Emily's POV
It had been a crazy, wild night. I'd not only run into Razor and Damon, but Lauren and Payson also. And now, we were on the way to my apartment in the Partymobile. Unless flying space monkeys staring attacking us, I don't think the night could've gotten weirder. I knew it would be even more awkward when Julie met them.
We finally stopped at the shop. "Well, ladies, I think I'm just going to let you bond. I'll pick you up in the morning." Damon told Lauren and Payson coyly. Neither looked to please with this. It surprised me as well. I just waved goodbye to Rick, Tony, and Rina.
I searched my bag for the keys. "So, can I have that bag back?" Lauren asked hopefully. Payson just gave her a look.
"Lo, just let it go." she said forcefully.
"Hey, if it helps, I took it to remember you by," I offered as comfort. Lauren looked surprised by this. "I took something from everyone's room. I also have one of my mom's scrapbooks and Brian's pinky rings." I added.
I opened the door and led them in. "This is the shop. We live upstairs." I showed them around.
"Do you know how to surf?" Payson asked curiously. I nodded my head.
"Tony taught Julie and me a week after we moved here. Said it was necessary if we were going to be true California girls." I replied with a roll of my eyes.
"And sun-kissed so hot it'll melt your popsicle?" Lauren joked. Payson groaned.
"I'm so sick of that song! It's got to be one of the most annoying songs on the radio!" Payson ranted. I nodded my head in agreement.
"You too are nuts," Lauren replied as we walked up the tiny staircase that led to my apartment. I unlocked the door and kicked it three times to get it to open. I stepped aside so they could have a look around.
It was small and decorated with pictures of Julie and me on our road trip. Payson examined these intently, like she was trying to decipher them. Lauren seemed shocked by how small it was, but I ignored that.
"So, how long have you lived here?" Payson asked, her eyes staring at one picture in particular. It was one of Julie, Rina, Rick, Tony, Sam, and me sitting on the pier with the sun going down. It had been our first week in LA, and I had been miserable.
"Six months. That picture was taken our first week here." I answered calmly. "Why here?" Payson asked, clearly trying to get inside my head.
"I don't know. We just stopped here one day and it just felt right." I answered truthfully. I always get the same feeling when I know I'm home. I've only ever had it in three places: Boulder, Las Vegas, and here. I changed the subject. "So, I have some sweatpants and stuff in my room if you guys want to change," I offered. The two raced into the room I pointed out.
Payson came out in my favorite pair of sweatpants and one of my baggy t-shirts, while Lauren wore a white tank top and striped pajama pants. I changed into a green tank top with jackpot pajama pants.
"Nice pants," Lauren mocked. Payson just rolled her eyes.
"Thanks. I got them in Vegas. I'll be sure to grab you some next time." I answered sarcastically. Lauren changed the subject to gossip about Kelly Parker.
We spent the whole night gossiping and laughing, Lauren being a little devious and Payson acting like our mother. I felt complete like I hadn't in months. I knew something would always be missing. That was just something I'd have to deal with.
"So, did you hear about Austin Tucker?" Lauren asked me, her eyes possessing a devilish glint.
"What about him?" I inquired curiously. Austin had been seeing Kaylie before the accident. I didn't talk to him afterwards.
"He's retired. Giving up the sport entirely. I heard he's engaged to some model." Lauren replied. That made me mad.
"Jerk," I responded. He had no right to date another girl so quickly. Kaylie had only been gone a year. None of us had moved on yet, so why should he get to?
"I think it's a good thing," Payson added. "He's moving on, as should we all." This made something inside me tick. I knew that, logically, she had a point. We should be moving on with our lives, but I couldn't. I was haunted by what happened every day, and that wasn't something I could just get over.
"And how do we do that? Just forget everything that's happened? You may be able to do that, but I can't!" I shouted at Payson. Both girls stared at me in shock. So I continued. "I can't even do gymnastics because of.."
"Because of what?" Payson asked softly. I started to sob. Lauren patted my back, trying to comfort me.
"Because I can't go on the uneven bars or do floor moves without thinking that I ruined someone else's chance. And that eats me alive. But so does not doing gymnastics." I confessed in between sobs.
"Em, you have to stop placing all this blame on yourself. No one hates you. They're all worried about you. We need you back at the Rock. Will you come back for just a month? Stay a month and see if it's too hard for you. If you're miserable, you can come back here and know you faced your fears. And you don't have to live at home. You can stay in the apartment Lauren's dad keeps for company." Payson said reassuringly.
I thought about this. I wanted to train again, but I wasn't sure about competing. I didn't know if I could handle that. I knew I'd need support. I needed my new friends to come with me. If they agreed to it, then I'd go.
"Fine, I'll go if my friends agree to come with us," I answered reluctantly. Lauren started to do her version of Julie's happy dance. Payson just gave me a smile.
"Sasha will be happy to here this," she said, pulling out a cell phone. I did a double take.
"Wait, you're going to call him at four in the morning just to tell him I'm coming back to the Rock?" I asked her skeptically.
"Hey, he said to call him as soon as we knocked some sense into you," Payson responded calmly. I laughed.
And while all this chaos was going on, Julie came into the apartment. Payson and Lauren stopped what they were doing and started at her. "Hey, Lauren, Payson. I'm Julie." she said happily. I had sent her many pictures of all of us, so she recognized them instantly. "Where's Damon? Rina called and said you guys hitched a ride in the Partymobile." Julie asked while doing the happy dance.
"He abandoned us here so we could bond or something," Lauren answered with a roll of her eyes.
"Funny, you don't strike me as the bonding type," Julie answered sarcastically.
Lauren was about to fire back with a nasty comment when Payson skillfully changed the topic. "So, how long have the two of you been friends?" she asked while giving Lauren a Please-don't-be-a-bitch look.
"Since we were ten. Our moms were both cocktail waitresses in the same casino. Neither of our dads were around, so they'd stick us in the back room during their shifts." Julie answered casually. I inwardly shudder. There are some days where I just wish my family had a normal background.
"You lived in Vegas?" Lauren asked skeptically. It doesn't sound like a place that would have children, but there were actually thirty-nine children of staffers at that small little casino. I distinctly remember our moms teaching us how to play blackjack during their breaks. Julie and I use to fantasias about the day we'd go to a huge casino and win enough money to buy a big house for both of our families to share and whatever else we wanted.
"Yeah, that stereotype about there not being a lot children in Vegas is crap," she answered bluntly. I just shook my head. I was used to her rants. Lauren just stared at her.
We spent the rest of our night talking, filling Julie in on their plan. She did her patented happy dance. She had been trying to convince me to call my mom or just visit Boulder since day one. Julie has some kind of sixth sense where she could tell when I was unhappy or wistful. She was the only one who knew that, on my days off, I went to the playground and just worked on routines. I'd tried to stay away from gymnastics. But, as much as it hurt to do the thing I love, it hurt more when I wasn't doing it. I couldn't admit it to myself, but I knew Kaylie would want me to be chasing after my dreams.
