other. It only took 4 hours for them to reach the destination of opening up emotions.