I finished typing on my computer composing an email to my boss asking if there was anything I might need to catch up on while I was off for the weekend when I checked the date. It was 4th of July weekend.

“Honey! Did you realize it’s 4th of July this weekend?” I called to Amanda who was in her room down the hall.

Quickly she stumbled into my room bursting through the door.

“Shit, no I didn’t. We gotta get out of the city then.” Amanda replied leaning against my doorframe whilst putting her outgrown bleached hair up out of her face.

“Yeah I know. Let’s just go to my parent’s cabin I know they won’t be there.” I replied, turning around in my swivel chair to face Amanda now.

Her facial expression dropped. The cherry red concealed in her cheeks plummeted into a ghostly pink now.

“I know you’re fucking lying Lily.” Amanda responded to me.

“What? Come on it’s only an hour away. Plus would you rather deal with the terrorizing sporadic blasts throughout the night?” I responded back. Amanda looked at me with about a thousand thoughts hidden behind her pupils. I watched her lips purse to speak, and go back down a few times before saying after what felt like hours.

“I guess that wouldn’t be too bad.” Amanda responded her Boston accent fading away into the sincerity of her statement. Before I knew it the two of us were in her car, driving past the “Farewell New York” sign and on the highway.

“So how much longer?” I asked Amanda to be annoying.

“Lily, it’s your parents cabin, shouldn’t you know this route like the back of your hand?” Amanda responded, cracking her gum in her mouth after finishing her sentence. Her window was open and her hair blew so elegantly in her face.

I stare at Amanda’s nose, the slopes and peaks of it in her side profile as she drove. She catches me staring, I know how much she randomly hates her side profile and she looks at me and smacks my glasses off my face. Playfully now hitting each other as her knees cruise down the highway. Then suddenly something crashes in front of us.

“What the fuck!” Amanda screams.

Swerving off the road the car falls off the shoulder of the highway into a ditch, instantly I heard/felt one of the tires puncture.

“Shit shit shit” I said. Opening the door and getting out.

“Are you okay?” I asked Amanda quickly.

“Yeah I’m good Lily, are you?” Amanda asked.

“I’m cool, what the hell was that?” I asked.

“Seemed to be a deer or some sort, per usual, it went away unscathed, will probably trollop home to it’s family not even telling them how they almost killed two women.” Amanda responded.

“You and your vendetta against deer.” I said, staring at the destruction.

“From birth till death I don’t care.” Amanda responded.

The headlight was a bit cracked now and the front right tire was definitely shit. I knew there was no spare anymore so we were stranded a bit.

“I’ll call a tow.” I said.

I quickly realized my phone was on the actual brink of death but I reached a towing service.

“We unfortunately are closed due to the holiday, please try another local company for your towing needs this weekend.”

“Shit, they’re closed for the weekend.” I said.

Amanda now pacing around the wreck responded,

“Just call literally any other one.”

“Well I would but, my phone just died.” I said holding up my phone as the white led screen faded away.

“Well we’ll just use my phone.” Amanda said.

She immediately patted her light wash denim short pockets, front and back. Opened the front door searched the driver and passenger side. Now frantically looking in the car I began searching around outside. Retracing our theoretical steps in the car I found her phone.

“Hey I think I found it.” I said with an air of unease. I may have found it but there wasn’t much to find. It was shattered and wasn’t turning on.

“Well you know my password, just call somewhere.” Amanda said, wiping her forehead and walking towards me.

“Hon it’s broken, won’t turn on. We seem to be a bit stranded.” I said. Once again I saw Amanda’s joy leave her face.

“I knew we shouldn’t come out to your parents cabin!” Amanda said.

“Hey, hey, it’s fine. Maybe you’re right. But surprisingly I think I have an idea of where we are. If I’m right there should be an exit up maybe a mile with a quaint little hotel. We could just stay there and figure this all out tomorrow.” I said, pulling Amanda close and going on my tip toes to kiss her head. Traversing on the side of the road on a Friday night 4th of July weekend in the outskirts of New York we found it. Creeping into view was a quaint hotel. Not a chain like you may expect but one of those small 1 story hotels. Where the doors to each room you can walk up to, no hallways. Inside our room was a stain on the carpet and two small beds we pushed together to be a large one. It was quaint and cheap, with a delicious complimentary breakfast.

“We should go up to your parents cabin more often.” Amanda said holding me in her arms in the bed.