Strangers by the Surf
Chapter One- New Beginnings
Rain in Los Angeles was a rare sight to see. I am still not sure why it happened to rain on that day at the perfect time but I think the rain saved my life that day. No- it wasn't the rain. It was Ethan Dolan that saved my life that day. I just didn't know it yet. But I thank the rain for him. I thank the rain and the sky above for bringing us together. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning.
My name is Viola Richards. I am eighteen years old and currently living in Los Angeles attending UCLA. You could say I am a "normal" girl. I work at Nordstrom at The Grove on weekends and spend my weekdays going to school and hanging out with friends between classes. Most people would call me shy but I like to use the word introverted. It's not that I don't like talking to people, I just don't like talking to people all the time. I like to read, sing, skate, and eat cheesy fries. I hope to change the world someday. Or at least leave the world a little happier and a little more positive than before. For now, that means majoring in English and becoming a teacher. But who knows? I am only a freshman after all.
It all began on a Saturday morning. My shift at Nordstrom was early that day. I was glad, I hated working in the afternoon and having none of the day left to do what I wanted. The forecast showed no hint of rain or even clouds, so I dressed in my usual work outfit and left my jacket on the coatrack as I walked out the door. The drive to work took a little longer than usual since there was construction on the highway, but I made it on time. I hated being late. All in all, it was a fairly typical day at work- I greeted customers, checked prices, cashiered a bit and tidied the clothes.
About two hours into my shift, I felt my phone ringing in my pocket nonstop. That never happened to me so I glanced at the caller ID. It said Mom. That was never a good sign. My mom wouldn't call me while I was at work unless it was really important. I walked over to my boss, Liza.
"Liza. I am so sorry but my Mom keeps calling me and I don't think she would unless it was really important, can I step away and call her back really quick?" I asked.
She checked to make sure there were no customers waiting to be helped and then replied, "Sure thing, Viola, just try to be as fast as you can."
"Thank you so much. I'll be right back." Now the nerves were really starting to set in. Maybe I was worrying too much. I tended to over think things. I dialed my mom's number and waited for her to pick up. It's probably nothing, I thought. She picked up after the third ring.
"Hey sweetie." She said in that soft, comforting voice moms use before they break really bad news.
"Hey Mom. Is everything okay? You called like six times, I am in the middle of a shift." I sat down on a nearby bench, bracing for her next words.
"Sweetie, your friend Michael passed away today. I wish there was a better way to say it but there isn't really a way around it so I thought I would come right out with it. I'm so sorry." I felt all my thoughts freeze in midair, as if every second passing was a century. Dead? How could he be dead? He was only eighteen, like me.
"Michael? Like Michael Peters Michael? Like my high school best friend Michael? H-how?" I could feel the tears and the breakdown coming now. My thoughts were no longer frozen; they were reeling around in my head, going a million miles an hour.
"He- he was," My mom was struggling to keep it together now. "He was hit by a drunk driver, sweetie. Sweetie, how about we talk more about it once you have a little time to process? Go ask your manager to get off early and I will call you a little later, okay? If you need to talk sooner, I will be here."
"Okay" was all I could manage.
"I love you so much."
"I love you too, Mom." My heart felt like it was in my stomach. A few tears escaped my eyes, but I tried to hold back the hysteria until I got to my car. Luckily, my boss let me go since it was a slow morning anyway. Once I got to my car, I stayed there and cried for nearly an hour before I could even handle driving. I got a few odd looks but I didn't care. All I cared about was that my friend was dead and I didn't even get to say goodbye.
I had known Michael since I was six years old. The only reason I went to a different college than him was because I got better scholarships from UCLA. But we were supposed to be friends forever. Now we couldn't be anymore. All because of a drunk driver. He was so young. Why him? He has always been kind to people and gone out his way to help others. Michael was a great friend who stood by me through everything. Who was going to stand by me through everything now?
Now you might be thinking Michael and I were more than friends, but that was never the case. I was never that girl who went to her girlfriend's house and did face masks and manicures. Sure, I enjoy those things, but I wouldn't describe myself as a girly girl. I did those things on my own time. I preferred hanging out with Michael. We could go skating and get cheese fries on a friday night and I never felt weird taking off my makeup when we went to his house to watch a movie. In fact, whenever I was around other guys it was weird not feeling comfortable being totally myself since I spent my whole life best friends with a guy.
I also felt weird around girls sometimes. Michael never cared if my lips were chapped or my eyebrows needed to be plucked. Girls always noticed though. I was incredibly lucky to have a friend like Michael. I could tell him anything or say nothing at all and he would understand what I needed. I texted him last night and he was already gone. It was late and I was thinking about graduation night.
"Hey remember when I tripped on my robe at graduation in front of the whole school?" I texted him.
"Haha, yeah, why? How's LA?" He replied.
"LA is… hot. I dunno. I miss that. We had so much fun that night. Even though we didn't go to after grad or any parties because I was too embarrassed. I miss hanging out with you. LA would be so much more fun with you. :( Please come save me. I suck at making friends."
"Aw Vi :( I'm sorry. I promise I'll visit soon. I've been saving up. I'll hitchhike if I have to."
"You better. Eating cheese fries alone is way less fun than eating cheese fries with someone else."
"I promise. Hang in there." I guess that promise wouldn't come true.
As soon as I was calm enough, I drove home and got changed. I don't even remember what I was wearing, I was in such a trance. After a couple more hours curled on my bed crying and reminiscing, I couldn't summon any more tears. Somehow, that was worse. If I was crying, at least I felt something. Now I felt nothing. Also I was ravenous. I felt like I could eat everything in my house plus the silverware, but I didn't have the motivation to cook and was tired of looking at my gray and white walls. Looking back, I probably looked psycho with my mismatched clothes and puffy eyes but I went to Chipotle and got the biggest burrito I had ever seen in my life. I ate it in about eight minutes flat and left to head home.
The late afternoon sun beginning to sink below the horizon struck me, though. and I turned around to take a walk on Santa Monica Beach. My feet carried me almost hypnotically to the waves, where I sat, feeling the swells engulf me and then retreat, reflecting the brilliant oranges and reds of the sunset. It was the first time since my Mom called that I felt any sense of calm. I was sad, but I couldn't help thinking how much Michael would have loved the sunset. I sat there until the air had grown cold. But something still kept me anchored to my little spot in the waves.
I didn't notice that the clouds had moved in above me, I was too enamored by the sunset and the sea. In fact, it took me a moment to even realize when little droplets of water were falling on my head. Rain. In Los Angeles. Maybe it was Michael sending me a sign. The feeling I had about the beach, the sunset, and now this? There had to be a reason I turned around. "Thank you, Michael. I'm sure gonna miss you." I said.
I started to get up to head back to my car before the rain made me too cold, but as I turned, someone ran right into me, causing me to lose balance and fall over. Just what I needed.
"I am so sorry! I didn't even see you, my surfboard must have blocked my vision." I sat up to see an incredibly handsome teenage guy with brown hair and the most entrancing brown eyes. His body was toned and muscular underneath his wetsuit. I shook my head, trying not to stare at him too long.
"It's okay, I didn't see you either." I realized how terrible I must look and blushed a little, trying not to make eye contact.
"Let me help you up." He said, offering his hand. I took his hand, which made me blush more, accentuating my swollen eyes and puffy red nose. His smile was warm. I only wish I had met him at a better time. He seemed really nice.
"Thanks. I-uh. I better go." All the commotion made me want to cry again. I started to walk away as the tears fell, but not before he called out to me. Please don't ask if I'm okay.
"Hey, hold on, you dropped your phone!" He called to me. Of course.
"Thanks," I said, trying to hide my tears as I took it from his hands. Another kid ran up to him as I took my phone and looked me straight in the eyes. He had a kind smile too. Unfortunately, I didn't have the heart to return it. On second glance, they looked really similar. They had different hair, one in a tall quiff and the other more shaggy with a red streak through it, but they must be twins. Their faces were nearly identical and they looked the same age.
The second guy with the quiff looked at me and asked. "Are you okay?" Please don't blubber out your answer, please just keep it together.
I couldn't keep it together, and just shook my head while I let out more tears. I sniffled. "I-it's been a… a very long day. I got some bad news is all. I'll be okay." I felt like an idiot even though they were just being kind.
The shaggy haired boy gave me a reassuring smile and the boy with the quiff walked forward to give me a hug. It really did make me feel better. They were total strangers but I had needed a hug all day. I hugged him back and wiped my tears. "Thank you. You two are so nice, you don't even know me."
"Nobody deserves to be sad, especially alone." The shaggy haired one said. He came over and gave me a hug too. "Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head.
"I don't think I am ready yet. And you guys have done enough. Thank you, really. I just think I better get home. I need to give my mom another call anyway." I forced a smile that didn't reach my eyes.
"Well good luck with whatever it is you're going through. I hope you feel better." The one with the quiff said. I smiled and started to walk away, but I realized I wanted to know the names of the boys who helped me. Just in case.
"Hey, wait! What are your names?" I asked them.
The one with the quiff spoke up. "My name's Grayson. And this is my brother, Ethan." Ethan smiled a little wider than Grayson. "What's your name?"
"Viola" I replied with one more quick smile to the boys. They helped me more than they knew. Maybe I could thank them better someday, I thought. And I hope I get to see Ethan again. Then I walked to my car and headed home just as the sun finished setting in the distance.