Sooner Than Later, I'll Need a Saviour

As I walked out of the bathroom, towel drying my hair only in my underwear the next afternoon, Candy sat up on the bed she had been provided. She looked at me wearily, rubbing her eyes, and let out a loud yawn. “Where are we?”

“Well you got pretty wasted last night and the guy you were banging just left you. Jack found you and came to get me to help you to Frank’s. We’re in his spare room,” I replied. I tossed my towel on the chair in the corner and began to brush through my hair with the comb Frank had given me to use.

“I’m shocked you actually took his offer,” Candy murmured. She reached across the bed to the nightstand next to it and picked up her pack of cigarettes. She placed one between her lips before lighting it up with her lighter.

“Well I had to get you somewhere safe. God knows I couldn’t take care of you properly if I tried,” I remarked. I pulled my hair into a high ponytail minus my bangs. I got my own cigarette and groaned when the Zippo refused to light. I tossed it in the garbage muttering, “Useless, just like Derek.”

“Well I’m going to get in the shower. Go ask Frank for the clothes that some girl left behind when she lived here for a while. Those jeans have rips all over your ass,” Candy remarked as she slowly pushed herself off the bed. The only reason she even noticed was because I was holding them up and examining said rips.

“And it’s all thanks to you, Candy. I tried to walk you here, but you kept falling. My ass hit the concrete hard every time,” I scoffed.

“Well I’m sorry! But seriously, go talk to Frank. It’s too hot for damn skinny jeans anyway,” Candy said before shutting the connecting bathroom door. I grabbed my bag and tank before walking out of the bedroom. I went across the hall and knocked on Frank’s door.

“Come in!” I opened the door and saw Frank rolling a joint on his bed. Once he finished he looked up and instantly blushed at my lack of clothes. “Is there a reason you’re only in underwear?”

“I was too lazy to get dressed. Do you have a pair of size five shorts?” I asked as I placed down my bag and slipped my black tank over my head. As I pulled it down it hugged my stomach tightly. It was just barely big enough to not make me feel suffocated.

“I’m pretty sure I do. Hold on.” He stood and walked over to his closet. “By the way, you can take a blunt if you want. I have a few I was going to give away.”

“Thanks bro,” I called, taking one of the fresh, white sticks out of the open canteen. I placed it with my cigarettes before slipping it back into my bag. I brought the lighter lying on the bed up to my cigarette and finally lit it. Just as I tossed the lighter back down, Frank emerged from his closet with dark blue, denim short shorts. I accepted them and slipped them over my boy shorts.

“Need socks?” I nodded. He opened the top drawer on his dresser and threw me some neon green ankle socks.

“Thanks. Tell Candy I’ll see her around.” With that I walked out of his room and shut the door behind me. I grabbed my Vans from by the front door before walking outside and shutting it. I sat on the top step of the staircase leading to the ground floor to pull on my socks and shoes. Once those were fastened I started my descent down the stairs.

I know it was probably bad I just up and left the girl I had come to be forced to know as a friend, but she knew how I was. She was lucky she woke up when she did or I would have left and she’d have no explanation until she asked Frank. I ran a hand through my bangs as I looked towards the sky. What to do? I’ve been in this town for a few days now and I still haven’t visited the ocean. Well, my decision is made.

Fifteen minutes and one cigarette later, I was in the cleaner part of Huntington Beach. I unconsciously shrunk inside myself a little. Being Tuesday at one in the afternoon there weren’t many teenagers out. But there were still the occasional adults that would look at me and whisper to whoever they were with. I didn’t get it. I cleaned up, got new clothes, looked decent, and yet everyone still thought I was scum of the Earth. That I wouldn’t amount to shit in their eyes.

I pushed them to the back of my mind and continued my walk to the pier. I looked at the actual pier and frowned. I didn’t want to be in sight of anyone who might be at the pier today. I made a beeline to the sand and headed under the dock. I noticed a few spiders higher up, but I shrugged it off. After so many years you get used to the creepy crawlies that you happen to find. I sat in the sand, my knees pulled to my chest.

I always found the ocean calming. The waves moving in and out, the sight of fishes and turtles swimming in the water. You could stare into the horizon and, after a while, not know where the sea stopped and the sky began. It was the kind of therapy I needed after long times of stress. Too bad not too long after I start to question my life choices.

Why didn’t I just stop the pot when I was threatened to get kicked out? I was stupid, that’s why. I was being a rebellious teenager and got the short end of the stick. In Los Angeles, instead of possibly turning my life around, I waste my chance and continued my damn drug and alcohol habits. And now here I am, given chances, and I take none of them. I just seem to mess it all up every time I’m even offered salvation. I rubbed my face down with my hands as I groaned.

“You okay?” I nearly jumped out of my skin and whipped around. There was an extremely muscular guy standing a few feet away from me towards the beach that sat behind the boardwalk. In his hand was a football, probably what he retrieved to be so close now.

“I’m fine. Just thinking about how much of an idiot I am,” I chuckled emotionlessly as I placed my chin on my knees. He took it upon himself to sit down next to me. I could practically feel the heat leaving his body with how close he sat next to me.

“Well it can’t be that bad.”

“Believe me, it is. My mistakes brought me all the way from Dallas to here,” I spat. Why I was telling him this, I’ll have no idea. Maybe I just need to vent to someone who had no clue who I was.

“Well, that does sound pretty big,” he agreed, bobbing his head a bit. “I’m surprised you don’t have a country accent.”

“I was born in Chicago. We lived there for about a year and a half before moving to Dallas. I got the northern accent,” I explained.

“Well that’s pretty cool.”

“Thanks.” It was quite for a few moments before I randomly chuckled. The man next to me simply raised an eyebrow at me. “Sorry. I just realized that a man I just met has learned more about me than anyone else the past three years.”

“I’ve heard a rumor I was easy to talk to. Don’t worry, you’re not the first to fall victim to my charm,” he joked. We both shared a laugh. Suddenly I heard someone shouting down the beach and was slowly getting closer.

“Damn Matt, it takes this long to get a football?” the voice called mockingly. The guy, Matt, rolled his eyes and stood to his feet.

“Heads up, Jimmy!” He shouted. Just when the ball left his fingers is when I saw the extremely tall, lanky man right near the pier. He jumped to grab it and hugged it to his chest as he fell into the sand.

“Touchdoooooown!” he hollered out as he held the football above his head. I laughed as he stood and began to do a dance I could only assume was suppose to be him showboating. He walked up to us two and held out a hand. “My name’s Jimmy.”

“Alice,” I replied, shaking his hand with my own. He suddenly pulled me forward into a hug, my whole body tensing.

“She’s so cute! Just like a little doll!”

“Jimmy let her go,” Matt ordered in what sounded like a fatherly tone. Jimmy instantly let me go and held up his hands in defense. Matt shook his head softly. “Sorry about him. He’s a…spontaneous kind of guy.”

“It’s okay,” I reassured. Matt seemed pretty guilty even though he hadn’t done anything. It was cute in a way. Jimmy butted in between us with a shit eating grin.

“You play football?”

“Sorta. I did a bit back in Dallas,” I replied with a light shrug.

“You should join our game then! Johnny’s been bitching we don’t have even teams anyhow. It’s just because neither me nor Matt wanted to pair with him and Zacky and Brian won’t come out,” Jimmy explained though I didn’t know who he was talking about at all.

“Uhm, sure? Why not?” He let out a cheer before grabbing my hand and pulling back the way the two of them had come. Soon we were stopped in front of a man who was about two inches taller than me. I raised my eyebrow with an amused smile. “Huh, you don’t look the same when you’re not hitting on your friends.”

“What?” He looked down at me with confusion. “Have we met before?”

“Last night when you were wasted. I had to help Zacky carry your ass to the backroom.” He just gave me a blank face. I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Forget it. I just know Zacky. How did you guys even get him here?”

“His roommate and girlfriend wanted the day to themselves since it’s their anniversary. We had to pull this bum kicking and screaming from his house,” Matt replied with a chuckle. Johnny frowned at the memory.

“Shut up. Isn’t it enough that I’m here? Let’s just drop it!” Johnny groaned.

“Fine, fine. Let’s get this game on!” Jimmy shouted before beginning to shout ‘football’ over and over again.

“I guess you guys are going to be mean and have it shorts verses talls?” I sighed.

“Couldn’t have said it any better,” Matt replied with a smile. I rolled my eyes and placed my bag down in the sand. Johnny and I stood face to face with Matt and Jimmy. Between us was the football. Johnny and I shared a look before nodding. “Alright. Three, two, one. Go!”

Johnny and Jimmy both grabbed at the ball, but Johnny was faster. By now I was already starting to run around Jimmy and Matt. He tossed the ball over their heads and I easily caught it. I caught sight of Jimmy and Matt chasing after me from the corner of my eye. I let out a scream and ran as fast as I could. Suddenly I was plucked off the ground and I began to laugh.

“I got her! Get the ball Jimmy!” Matt shouted. Jimmy grabbed it and ran away and past Johnny. I looked up over my shoulder to see Matt just staring up at me. We stared for a few more moments before he suddenly placed me back to my feet. “Oh, sorry. Hope I didn’t scare you or anything.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Uhm, maybe we should stop those two from fighting,” I said softly, pointing at Jimmy and Johnny who were arguing whether Jimmy had made a touchdown or not.

“Right.” As Matt walked away I slapped my forehead. I was not developing feelings for a man I just met, I’m not.