Little Lune
Two
"Rox wake up!" I squealed, nervous and excited as I exited the highway, officially entering Los Angeles.
Her eyes slowly blinked open and a lazy smile took over her features as she slowly woke up before sitting up and looking out the window. It was beautiful here, so alive, just like Roxy, she belonged here I could already see it.
"Where to?" I looked back to the street, looking to see if there were any hotels close by.
"The beach!" Her eyes were so bright, no trace of fear or nervousness to be seen in the blue clarity.
"Shouldn't we find somewhere to stay first?"
"Let's stay on the beach!"
"Anything on the beach is going to be crazy expensive, Rox."
"C'mon Bea, just one night and then we'll get a cheap room somewhere."
"Fine, but just one night." It was mostly her money after all, and one night wouldn't kill our budget.
She squealed, propping her feet up on the dash, "This is going to be amazing Bea."
We drove until Rox told me to pull in to the parking lot of a gaudy hotel, monstrous in size, it was sitting perfectly on the edge of the beach and would no doubt cost three times its worth.
She turned in her seat, "Just for tonight, since it's the first, let's get it all out of our system, go big, one night to completely let go and party and spend money and just be crazy and live for the first time!"
She was excited about it, and although I wasn't one for a party scene or going crazy, or any of that, I agreed, not wanting to hold her back, knowing if I did I'd be met with the stubborn determination that was Roxanne Valt.
We grabbed our bags from the back, feeling out of place in our shorts and beat up vans as we walked into the extravagant place. The lobby looked like an art gallery, and as we approached the front desk, the lady sitting behind it, eyeing us with suspicion, but Rox didn't seem to notice.
"Can I help you?" The snobby lady asked, sarcastically.
"One room for tonight, preferably with a view." My blonde friend flashed a smile.
"Will that be debt or credit?"
"Cash actually."
***
"This sun feels so amazing!"
"Yeah." I agreed, not really paying attention to her. We were in the beach now, having gotten settled into our room, swimsuits on, lying on our towels, but my mind was not here, it was in Truths and Consequences, although I had sworn not to think about it any longer. My mother must be worried. Roxy's grandmother must be worried. Would they come after us? Go to the police? Had there been an amber alert notifying the nation of our absence? Would we get caught?
"Bea." She interrupted my silent tangent.
"What?"
"Everything is fine, just don't worry about it. I can see you're gears turing."
"I'm just scared."
"We'll don't be. Live now, forget the past, the future is the future so it doesn't matter yet, just breathe."
So I did, I breathed in the damp, salty breeze, and carefree feeling that sitting here next to my best friend brought, I breathed in the thought of mattering and I felt okay.
"Now, tell me, why would two ladies as lovely as yourselves be sitting alone on the beach." My head snapped up to meet the eyes of the intruder. A tall, overly muscular, too tan guy that looked to be in his late teens stood, shorts hanging loosely at his hips, shaggy hair wet, dripping down his body.
"Just chilling." Rox answered, her flirty face already on.
"You here on vacation?" He asked, obviously taking an interest in her.
"Something like that." She twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "What about you?"
"Born and raised here. I'm Derek by the way."
He didn't seem nearly as douchey as I had expected him to, but still, I wasn't sure I liked him.
"I'm Roxanne, you can call me Roxy, and that's Bea."
I gave him a small wave.
"Well, I'd certainly love to see more of the two of you, there's this party at my friend Sam's house tonight, there's going to be tons of people there, you guys should come!"
"Okay sure!" Roxanne was agreeing before I could protest. I know we agreed that we would just let go tonight, and I was still okay with that, but a club sounded much safer than some random guy's house. I would talk to her about it when he left.
He gave her the address, then winking at her as he went to leave, "See you later, Blondie."
"We can't go."
"Bea, you promised! We are going."
"You don't even know him! He could be a rapist for all you know! Let's just go to a club or something."
"But Bea," She whined, "he was into me!"
"I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of guys at a club that are in to you too."
She huffed, "Well I'm going whether you come or not."
"Roxy don't do this to me." She knew I would come along whether I wanted to or not if she was planning on going alone. If anything happened to her it would be on my hands then and I would be alone.
"Do what Bea, I have no clue what you're talking about?"
"Fine, I'll go with you, but you are not having sex with that guy."
"Says you." She laid her head in my lap, and I could tell she was suddenly feeling vulnerable. After years of knowing her I had noticed this habit. I let my fingers run through her hair, hoping to comfort her from whatever thoughts she was having but would not share.
"Let's get in the water!" She stood pulling me by the hand behind her, her perfect body capturing the attention of a few boys walking by. She would have no trouble fitting in here, it was me I was worried about. I wanted to be confident and fearless like her, but I wasn't, I didn't know how to. I was merely a light summer breeze, incomparable to the loud whirlwind that Roxanne created. I had never minded being quiet, in the background, and even now I didn't want to be the center of attention, but I could see it happening already, Roxanne mattering in this city of important things, and me, Bea, only the critical unhappening bound to follow after the meaningful. I felt like a pebble in a sea of diamonds.
Her eyes slowly blinked open and a lazy smile took over her features as she slowly woke up before sitting up and looking out the window. It was beautiful here, so alive, just like Roxy, she belonged here I could already see it.
"Where to?" I looked back to the street, looking to see if there were any hotels close by.
"The beach!" Her eyes were so bright, no trace of fear or nervousness to be seen in the blue clarity.
"Shouldn't we find somewhere to stay first?"
"Let's stay on the beach!"
"Anything on the beach is going to be crazy expensive, Rox."
"C'mon Bea, just one night and then we'll get a cheap room somewhere."
"Fine, but just one night." It was mostly her money after all, and one night wouldn't kill our budget.
She squealed, propping her feet up on the dash, "This is going to be amazing Bea."
We drove until Rox told me to pull in to the parking lot of a gaudy hotel, monstrous in size, it was sitting perfectly on the edge of the beach and would no doubt cost three times its worth.
She turned in her seat, "Just for tonight, since it's the first, let's get it all out of our system, go big, one night to completely let go and party and spend money and just be crazy and live for the first time!"
She was excited about it, and although I wasn't one for a party scene or going crazy, or any of that, I agreed, not wanting to hold her back, knowing if I did I'd be met with the stubborn determination that was Roxanne Valt.
We grabbed our bags from the back, feeling out of place in our shorts and beat up vans as we walked into the extravagant place. The lobby looked like an art gallery, and as we approached the front desk, the lady sitting behind it, eyeing us with suspicion, but Rox didn't seem to notice.
"Can I help you?" The snobby lady asked, sarcastically.
"One room for tonight, preferably with a view." My blonde friend flashed a smile.
"Will that be debt or credit?"
"Cash actually."
***
"This sun feels so amazing!"
"Yeah." I agreed, not really paying attention to her. We were in the beach now, having gotten settled into our room, swimsuits on, lying on our towels, but my mind was not here, it was in Truths and Consequences, although I had sworn not to think about it any longer. My mother must be worried. Roxy's grandmother must be worried. Would they come after us? Go to the police? Had there been an amber alert notifying the nation of our absence? Would we get caught?
"Bea." She interrupted my silent tangent.
"What?"
"Everything is fine, just don't worry about it. I can see you're gears turing."
"I'm just scared."
"We'll don't be. Live now, forget the past, the future is the future so it doesn't matter yet, just breathe."
So I did, I breathed in the damp, salty breeze, and carefree feeling that sitting here next to my best friend brought, I breathed in the thought of mattering and I felt okay.
"Now, tell me, why would two ladies as lovely as yourselves be sitting alone on the beach." My head snapped up to meet the eyes of the intruder. A tall, overly muscular, too tan guy that looked to be in his late teens stood, shorts hanging loosely at his hips, shaggy hair wet, dripping down his body.
"Just chilling." Rox answered, her flirty face already on.
"You here on vacation?" He asked, obviously taking an interest in her.
"Something like that." She twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "What about you?"
"Born and raised here. I'm Derek by the way."
He didn't seem nearly as douchey as I had expected him to, but still, I wasn't sure I liked him.
"I'm Roxanne, you can call me Roxy, and that's Bea."
I gave him a small wave.
"Well, I'd certainly love to see more of the two of you, there's this party at my friend Sam's house tonight, there's going to be tons of people there, you guys should come!"
"Okay sure!" Roxanne was agreeing before I could protest. I know we agreed that we would just let go tonight, and I was still okay with that, but a club sounded much safer than some random guy's house. I would talk to her about it when he left.
He gave her the address, then winking at her as he went to leave, "See you later, Blondie."
"We can't go."
"Bea, you promised! We are going."
"You don't even know him! He could be a rapist for all you know! Let's just go to a club or something."
"But Bea," She whined, "he was into me!"
"I'm sure you'll be able to find plenty of guys at a club that are in to you too."
She huffed, "Well I'm going whether you come or not."
"Roxy don't do this to me." She knew I would come along whether I wanted to or not if she was planning on going alone. If anything happened to her it would be on my hands then and I would be alone.
"Do what Bea, I have no clue what you're talking about?"
"Fine, I'll go with you, but you are not having sex with that guy."
"Says you." She laid her head in my lap, and I could tell she was suddenly feeling vulnerable. After years of knowing her I had noticed this habit. I let my fingers run through her hair, hoping to comfort her from whatever thoughts she was having but would not share.
"Let's get in the water!" She stood pulling me by the hand behind her, her perfect body capturing the attention of a few boys walking by. She would have no trouble fitting in here, it was me I was worried about. I wanted to be confident and fearless like her, but I wasn't, I didn't know how to. I was merely a light summer breeze, incomparable to the loud whirlwind that Roxanne created. I had never minded being quiet, in the background, and even now I didn't want to be the center of attention, but I could see it happening already, Roxanne mattering in this city of important things, and me, Bea, only the critical unhappening bound to follow after the meaningful. I felt like a pebble in a sea of diamonds.