Riptide.
It's part of the journey, it's part of the game
Two hours seemed like an eternity. But finally, around 10pm, I find myself on the UCLA campus, rushing towards my sister’s dorm room while Brody parks the car.
I get to my sister’s dorm and knock loudly on the door. The door opens and reveals someone familiar but not. The boy in front of me is someone I’ve only seen in pictures. “Travis?” I question. He looks at me like I have twenty heads and he tenses up. “I’m friends with your brother Brody.” I inform him. “And I just so happen to be Aria’s big sister.”
“So you’re Alison.” He smiles before allowing me to enter. “Your sister has been going on and on about you. And I think my brother has too. You must be the Ali, huh?”
“Should I be afraid of what your brother has said about me?” I let out a chuckle as I enter the room. Once inside I see my baby sister curled up in bed with puffy eyes, along with a black and blue mark forming around her left eye. “Who the fuck did this to you?”
“A guy I was talking to online.” She replies. “I started seeing him once I moved out here early for the summer semester. Everything was going fine, until tonight.” She sighs. I immediately walk over to the bed and curl up next to her. I pull her close to me and she just breaks down. “He got so fucking mad because I refused to sleep with him. He called me a prude and just attacked me. I think he was high or drunk. Hell even both.”
“He’s a fucking asshole.” I tell her. “Give me his name and I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.”
“She wouldn’t even give me a name.” Travis informs me. “I highly doubt she’ll give you a name.”
“I don’t want either of you to get in trouble.” She sniffles. “His family is loaded and has connections everywhere.”
“He can’t get away with this.” Travis sighs, running fingers through his brown hair. “If he gets away with doing this to you, he’ll think he can get away with doing this to another girl. He might even go further with the next girl.”
“He’s right,” I tell her. “Guys like him get off on doing shit like this. It makes them feel powerful. He’ll keep going further and further and he might end up killing someone down the road. So if you don’t give us a name, give the name to a police officer or something. You have to at least try and take him down.”
“I’m terrified.” She admits, crying harder. Her crying is only drowned out by the knock on the door. Travis goes to answer it and there stands Brody. He does a double take at this brother.
“Why?” Is the only thing Brody asks as he enters the room.
“I’m friends with theAli’s sister.” Travis smirks. “I see you two are finally together.”
“We’re not togethers.” Both of us reply at the same time.
“Is this the surfer?” Aria questions looking at Brody while wiping the tears from her eyes. “Your polaroids don’t do him justice.”
“You okay?” Brody asks Aria. “You gave your sister quite the scare.”
“I don’t think I want to be in L.A anymore.” She sighs. “At least for a bit.”
“You can always come to Solana Beach with me.” I suggest. “I know you still have class. You can always let your teachers know something came up and you’ll be leaving for a week. If you don’t want to tell them the truth, lie and something family related came up. You can bring your books and laptop and do assignments and homework.”
“Mom will freak the fuck out if she finds out I’m visiting you.” Aria laughs. “Are you sure you won’t care if I spend a week with you? I really need to get out of LA for a bit.”
“Aria, you’re my baby sister. I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I didn’t want you to come with me.” I smile as I pull her even closer to me. “I want you to be happy and safe. And if that means you’re sleeping on my futon, so be it.”
“Thank you Ali.” She smiles. “It means a lot.”
“Come on, lets get you packed up.” Brody smiles at us. “Let’s get out of here soon, I wouldn’t want you sister to be half asleep for her shift tomorrow.”
“You’re working?” Aria questions as she pulls away from me. “I figured you would be living off your savings.”
“I’m saving that for a rainy day.” I smile. “Besides I’d lose my mind if I just did nothing but lay out on the beach all day.” Aria just laughs before rushing to get everything packed.
**
We are about a half an hour outside of Solana Beach. Aria is in the back seat completely passed out. Summer of ‘69 by Bryan Adams is playing softly from the radio. There is a nice, comfortable silence washing over me and Brody.
“Thank you for doing this.” I say, breaking the silence. “It means a lot to me.”
“Don’t mention it.” He says, glancing over at me with a smile before returning his attention to the highway in front of us. “She’s a lot like you, you know.”
“People always joked saying she’s my mini me.” I smile. “I just wish I was able to protect her from that asshat. I wish she’d just tell me his fucking name.”
“You can’t protect her forever.” He sighs. “Sadly. And give her time, she’ll tell you the name. Just let her process what’s going on.”
“I’ve been thinking about asking her to transfer schools.” I admit aloud. “I’ve been thinking about it before this even happened. But after this, I really want her to transfer, is that bad?”
“Have her transfer to UCSD?” Broday asks.
“San Diego is a hell of a lot closer than Los Angeles.” I reply. “It’s the same school, just different locations, right? It shouldn’t be hard to transfer, especially since she’s not going to feel safe in LA.”
“Ultimately, it’ll be her decision.” Brody reminds me. “But I can see why you want her to transfer. You want to keep her safe. And 24 minutes is a lot closer than 2 hours.”
“I’ll give her a chance to relax before suggesting this.” I state. “I want her to relax and enjoy the sun and have fun. I know our mother will give her hell for this if she wants to transfer. Mom didn’t even want her to go to UCLA. She wanted her to remain in New York.”
“NYU has a good med program, right?”
“That’s where I went.” I reply. “I wanted to go out of state but my mom had a hissy fit; especially after we told her our summer plans. My mom didn’t like the month in California trip.”
“I’m glad you’re no longer under your mother’s control.” He states, smiling but his eyes remain on the road. “I’m glad the girl I fell in love with 8 years ago is coming back. She was amazing, you’ll love her.” He laughs.
“It’s good to finally be myself again.” I smile before turning my attention to the passing scenery…
I get to my sister’s dorm and knock loudly on the door. The door opens and reveals someone familiar but not. The boy in front of me is someone I’ve only seen in pictures. “Travis?” I question. He looks at me like I have twenty heads and he tenses up. “I’m friends with your brother Brody.” I inform him. “And I just so happen to be Aria’s big sister.”
“So you’re Alison.” He smiles before allowing me to enter. “Your sister has been going on and on about you. And I think my brother has too. You must be the Ali, huh?”
“Should I be afraid of what your brother has said about me?” I let out a chuckle as I enter the room. Once inside I see my baby sister curled up in bed with puffy eyes, along with a black and blue mark forming around her left eye. “Who the fuck did this to you?”
“A guy I was talking to online.” She replies. “I started seeing him once I moved out here early for the summer semester. Everything was going fine, until tonight.” She sighs. I immediately walk over to the bed and curl up next to her. I pull her close to me and she just breaks down. “He got so fucking mad because I refused to sleep with him. He called me a prude and just attacked me. I think he was high or drunk. Hell even both.”
“He’s a fucking asshole.” I tell her. “Give me his name and I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.”
“She wouldn’t even give me a name.” Travis informs me. “I highly doubt she’ll give you a name.”
“I don’t want either of you to get in trouble.” She sniffles. “His family is loaded and has connections everywhere.”
“He can’t get away with this.” Travis sighs, running fingers through his brown hair. “If he gets away with doing this to you, he’ll think he can get away with doing this to another girl. He might even go further with the next girl.”
“He’s right,” I tell her. “Guys like him get off on doing shit like this. It makes them feel powerful. He’ll keep going further and further and he might end up killing someone down the road. So if you don’t give us a name, give the name to a police officer or something. You have to at least try and take him down.”
“I’m terrified.” She admits, crying harder. Her crying is only drowned out by the knock on the door. Travis goes to answer it and there stands Brody. He does a double take at this brother.
“Why?” Is the only thing Brody asks as he enters the room.
“I’m friends with theAli’s sister.” Travis smirks. “I see you two are finally together.”
“We’re not togethers.” Both of us reply at the same time.
“Is this the surfer?” Aria questions looking at Brody while wiping the tears from her eyes. “Your polaroids don’t do him justice.”
“You okay?” Brody asks Aria. “You gave your sister quite the scare.”
“I don’t think I want to be in L.A anymore.” She sighs. “At least for a bit.”
“You can always come to Solana Beach with me.” I suggest. “I know you still have class. You can always let your teachers know something came up and you’ll be leaving for a week. If you don’t want to tell them the truth, lie and something family related came up. You can bring your books and laptop and do assignments and homework.”
“Mom will freak the fuck out if she finds out I’m visiting you.” Aria laughs. “Are you sure you won’t care if I spend a week with you? I really need to get out of LA for a bit.”
“Aria, you’re my baby sister. I wouldn’t be suggesting this if I didn’t want you to come with me.” I smile as I pull her even closer to me. “I want you to be happy and safe. And if that means you’re sleeping on my futon, so be it.”
“Thank you Ali.” She smiles. “It means a lot.”
“Come on, lets get you packed up.” Brody smiles at us. “Let’s get out of here soon, I wouldn’t want you sister to be half asleep for her shift tomorrow.”
“You’re working?” Aria questions as she pulls away from me. “I figured you would be living off your savings.”
“I’m saving that for a rainy day.” I smile. “Besides I’d lose my mind if I just did nothing but lay out on the beach all day.” Aria just laughs before rushing to get everything packed.
**
We are about a half an hour outside of Solana Beach. Aria is in the back seat completely passed out. Summer of ‘69 by Bryan Adams is playing softly from the radio. There is a nice, comfortable silence washing over me and Brody.
“Thank you for doing this.” I say, breaking the silence. “It means a lot to me.”
“Don’t mention it.” He says, glancing over at me with a smile before returning his attention to the highway in front of us. “She’s a lot like you, you know.”
“People always joked saying she’s my mini me.” I smile. “I just wish I was able to protect her from that asshat. I wish she’d just tell me his fucking name.”
“You can’t protect her forever.” He sighs. “Sadly. And give her time, she’ll tell you the name. Just let her process what’s going on.”
“I’ve been thinking about asking her to transfer schools.” I admit aloud. “I’ve been thinking about it before this even happened. But after this, I really want her to transfer, is that bad?”
“Have her transfer to UCSD?” Broday asks.
“San Diego is a hell of a lot closer than Los Angeles.” I reply. “It’s the same school, just different locations, right? It shouldn’t be hard to transfer, especially since she’s not going to feel safe in LA.”
“Ultimately, it’ll be her decision.” Brody reminds me. “But I can see why you want her to transfer. You want to keep her safe. And 24 minutes is a lot closer than 2 hours.”
“I’ll give her a chance to relax before suggesting this.” I state. “I want her to relax and enjoy the sun and have fun. I know our mother will give her hell for this if she wants to transfer. Mom didn’t even want her to go to UCLA. She wanted her to remain in New York.”
“NYU has a good med program, right?”
“That’s where I went.” I reply. “I wanted to go out of state but my mom had a hissy fit; especially after we told her our summer plans. My mom didn’t like the month in California trip.”
“I’m glad you’re no longer under your mother’s control.” He states, smiling but his eyes remain on the road. “I’m glad the girl I fell in love with 8 years ago is coming back. She was amazing, you’ll love her.” He laughs.
“It’s good to finally be myself again.” I smile before turning my attention to the passing scenery…
♠ ♠ ♠
chapter title credit: Sound of Change by Dirty Heads.I'm going to make a playlist for this story much like my other story playlists and it'll only be made up of songs I've used a chapter titles.
And I know, almost two since I updated. Well I was rereading this and I felt like working on it again. Miss it? Probably not? But it's practically summer and I really want to work on a beachy romance story.