Road Trip
(Jessie & Katie's Excellent Adventure)
by Marie

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"Aren't you?" Jessie asked a little confused. They'd been playing the `were are we going?' game since they left Chicago. Jessie was getting frustrated, but Katie wouldn't budge. While she was frustrated at the not knowing, she was also really enjoying being with her girl. She knew the trip was a sort of farewell. Katie would be starting Princeton in the fall and they wouldn't see each other except for holidays. They had agreed to try the long-distance thing.

"No, mama, we ain't going to Graceland," Katie replied in her best Elvis impression. Jessie looked at her for a second before they both started laughing uncontrollably. Jessie drifted off again, thinking of how much she'd miss Katie. She reached down and took Katie's hand in hers. She smiled at her lovingly before speaking, "I didn't know you could do Elvis." Katie glanced at Jessie quickly before replying, "It's one of my many talents. Although, I'm pretty sure you'll like the other ones better," she finished arching an eyebrow suggestively. "Jeez, why do you do that?" Jessie sighed. "Do what?" Katie replied coyly. "You know perfectly well what you do…you're always intent on driving me crazy."

"Driving you crazy is half the fun," Katie smiled impishly while squeezing Jessie's hand. "For you, maybe, but it makes for one frustrated girlfriend," Jessie replied kissing Katie on her cheek. "Well, we don't want that, now do we?" Katie questioned. She found the closest exit and pulled of the interstate. "Where are we going?" Jessie asked surprised. She started thinking about what she'd said and hoped Katie wasn't taking her seriously. "I need a pit stop. We also need gas," Katie replied as she pulled into the gas station. Katie went to pump the gas while Jessie went into the store and bought bottled water and the healthiest junk food she could find. Leave to Jessie to think of getting "healthy" junk food.

After buying the snacks, Jessie went to the restroom. When she came back, she found Katie talking to a guy. She knew there was no reason to be jealous. The guy looked to be in his 40s, slightly overweight, and wearing a pair of dirty overalls. "Hey," she said as they approach them. "Hey, Jess. This is Bubba. He was telling me that we're about 3 hours from Atlanta." Jessie looked at Katie puzzled. "We're going to Atlanta?" she asked. "We'll at least drive thought it," Katie replied, "It's on the way to our destination." Jessie started getting annoyed again with the whole mystery destination issue. She got in the car, while Katie thanked Bubba for the directions and said goodbye.

When she got in the car, she asked Jessie, "Are you mad?" Jessie looked at her and replied, "Not mad, just frustrated." Katie smiled at her seductively, "Well, we're going to have to do something about your frustration." Before Jessie could say anything else, Katie was leaning over and kissing her sweetly. Any thought of an argument evaporated from Jessie's mind, which always happened every time they kissed. They finally parted after a few seconds. "Are you still frustrated?" Katie asked. Jessie grinned at her, "Well, that'll hold me for a while. I'm still annoyed that you won't tell me where we're going."

"Jess, it's a surprise, but I'm thinking of making a slight detour. We could spend a couple of days in Atlanta." Jessie was a little curious. She began to suspect that Katie didn't have a plan; that the reason she didn't know where they were going is because Katie didn't either. Finally, she spoke, "Why Atlanta? You have no clue where we're going, do you?"  Katie smiled.

"I think it'd be cool to visit Atlanta. I heard there are free concerts of Fridays at the park they built for the Olympics; tonight they have a great lineup. Bubba told me that Alanis Morissette is the main act. By the way, I do know where we're going," she protested. "I guess that Bubba's quite the tour guide?" Jessie asked laughing. "He's a trucker and apparently well-informed…Well, we better get going."

They pulled out of the gas station and continued driving southbound on I-75. Bubba was right; it took them three hours to reach downtown Atlanta. They drove past the Georgia Tech campus and continued south until they saw the sign for Philips Arena. "Hey, there it is," Katie commented as she pointed to the exit. "Bubba told me that the park is close to Philips Arena and the CNN Center." They got off the interstate, made their way down Baker Street, and turned left onto Centennial Olympic Park Drive. They found a parking spot in a parking garage across the street from the CNN Center.

They took a sleeping bag from the trunk and made their way to the park. When Jessie saw the sleeping bag, she remembered questioning Katie about the sleeping arrangements. Katie reassured her by saying that the sleeping bags were a backup in case they needed to sleep under the stars. Leave it to Katie to turn the prospect of not having a hotel room into something romantic.

They found a spot near the Olympic Rings fountain. They stretched out the sleeping bag and sat down. The park was extremely crowded; usually about 100,000 people would show up. They looked at the stage and noticed the banner: "Vanilla Coke's On the Bricks Presents Alanis Morissette". The show began promptly at 6:00. The first act was a band from North Carolina called Parmalee. They were followed by Janah and the Pat McGee Band. Finally, at 9:45, Alanis came onstage causing the crowd to cheer loudly. She began to sing all of her classics followed by songs from her last CD. She finished the show with "Hands Clean." Katie, who liked that song, stood up and began to sway to the music. Jessie followed her lead and did the same. They listened to the song in silence for a while. But, as usual, Katie slowly began humming until she was actually singing to Jessie.

"Ooh this could get messy/But you don't seem to mind/Ooh don't go telling everybody/And overlook this supposed crime/We'll fast forward to a few years later/And no one knows except the both of us/And I have more than honored your request for silence/And you've washed your hands clean of this…/Just make sure you don't tell on me especially to members of your family/We best keep this to ourselves and not tell any members of our inner posse/I wish I could tell the world cuz you're such a pretty thing when you're done up properly/I might want to marry you one day if you watch that weight and keep your firm body…"

Katie did such a great job of lip-synching that everyone around them noticed and started to clap. When the show ended, they picked up their sleeping bag and made their way back to the car. Once they were in the car, Jessie called her dad to let him know she was okay. She told him about being in Atlanta and the free concert. He asked if they had a hotel room; she tried to avoid answering, but finally told him that they had a reservation at the Omni Hotel.

Jessie and Katie made their way into the CNN Center hoping to find a room. They both extremely exhausted; they just wanted to shower and go to sleep. They were extremely happy when the guy at the desk told them that there was one room available, but it had only one bed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to take it," Katie answered faking disappointment. She looked at Jessie who just smiled. It would be their first time sharing a bed. Their parents, knowing they were dating, wouldn't allow any sleepovers. Jessie was excited at the prospect of spending the night in Katie's arms, but a little apprehensive about what that might lead to. She knew she loved Katie and that Katie loved her, but she wasn't ready. She just hoped Katie would understand.

They got off the elevator on the 12th floor and made their way to their room. It was a great room; from the window you could see the park. After getting they things settled, Jessie jumped in the shower. It felt incredibly soothing. See, Katie hadn't mentioned that Atlanta is nicknamed "Hotlanta" for a reason. The city can get extremely hot, humid and muggy during the summer. While Jessie was in the shower, Katie found ice cubes. She began playing with them while watching TV on the bed.

Jessie got out of the shower wrapped in a towel. When she came out, she found Katie rubbing an ice cube on her stomach. Jessie's mouth went dry while she looked at the scene before her. "Hey, what are you doing?" Jessie questioned as she walked over to the bed. "Oh, just cooling off a little," Katie replied innocently. Jessie grinned before she spoke, "I'm glad you're cooling off because…is it me or is it getting hot in here?" Katie just laughed, "I thought you took a cold shower," she teased. "I did, but I think I need another one."

"I don't think so, it's my turn to take a cold shower," Katie replied as she got up and started walking, but stopped, "After all, it's not everyday I get to see my girlfriend in just a towel." Then, she made her way into the bathroom. Jessie took the opportunity to get her PJs and get ready for bed. She decided to play a prank on Katie. So, when Katie came out of the shower she found Jessie playing with the ice cubes. "What do you think you're doing?" Katie asked while she got her nightgown. "Just cooling off a little," Jessie answered imitating Katie. "Feels good," Katie commented. "It definitely does," Jessie replied, "now get dressed and come to bed." Katie took her clothes into the bathroom and changed.

When she came out, she found Jessie had gotten rid of the ice. She got into the bed, kissed Jessie on her cheek and turned around to turn off the lamp by the nightstand. Jessie looked at her confused. "That's it?" she asked. "Well, what did you have in mind?" Katie asked curiously. "Well," Jessie answered leaning towards her, "it's the first time we get to sleep together. I just thought we could…spoon. I'd like to sleep in your arms tonight," she finished looking at her hands. "Well, of course," Katie replied. She laid on her back and pulled Jessie towards her. She wrapped an arm around Jessie's waist while Jessie draped her arm over Katie's stomach and laid her head on her girl's chest. They were both so happy at how well the fit together. It seemed like their bodies were pieces of a puzzle and when you put them together, the puzzle is complete. Katie kissed Jessie's forehead as they both fell asleep.

They woke up the next morning and checked-out before noon. They decided not to order room service figuring it would be too expensive. They had already splurged enough just by getting that room. Besides, there were places to eat at the CNN Center. The one place that caught their eye was Chick-fil-a, which is a southern landmark. They serve the best breakfasts, their specialty being the chicken biscuit. Katie ordered a chicken biscuit, which came with little half-dollar sized hash browns and lemonade, while Jessie ordered pancakes and orange juice.

After they finished their breakfast, they made their way to the car and waved goodbye to the city. They continued the trip southbound on I-75 towards Macon. Once they reached Macon, they got on I-16 until they reached Savannah. There, they got on I-95 and continued the trip towards Florida. When they passed the Florida state line, Katie looked at Jessie. "We're here," she commented eagerly, "I remember seeing the solar system in your room and thinking that one day I would take you to the Kennedy Space Center." Jessie looked at Katie smiling.

"That is so sweet." Katie pulled over and turned to face Jessie, "Besides, Florida has beautiful beaches. I mean, come on, you, beach, swimsuit, enough said," she finished arching an eyebrow. Jessie grinned, "Figures, but hey, that goes both ways."