My co-workers at Buddy Burger are anything, but normal. Take, for instance, Mike. Mike Evans has been Head Burger Flipper here, for months. He's eighteen, like me, and he works here when he's not taking classes at community college. He wants to be a journalist for The Chapel Hill Gazette. He'll probably end up writing editorials about El Nino's latest wrath, or which students at the elementary school are on the honor roll. I consider it wasted talent, but Mike's geared to stay here all his life. He's got a small town mentality, but creativity and drive fit for anything, but suburbia.

Well anyway, the other day, our boss passed a decree that all employees must wear "Buddy Hats." Buddy Hats are the root of all that is evil, and wearing one is like admitting you're a teenage failure. As soon as Mike received his headgear, he promptly (and dramatically) took it off, proclaiming, "Buddy Hats are the sign of the devil!" He then hurled his brightly colored crown into a vat of French fry grease. To no one's surprise, Buddy Hats are flammable, and his started a small fire in the kitchen. A batch of buddy fries were ruined, but Mike stated his case, and I guess that's all that matters.

So when Mike sat me down to talk "Burger Bud" to "Burger Bud," I had to listen. Over a plate of chicken nuggets, we discussed "my personal well-being," as he called it.

"Haley, I'm worried about you," Mike said as he popped a nugget into his mouth.

"What about?" I was clueless.

"You're tired. Don't lie to me, 'cause I know. This morning, you didn't serve the Buddy Burgers with your usual dedication and exuberance." He made me smile, but I could still tell he was being sincere.

"I guess it's just because my life is getting dull." It was true. I'd almost survived my second semester of college, and that combined with daily burger duties was about to make me have a stress attack. I'm studying to be an elementary school teacher. I suppose I've not always wanted to teach. It's just that when the time came, I chose this career. If I had it my way, I'd be a . . . no, I could never do that. Never mind.

"Ah! I've got it. You're about to turn nineteen, and you don't have a thing to show for it, except for winning Burger Buddy of the Month twice in a row. Not to mention, you've never been outside of the southern region of the United States." I sighed as Mike placed a word value to my pathetic existence. When I think of my traveling experiences, I find myself counting class trips from the third grade. I'm from Black Mountain, North Carolina. That's about a few miles down the road from Swannanoa. All right, it's the center of Hicksville, but you catch my drift. When I decided to go to the University of North Carolina, I considered myself to be making a huge move. It was four hours, thank you very much.

"My life is so boring," I buried my head in my hands, barely missing the honey dip. I was being overdramatic, of course. The decision to be a teacher was starting to affect me more and more.

"Semester's almost over. Go on a journey." Mike downed his fifth nugget in one bite. The way he said, "journey," made me smile.

"How could I ever live without you?" I teased.

"Get Tay to go with you." Mike had an answer for everything.

"Why would Tay want to go with me?" Taylor Hanson has been my roommate in the dorms of UNC, for a year now. I remember the day my original roommate exclaimed she needed to spend more time with her fiancé. Her answer was to have us switch roommates. Actually, I didn't mind having someone of the male species in my sleeping quarters. Sometimes, I even forgot Taylor was a guy, and asked him for feminine supplies. I always remembered when he gave me looks of pure disgust and fear. I've always been better friends with guys than girls. I grew up in a family with three sisters. I needed to be around guys. I was such a little tomboy. I guess I still am a little.

"Why wouldn't he?" Mike finished off our discussion with a decisive bang . . . and he grabbed the last nugget. There was another good thing about Tay, though. He had one babe of an older brother. I'd been gaga over him since Taylor hung a family portrait on the wall of our room. There were many kids in that picture, but Isaac sure stood out.

When I returned back to the dorm rooms, I was stunned at what I found my intellectual, and I use the term loosely, roommate was doing. Taylor had taken my CD player hostage, and was playing MMMBop. Taylor had been a child pop star, Heaven forbid. He and his brothers toured the world singing songs like the one Taylor was obliviously dancing to in his boxers and socks.

"Taylor, please. I'm not feeling well, and you're only making it worse." Slightly blushing that I'd caught him in all his glory, Taylor commenced to turn the radio off, and slip on some decent clothing.

"I'm just getting in touch with my past," Tay smiled and collapsed on his bed. "I don't know why you're so against my band."

"I wasn't against your band when I was fourteen," I groaned. "In fact, I might've been somewhat of a fan. But by the time I reached college, I grew out of your baby blues."

"Oh, tell me the truth." Oh no. Here it comes. Ego trip. "You know you want the sexiest teenage pop star in America!" As Taylor leapt to his feet to play the air guitar, now on my own haphazard spring bed, I rolled my eyes.

Taylor's band somehow drifted away by the time the millennium was in full swing. Not the music, mind you. All the Hanson brothers were still talented musicians. It's just that the pop stars of the late nineties had grown into the professional singers and musicians of the next century. Sometimes, though, I don't truly believe he left those MMMBop days behind. He still believes that he's got thousands of girls watching his every move. Maybe they are. How could they not stare at this wild dork making a fool out of himself in front of me? When he realized that I did not share his enthusiasm, he dropped onto his side and looked at me.

"What do I see? Sadness in those chocolate eyes? A slight frizz in that brown hair?" Tay turned up the charm.

"Oh, shut up."

"Oooh. This isn't one of those . . . um . . . woman things, is it?" He made me laugh again. He vividly stressed the word, "woman," and eyed me, suspiciously.

"If this was a 'woman thing,' you'd know it, Loser." I elaborated my statement by chucking a pillow at him.

"Depression if left not discussed invades the body and destroys the soul." What a dork.

"Quoting Oprah again, Tay? It seems you've been missing your architecture and music theory classes to get in touch with you feminine side."

"What I do with NBC, weekdays at 4:00 pm is none of your business." Tay smiled.

"What are you doing for summer?" I asked him.

"I'm going back to T-Town." He stressed, "T-Town," because he knows exactly how much it irritates me. "Going to North Carolina was good, 'cause I wanted to get involved with the architectural program, but I do miss my family."

"I miss Mama, too." His eyes softened. Last semester, my mom died of a heart attack. I was so close to her, and being without her tore me apart. I regret not being home with her on those last days before she died. My sisters had gone their separate ways. I only saw them on special occasions. My Dad was staying with my sister, Karen. I missed him, but being around him made me think of Mama. I wasn't ready to think about her again. Well, as much, I mean. I thought about her all the time, but I needed to get stronger before I could visit him again.

He got a thoughtful look in his eyes, before putting his arms around me in a hug.

"Thanks Tay. I needed that." He was a great friend.

"Haley?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we go on a road trip?"

"Road trip? Taylor, I think the MMMBop is getting to your brain." I felt his forehead to see if he was warm.

"Yes. I know you want to meet my family. You have to."

"You want me to spend my summer in your hometown?"

"Well . . . yeah. I guess. It'll help you. Being without your . . . you know. I think you'll like my mom."

He was really being sweet, but I didn't want his pity. Remembering what Mike had said earlier, about needing to get away, I thought about Tay's offer. Maybe I'd like meeting Tay's family. Maybe I'd make friends with Ike. Hmmm. This wasn't such a bad idea.

"Okay." I smiled. Maybe I'd have fun.

Semester would be over in two days. My birthday was in three days--May 30. This would be some present.

"We'll go on your birthday. Mom'll love you."

"Tay, are you sure about this? I mean, is there enough room?"

"After we started bringing home all that money, my parents got the house added onto. It's huge. You'll have enough room and then some." He made it too good to refuse.

"I still don't know about this."

"Okay I'll call Mom and Dad tonight, and see what they think. You better start packing, because I know they'll agree."

Road trip. To Tulsa, Oklahoma. My life is already boring, and I'm going on a vacation to the place where thousands of cattle graze everyday, oil drills dot the horizon, and twisters blow across the prairies. Prairies? I'm going on a vacation to the prairies. I'm so pathetic. I still can't help but smile, though. What is Haley going to do in T-Town?