Right Here Waiting

February in Boston, Massachusetts meant heavy coats and boots. The moment she stepped off the plane in Los Angeles, her jacket had come off. While it wasn’t exactly hot, it was still in the low 60s and it was much warmer than Eliza had expected.

She watched the scenery change as she made her way home from the hospital. Pulling into her driveway, she exhaled a breath.

Eliza’s eyes glanced around the entrance to her childhood house. She hadn’t been here in six years and nothing had changed.

The grandfather clock in the front hall was still there, collecting dust and not working. In her father’s study, that same ugly faded green chair with the fringe was still sitting, haunting her. The wooden floors were still worn, more so now. She climbed the stairs and followed the hallway to her room that was exactly the same as it had been six years ago. Her queen sized bed was still covered in her teal bedspread, and black sheets were peeking out from underneath. She set her bags on the floor and her guitar on her bed, looking around at the pictures hanging on the wall. She smiled at the one wall that was covered with Metallica, Korn, Rob Zombie, and a bunch of others.

She’d been at the hospital since she arrived in California, eight hours ago. It had been two months since his accident, and she was finally getting all of her stuff situated in Huntington. She’d come immediately to the West Coast, but she’d stayed in a hotel, not wanting to be in the house by herself. When it became clear that her dad wasn’t going to come out of his coma anytime soon, she packed up her things in Boston and shipped them back to Huntington. The only thing that still remained in Boston was her car and a few of her guitars. She hadn’t played since her audition, at least, not in front of people. When Katie was asleep or out of the apartment, she’d strum on the guitar with no amp, making sure the music was never that loud. She hadn’t even wanted to look at a guitar, believing that was the reason her father was becoming a vegetable right now. Of course, on drunken nights she couldn’t help it. She missed the guitar, but she wouldn’t play anymore.

Standing in her room, she realized her stomach was growling and she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she found a cucumber and coffee creamer. There were a few other things in there, but nothing that seemed appetizing to her. She moved to the freezer and the cabinets, finding nothing in there, either. Sighing, she exited the kitchen and grabbed her keys and bag before heading to her car, intending on going to the grocery store. If she was going to stay here while her dad go better, there was no way she wasn’t going to have food in the house.

Walking down the aisles, she looked at the different things that she’d need. Picking here and there, she scanned the shelves for anything edible. She was pushing her shopping cart out of one aisle when another cart rammed into hers.

“Oh, shit!” she whispered. She looked up at the guy who was scratching the back of his head. “I’m so sorry.”

“Nah, it was completely my fault. I was being dumb and reckless,” he said. He got a good look at her and his eyes widened. Her hair was the brightest color of pink he’d ever seen. There’s no way the guys would give him shit about this. “Hey, I’m Johnny.”

“Eliza,” she said, sticking her hand out to shake his. “Nice to meet you.”

“Definitely likewise,” he said smiling. “Look, I need a favor.”

“Okay?”

“I know this is completely random and everything, but my friends and I have this club event to go to tomorrow night in Los Angeles and we’re supposed to bring dates. They keep giving me shit about everything, and well, you’re gorgeous…there’s no way they’d be able to give me shit if you were there with me.”

Eliza laughed, blushing. “Thanks, I think. I don’t know, it doesn’t sound like some place I’d be real—”

“I promise you’d really be doing me a favor. Please don’t make me beg. I will, though. I’ll get down on my knees in front of everyone here and beg, loudly, may I add, for you to go with me to this thing.”

“I’m not exactly a club type of—”

“PLEASSSSSSSSSE!?” Johnny got down on his knees, clasping his hands together. A few people stopped to watch, laughing. Eliza had never been more embarrassed in her life.

“If I say yes will you get the fuck up?!” she whispered, eyes looking all around her.

“Yes,” Johnny said eagerly.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Eliza said, pulling out her phone to exchange numbers.

Johnny eagerly pulled out his phone to get her number and gave her his.

“You really have no idea how much this means to me. Seriously, you’re doing me the biggest favor of my life. You won’t have to pay for anything. I’ll pick you up, I’ll pay for your drinks…you are over twenty-one right?”

“No, I’m sixteen and a virgin,” Eliza said, rolling her eyes.

“Your parents let you get your lip pierced when you’re sixteen?” Johnny asked, acting like he believed her. Eliza raised her eyebrow at him when he cocked his head to the side, looking at her. “I’m kidding. I realize you were being sarcastic.”

“I’m twenty-four,” Eliza said.

“Oh, thank fuck. Hot and older than me! There’s no way they can give me shit now.”

Eliza laughed. This kid was funny. The way he was smiling was infectious. There was no way she could’ve said no to him now. “What exactly am I supposed to wear to this shindig?”

“Uhm, I’m not really sure.”

“Well, what are you wearing?”

“Again, I’m not really sure. I do know…that you should look hot.”

“That helps,” Eliza said, rolling her eyes. She smiled at him.

“Wear something that would make you turn heads but doesn’t look like…Won’t make it seem like…” He couldn’t find a nice way to say it.

“Wear something that’s sexy as fuck, but make sure I don’t look like a hooker?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I don’t want them to think I paid you to come with me.”

“I think I can manage that.”

“If they call me ‘short shit’ by any chance, will you say something to make them think you think I’m cute?” he asked almalmost nervously.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got your back,” Eliza said.

He beamed at her. “You’re really saving my life, you know that? Really, you are. Well, I’ve got to get the beer and get out of here. Those guys will be calling any second bitching at me for being late. I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Yeah, sounds good!” Eliza said and waved bye to him. She made her way through the store, picking up everything she needed, making a mental note to stop by the liquor store and pick up a bottle of Jack Daniels. Thinking of Johnny and his antics, she smiled again. The smile quickly faded as her thoughts returned to her dad. Maybe I should get more than one bottle, she thought to herself as she checked out. She knew she was going to need it while she was back in Huntington

It wasn’t as if she had a horrible life here. In fact, she hadn’t. She was friends with almost everyone, and she didn’t belong to any clique. She’d caused all kinds of trouble with her friends, scaring the shit out of her parents. She’d even once got arrested for trespassing, but she was never convicted. She did drugs, she drank, she stayed out late…but she always did her school work. A lot of people would’ve put her in that punk group that always got into trouble or fights at school, but when they saw her report card they were quite shocked. She made straight A’s and B’s in high school, and she’d also been on the softball, swimming, and diving teams. Of course, as her dad was the music teacher, she’d joined the marching and orchestra bands. When she said she was completely diverse, she meant it.

When her mom died her sophomore year, she stopped acting out. She settled down, she focused more on her school working, bringing her B’s up to A’s, and didn’t do as much illegal activities. She still drank and went out with friends on occasion, but mostly she stayed at home and played guitar or piano. Her dad had given her a guitar when she was little, and her mom pushed her to play piano. Her father was the reason she had pushed to get into Berklee. There, she perfected her voice and guitar, and also learned how to compose music, as well as the production of music. She majored in Electronic Production and Design where she learned how to electronically compose and produce music, the use of synthesizers and other tools, and different sound design techniques.

Now, she didn’t know how she felt about Huntington. When she moved to Boston, she would wear her Huntington Beach Oilers shirts and hoodies, and because of the ‘Huntington Beach’ part, people started asking her if she knew Avenged Sevenfold. The first time someone asked her, she looked at the girl like she was crazy because they were talking about a sinister gate and someone full of vengeance; she didn’t understand. Finally, she’d gotten some real names from the girl, and to the girl’s disappointment, she said no. Of course she knew of the boys, but she didn’t really know them. Brian and Matt had been in her class, Jimmy had helped her with the senior prank, Zacky had always been quiet, and she didn’t know who Johnny was. The only reason she remembered Matt was because Chemistry class, and the fire he started. Brian, she remembered for the fight in the grass area where he’d ripped her copy of Pride and Prejudice. She’d been furious until she realized it wasn’t his fault and he’d been pushed into her. She punched the guy who’d thrown Brian. Jimmy had helped her with the senior prank, and she’d tutored Zacky in Algebra. She’d even been to a couple of their early concerts when they played at Chain Reaction. Even though she’d done those things, she didn’t know the guys. She hadn’t spoken to any of them since high school. She was never close with any of them; they were always acquaintances. They would speak in passing, some, but she could never say that she knew them.

She dropped the groceries and liquor off at the house, and made her way back out of the house, she thought about what kind of dresses she owned. Nothing in her suitcases was classified as “slutty”, but some of them could’ve been. However, she needed a “refined slut” dress. In Boston, it’s usually cold and she wore jeans and sweatshirts all the time. Unless she had a recital, concert, or she went out with friends, she never dressed up.

Browsing through the mall, nothing was working. She’d been through four stores, and so far she’d come up with nothing. She was just about to give up when she spotted a small store tucked away between the camera store and the pretzel place. Her eyes widened at the displays in the window and a slow smile came to her face. She quickly walked in and her eyes were immediately brought to a little black number.

“Perfect.”