Rob sat hunched over at his desk, typing away on his laptop's keyboard. Every few seconds, he would stop and think of what to write next. It had been going like this for over an hour now, but in the past twenty minutes, the stops had been growing more frequent. Rob knew he should stop and let his eyes rest, but the essay was due the next morning. There was no possible way he was going to be able to take a break.
He let out a deep breath, finally having raked his brain for another idea, and resumed his key-clicking. A few more minutes passed of this pattern -- leaning back, thinking, then typing -- before Rob finally tore his eyes away from the screen. He had really only caved in because his phone chimed in the far corner of the cramped dorm room.
He stood and retrieved it, smiling when he saw whose name appeared attached the text messages -- Kitty. She had just sent a series of four messages. Each became increasingly more annoyed than the previous.
Hey :)
Helllllooooo. Robbbbbb.
Are you alive?? Did someone kidnap you?? OMFG do I need to call the police?
You better have a good reason for ignoring me >:( ROBBBBBBBBB!!!!
Rob couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Kitty always went out of her way to grab someone's attention. It was one of the things that made her who she was -- so unique from all the other girls Rob knew in his life.
I'm alive! Escaped the kidnappers but I ended up scraping my knee in the process.
Kitty's response was almost immediate.
Serves you right! >:p meet me outside.
Rob's first thought had been to tell Kitty he'd see her another time; that he had an essay to finish. But he quickly realized he wouldn't be able to get any work done if he didn't take some kind of break. Besides, Kitty wasn't one to be told no. Her bubbly and determined spirit always saw to it that Rob didn't keep himself locked away all day. It was actually what made their friendship work so well.
Their meeting had been entirely an accident. During freshman move-in day, Rob had been carrying a box of that held his cassette tapes and walking down the sidewalk towards his dorm building. He hadn't expected the box to be so heavy and ended up hoisting it upward so that his vision was mostly blocked. That was when, out of nowhere, Kitty appeared and rammed headfirst into the box.
Neither had seen the other. Rob explained the box was in front of his face while Kitty assured him that she was just as much to blame by having her nose in her phone. In the end, Kitty helped Rob in placing the spilled cassettes back into the box and walking with him to his dorm. All the way there, Rob just listened and nodded along to all of Kitty's ramblings. It was as if she had known him her entire life. Two years later, the two were inseparable, even despite their differing personalities.
Rob smiled, thinking back on the event. Then, he realized where he was and what texts were coming through his phone.
Well??
Helloooooo???
Did the kidnappers find you again...?
Rob typed a quick reply to let her know he'd be down, then hustled around the room to find deodorant, cologne, and his black boots. Doing a once-over look in the mirror that hung on the door (he thought he looked decent enough in his dark blue jeans and Iron Maiden tee shirt), he headed out of the room and down to the buildings front steps.
Already waiting for him was Kitty, dressed in a red tank-top and frayed denim jeans that just covered the tops of her Vans tennis shoes. Her hair was swept to the side as it always was, allowing the close shave on the opposite side to be displayed for all to see. And people would see. How could they ignore the bright blue hair that was always staring them down?
"It's about time," she huffed when she saw Rob step out of the building.
"Sorry," Rob muttered in response, tucking a piece of brown hair that slipped from his ponytail behind his ear.
Kitty rolled her eyes but smiled to show that she was only joking, relaxing Rob instantly. "Let's walk, you dork. I have something I need to show you."
"You're kidding, right?" Rob stared at the webpage pulled up on Kitty's phone. It displayed the information for Stone Haven Lodge: Family Nudist Park.
Kitty jumped up from the bench they had stopped to sit on. "I think it'll be fun!"
"How? It's a bunch of naked people running around. Plus, it says we have to be naked at all times."
"Duh, it's a nudist park. We aren't wearing suits and dresses."
Rob sat the phone down on the bench and brought his hand to his earring. It was a habit he had developed many years ago before he even had the piercing. "I don't know, Kitty. It seems weird."
"Come on, Rob. Please?" She sat back down and took his free hand in both of hers. "I really want to check this place out and I don't want to go alone."
"I don't know. Can't you ask someone else?"
"No one else will go. They're too afraid to have any adventure -- just like you."
"Here we go," he sighed. Anytime Kitty wanted to persuade him of something, she always brought up that he needed to be more adventurous in life.
She tossed his hand into his lap. "You know I'm right. You need to step out of your comfort zone more."
"I'm happy exactly where I am." That was partially true.
Kitty didn't believe it, though. She stood up and declared, "Well, I'm going with or without you. I'd wish you would go so the world could see that you weren't such a pansy."
And there it was. Kitty always seemed to know how to control Rob's strings. "Alright," he relented.
Kitty stopped, stunned. "Really?"
"Yeah." Rob stood, regretting the idea in his mind but knowing that it was too late to change his mind. "Just promise me there won't be weird old dudes who'll try to make us do water aerobics."
"Rob," she scoffed, "it's a nudist park, not a YMCA."
"Fine, fine. When are we going?"
"Friday." She squeezed his hand before taking off in the direction of her dorm building, laughing with excitement. Just as she was almost out of earshot, she looked back and called out, "We leave at 8:15 am, sharp!"
The next few days went by in a blur. The entire time, Rob had been too anxious about the trip to the nudist park that he barely paid attention to any of the lectures given in his classes. Even his favorite television shows and music couldn't help in calming his nerves. So, when Friday finally rolled around, Rob was actually kind of glad to finally get the trip over with. Then, he'd be able to return to his normal life with his normal studies and living habits.
"Are you ready for some nudists?" Kitty chimed when Rob appeared beside her car Friday morning. It was a little past eight in the morning and Rob didn't feel particularly excited for the day's events.
"I guess," he mumbled before hopping into the passenger seat.
Kitty followed, fitting herself behind the steering wheel and roaring the engine to life. As she backed out of her parking spot, she looked over at Rob and said, "Adventure, remember?"
"Adventure," he echoed, then rested his head against the car's window. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. The mix of vibration from the tires on asphalt and the low hum of the radio static was the perfect remedy for slumber.
It wasn't until almost thirty minutes later that Rob woke. Kitty smacked his arm repeatedly, which caused him to yelp and bump his head against the car's interior roof. "Damn it, Kitty," he chastised, rubbing the spot on his head that would surely mess up his ponytail.
"Sorry, sorry," she chirped. "I just wanted you to see that we're here."
Rob turned his attention to the road in front of him. Sure enough, there was a large metal gate (swung open) and a towering sign that read in bright, bold letters: Stone Haven Lodge. From what he could see, the place appeared immaculately clean. The grass was trimmed smoothly, and the road was clean of any holes or skid marks. It was just as beautiful as the website had proclaimed.
"It's great, right?" Kitty was driving slowly, allowing them both to take in their surroundings.
Rob couldn't deny it. "Yeah, it's really nice. I wonder who runs it?"
"I saw on the website reviews that some widow named Suzie takes care of the check-in. Maybe she owns it?"
Rob didn't answer this and just continued admiring the scenery as Kitty pulled through the gate and parked the car outside of a small white building. "We have to check in here is what the website said," she told him. "Did you bring your student ID?"
"Yeah." He fished around in his back pocket and pulled out the plastic card that she had texted him to remember.
"Great. Let's go sign in."
Together, Rob and Kitty stepped out of the car and walked up the steps to the building's entrance. Hanging above the door, Rob noticed, was a sign that read "Welcome to Stone Haven Lodge" in orange letters. Again, he noted how pristine the place was kept -- even down the smallest detail.
The door chimed behind them as they stepped into the chilly building. Almost instantaneously, a high-pitched voice greeted them. "Well, hello there," it beamed. Its producer was an elderly looking lady with short grey hair and a thin figure. She was also completely naked, her wrinkled body proudly made for viewing. Rob thought she must have been Suzie.
"Are you Suzie?" Kitty inquired, not hesitating to stick her hand out and greet the woman.
The woman shook Kitty's hand with a wide smile, nodding. "Yes, I'm the one always mentioned online. Are you signing in?"
"Uh, yes," Kitty replied, pulling a small wad of cash from her back pocket. "It's five for students, right?"
"As long as you have IDs." The woman busied herself with grabbing a pen from behind the counter as Rob and Kitty placed their cards out for display. Suzie only glanced at them for a second before declaring, "Alright, that'll be ten dollars."
Kitty handed two five dollar bills over. "So, do we just go in?"