"Got us some choice supplies for the next leg of our road trip." Johnny walked out of the store, holding up two bags toward the pair of teens. "Mexican Cokes."

"I think here they're just Cokes." Robby said in return as he took one.

"Are they?" Johnny frowned his eyebrows and looked at Alexa. "Are they?"

"I'm from Texas." she gave him a look of disbelief.

"Yeah, but you're A Texas-Mexican though, huh?" he agreed with a nod, shoving a coke into her arms. "Or are you Ecuadorian like Miguel?"

"We're Puerto Rican." Alexa gave him a eyebrow raise.

"Okay. So, is that Mexican of Ecuadorian ?" he shrugged his shoulders.

"Neither." Alexa shot back in return.

"Okay, what else did you get?" Robby encouraged his Dad to show what else remained in the bags before he said something offensive.

"Mexican candy. Chicharróns. And I just picked up this badass cell phone." the older man pulled it from the bag to show Robby. "It's got 60 minutes on it. That's, like, 300 American minutes. And I got you and your girlfriends a little something to say, "Welcome to Mexico."

He held up a little dog with a sombrero. "And don't tell me it's offensive. We bought it in Mexico. It's their idea. And here, for both of you. Gift number two."

He held up an FBI shirt, Robby flashed Alexa a comical grin. Johnny nodded. "Turn it around."

Alexa leaned forward as Robby did so, revealing 'Female Body Inspector' on the back as he laughed. Alexa squeezed the bridge of her nose. "I'm regretting this already."

"They didn't have any MBI shirts so you'll have to like it." Johnny tossed one at her face. "You two can match. Is that still a thing? To match?"

"Like we're twins?" Alexa hummed in his direction.

"No, Robbys not Port-Rocco." Johnny shook his head, Alexa shut her eyes again as Robby put an apologetic hand on her head. "Back in the day, one of my more serious babes and I would match. We were the shit. I don't know, are you guys serious?"

"We've been together for less then twenty-four hours." Robby shrugged as he pulled the other shirt out of the back. "But, I think we're serious enough to match. Right?"

"I don't know, that seems like a pretty big step in a relationship." Alexa inhaled deeply, Johnny completely oblivious to the fact that they were both making fun of him. "Pretty big commitment. Right?"

"Right." Johnny agreed.

"So what are we actually doing here?" Robby laughed as he looked as his Dad. "And don't say it's a father-son bonding thing. We could've done that 500 miles ago."

"All right, look." Johnny pulled his sunglasses off. Alexa sat up more, knowing that tone too well and knew he was about to say something to make Robby mad. "This is a father-son bonding thing. There's something to take care of first."

"Something like what?" Alexa pushed him to answer before Robby had the chance to. Johnny looked at her and inhaled deeply.

"You've got to be kidding." Robby spoke in disbelief when Johnny broke the news.

"You have every right to be upset." Johnny said, holding his face were he was nursing a bloody nose. "I don't know why you're so upset back there, Alexa. You're lucky I didn't punch you back."

"I'm upset because you made Robby upset." she leaned forward and smacked the back of his head. "You asshole."

"How could you take me down to Mexico and not mention once we're coming to get Miguel?" Robby asked his father in pure disbelief. "Come on, Robby. Let's go down to Mexico and come back with some stories."

"I wasn't bullshitting you. I wanna fix our relationship." Johnny pointed out to defend his case. "But, when I heard Miguel was in trouble, I had to do something. I just couldn't leave you at home. I'm done doing that. Besides, I need your help to find Miguel. And, i'm letting you and your girlfriend share a hotel room. Isn't that worth it?"

"We've shared a room for the past five months." Robby rolled his eyes. "What do you even need my help for? Do you even have a plan?"

"Yeah, of course I do." Johnny nodded and he looked over. "Miguel's looking for Hector Salazar. I know where the kid gets off the bus. That's our first stop."

"That's a great plan, Johnny." Alexa hummed from the back.

"See?" Johnny nodded to Robby, oblivious to her sarcasm.

"And when we get there, what do you plan on doing?" Robby questioned his Dad with a harsh frown of his eyebrows.

"I'll ask around if anyone saw Miguel." he looked back at the road.

Robby waited to see what the next part of this plan was, getting nothing but silence. "That's the big plan?"

"Of course not." Johnny shook his head. "We come up dry, i'll check the Mexican phone book."

"Oh my god." the couple said on sync.

"You drove me a thousand miles to check a phone book?" Robby went on with wide eyes. "Might as well put Miguel's face on a milk carton."

"They still do that?" the blonde rose his thinning eyebrows.

"You know, we could be at home right now. Together." Robby spoke of him and Alexa. "Coming with you was a mistake."

"All right. I'm sorry, okay?" Johnny sighed toward his son. "I thought this trip would help you and Miguel. And then you invited Alexa, and it would have given us all the time to talk it out. When we get to the bus station, if you wanna buy a ticket home, you guys can go home. All right, I don't want you to go home, but-"

"Dad, watch out!" Robby hollered as a car swerved infront of them, Johnnys eyes not on the road as he slammed on the breaks and swerved off into the woods.

"You just tried to homicide us!" Alexa yelled from the back when the smoke blew from the car. She leaned forward to check on Robby. "You good?"

"I'm good." he inhaled. "You?"

"Peachy." she grabbed his face to kiss his forehead in relief.

Johnny cleared his throat. "See? Closer as ever."

He got out of the car first, Alexa sat on the console to hold Robbys face. "I'm sorry this happened. It's not fair on you."

Robby looked up at her. "Its okay if you wanna say you're worried about Miguel."

Her face fell in guilty. "I am."

Robby nodded, but it did hurt. Not that she'd been worried, he knew she use too be close with him, but just over the fact that everything seemed to revolve around Miguel. Alexa rubbed her thumb across his left cheek. "I'm worried about you more, though."

It fixed his faint heart ace, shaking his head with a smile. "I'm okay. I mean, at least we can say we went on a trip together."

"True. And we stole Ty's wallet so we can do whatever we want before going back home." she smiled, shaking her head. "Maybe get some more of those Mexican Cokes your Dad likes so much."

Robby laughed, shaking his head. "He probably doesn't know what he's doing."

"He definitely doesn't know what he's doing." Alexa agreed as the pair got out of the van and walked to the back.

"Where did LaRusso hide the lug wrench?" Johnny huffed in annoyance as he looked around the back.

Robby reached and yanked the side of the van, revealing it. "I lived in here, remember?"

"Of course I remember." Johnny said back quickly.

"How the hell did you get this car, anyway?" Robby circled the van with his Dad as Alexa chose to give them space, staying in the back as she pulled out her phone.

Tory: where'd you go?

Alexa: mexico. it's a longggg story. i will be home tomorrow.

Tory: someone's here and they know you.

Alexa paused, staring at her screen. She knew, from what Robby had said, her Mom had made a phone call for someone to come to the Valley. Someone he thought had been her Dad before she openly admitted to her Dad being dead.

Alexa: can you send me a photo?

But, the text wouldn't send.

"Come on." she huffed, holding it higher in the air. "Come on, you piece of shit!"

"Lex?" Robby stuck his head around the car just as she slammed her phone into the van. "Alexa!"

"Here. This'll buy you guys a bus ticket." Johnny handed Robby a few dollars before pulling another out. "This is for some drinks and snacks."

Alexa sighed, wanting to say something as Johnny walked away. Robby wasn't as good at holding back as she was. "Where you going?"

"Ticket guy thinks he saw Miguel talking to these surfers." Johnny pointed toward a few near the water. "I'm gonna go ask around. I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Robby."

As he walked away, Robby looked back at Alexa. "You wanna go home?"

"Do you?" she rose her eyebrows in return.

"That's what i'm asking you." Robby argued.

"Well, that's what i'm also asking you." Alexa shot in his direction as Robby sighed and gave her a look of disbelief. "Whatever you wanna do, i'm cool with."

"Never thought i'd hear Alexa Castillo being cool with anything she doesn't get a say in?" Robby rose his eyebrows  as he walked closer.

"What can I say? Paradise will do that to a girl." she shrugged dramatically. "I'm going to buy us some of those fancy little necklaces. You'll have your mind made up by the time I come back I hope."

"Can you get me the green one?" Robby called out to her as Alexa waved a hand over her shoulder.

Ty was fluent in Spanish, their Dad had spoken a lot of it around the house and he caught on faster then Alexas child mind ever did. He sometimes would let it slip when he'd get pissed off, as Alexa got older, she was glad she'd learned a little from Ty. She approached the small woman with the necklaces. "¿Puedo obtener verde y naranja?"

The woman smiled, Alexa was glad she'd gotten it right. The woman pointed to the small tag, showing how much it would be. Alexa gave her the money and took the green and orange necklaces. "Gracias."

She headed back, checking her phone and seeing her text still hadn't sent to Tory. Alexa knew that it likely never would unless she'd connected to a wifi, her service sucky anyways in the first place. She stared down at her phone. "I'm trying to look up if these have any cultural meaning but I-"

She stared at the empty place he'd been at moments before. "Robby?"

The sound of yells and grunts caught her attention, looking over to see Robby kick a blonde surfer in the face before Johnny hit him with the broken surf board. Alexa was impressed they'd managed to take so many out in such a short period of time, but they both seemed to miss the one that had rose to his feet and was coming up behind Robby.

Alexa dropped her bag and ran over, jumping up and kicking the man in the side. He yelped, getting the pair's attention just as Alexa shoved the side of his face against the tree. She took a deep breath. "Got you."

"You still do that?" Johnny nodded to the way she held him, the same thing she'd done when he first met her.

"Yeah, she does." Robby shook his head, also having his fair share of face against the glass when they first met.

Alexa held the necklace out, keeping her hand pressed the the man's face. "That's for you."

•

kylie speaks

NEXT CHAPTER IS GONNA
HIT BRO IM SO EXCITED.
ALSO i only took two years
of spanish do if i got anything
wrong, IM SORRY!