Goodnight Hollywood Boulevard

Charlotte walked alongside Bobbie quietly. Bobbie had two dog leashes in hand as she took their neighbor’s dogs for their daily walk to the Santa Monica Pier. Bobbie looked exhausted, no doubt from the crying she had most likely done all night long. Charlotte wasn’t sure how to address it; she had gotten snippy last night when she tried to get it out of here and she knew if she was nice about it today Bobbie would tell her to shove off and stop pretending to care. Which wasn’t true, of course; Charlotte did care, she loved her sister and would do anything for her. She just had a hard time adjusting to Bobbie’s seemingly sudden attitude change since they moved to LA.

They were quiet, listening to the children screaming with joy on the rides yards ahead of them. They had finally reached the actual boardwalk and Charlotte loved the sound people’s shoes made against the old wood of it; something about it had a calming factor on her. The smell of grease danced around her and her stomach flipped.

“I’m sorry about last night,” Bobbie said out of the blue. “I was out of line to yell at you like that. You were only trying to help.”

“What happened?” Charlotte asked gingerly. “I’ve never seen you that upset.”

Bobbie took a seat on a bench and sighed. “His name is Chris.”

There was a hesitant pause. Charlotte sat down next to Bobbie and watched as the two dogs wagged their tails at every person that passed by them. She waited patiently for Bobbie to continue.

“He’s a grade above me but we have some classes together. We were flirting back and forth; we exchanged numbers and started texting all the time. He invited me to last night’s party and I asked him if he had invited anyone else. He said no,” she explained slowly, her eyes focused on an object Charlotte couldn’t pinpoint. Her words fell into the air without any emotion attached to them; it sounded eerie and it terrified Charlotte to think her sister had become so empty after one night’s events.

“That sounds great, Bobbie,” Charlotte said softly, gently placed a hand on her wrist. Bobbie flinched away from her.

“He was having sex with someone else in Sasha’s room,” Bobbie said dryly. One of the dogs tugged forward and Bobbie was quick to respond, standing and walking away to answer the dog’s curiosity.

She disappeared out of Charlotte’s line of vision, which was probably for the best. Charlotte didn’t know how to comfort Bobbie; she didn’t even know how she should feel. On one hand she was glad Bobbie had seen him in the act because maybe this boy was planning on using Bobbie, just like he had presumably used the other girl in the picture. On the other hand, things had appeared to get out of hand rather quickly at that party; maybe the boy had gotten in over his head in drinks and it was a sloppy, careless mistake.

Either way, Bobbie was gone from Charlotte’s side and she was hurting. Charlotte had to think of something to say by the time Bobbie cooled off and returned.

“What’s a pretty girl doing sitting on the pier all by herself?”

Charlotte looked up at the new voice. Wyatt was smiling down at her, a certain sparkle in his eyes. He had obviously just left the beach. He was still dripping wet, his hair a tangled, salty mess; his feet were sandy from trudging across the beach to get to the pier. He was a lot more muscular than she imagined; he must work out a lot to keep those abs and arms in perfect shape. Catching her mind drifting to inappropriate territory, she sighed heavily and dropped her gaze.

“And she’s troubled,” he continued, taking a seat next to her. He kept a mindful distance, however, so the water dripping off of him wouldn’t reach her.

“Bobbie found her crush sexing it up in your sister’s room last night,” Charlotte explained. “She’s, well, crushed.”

Wyatt pursed his lips in thought. “He’s obviously not the right boy for her,” he offered. “She’s only 16, though. Plenty of others to explore.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure what he was saying to her so she quickly changed the subject. “Isn’t the water super cold?”

“Um, kinda,” he answered with a slight shrug. His eyes did a quick once-over. “Why are you out here by yourself, though, really?”

“I was keeping Bobbie company as she walked some dogs,” Charlotte answered.

“No work today?” he quipped.

“Uh, no,” she answered. “Holiday.”

There was something about her subtle nonchalance that intrigued Wyatt. She could be two totally different people, too; she had this incredible ability to show you what she wanted you to see and nothing else about her. He was almost certain that she would never let it slip that she had a cavity or two, that she fell off her bike seven times before she finally got the hang of it, or that she had her heart broken too many times before. She wasn’t necessarily stuck on the idea of being perfect, but he knew she wouldn’t give any information to dent the image she’s painted.

“Why are you so intriguing, Charlotte?” Wyatt questioned, and he smiled when she jumped at his voice.

“What are you talking about, Wyatt?” she asked skeptically. “You’re so strange.”

“I’m just saying… You intrigue me. Well, ‘you’ being the you that you’ve let me see,” he shrugged. “I feel like there are so many things you want to talk about and get out in the open, but you’re too afraid to do anything about it.”

“Wow,” she said softly, staring directly into his eyes as he spoke to her. “You sure do have me pinned, Wy.”

“I like that,” he said with a smile. She raised an eyebrow. “That you just gave me a nickname.”

Charlotte laughed and rolled her eyes. “I shortened your name. That’s hardly a nickname.”

Wyatt shrugged. “What are you going to do here? Work as an assistant and hopefully make your way up the line?”

“Who told you-”

“I overheard Bobbie and Sasha talking,” he cut her off. “Do you know about FIDM?”

“Yeah, the Fashion Institute,” Charlotte said slowly. “Bobbie talks about me?”

“All the time. You should enroll there. I think they’ve got exactly what you want to be doing,” Wyatt explained. “I mean, I don’t work there or anything so I’m not sure. But it’s right in Los Angeles, not too far from home. Or work. I think you’d be better off getting an education. You know, instead of fighting your way through self absorbed editors with nothing to back you up but some natural, unrefined talent?”

“So you’re saying it would be a good idea to have someone teach me how to draw,” she said, unenthused. “I don’t think so.”

“No,” he pressed. “I’m saying it would be a good idea to have someone teach you the ins and outs of the industry, the part you haven’t been able to see yet. It would be a good idea to learn about the history and the people who first broke into the business.”

Charlotte watched as a family bustled by in front of them; the mother pushed a stroller and the father held onto their two son’s hands, acting just like a fourth child. She looked down the boardwalk and bit her lip; Bobbie had yet to come back into sight. Then she sighed deeply, Wyatt’s words vibrating loudly in her mind. Maybe it would be a good idea after all. And it wouldn’t hurt to at least check it out.

“Will you go with me to look into it?” Charlotte asked him.

“I have to stop by my house to change first,” he answered with a smile. He stood up and waited for her to follow suit. She hesitantly stood and sheepishly followed him to his car.

Charlotte found herself sitting on Wyatt’s bed ten minutes later. He had promised he’d be out of the shower in two minutes, dressed and ready to walk out the door in five. She looked around, taking things in. He had some books and a couple bottles of water on his night stand, a backpack slouched near the bookcase on the wall by the door. His clothes spilled out of his hamper and he had a beanbag chair placed in front of his TV set.

“Ready to go?” he asked, rubbing a towel against his head to dry his hair. Charlotte slid off his bed and nodded as she watched him spray some cologne against his chest. He grinned as he grabbed his keys from his desk, “Great.”

Wyatt drove Charlotte into Los Angeles, his GPS telling him the directions to FIDM. He laughed when a gasp slipped from her lips as the campus came into view.

“Oh my God, Wy, it’s so pretty,” she admired.

“Don’t get your heart attached to it yet,” he warned as he pulled into a parking spot. They got out of the car and stood side by side, staring at the campus. “You might have missed the deadline to apply.”

“Let’s go find out,” Charlotte said excitedly, starting toward the building in a rush. Wyatt had to rush to keep up with her as she tore across the lawn, determined to find the admissions office.

“Hi, welcome to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising,” the girl at the front desk chirped. “How can I help you?”

“I was hoping to apply for this semester,” Charlotte told her.

“Oh,” she said with a smile. “Today’s the deadline. You can go through those doors over there and use the computers in there to apply online. It does require an essay and a portfolio, though.”

“Can I bring the portfolio in later today?” she asked and tried to mask the excitement in her voice.

“We only accept digital portfolios, so scan your work and put it onto a CD. I’ll be sure to put it into the right hands,” she promised, standing and walking around the desk. She escorted the two into the computer lab she mentioned, motioning to the numerous computers. “Sit anywhere and take your time. I’ll be right outside if you have any questions.”

She left and the door closed slowly. Charlotte turned to Wyatt, the excitement burning in her eyes as she grinned. “You’re like my own personal good luck charm. Kinda like a Guru, too.”

Wyatt laughed and shook his head, tossing an arm over her shoulders as he guided her to a computer. “I was going for the spot of best friend, but guru is close enough.”