You're Living a Lie, You Just Can't Hide From Me

She didn’t look like a California girl; Garrett chuckled to himself, his eyes focused on the girl sitting on a bench by the boardwalk. She looked really concentrated on the book she was reading, not glancing anywhere but the pages.

Her hair was bright red, almost like a raspberry color, and pinned up. Her lips were cute and small, but full and she had a button nose. He couldn’t tell what color her eyes were from where he was standing, but he imagined they were just as gorgeous as the rest of her.

And then his eyes wandered to what she was wearing. A dress that clearly had been cut from an oversized t-shirt. He couldn’t see the logo, but he imagined it was from a band or movie. The dress ended just inches above her knees, showing off her long legs. She wore simple gladiator sandals, and a couple gold bangles on her wrist. He couldn’t help but keep his gaze on her. She was positively breathtaking.

Sure, he’d seen lots of pretty girls since they had arrived in LA, but this girl was different, he knew it. He didn’t know why or how, but just watching her as he was, he felt something. He knew that she wasn’t like the other girls, although he could not offer a reason why. Maybe it was that she was reading or that she seemed relatively low key. He didn’t know, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering back to her.

“Gar, what are you-?” John caught on to where his friend was gazing. “Wow, she’s hot.”

The shy boy didn’t respond, just took another sip of his coffee.

“If you aren’t gonna go talk to her then I will.”

The bass player glanced at his taller friend with a small shrug before John was off. The girl didn’t look up from her book, and then when she did, she looked absolutely confused to why the boy was talking to her. Real smooth. Garrett chuckled to himself.

But soon enough, John had worked his charm and the girl was smiling. He sat down beside her on the bench and they talked animatedly. By this time, the other members of the Maine had gotten their drinks and were standing beside him.

“Whose that?” Pat asked.

“I don’t know, but she’s-“ As Garrett attempted to finish his sentence; John came back over, with the girl following.

“Guys, this is Natalie.”

So that was her name.

He smiled. “Hi.”

Natalie didn’t want to be bothered as she sat reading her book. It was another wonderfully sunny day in California, but instead of going to the beach like Alyssa had, she sat with her book. There was always something so comforting about reading to her.

The pages were frayed, and there were a couple markings that her mother must have made when she read it for the first time, but still. She liked the idea of being introduced to someone else’s world instead of her own, even if only for a little while.

Sitting on the boardwalk and taking in the California weather she was still getting used to. Had it really only been a month or so since she left Tempe? No one would miss her, she had concluded, deciding that graduating early was a good idea so that she could work towards her dreams. It wasn’t as if she had really had much to keep her there anyway. No boyfriend, no real friends, and even her parents didn’t fight for her to stay.

She had left as soon as she could, driven the six hours and found a place with her friend, Alyssa, who had graduated the year before and was attending UCLA. And it wasn’t like Tempe had really been a home to her anyway, with the way her family had moved around when she was younger, she didn’t acknowledge having a home. But slowly, LA was becoming the closest to any form of home she’d ever known. Alyssa was good company at the very least.

All of her thoughts came to a halt when a male voice rang in her ears. “Hello,”

She looked up from her book to see a boy, probably not much older than herself, standing before her. He was tall; much taller than her short stature with disheveled light brown hair and a friendly smile on his face. He was really attractive. She just couldn’t figure out why a boy so good-looking was taking the time to talk to her.

“Hi.” She returned with a small smile, still confused why he had interrupted her alone time.

Soon enough, he had introduced himself as John O’Callaghan and Natalie was almost certain she’d heard that name before. She put her book aside as he sat down beside her. John filled the silence as she slowly got the nerve to respond.

He had eyes that were a really interesting color, and she couldn’t decide if they were hazel, brown or green. Everything about him was just so gorgeous, she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She could barely speak even. Boys that look that good don’t usually give her the time of day. Not that she would have ever spoken to him on her own accord just because she wasn’t so great with people, especially attractive boys.

She was a little surprised that he was talking to her, but was actually kind of excited. He was really cute, and for some reason, she hadn’t scared him off because he was talking just as animatedly as ever, asking her a billion questions and then telling her all about himself. Until finally, she told him she would willingly go out with him and meet his bandmates.

She looked even more gorgeous closer up. Her eyes were a color he couldn’t define, almost like a prism of blue, grey, gold, green and brown. They were light and shining, like she was smiling with only her eyes. And her name seemed to go along with her. It was really hard to describe, but he could see that her name was fitting. He took an immediate liking to her just because.

She was soft spoken and shy, yet when she did speak, her voice was beautiful. And the smile that always seemed to creep back on her face made him feel a little weak. There was something really familiar about her that he couldn’t place. It was like he’d met her before, or at the very least, seen her. Still, he was certain that he wouldn’t forget a face like hers if he’d ever noticed her before.

“So Natalie, where are you from?”

“Tempe.” She spoke, a slight hint of a southern accent apparent in her voice that seemed to ring in a singsong way. Garrett smiled at the cute twang before he realized what she said.

“We’re from Tempe.” John smiled softly. “And I don’t think I’d forget your face.”

“Wait, you went to high school with us!” Pat spoke excitedly. “You had History… second period with Mr. Davis, right?”

Natalie glanced over at the drummer, nodding slowly. “Thought I recognized you. Pat, was it?”

He nodded.

Now Garrett recognized her. Natalie Evers, although her hair had been blonde, not bright red mere months before. Must have been one of the first things to change when she came to California. She had always been the quiet girl, not speaking unless spoken to. He didn’t remember her having many friends, and that she used to spend all of her time in the library rather than socializing in the cafeteria.

He had always found her beautiful, but had never found the nerve to talk to her. Now, months later, he was sitting at lunch with her. What irony. What was she doing in Los Angeles anyway? School wasn’t nearly over. He and Pat had graduated early to focus on the band, but what about her?

As if reading his mind, she spoke. “I graduated in December… Had to get out of Arizona, you know?”

“We’re here to record with Matt Squire.” Kennedy offered. “We’re in a band… called the Maine.”

“Oh. Yeah, I remember now. I saw you guys live once… I think it was your first show because you had your back to the stage the whole time.” She smiled good-naturedly at John with a soft giggle.

John could feel a blush rising to his cheeks. “I like to think I’ve improved severely since then.”

“One would hope.” The redhead grinned.

Natalie smiled, thanking John for paying for her lunch. He hadn’t needed to, she could’ve herself, but he had been a gentleman and she had appreciated it. Still, it was nice to be treated to something once and a while. She was used to being on her own and having to do things herself, so when someone offered to assist, it was kind of nice. Still it was a bit strange.

Alyssa was the leggy brunette that boys always fought over. She was the one boys were always catcalling and drooling over, not Natalie. She was weird, elfish and kind of nerdy. Boys never really gave her a second glance, and now there were five of ‘em giving her the time of day. It was quite a bit to swallow. She didn’t mind the company, in fact, she was kind of glad for it.

The tall one was really cute, but there was something about the one with the copper hair. Of course the taller one was more outgoing, talking a mile a minute and asking her about herself. She didn’t really know how to answer a lot of his questions, but she tried.

“So, what are you doing today?”

She tilted her head to the side. “Why do you ask?”

“Because, we’ve got a day before we start recording and we were hoping to find something to do.”

“Alright. If you want, I’ll be your tour guide.” She grinned.

“Unless you had other plans…” The one with the copper hair spoke quietly.

“Really, Gar?” The other brunette boy chuckled.

She bit her lower lip. “You mean other than finishing my book? Its fine.”

He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “Alright.”

“Besides, it’d be nice to have some company. My roommate Alyssa was begging me to go to the beach, but I don’t know… I was thinking about going out to Amoeba to check out some records, maybe look at some comics at Meltdown.”

“You read comics?” Garrett asked, his eyebrows raised.

“I don’t look like the type?” She grinned.

“No, uh-“

“Its okay.” The girl let out a soft giggle. “Takes people by surprise.”

He nodded slowly.

Natalie kind of liked the fact that he was taken aback with her. She liked surprising people with her interests. It was kind of nice to leave the girl she’d been before in Tempe. This was her with a new identity and bright red hair to match her bright personality. She wasn’t going to shy away anymore. And these boys looked like they’d be great companions for the ride.

Garrett smiled, a bit embarrassed. Of course he hadn’t assumed she watched zombie movies or read comics. He hadn’t known her in high school… he still didn’t know her. He didn’t know a thing about the girl except that she had gone to high school with them. That her natural hair color was blonde and that she was usually really quiet.

He had no grounds to judge or make assumptions. Still, there was something about her that was intriguing him.

It was something that was far beyond her beauty, but he still couldn’t place it. He didn’t know anything about her except for the fact that he really wanted to know her, but John was already making the moves. Paying for her lunch? Talking to her in hushed tones as they strolled down the boardwalk? Garrett didn’t have a chance.

And as much as he wanted to try to focus on the record, he knew that John was going to focus on Natalie. She’d fall for him as the girls always fall for the lead singer, just to be the subject of the album. She’d be his lyrical masterpiece. John would have dug his way in. Something about her seemed to make her stand out.

Sure, Garrett had seen plenty of gorgeous girls since they’d arrived in Los Angeles, but this girl in the oversized Dawn of the Dead shirt was making his heart race. The way the shirt seemed to be cut expertly. How it was tight enough to showcase her figure without giving away too much. How the racerback dipped low, but still she wasn’t showing too much skin. How she knew about comics and they could debate over Marvel vs. D.C. She seemed almost too good to be true. It was probably best that way because Garrett would never have a chance. Even before John took claim to her.

Pat was talking to him about something or other, but all he could focus on was the conversation John and Natalie were having. How her laugh was melodic and girly, but not annoyingly so. How she smiled and her whole face lit up.

The way she moved was so elegant and graceful even though they were just walking down the boardwalk. Plus the way she spoke was incredible, almost as if she were from another time period. It seemed as if everything about her was just so elegant. And the slight Southern twang she had was undeniably adorable. It wasn’t too obvious, but he definitely heard it.

“Garrett?” Pat was now desperate for attention.

“Yes Patrick?”

“You weren’t listening to a thing I said, were you?”

“Sorry… I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Sure you do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t play dumb, Gar. You’re eyefucking the poor girl.”

The bassist blushed. “I guess I am.”

“Well stop!” The drummer groaned. “Its kind of yucky.”

“You’re such a little kid.”

“I’m older than you!”

“So why did you move to LA?” John asked, his voice gentle as if he worried he’d hit a sensitive topic.

Natalie didn’t look up from the vinyl she was holding. “I just… didn’t fit in.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t have anything keeping me there, and I wasn’t happy, so I left as soon as I could.”

“Well, why LA then?”

The redhead glanced at the taller boy, who was now gazing at a Tom Petty record. “Why are you so interested in me?”

“I find you intriguing. Is that so hard to believe?”

“Yes.”

He put the record aside, stepping closer to her. “I’m all ears.”

“I wanted to go to New York, but I worried it would break my mother’s heart. Alyssa graduated a year before me and she was my only real friend… and she had an open room. It wasn’t like I sought out Hollywood… it just kind of fell into my lap.”

“And you don’t miss Tempe?”

“I told you. There was nothing for me there.”

“Not even your mom?”

The girl spun around quickly. “I don’t really want to talk about my mom, if that’s okay. Tell me about you. About the band.”

John either didn’t pick up the fact that he’d visibly shaken the girl or chose not to face the fact. If she didn’t want to talk about it, then he would fill the void with his own experiences. He told her about his family, his younger brothers, and his aspirations. He told her about the Maine and how he had given up everything for this band. Natalie seemed to appreciate his stories, smiling and laughing. John decided that he liked the sound of her laughter.

She was a really cute little package and he was quickly falling for her. He hadn’t known her before today, but he was pretty sure that he wanted to know everything there was about her. She was intriguing without saying much. There was something about her… maybe it was the mystery. That she wasn’t an open book like he was. She was guarded and thought a lot before speaking, so he wondered what was wrong. He had a feeling that she was kind of broken and he was the one with band-aids ready.