Ocean Avenue

DAY ONE

Alex stepped outside into the scorching heat, sighing as he squinted against the harsh, bright sun. His mom was forcing him to go out and 'explore' today, saying that he couldn't stay cooped up in their rental house forever. According to his mother, he’d have to make some friends these couple weeks during break or he’d be the only one without a good experience. Blah blah blah. Whatever. Alex was willing to go out and wander around for a while to satisfy my mom, so that's what he was about to do now.

Alex’s family – his mom, dad, and him – had come all the way from Baltimore, Maryland to San Diego, California for a two week spring break. He hated the huge change in climate and lifestyle. Baltimore was cold and quiet, people mostly keeping to themselves. The west coast was a different story. Here, temperatures skyrocketed, making for a stifling day. Everyone was outside, though, and at the beach. They were immune to their environment. Residents and tourists bustled everywhere; they loved to socialize. Not to mention you couldn't go down the block without seeing a surfer or a hipster – or, god forbid, both. It was so overwhelming, and Alex couldn't wait to get back to his hometown. He wasn't this kind of person at all. He stayed in his room and covered Blink 182 songs on his electric guitar, bullshitted his way through school, and got on the nerves of adults who expected more from him. These tanned, Cali style people around were like a big slap in the face from what Alex was used to.

Back home, Alex had quite a few friends. He didn't have a best friend, though; none of them really out-shined the next. Although feeling bad for thinking this, Alex supposed that he wouldn't really even know them if it weren't for school. His friends were nice people, and he was thankful for them, but he didn't really see himself as the type to go out and get to know people voluntarily. Alex believed this almost wholeheartedly, but something inside him longed for someone that shared his hobbies, that would spark his interest, someone that wouldn't be around just for entertainment. This is why Alex had to suppress several eye rolls as his mother spoke of him making friends. He knew he wouldn't meet anyone here better than his friends at home, anyway, and if he did, he'd just have to leave them eventually. Alex wanted no part in that. He was strong enough to be on his own for two weeks.

‘And, mom,’ Alex thought as he strolled down a sidewalk, ‘it isn’t even entirely true that I haven’t made any friends.’ Yesterday he had gone with his dad to the supermarket and sort of made acquaintances with the checkout clerk. His name was Matt, and he was a senior (Alex was a sophomore). He would be lying if he said that the reason he’d talked to Matt wasn't that Matt was a little bit cute. But Alex didn't think he possessed the effort to develop any shitty crush or whatever, so he’d just followed his dad out of the store and mostly forgotten about the boy. Now as he walked down to the beach behind the big house his family was staying in, Alex was surprised to see Matt standing near the shore. He was amid the huge crowd on the long expanse of sandy white coast, and stood in a half circle with three other guys. One had close cropped hair and a pearly-white smile on his face. He was laughing about something. Another looked kind and somewhat shy, and he was super buff. The last had dark brown hair with a trail of bleached blonde through it, sticking up. He had an amused expression and shook his head a little at whatever Matt had said to him and the others. Alex was about to walk the other way when Matt looked up and saw him. Matt grinned a little and waved Alex over, much to the latter’s surprise. But Alex acted indifferent and forced his feet to move, slowly making his way over.

Time seemed to still as Alex walked along in the bright sun. He thought about the guys he was slowly approaching, what they must think of him, and why they were so inviting. Was everyone in this state like this? Determining that it didn't matter what they thought of him, Alex was able to stand a bit more confidently, realizing that he'd be leaving this place soon enough. He told himself that he was simply finding people to get through the next two weeks with, and he chose these boys, because they were friendly and intriguing. It even wasn't a lie, though, Alex was intrigued. Something about the group made him want to find out why they were so welcoming, as opposed to everyone Alex had met in his home town. He was sure that he didn't need the others to survive his holiday, but as he moved forward, Alex kept wondering why he was doing so, and where his change of heart came from.

Stumbling through the soft sand, Alex kicked it up and got it all stuck between his toes. Gross. His mind continued to tell him ‘no’ about this, but he still walked on. Was it for his parents’ sake? Maybe. His, so he wouldn’t look like the only idiot here without friends? Also a strong maybe. This was Alex going against who he was. He wasn’t the social extravagant feeding off any and all types of relationships. He was Alexander William Gaskarth, who made a life for himself that consisted basically of Mac and Cheese and watching Batman, but he still walked on. Alex was then facing these strangers, whose skin shone golden under the sunlight. Who all wore smiles, even the three who hadn’t even seen Alex around before. They were his polar opposites, but he was here, and he had to make something of it.