Elizabeth had gone to the toilet a few minutes walk away from Star and Michael. She wasn't even desperate to go but if she was meeting people, she wanted to check that she at least looked decent. Plus, she didn't want to have to break away from the group when they were all together. It was kind of nerve wrecking, meeting new people and she wanted to make a good impression.
She'd chosen to use the toilet further away out of politeness, too. She didn't care that much about whether it was trashy but she had guessed that they would like some more time alone...or at least, Michael would, so she took her time easing herself through the bustling crowd.
Walking slow, she'd only taken two hits by passing strangers. Not great but not terrible considering how busy it really was.
It was as if the boardwalk pulled all life towards it, there was just so much going on and so many people enjoying it. The thing was...the crowds did leave their mark. Star was right about trashy. It seemed like a good word. The toilet she'd walked to was tatty and the graffiti scrawled and etched into the dull, plastic stalls was obscene to say the least. It didn't feel particularly unsafe but it looked pretty rough.
Rough but fine. If she was in was the one Star had recommended, she didn't want to even consider the condition of the other one.
Elizabeth grinned a little as she entered a free stall, passing a gaggle of laughing friends. She was starting to think that, 'rough but fine' should be Santa Carla's slogan.
She squatted over the dirty toilet seat, flinching a little as someone hacked up a wad of phlegm in the stall next to her.
"Gross, gross, gross..." she thought silently, trying to pee as fast as she could.
She tried not to think about it, but really. How disgusting was the toilet near the concert for Star to recommend this one with such enthusiasm?
Thighs straining, she pulled a clump of thin and rough toilet paper squares from the cigarette burned dispenser attached to the wall.
"Rough but fine, rough but fine" she chanted in her head, righting herself and pulling the flush, trying to touch as little of the water marked metal handle as she could.
As she washed her hands under the icy cold water of a tired, pink sink, Elizabeth wondered how many minutes she'd been away for.
Probably not long enough but what else could she do?
She didn't want to see her loved up, sappy eyed brother looking all mushy but it was looking like the time was coming.
She dried her hands in the dryer, taking her time until not a droplet of water remained. Watching as two giggling girls squeezed themselves into a stall, she removed a foldable brush from her bag. She brushed her hair and changed the parting, looking at herself in the mirror. With a shrug, she changed it back. It looked better the way it was. She slicked on some lip balm, swiping a little slick over each eyelid, too and sighed.
There wasn't much else she could do to kill time.
As giggles from the girls in the stall behind her increased, Elizabeth plopped the balm back into her bag.
Time to re-join her loved up brother.
She walked out of the toilet and into the narrow tiled corridor that served as an entrance, walking sideways as she approached a girl. The girl - dressed in a very pretty one piece swimsuit despite the evening weather - banged an apparently broken condom/tampon dispenser angrily and Elizabeth side stepped around her.
"Fucking piece of shit" the girl groaned, smacking the dispenser once again.
Leaving the dingy corridor and the frustrated woman, passing the smelly men's toilet, Elizabeth emerged onto the bright and loud boardwalk.
She took a breath before starting to walk back towards the small food booth she'd left her brother and Star sitting at.
Maybe she should tell them she was just going to head home?
Thinking on it, she really would be a third wheel. What if the girl's friends were real weirdos? What if Star and Michael clung to each other? Did she have the confidence to go solo? Did she really want to-
"Elizabeth?"
She turned in surprise to the source of the sound, her thoughts broken straight away.
She saw that it was Marko, the boy from the night before. He was walking almost perfectly alongside her.
"Oh, hi?" she stopped and faced him with a surprised smile.
What were the chances?
"Hi, Marko. How are you? Wow this is-" she laughed a little before noticing he wasn't alone, "-random!"
Another boy was with him, though she wasn't sure boy really covered it.
He was pretty striking, very eye catching and she wasn't sure if it was in a good way. Tall with platinum blonde hair and an ice cold smirk...he was imposing to say the least.
She smiled tentatively at him, before looking back at Marko.
"Not bad, really can't complain. This is my friend, David"
David inclined his head, "nice to meet you" he said smoothly, coolly and Elizabeth nodded to show she felt the same.
"I tried to save Elizabeth from trying to win a TV a few nights ago, actually" Marko explained to David. As Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest he laughed a little, "OK. OK, fine. She wasn't actually trying to win one but my good intentions were there"
"I'm sure she loved the unsolicited advice" David grinned at Elizabeth and she laughed lightly, "no, I did. I appreciated the thought" she assured Marko before pausing, not sure what to say to him, "anyway...I uh, I guess should be heading back to my brother. It was nice to see you again and uh, nice to meet you"
She smiled at them both and looked in the direction she wanted to be walking.
"We should be off, too" David said amicably, "we lost our friend and" he looked at Marko now, "the concert starts pretty soon"
"Maybe she'll just meet us there?" Marko suggested, "but yeah, see you around, Elizabeth. Don't be a stranger, I know it can be lonely when you're new to a place"
Both boys smiled at her and began to move away.
"Wait!" she bit out, surprising herself.
They paused and turned to her and she felt herself flush a little under their scrutiny, their amused smiles, "um sorry, it's just..what's, what's your friend's name?"
She asked them hesitantly, feeling a bit stupid with both their eyes trained on her but it was weird. For a split second, she hadn't wanted them to leave.
She had really, really wanted them to stay and she felt...something. She felt like they were going to the same place, aiming for the same thing.
She had felt confused but like they were supposed to stick together.
"Star" they replied in unison.
"Oh I know where she is. She's over there", Elizabeth gestured with her hand.
She was glad they were looking for Star, it would have been pretty embarrassing if she had stopped them from leaving for no reason.
She felt a nervous pit form in her stomach.
Why had she stopped them, anyway?
Why was she so drawn to these guys?
"You know Star?" Marko asked, surprised.
She tilted her head a little. His tone...
"My brother knows Star" she replied, pushing her questioning thoughts away.
"Wait. Michael? Michael's your brother?" Marko exclaimed with a grin.
For a fleeting moment she thought his words were over exaggerated but again, the feeling was gone in a flash.
"Yeah...uh..how do you know him?" she asked.
Were these the bikers Sammy mentioned? The guys Star ditched Michael for? These were her friends?
"We hung out with him a little last night" David replied, another smile on his face, "he's a cool guy. We were hoping we'd see him again"
Before she could pause to consider David's tone, Marko asked, "so you and your brother are coming to the concert?"
"Star invited us. If that's OK with you guys?" Elizabeth asked them.
She wondered why she had essentially asked for their permission when Star was the one who extended the invitation before stopping herself.
She was just being polite.
Right?
For a second, she thought David looked pleased but his eyes were so cold. It was weird if not compelling.
God, stop overthinking everything! she silently admonished herself.
"Of course" David replied easily.
"I was heading back to meet them if you want to…" she trailed off.
Marko and David both nodded and the three set off.
The walk felt very comfortable despite the silence.
Easy. Natural.
Elizabeth smiled.
It was strange but walking beside her two new acquaintances meant she had infinitely more room, nobody was barging into them or jostling to move by. Maybe it was the way they presented themselves? David alone seemed to exude a cool, quiet confidence.
"So what did you and my brother get up to last night?" Elizabeth asked playfully, glancing at the two boys as they walked.
She didn't need to break the silence but she wanted to, there was a niggling part of her that wanted to chat with them, to find out more about them.
"What do you mean?" Marko laughed at her tone and she smiled.
"Well, apparently he stumbled in around 4am, almost gave my brother a heart attack…"
Both boys laughed and Elizabeth didn't notice the undercurrent of malice, "that wasn't us" David assured through a grin, "I guess he and Star must have kept the party going"
Both boys were grinning widely.
"Yeah, we went our separate ways pretty early on" Marko finished easily.
"Ah" she nodded, "OK, I'm sorry I asked. Say no more!" she really didn't need to think about her brother's love life.
The two boys were so intimidating with their style and their presence but they were actually very friendly, or at least, she felt a friendly vibe from them.
Never judge a book by its cover, she mused silently.
As the cluster of tables and benches that she'd left came into view, Elizabeth blinked in surprise at the clock ticking away on the counter of the booth Michael had ordered from.
How had thirty really minutes passed?
How long had she spent in the toilet?
She turned to David and Marko with a troubled frown on her face but, catching sight of her brother, she stopped, distracted.
Star and Michael looked quite intimate, they were hunched together over the table, holding hands and talking lowly.
It was very different to how she had left them.
The two young lovers separated fast, looking sheepish when faced with the three onlookers.
"How you doing, Star?" David asked, looking between the two.
"Good. I found Michael" she replied with a smile, but Elizabeth noted her nervous demeanor had returned.
"And we found Elizabeth" Marko grinned, "we're all winners. Let's head to the concert?"
Star nodded silently and stood as Michael asked Elizabeth, "how do you guys know each other?"
"Old friends" Marko replied for her with a small smirk.
"Us three go go way back" David added.
Star said nothing, looking at Michael's feet.
Elizabeth shook her head, glancing towards her two new friends with a smile, "Marko gave me some boardwalk advice a few nights ago.." she told her older brother, who gave a small nod of understanding.
The group of five set off towards the farthest end of the boardwalk, Marko and David leading, followed by Star and Michael.
Elizabeth walked behind them all, noting that Michael and Star were stealing furtive touches and glances at each other. Why were they shy around the two boys? What was going on there? She moved to play with her hair before catching herself, feeling a bit like a third wheel despite Star's previous protests to the contrary.
As a blonde flash suddenly joined the group, launching himself at Marko, everyone splintered into a small circle. As they stopped walking, watching while the two boys wrestled for a moment, David began to laugh.
Even Michael looked bemused.
Star was looking away.
"Whoaaa!" the new arrival laughed as Marko broke free from a headlock, "I thought I'd lost you guys"
Marko was grinning and straightened his jacket, "yeah, took us a while to rally the troops" he gestured to Star, Michael and Elizabeth.
"How's it going, man?" Michael asked with a nod as if he were greeting an old friend.
"Oh it's going" the new arrival looked up at Elizabeth, "and this would be?" he asked with a grin.
"Elizabeth" Star and Michael replied at the same time.
"Hi" she said in greeting, not sure what to do.
"She's Michael's sister" Marko explained.
"You guys have totally different bone structure" the newcomer said, looking between the two.
"Well Elizabeth is my adopted sister" Michael explained uncertainly.
"Nice, Paul" David said in a deadpan though his eyes were bright.
"Adopted sister is still a sister" Paul shrugged, not caring, "right?"
"Right" Elizabeth nodded through a laugh.
She had thought the introduction was almost a routine. It was so...so inorganic…but Paul was making her laugh with his carefree attitude and she liked it. She liked how he said 'a sister is still a sister', she liked his thinking.
Stop overthinking everything, for God's sake!, she thought to herself again.
"And with that" David smiled at Elizabeth, his smile thanking her for her patience, "let's go. Where's Dwayne?" he asked over his shoulder.
Dwayne?
Elizabeth felt a strange pull in her stomach.
Paul was walking alongside Elizabeth and he laughed, "he's there already. That bitch don't wait! Got annoyed and sent me to find you"
"Did he get annoyed with us or you?" Marko chortled from up front.
Michael laughed aloud but Elizabeth noticed that he and Star were no longer holding hands, no longer sneaking touches.
Actually, it was Star. She was the only with her arms crossed, Michael's hand was still seeking hers.
"How you do like Santa Carla so far?" Paul asked Elizabeth.
"It's…interesting" she said, looking over at him, "how long have you lived here?"
"Ugh, forever" he grinned back, "but seriously, it's nice here. You'll like it when you get settled.." he was rustling in his pocket and brought out some papers, tobacco and something else.
"You smoke?" Paul asked, glancing at her as he rolled.
He rolled while he walked and with such perfection she was momentarily distracted.
"Huh?"
"Do you smoke?" he repeated.
She saw Michael tense and glance back briefly, as if some memory, some recognition had just been triggered.
She looked back up at Paul.
"No, I don't smoke" she said a little shyly.
But Paul nodded easily, "do you wanna try some?"
In all honesty, she did want to try weed. She was very curious. She glanced at Michael again, but he was now absorbed in a low conversation with Star.
"Maybe later?" she asked, making eye contact with Paul.
She didn't want to embarrass herself. She wasn't brave enough... she'd probably choke on the smoke or something and then Michael would be there to admonish her.
"Offer always stands, girl" he had lit the cigarette and the smell instantly wafted to her.
"Sorry" he said, changing hands and exhaling over his other shoulder, "so it's just you and Mikey?"
Mikey? What an ugly nickname.
"No, we have a younger brother. I mean. I say younger but he's barely a year younger than me" she laughed a little. Sam would kill her if he knew she called him younger, he thought of them purely as equals, "but he's out with our Grandpa tonight"
"You live with your Grandpa?" Paul asked and Elizabeth was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him.
"Yeah, there was a messy divorce and a relocation" she said, making a long story very short, "he's kind of eccentric but it's actually pretty awesome"
The sound of music greeted their ears.
Off to the side of the moving crowd, an overweight man with thick, black, twisting tattoos was swallowing fire in front of an engrossed group.
Elizabeth slowed, focusing on him.
She had never seen a fire eater before.
Ahead, Michael and Star had descended down some old concrete steps into an area below the boardwalk, where, judging from the music, the concert was being held.
"Is it a trick?" she asked, half wincing as the man put his mouth around a flaming stick.
"Nah" Paul shook his head, extinguished his half smoked cigarette with the tips of his fingers. He didn't even flinch, "most things here are but the performers are legit"
Marko and David were waiting by the steps, staring at Elizabeth and Paul. Their friendly personas from before had disappeared and they stared with intensity, their watchful eyes following her every move and gesture.
"Michael and Star were a good idea" Marko stated, "well...Star was a good idea"
"She's so..." David trailed off, as if he were looking for the right words.
"Weak? Ineffectual?"
"Non threatening" David smirked, though his eyes were angry.
Marko snorted, "whatever. We established a solid introduction through Michael..all very natural and social and shit...can't we just speed it the fuck up?"
David shrugged, "I don't think it would be difficult to convince Michael and Star to leave us alone for a short time" his voice was cold.
Star wasn't his mate, she wasn't his love but she was his property.
He didn't often share his things.
"She's pretty comfortable around Paul" Marko noted, pleased with his brother's work. Paul's success lessened his sense of failure from the other night.
"And when Michael and Star leave, we can solidify her friendship-"
"-I think we're already half way there" Marko commented, "guess it really is meant to be"
"No doubt. I can feel it" David said with a smile at Marko, "I'm sure of it. Hook, line and sinker. She's ours."
Marko smirked.
He wanted to speed it up. He was eager for their new pack mate to join them but, as he thought about Star, he knew how important it was to take it slow.
Haste was a bad thing.
He wondered how Dwayne was going to cope.
He was itching for his new pack mate, how hard would Dwayne be itching for his mate?
Marko nudged David and jerked his head towards the tattooed man.
The fire eater coughed and gagged a little and the crowd shuffled, disappointed.
As he started up again, Paul laughed, "see? Legitimate. He burned himself a little. The performers are good here but the magicians? Fuck the magicians. I saw an act once and later, I noticed the fucker swiped my fucking wallet" he laughed, and Elizabeth laughed along with him.
"That sucks" she commiserated, "Marko told me that most things on the boardwalk are a rip off"
"Yeah, they are, just like I said, girl. Stick with us. We'll show you the ropes" Paul looked towards the two waiting figures, "we should get going"
They began to walk, "the boardwalk is kind of like something out of a dream" Elizabeth told Paul with a gleeful laugh.
"Girl, you don't even know the half of it. The best stuff is tucked away, away from the tourists" Paul told her, grinning at his two friends, "I wasn't joking before" he slung his arm over her shoulders, "we'll show it all to you"
"There's a lot to see" David promised, leading the way down the steps.
Elizabeth smiled, excitement building.
"I'd like that" she replied with a sincere smile as they started down the steps, Marko taking the rear.