Chapter 1 - Recuerdos
Recuerdos means "memories" in Spanish
Hey everyone. Second semester is already over for me but I'm still at school for 4 weeks (helping develop multimedia presentations for professors). This story will help me from going insane since all my friends have left already for summer break.
Like the last story I wrote, this one is adapted from a very popular story on Nick.com's message boards that I read and has since vanished. I do not claim this story as my own (although it may be a little different from the original story) and would gladly give credit to the author if he/she stepped forward.
I apologize in advance: this story may seem somewhat like "A Walk to Remember" at first, but the plot changes after a while. I did make some changes only to differentiate the story from the Nick Sparks novel, so I also apologize to the author for those changes.
If you can't tell, the title of this story is based on the Vanessa Carlton song and it will have significance in the story.
Enjoy!
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It was another perfect Saturday evening. Sure, it was March, a month usually filled with wild and unpredictable weather--for most of the country at least. But for the town of Ocean Shores, California, the weather was rarely bad enough to discourage the locals from enjoying the great outdoors. In fact, the onset of spring was one of the best times to enjoy the life of the oceanside town--it was "off-peak" tourist season, meaning that there weren't unbearable crowds on the beach or the town's boardwalk. As was usually the case on such a Saturday, the waves were filled with Californian surfers, both pros and novices, trying to perfect their skills and to wash away the cares of the past week, whether they be from work or from school. As the sun set on the horizon, a group of four teens walked up the steep hill from the beach, each carrying a surfboard under his or her arm. Being both tired and satisfied after their surf session, the walk back home was unusually silent. Suddenly, however, the slender boy with sun-bleached orange hair excitedly exclaimed:
"Dude, those waves were unbelievable!"
"You said it, Twist. They were more than unbelievable, they were Otto-matic!" replied a slightly shorter boy with braided red hair.
A female voice snapped, "Oh good grief, Rocket Boy. Why do you have to use your name to describe everything?"
"Chill, sis. I only use that adjective to describe anything that is good enough for my skill," the shorter boy quickly defended.
"OK. Sorry I ever said anything" the tall boy sighed. Before he could take another step, a familiar hand touched his shoulder as he heard "It's not your fault" from his best friend's sister.
The third boy, who up to this point had been silent, quickly complained, "Guys? Can we please step it up a bit? We've been surfing for five hours and I'm starving!"
The tall boy replied in a childish voice, "You're hungry? What ever happened to all that baby fat, Squid?" only to be silenced by the girl who had just supported him: "Lighten up, Twist!"
Yes, any resident of Ocean Shores could easily identify these four: siblings Otto and Reggie Rocket; Otto's best friend, Twister Rodriguez; and their neighbor, Sam "Squid" Dullard. Rarely could these four be found walking around without the others in tow. It had been that way for three years.
In that time a lot had changed. The gang had increased in age and wisdom. The three boys had recently joined Reggie as members of those turbulent teen years (Reggie had been a teenager for a year longer than any of the others). Their age was becoming more obvious to everyone: Otto and Sam were both catching up to Twister in height, all three were speaking with deeper voices, and they began to face issues that they had previously never thought about, including girls. While Otto had a hard time finding anyone of the opposite sex who was compatible with his competitive attitude, Sam surprised everyone. Since the day he had moved in to Ocean Shores, it had seemed like he and Reggie were a perfect match. His knowledge of computers helped her develop her successful 'Zine and her caring disposition helped him improve his self-confidence. While they were not dating, they did almost everything together. Sam, in one of his most confident moments, in fact called her "girlfriend" once, not realizing what he had just said. A lot of their 8th grade peers thought that it was only a matter of time. Reggie didn't realize, however, that someone else also had his eye on her. That boy was right under her nose but he was keeping enough distance in order to keep his crush less conspicuous.
When the gang reached the top of the hill, each went their separate ways. However, they planned to meet back at the Rockets' house for a gang sleepover. After watching The Fast and the Furious together, everyone walked upstairs briefly to talk while Reggie went to her room to change. After that, Sam and Reggie planned to head downstairs together to work on the next 'Zine issue. Although they both planned to fall asleep down there, everyone (including both their parents) knew that nothing would happen between the two of them due to their deep respect for each other and their strong parental influence. Otto and Twister planned to hang out in Otto's room and then go to sleep up there.
While waiting for Reggie to come out, Sam joined Otto and Twister in her brother's bedroom. While Otto and Twister were playing Halo on Otto's XBox, Sam browsed around his room as he had never had a chance to do so. He admired the wonderfully-detailed classic car bed and the spectacular view from his window. When he reached Otto's bookshelves, he examined the multitude of trophies taking up the overwhelming majority of space. Half of him was amazed that one boy could excel in so much: surfing, skateboarding, roller blading, street hockey. At the same time, he wasn't surprised. After all, this was Otto Rocket, "Mr. Do-it-all".
What did catch Sam's eye, however, was the photo album sitting to the right of Otto's latest trophy. Being curious, Sam pulled it out and sat on Otto's bed while perusing its contents. Besides the expected pictures of Otto's family, his important life events, and his many sports victories, there was a common denominator in several of the photos. There was a girl pictured several times next to Otto. It definitely wasn't Reggie; this girl had brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. She appeared as athletic as Reggie, but there seemed to be a different type of closeness between that girl and Otto. Sam also noticed that she disappeared from Otto's photos right before photos involving him started appearing. Although he was ashamed to be butting in to Otto's business, he couldn't help but ask about the mysterious figure.
"Hey Otto, I'm curious. Who's this girl in these photos?"
Otto paused the game and walked over to Sam. He took a glance at the photos and his facial expression changed almost instantaneously. Emotions and memories began to flood his mind. Without thinking, he snatched the album from Sam. "Why are you looking at my stuff, Squid!? Don't you ever do that again without me allowing you to!"
A shocked Sam replied, "But what did I do?"
Otto exclaimed in return, "I don't wanna talk about it!" Calming down, he continued, "Reggie should be done by now. Why don't you go join her?"
Sam's curiosity begged him to continue questioning Otto, but his better judgement said to leave it alone. After all, Otto could get very stubborn and aggressive whenever he was challenged. He got up and quietly left Otto and Twister.
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"Reggie, can I talk to you for a second?" Sam asked. They had been working on the 'Zine for almost two hours and were getting ready to go to bed. Since the couch was separable and curved in an arc, Sam set up his sleeping bag on one section of the couch and Reggie put her pillow and blanket on a separate portion.
"Sure, Sammy. You know you can talk to me about anything," she happily reassured him.
"I was looking at Otto's photo album and noticed this girl in many of her pictures. It was a girl that I have never seen before. There was something about her. I know I've been around lots of girls before, but just like you, something seemed different about her. When I asked Otto about her, he got really protective and upset."
Reggie knew her brother well. So it was very easy for her to explain to Sam what had happened in Otto's past.
"That girl, Sammy, was one of Otto's best friends. Her name was Amy, and she was the same age as Otto and Twister. She lived in your house up until about six months before you moved in. In a sense, and I'm not bragging, she was kind of like me: willing to take any challenge, adventurous, caring. She loved to surf, as she was a native of California, too. However, when she moved here and first met Otto, she didn't know how to skate. Otto was 6 then, and when he saw her struggling to stand up on her new pair of roller skates, Otto's competitive nature took over and he teased her. She began to cry and ran away. Raymundo and I saw the whole thing and he was pretty quick to reprimand Otto. He told Otto that as punishment he had to offer to help her learn to skate. At first, he was reluctant, but after she accepted his help, he began to realize what type of person she was. His attitude changed completely when he saw her out on the water. She was so graceful for her age, Sammy. I wish I could have been like that when I was her age. They began to hang out more and more. She forgave him for his previous behavior, of course, and somehow, she understood him. She was there to congratulate him after his victories and to cheer him up after his failures. After a while, Otto introduced her to roller blades, and finally, the skateboard. It took a while, but Otto helped her get the hang of them and pretty soon, she was doing the same tricks he was (at that age). Personally, I think there was more than friendship involved between them. Call it 'puppy love' if you must, but they were like two peas in a pod. Sadly, however, several things happened. First, Amy's mother died suddenly. I think she had been sick for quite a while, but we were never told what she had. Otto was there for Amy every step of the way; after all, we had lost our mother years before, and although Otto barely knew her, he felt a connection to Amy's pain. Amazingly, she pulled through, mainly because of her mother's religious nature and Otto's help. Unfortunately, her father got transferred to Michigan and they had to move. Otto was devastated. It was like a part of him had disappeared. The only fortunate thing was that Twister was around and that their friendship was strong enough to help him through. However, I don't think he's ever forgotten about Amy. They haven't talked for a long time but I know he thinks about her every so often."
Sam, who had been listening attentively, replied, "That was a great story, Reg. I feel bad for Otto. Do you think he and Amy will ever see each other again?" as he got in to his sleeping bag.
"I don't know. If it is meant to be, I know it will happen" Reggie answered as she yawned and reached for the lamp switch.
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Sam had done it. Now Otto couldn't get Amy off his mind. In fact, his attention was affected so much that Twister actually beat him in Halo. Twister knew about Amy and didn't feel like bringing up anything, fearing that it would make Otto feel worse.
"Why did she have to leave?" Otto thought over and over again. "Why did the Squid have to bring her up?"
He couldn't even fall asleep when he and Twister decided to crash for the night. To help him, he pulled out his Walkman and tuned in to the local radio station. Unfortunately the radio didn't help either. Whether it be a coincidence or not, the song playing was by Vanessa Carlton.
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
Tonight
It was almost as if she had been there the day Amy left for Michigan. Before her car pulled away from the cul-de-sac, her last words to Otto were:
"I'll never forget you. I'd do anything to see you again, even walk a thousand miles."
Every time Otto heard those words in that Vanessa Carlton song, his mind would flash back to that moment and tears would well up in his eyes. Would he ever see Amy again?
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Little did he know that several hours earlier, another teen was listening to the same song at the opposite end of the country. It made her think of a particular boy out in California, who she had been so close to. The words of the song matched her feelings exactly. If only she could get out to California to see him again. Unfortunately, she had too much else on her mind. Matters that were far more serious and urgent.
"Ready for bed, Amy?" a familiar voice called.
"Yeah, Dad, just give me a minute," the girl replied. She let the song finish up before she turned the radio off, her mind racing with sweet memories and her body filled with a sense of emptiness.
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass us by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
If I could just hold you
Tonight
She missed him. She missed Otto Rocket.
Her father came up to her room, tucked her in, and kissed her goodnight.
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Hope you like this so far. I'll try to make the chapters as long as possible but I also want to write this story with about 10 chapters. So if some chapters are short, it's so I can draw the story out some more. Comments are welcome; flames will be used to toast marshmallows.