Elie walked out of her apartment the following morning around six to go for her morning jog. Every morning since she was in eighth grade, she always got up around five, six on the weekends. It was one of the only ways she would be able to stay in shape until she found a dance studio or a singing career. Yet, she doubted that she would ever become a professional singer.
After her five miles, she walked into a store to get a bottle of water. She was paying the cashier for her water when she felt arms wrap around her waist and a chin rest on her shoulder. She looked to her side and saw Bradin.
"Hey," she said.
He smiled. "Hi."
They walked out of the store together and Elie noticed that Bradin was looking sad. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"I have a lot on my mind," he said, "I don't really want to talk about it right now."
"Okay," she said. She opened her water and took a sip.
The two walked in silence for several minutes. Bradin looked at Elie as she was drinking some of her water. She looked over at him making him smile. "What?" she asked.
"Nothing," he said, "How long have you been dancing and singing?"
"Um," she said as she began to think, "I've been singing since I was eight and dancing since I was about five."
"Do you write your own songs?"
"I've tried to. They always turned out like shit."
"I doubt that," he said, "Can you show me a dance and sing a song for me one day?"
"Since you asked," she said, "sure."
He smiled. "You're amazing, Elie," he said.
"Excuse me?" she asked looking over at him.
"You've made me smile so much since last night," he told her, "I got home and I was in the hapiest mood I've ever been in. You're amazing."
She really didn't know what to say to him besides, "Um, thank you, I think."
He smiled again. "Are you busy right now?"
She shook her head. "No. Why?"
"I was about to go surf on the beach. Would you want to watch me?"
"Don't guys that live in California ask their girlfriends to do that?"
"Yeah. But, as friends for us. You could meet new people. And, maybe you might even be interested in surfing."
"I highly doubt that."
"Come on, El." Then, something popped into his head. "How about we make a deal?" She looked at him strangely. "You teach me to dance and I teach you how to surf."
"You don't know how to dance?"
"I dance. But, I don't think I dance the way you do."
She didn't know what to tell Bradin. She hated making deals with other people. The last deal she made landed her in the hospital. She knew that surfing may hurt a little bit if she fell but it wouldn't cause her that much pain. She sighed.
"Hey," Bradin said stopping them from walking, "What's wrong?"
"Deals and I don't go good together."
"Okay," he said, "Well, how about we hang out later? That won't hurt, will it?"
"I don't think so."
"So, I will be at your apartment around...five-thirty?"
She nodded. They went their separate ways. Elie walked to her apartment and checked her cell phone that was recharging while she was out. She saw that her parents have called several times and left voice mails. She ignored them not wanting to talk to them at that moment.