Ocean Avenue

Where the hell am I supposed to stand? Alex thought nervously, trying to keep the sand out of his shoes as he walked towards the group of boys. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to stand next to Matt, of whom he’d already met, or stand across from him, next to the other boys. He wanted to be able to face Matt, but the thought of standing in between two strangers, different from him in so many ways, made him feel an amount of shyness that he wasn’t used to. Realizing that he was just being stupid, he decided to swallow his pride, walking up and standing in between the strong-looking one and the one with the blonde streak.

Matt offered a kind smile, which Alex was grateful for. He tried to return it but it probably just looked like he was confused and in pain. Alex tried not to make evident his awkwardness.

“Hey! It’s Alex, right?” Matt asked. When Alex just nodded, Matt was quick to introduce him to the rest of the group.

"Alex, these are my best friends, Rian Dawson, Zack Merrick, and Jack Barakat." He gestured to each of them in turn so Alex would know who was who. Alex would remember them because Rian had the shiny Colgate teeth, Zack was the guy who looked like he lived on steroids, and Jack was the one with hair that resembled a skunk.

“Nice to meet you,” Alex said politely, holding out his hand in case they were those kind of people. He felt a little dumb afterwards; why would surfers want to do a formal handshake? But Rian reached forward and shook Alex’s hand without a blink of his eye, as if it didn’t throw him off at all and was normal.

“Nice to meet you too,” Rian said, and Zack nodded in agreement.

“I met the kid at work while he was checking out. He seems pretty cool, so I figured he could hang out with us. Alex here’s a Spring Breaker,” Matt explained to his posse.

Whether or not it was sarcastic, Jack decided, “Sick,” earning an unsure smile from Alex. A weird word choice, but of course things were different here.

“Where are you from?” Rian asked, to which Alex replied softly,

“Baltimore.”

The honest interest that Rian showed in Alex made the out of place boy feel much more welcomed than he had felt prior to their encounter. Alex could see himself easily becoming friends with Rian, if not with all the other boys as well. With his new found confidence, Alex was easily able to continue a conversation with the group.

“So you came here just with your parents?” Matt asked, and Alex nodded his head in reply.

The group of friends seemed slightly shocked at this knowledge, Zack asking, “Not even with any siblings?” to which Alex shook his head again, this time throwing a shrug into his reply.

“Nope, I don’t really mind it. My parents are cool with me doing whatever, so it’s fine.” Alex spoke, trying his hardest not to sound lonely in the least bit. He was just a little bothered by the fact that he was pretty much a loner.

“Sucks, man, but maybe we’ll be able to make it better for you.” Jack stated, the rest of the boys nodding in agreement.

None of the boys seemed to mind the new member of their group at all. It’d only be for the break. Without voicing it, all four boys had decided to make Alex’s, first day worthwhile.

“Thanks, guys,” Alex responded gratefully, glad that the strangers he had encountered happened to be welcoming ones.

After that, things were a blur of quick chatting and plan making. Alex wasn't sure how he'd ended up leaving the beach with these people he'd met just minutes before, but they were determined to show him around their side of San Diego - the coast side. According to the guys, they all lived within a few miles of each other and Zack and Jack were in walking distance of the ocean. For fun, they hung out at the boardwalk, surfed, and Alex was surprised to find out that they even played instruments together in a unofficial band of sorts.

"What do you all play?" Alex asked. He was busy looking out the window, sitting in the backseat of Matt's SUV with Rian in between him and Jack, Zack in the passenger seat.

"Well I don't play. I manage shit," Matt said. Alex nodded, glancing over as Rian spoke.

"I go boom boom crash on the drums."

Jack laughed, punching his friend's shoulder lightly and sending him bumping against Alex. Three teenage boys in the back of an SUV was a tight fit.

"I play guitar and Z plays bass," Jack said. He jabbed his thumb towards the boy in the front, whom Alex had learned was more quiet and shy than the rest of them.

"Cool," Alex hummed. Jack nodded in reply.

"Do you play anything?" Rian asked, looking towards Alex.

"I play a bit of guitar, but I like singing and writing mostly," Alex murmured, not wanting to come off as overconfident. He had a lyric notebook that he used a lot, but no one knew about his talent. Even he didn’t consider it a strength.

"We'll have to check that out sometime," Rian responded, and Alex could only smile.

Tuning out the rest of the conversation, Alex focused his attention to the view out the window. It was nothing like home. Beaches stretched for miles and there were palm trees everywhere. He wondered what it was like for the other boys to live here. Was it just normal, or did they feel like they were on a permanent vacation? While on the topic of 'permanent vacations,' Alex decided that if he could take one, he definitely would. The scenery was spectacular, the temperature was great, and it was as if he could tune out all of his worries from back home. The young boy knew that this wasn't possible, though - he wouldn't be able to stay forever. That's why Alex would make sure that he didn't get too ahead of himself, just staying casual friends with the guys he was now surrounded by. Having best friends on the other side of the country was honestly the last thing he needed. And with Alex’s luck, things wouldn’t last.

“Here we are,” Matt said, bringing Alex back from his private thoughts. Alex hadn’t even noticed that the vehicle had stopped, but as he snapped into reality again he looked around and realized that the others were all getting out. Alex followed their lead and stretched his legs gratefully, for they had been driving for a while.

Zack gestured for Alex to follow along and the latter complied, falling into step with his newfound friends. They walked for a while with Alex unable to keep track of all the cuts and turns and little shortcuts. Finally they emerged from their little path.

“Where are we?” Alex couldn’t think of much else to say as he took in their surroundings. They were located in a small cove of sorts on the beach, miles and miles away from the area that was used by localists and tourists alike. Alex could see nothing but ocean, sandy shore, and dark rock formation with green vegetation spread out over it. The area was secluded.

Matt waded out, turning around with the light beaming down on him and the water. “This is our little hangout. It’s super hard to find.”

"You say it as if no one else has ever been here," Jack snorted, to which Matt just waved him off.

"Whatever. It's our spot."

Zack and Rian joined Matt in the water, racing through the sand to get to the ocean after discarding their shirts, while Jack hung back with Alex, who sat down in the sand. The newcomer noticed the presence of the taller guy when he asked from behind him, "So, what made you come to San Diego, exactly?"

"I don't really know. Warm weather, I guess? We just wanted to get away." Alex replied, not really knowing what else to say. Jack sat down beside him. Alex wasn’t sure why Jack hadn’t joined his friends in the water, but didn’t dwell on the thought.

Jack hummed in reply, opting to ask another question. "Well, what's back home like for you? What do you do for fun?" When he tilted his head slightly to the side, the sun caught his dark brown eyes and brightened them.

A small smile lifted the corner of Alex’s lips at the question. He traced in the sand while he watched Matt jump on Zack’s back, sending them both into the water while Rian laughed uncontrollably.

“Definitely not this. It’s way too cold… In Baltimore.” Alex shifted his gaze to Jack to see the other boy listening and nodding for him to continue.

“Well, I guess we play a lot of video games. We can hang out in the parks during spring and summer, but the other half of the year we have to stay inside because of the weather."

"Who do you mean by we?" Jack asked curiously.

“Um, my two friends and I. Cassadee and John,” Alex answered. Truthfully, he didn’t have many close friends. Or many friends at all. But he did have Cass and John, who he’d been around since freshman algebra.

Jack nodded. Alex expected him to take his turn and talk about himself and his friends, but he stayed silent. Alex continued to watch the other three of the group have fun for a few more minutes before they come sloshing out of the water, completely soaked.

“Emergency towels!” Rian called as he jogged over to a rock and grabbed the three beach towels he’d brought down. He tossed one to Zack and one to Matt, and they all dried off, Alex standing aside and watching in amusement. Once finished, the quintet made the trek back to the car. Alex took note of all of the interesting nature that was absolutely nothing like what they had in his city.

After their stop, Alex was taken to the heart of the “neighborhood” that the boys of San Diego lived in. Really, it was like a small town in itself. They stopped at multiple places, including a unique and open complex cafe, an antique shop full of odd items Alex had never seen before, and a colorful garden gnome emporium. Alex was really surprised and admittedly amazed by a small festival going on with street performers and vendors selling cultural food. There was so much to see. By time Alex was due to go home, he was exhausted from his activities. Alex was dropped off first, Matt, Jack, Rian, and Zack all wanting to see the house his family had rented for their stay.

“Thanks for showing me around today,” Alex said as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He felt like he’d dissolved into the sun and was so tired he just wanted to take a ten hour nap. “I had a lot of fun.” That was true. Surprisingly, Alex had enjoyed himself to the limit.

Matt grinned as he twisted around to watch Alex get out. “No problem. We’re glad you hung out with us. If you want company again while you’re here, we could exchange phone numbers?”

Alex nodded, finding himself automatically agreeing. “Sure,” he said.

Everyone took turns writing their numbers on Alex’s forearm. He watched the pen Zack had found in the glovebox as each of his new acquaintances wrote. Then he gave them all his phone number in exchange. By time Matt shifted the car into drive again, Alex was ready to faint on the pavement from tiredness. Matt waved as the car backed out of the driveway and Alex waved back instinctively before turning and advancing inside.

Unfortunately, Alex was not able to escape to his temporary room right away. His mother was sitting on the sofa in the living room with a tourism magazine and a cup of tea and looked up when Alex walked in.

“How was your day, honey?” Mrs. Gaskarth asked, setting down the magazine with a happy expression. She was obviously eager to hear what her son had been up to all day. Alex didn’t fight it, and willingly walked over to sit in the chair across from her. He did, though, decide to skip out on some key details in his answer.

“Oh, I just hung out at the beach. Explored some of the little shops nearby. No big deal.” Alex shrugged nonchalantly to further his downplayed words. His mother nodded. He couldn’t tell whether or not she was disappointed, but he didn’t know why she would be considering this was customary - Alex wouldn’t have gone out and had an active day had he not met people at the beach who more or less took him under their wings.

Alex’s mother sipped her tea before responding. “Alright. I’m going to start dinner soon, so go upstairs and shower.” Alex nodded obediently and left the room. His legs felt like lead, aching in opposition as he climbed the stairs. Alex grabbed some fresh, comfortable clothes before he stripped down and took a long, lukewarm shower. He sighed as the water cascaded over his skin, silently wondering just what he’d gotten himself into.