She got up and the air inside the small room was warm and stuffy, so she made her way to the bathroom and turned the shower on, taking a brief and horrifying look at herself in the mirror, she had dark bags the size of Texas under her eyes. She quickly looked away and checked the temperature of the water, it was OK, the pressure of the shower wasn't great but at least it wasn't cold, so she got undressed and stepped in. She had just finished washing her hair when she was disturbed by someone consistently banging on the door outside.
'Hey! Senorita! Hola, hello?' She heard the Mexican lady at her door calling out to her. 'Check out is 11am! You stay longer, you pay another night! Star hastily got out of the shower, there was no way she was staying here another night. She got dressed in the only clean clothes she had left, grabbed her bag and left the motel, avoiding the front desk and the office lady as she went.
She walked down the main drag of Santa Carla and, despite her wet hair, began going from business to business, trying to find some work. She'd been to bars and restaurants, but it wasn't until she walked into an eclectic clothing store that someone finally showed an interest in her and agreed to give her a trial the following day. She was so relieved, and her next stop would be a laundromat to wash her clothing and make sure she had something to wear the next day and her stomach was growling so some food was in order. Before long, her stomach was full, she had a bag full of clean clothing and she was now wandering aimlessly along the waterfront thinking about her friends and whether she would see them tonight.
She went out onto the beach and sat on the warm sand watching the sun approach the watery horizon and go from a bright yellow to a bright orange then get darker and darker until it slipped beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean and tiny dots of light began to become apparent in the blackening sky. She looked around and saw the Boardwalk sparkling and the band began to play, and Star decided to go over and wander the wooden planks of the structure and window shop, finding things that caught her eye and buying them, not worrying about the money now she had a job, well, hopefully a job. She put her new Matador jacket on and wore it proudly as she continued down the Boardwalk around the rides and tried to see if she could spot her friends, but she had no luck.
Feeling a bit despondent, she weaved in and around the people back towards the stage where the live music began to suck her in, she'd always been a live music lover. She was drawn into the throng of moving people and began to get lost, in both body and mind, and she had no idea how long she'd been in there, but she was now fully invested in the fun and freedom she was experiencing and didn't see him approaching. Suddenly, the man who had consumed her thoughts all the previous night appeared and walked around her, lifting the tips of her hair as he circled past her. He watched her as intently as ever and she stopped her dancing to engage in eye contact with him, desperate to say something to him, something witty, something intelligent, anything at all but all she managed was a smile, to which he responded with his own devastating half smile before he once again disappeared into the crowd around her. She felt like her legs were going to buckle beneath her and she looked around expecting to see his friends, only they were nowhere she could see and when she looked back to see where he'd gone, she couldn't see him either, but she could definitely feel the effect of what his presence did to her, especially when she hadn't been expecting to see him. Her hands were shaking again, and she had to get out of the crowd, so she could breathe properly.
She felt embarrassed, he must think she was so stupid not even being able to say a simple hello to the man. What was wrong with her? She walked away and figured that she'd blown it, he wouldn't want to get to know her now, especially after her appalling display tonight. She was angry with herself and over being there, so she headed to the entrance, she was ready to leave and go get some sleep. She made her way out on the street and she jumped when a group of motorcyclists roared out from the Boardwalk and she spun around to see the four elusive men riding towards her. She quickly looked away, again embarrassed to see him but she couldn't help herself and she looked sideways as he rode past her and she found him staring at her and he chuckled at her when her eyes met his, solidifying her thought that he thought nothing of her. He had laughed at her and she put her head down and solemnly walked towards the motel on the corner.