Running Into You

I was running out of the apartment, into the warm summer Philadelphia air. While Logan and Harley yelled irrelevant coffee orders at me. I was wearing soccer shorts and a long-sleeved white t-shirt. With my long hair pulled back into a messy phony tail. As I walked down South street, towards the Starbucks at 1:30pm, thinking about my amazing relationship with my bed and how I would love to be in it right now. A man with dark skin, and long beautiful curly hair legitimately knocked me over. I sat there on the concrete on South and 2nd, just staring up at him. Like Jesus dude, the fuck watch were your walking. He just looked right back at me. “ Dude, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” he asked offering his arm. I continued to stare at him. “Are… are you okay?” he asked again. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I said as I lifted myself off the ground. He looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure where I knew him from. “I’m Vic.” The curly hair man said. I laughed, and he gave me a confused look. “I’m sorry its just.. that’s my name too… and well…yeah” I said pulling at the sleeve of my shirt, glancing down at my flip-flopped feet. He chuckled and said “Well, hi Vic.”. Right then, a tall, tattooed man with a dark beanie yelled. To the other Vic, that he needed to hurry it up with “the getting of the numbers“. I giggled, Vic looked embarrassed. “Well, I better go…” I said backing up towards the Starbucks. “I have a flight to catch.” I was glancing over my shoulder back at Vic, when I ran face first in to the chest of another person. I yelped. “Jesus, dude I’m sorry.” said the face of the chest I just ran into. I looked up in to a dimpled smile. “Yeah, this seems to be happening a lot today.” I said. “Meaning what?” he asked. He looked over my shoulder and nodded. “Well, I just got knocked over by a dude out front, and now this… getting up early is not okay.” I said, stepping in the long line. “Wow, Its 1:30” he said smiling and tilting his head to the side. I gave him a look. “I rarely get up this early.” I said. He put his hands up and said “Oh, okay then why and you up this early?” smiling so his dimples showed. “I just have somewhere to be soon…and I running late, y me sale el café ahora!” I said speaking quickly. He looked taken a back, and just stared with a small grin on his face. “…What?”
“Are you like… Spanish or something?” dimple man asked.
“Or something...” I said. The girl behind the counter was looking at me impatiently. I placed my order for an iced coffee. “Ew, coffees gross.” He said picking up a naked juice and putting in on the counter. I looked at him like he just insulted my mother. “Saying coffee is gross is… like saying… you don’t breathe air” I said. He laughed, and I smiled. “Yeah well, I guess I’ll see you around.” he said paying for his juice. “Wait, I didn’t catch your name.” I said, as he backed up towards the door. “Me llamo Jaime. ¿y usted?” He asked and I laughed. “Victoria.” I said grabbing my coffee, putting down 10 dollars and walked past him to the door. He pushed it open and let me walk past. “Well adios.” I said, heading the opposite way of Jaime.

I felt bad knowing he thought he’d see me again, not knowing in two hours I’d be on a plane to the other side of the country to San Diego, California. I had only come home to Philly for a week to check up on my family with my two best friends Harley and Logan. We were all born and raised in Philly. We moved out to Cali after graduation four years ago, with our other band mates Landon and Noah.
I walked up my front steps into my brothers apartment, kicked of my flip-flops and walked to the couch and turned on my laptop that was on the coffee table. “What the fuck Tor, we have to be at the airport in an hour. Get off you ass.” Logan said rushing around trying to find the last of her things. “Bro, calm your tits.” She just gave me a dirty look at walked into the back room. I’ve known Logan longer than I have known Harley. Logan and I have know each other for years. She has always lived behind me on the backstreet. In our little Philadelphian neighborhood. We actually never really got along, like at all. Until the first day of eight grade, it was just like BAM! Automatic friendship and that was that. We met Harley in high school, she really got us into the whole music scene. I started to go to shows, meeting new people and I loved it. I became…inspired. I had always loved to play the guitar I wasn’t too good, but with practice I became better. Harley had a fucking beautiful voice. People stopped talking and walking to hear her sing. She always wanted to start a band, but never had anyone to do it with. So, Logan learn the drums, she can now make awesome beats on ANYTHING if you give her two sticks, and I had a couple friends that could play bass and guitar. So we started a band my senior year. “Victoria, I swear to God if I miss this plane because of you…” Logan yelled coming out of the guestroom we had been staying in, with her two bags. “WE’LL MAKE IT! God damn… Where’s Har?” I asked closing my laptop and getting up. “She’s… I don’t know.” Shaking me off and continued to look for her cell phone charger. I put my computer in my bag, went into the bedroom took of my shorts and put on old faded, ripped jeans and a hoodie, slipped my vans on and picked my bag and took it out to the living room wondering where Harley was. “So, no coffee for me?” Harley asked popping out of no where. “Shit fuck! Where did you come from? Asshole.” I asked, as I smack her in the left shoulder. “You see when I Mommy and Daddy love each other very much…” Logan said being an asshole. “Finish that statement” I said and cocked my hip and put my hand on it. “Well they go under the covers and play paddy cake… and shut the fuck up and lets go.” Logan said picking up her bags and walking out the door. “But, seriously where’s my coffee?” Harley repeated. “Sorry, I like legit ran into the two of the cutest guys.” I said slinging my carry-on over my shoulder. “No excuses! How cute? Like from one to ten?” she asked following me out the front door, to my brothers car. “I don’t know, the one had long hair he was probably an 8.5 and the other, dear God let me love you. It doesn’t matter anyway its not like I’m ever going to see them again.” I said flinging my bags into the trunk of my brothers Honda. “Still, it always good to rate.” She said slipping into the front seat of the car. As I hopped into the back. “Yeah well.” I said pulling out my iPod.

I was excited to get back to San Diego. I missed it, running on the beach every morning. To which my friends make fun of me for. I mean I’m not skinny and I’m not fat. I’m… curvy..? I guess. I like to maintain the weight I’m at. Plus, running clears my mind, relaxes me, and it helps me come up with song ideas and lyrics. Landon and Noah stayed in Cali to try and write the rest of this album we’ve been working on. They are bringing a few friends to help write on this album. I think their band is called Pierce The Bride… or something along those lines. Their a Post-Hardcore band. Apparently the lead singer is a pretty good writer.
The drive to the airport was quicker than I remember it being.
I hugged my brother goodbye, and told him to stay out of trouble and follow, my friends into the airport.

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Once, in San Diego. I called Noah to come and pick us up. He, being Noah arrived twenty minutes later than he was supposed to. After bitching at him, for a good twenty more minutes. He told us that the Pierce The Veil guys are running a bit late and that they would get back to SD by tomorrow morning. I have lived in SD for about two and a half years and I never ran across these boys. That’s odd for me, because I try and get to know everyone on the local music scenes. They also, seem to be getting pretty big from what I hear. Noah told me that they all have lived here their whole lives. When we finally got back home to our apartment. I ran right to my room dropping my bags at the door of my room and flopped down on my bed. I just wanted to sleep. “GET THE FUCK UP! GET THE FUCK!” Landon yelled in the voice from the Bad Girls Club. (maybe?) I reached up over my head and pulled my pillow down over my head and said no. I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 7am the next morning. I pulled myself out of bed and to the bathroom where my hair stuck up in 99 different directions. “Fuck…” I mumbled. As I pulled it back it to a phony tail. I then pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and running shoes. I grabbed my iPod and scribbled a note telling everyone not to freak out, I wasn’t kidnapped just out for a run.

I jogged down to the beach, which was 5 minutes from my house. When I got to the beach I stared to run. Just as I started to cleared my mind from everything. Is when I felt my phone vibrate in my sports bra. I slowed my pace and returned in to a slow walk and finally stopped. I pulled out my phone to see who it was. It was a text from my ex Matt. I shook my head angrily. What the fuck did he want? Did I even want to read it? I mean he broke up with me. Although I was curious, I clicked his name to read the message, it said “hey, wanna hook up later? Miss you.” I laughed out loud. Sure Matt, over my dead body asshole. I continued to jog along the beach, until I realized how far I had gone. So I turned around and headed back towards the apartment. By the time I got back it was like 9:30. I took my shoes off before I entered the house, because sand had gotten in them. I went inside, and walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. Turned to walk into my living room when I walk straight into someone’s chest. “The fuck?” I said looking up into a smiling dimpled face. “Hey Victoria.”