Hello. guess what? I'm kind of back. this idea just popped into my mind some weeks (or months) ago and i found it today and started writing it. i'm not sure what it is going to be. a one-shot. a multiple chapter. a really long story. i suggest that we all just wait and see.
I hope you like it and i would really really very much love to get reviews on it.
Happy reading!
California, also known as the Golden State. Population? 38 Million people. Capital? Sacramento, but the largest city is Los Angeles, that's where she is. Maura Isles. She and the whole 12th grade of her boarding school came all the way from England, London to be exact, to Los Angeles. 5441 miles, an almost 11 hours flight and a 45 minute drive from the airport to the youth hostel they're going to stay in for a week. That's what replays in Maura's head ever and ever again as she opens the door to her room.
The room looks normal, there is one bunk bed and one twin bed, so the room is for three people and the honey blonde is one of them. It's uncommon for her to share a room with someone, back in London she has a single room, it's about the same size as this one.
She's the first one in the room so she throws her luggage on the twin bed before letting out a deep sigh. She actually didn't want to go to Los Angeles with the whole 12th grade but her parents convinced her in saying how great it will be there and how much fun she's going to have. But she doubts that.
After some seconds she leans over her luggage and starts to unzip the large suitcase, she didn't bring many clothes because in London it usually rains and there are rare days where it's really hot and the sun shines.
Two pairs of shorts, Four skirts, three dresses. Six T-Shirts, four tank tops, two sweaters, five cardigans and two jackets. Socks and Stockings. Shoes and undergarments. Everything is neatly folded in the middle of her bed.
She looks around. There are two wardrobes, one next to the twin bed and the other one next to the door, she decides to take the one next to the bed she's staying in for one week.
In the middle of putting the clothes from her bed into the wardrobe, the door opens, two girls she recognizes enter the room, they are laughing but it stops abruptly as soon as they see her standing next to the bed with her skirts in hand, she tries to smile.
Both girls eye her, they know her from some classes and from passing her in the floors.
„Hi, so we're sharing the room here, huh?" the taller girl says, brown middle long hair, one eyebrow raised. „Interesting."
That makes the girl next to her, she's blonde, chuckle, obviously the statement of the taller one was supposed to be funny, but Maura doesn't know why.
„Yes, it seems like we do." the petite honey blonde smiles a little, she isn't sure about these girls but she doesn't question it any further, just continues to put her clothes into the wardrobe she has chosen.
„I'll sleep at the top."
„Maddie, you are so unfair, I wanted to sleep at the top." the blonde says to her brunette friend whom's name seems to be Maddie.
„It is not, no be quiet." Maddie answers and Maura hears her throwing the bag which was in her hand on the bed at the top, then she shuts out their further conversation and just concentrates on her clothes.
They have lunch at 13 o'clock, or how they say it in the US, at 1 pm.
Everyone has some kind of a jet lag and everyone changed from jeans and a long sleeved shirt to shorts and a tank top, it's really very hot in Los Angeles.
As Maura enters the large room which is supposed to be the cafeteria, she notices that their school isn't the only one who is staying here at this youth hostel.
She looks around the tables, boys and girls are sitting mixed at the tables with their food in front of them but one single girl catches her eye. She doesn't know why, maybe it's because she's talking and laughing rather loud, maybe it's because of her deep and scratchy voice, maybe it's because of her wild, curly, raven hair. She doesn't know, but she has to smile.
After some seconds of just admiring the dark haired girl, said one looks around and catches Maura's eye, her smile widens but the honey blonde looks away quickly, making her way towards the food.
Hamburgers, vegetables, salads and dessert afterwards. She takes lots of vegetables and a salad, for dessert she doesn't take anything because she's not sure how it tastes.
Again she looks around the large cafeteria, wondering where she might sit, there is no free table. She would love to sit by the raven haired girl but she is way too shy to walk towards them and ask if she can sit there.
So she decides to sit at a table in the corner of the room, two girls are sitting on the other end of the table, they don't feel disturbed by her when she sits down five chairs away from them.
She regrets it that she didn't take a book with her because during lunch she feels quite lonely, usually she always takes something with her. A book, homework, her papers, her iPad. But today she thought that maybe because they aren't in London anymore, maybe they wouldn't ignore her. Well, she definitely was wrong.
After finishing her meal, she stood up to put the tray with the dirty dishes on the oddments tray at the doors. She walked her way through the tables and through the bunch of teenagers as suddenly she gets pushed rather harsh in the back so that she stumbles over the feet from one of her classmates.
„God, Bora, watch where you walk." the girl who pushed her says, chuckling.
Now almost everyone is looking at her and the girls from her school are laughing, loud, pointing at her and some are yelling „Maura-the-Bora" and some just whispering.
Kneeling on the ground, she tries to gather the things she dropped, her face is red like a tomato out of embarrassment and shame. She knew it wasn't a good idea to join them and go to Los Angeles. She feels tears in the back of her eyes, but she can't cry, not in front of all of them, not again.
As she tries to stand up, the same girl who pushed her pushes her again as she walks past her and so Maura drops back down on her knees. Tears are now forming in her eyes and are about to fall. She shuts her eyes and two teardrops roll down her cheeks, keeping her gaze on the ground.
„Bora you are so clumsy." everyone is laughing again.
„What's wrong with you?" a deep, raspy voice suddenly asks. Maura feels a hand wrap around her upper arm and another hand places securely on the small of her back, it's the raven haired girl from earlier, she helps her stand up and gather her things again before turning back to Elizabeth - the girl who pushed her.
„Why d'ya do that?" the raven haired girl asked with a frown on her face.
Elizabeth eyed the girl standing in front of her with a raised eyebrow. „She was in my way."
„That's definitely no reason to push her." the girl growled, well she didn't really growl but she was damn close.
„I really don't have to defend myself in front of a…" again she eyed her up and down with a disgusted look on her face „…a silly dyke like you." with that Elizabeth turned and made her way to the exit of the cafeteria.
But the dark brunette didn't let her go so easily so she yelled. „Very original. Did you come up with this all by yourself?" that statement definitely had the half of the teenagers on the side of this girl.
Elizabeth stopped shortly but didn't look back, with a flick of her hair, she then started walking out of the large room again.
As the doors closed behind that mean girl, everyone in the cafeteria turned away from Maura and the raven haired girl again. Nothing interesting is going to happen anymore.
„Are you alright?" the tall, skinny girl with a Boston accent asked after she turned around to face the smaller one again.
Maura looked up at her but looked back down after a second. „Yes, thank you very much for that." she answered, her voice was very quiet.
That had the girl smiling from ear to ear. „There's no need to thank me. I can't stand girls who're like that."
All Maura can do is nod, why does she always have to be so shy and socially awkward?
„Are you really alright?" the girl asks again, looking directly into the honey blonde's eyes.
The smaller girl nods again, now meeting her eyes. „Yes I am." she lets a smile play on her lips. „Thank you again."
Suddenly someone from the other end of the cafeteria yells „Jane, are you finally coming? Hurry." they have to mean the girl in front of Maura because she turns and yells back „Okay, okay. I'm coming."
„I have to go. See you around, Maura." she says and hurries towards the boys who yelled for her, then she yells back over her shoulder „Stay safe, little girl." and then she's gone, leaving Maura in the middle of the cafeteria, confused and a feeling she can't really put a finger on.
Slowly she makes her way to the oddments tray, putting the dirty dishes on it and walking through the exit doors into the long hallway. Her view stays on the ground, she knows that her eyes are a bit puffy and that she is probably flushed.
She heads towards her room, in hope that no one will be in there. As she pushes the door open she sighs in relief because she is alone, she walks to her bed and lets herself fall backwards on it. Taking a tissue from the nightstand next to her bed she wipes the tears away and blows her nose.
„I hate her." she starts to mumble at the ceiling. „I hate her. I hate her. I hate her." she sits up in bed wiping at her eyes one last time. „I can't go mad because of her, she is certainly not worth it." with that she grabs the book from her bag under her bed, grabs her iPod and earphones and daring one last glance into the tiny mirror.
Her eyes are still slightly puffy but it doesn't look that awful. She straightens her blue shirt and brushes with her fingers through her hair before her feet guide her out of the room into the hallway and from the hallway to the large doors at the back of the youth hostel.
As she walks through said door, she is definitely surprised to see a wonderful little park with a lots of trees, a basketball and soccer field as well as some benches.
The honey blonde makes her way to one of the benches and sits down so that she is facing the basketball field where she can see the raven haired girl, her savior, Jane. It makes her smile.
That girl is certainly someone. Maura can tell that she must be from the United States because of her accent but she's not a hundred percent sure from which state not to mention which city. But the petite girl doesn't care where she's coming from, she defended her, that's all that matters.
Maura doesn't notice that she is openly staring and smiling, no grinning, in the direction of the basketball field until Jane is standing directly in front of her.
„Hey." her raspy voice says. „Do you wanna join me and the guys?" sounding very friendly.
The blonde has to gather herself, clearing her throat and blinking some times before she can answer. „Oh, I would love to, thank you, but I'm afraid I'm not any good in ball sports."
Jane shrugs. „That doesn't matter, as long as you have fun, I guess." she smiles. „So, you're in?" asking hopefully.
„Alright." Maura almost yells out of excitement. „But don't laugh, please. I really am not good." she stands up, taking her book and iPod in one hand.
„Well, I can teach you." the brunette starts walking towards her friends who are waiting for her at the field.
The blonde looks up at her in disbelief. „You would do that?"
„Of course, I mean if you don't know how to play, I'll show you."
„Thank you very much, that's really kind of you, Jane."
That makes Jane laugh. „No big deal."
„For me it is." Maura mumbles, in hope that the girl walking next to her didn't hear it. But the brunette catches it anyways.
„There are not many people who are nice to you, are there?" she asks, sounding sympathetically.
Maura shrugs. „I got used to it." not wanting to discuss her awkwardness and loneliness any further she doesn't continue to explain.
Just before they arrive at the field, Jane leans a bit closer, brushes her hand over Maura's upper arm and whispers „I'm sorry to hear so."
And in that moment, Maura Isles is filled with that certain feeling she can't put a finger on because she has never felt like that in her whole life, but she also didn't want it to stop. Never.
(THE END?)