| Title: Brooding California Author: Priscilla Chapter 1: A Soaked Encounter The wind swept my black hair across my face making it get into my eyes. My pace picked up as fat little raindrops began their assault on the pavement below me. I didn't exactly know where I was going or what I was going to do when I had to go back home. Face the music I guess, do things the way my parents wanted them or move out. The rain had picked up a few notches; I noticed their insistent pounding on my head for the first time since running out of the house. Images of what my mother had said to me flooding my muffled brain, making by vision blurry. ***FLASH*** "This idea of you being a big rock star is ridiculous Annie! You need to wake up and start thinking about your future. And these people you're hanging out with, all they do is smoke pot and get arrested. You are capable of so much more." "Mom you guys just don't understand! This is what I want to do and you have no right to dictate if I can or not!" I yelled. "YES I DO! We are your parents Annie, whether you like it or not, and we know what's best for you. You need to go to college and make something of yourself so you can have a future." I shook my head at them. My parents, the people who I was supposed to trust and expect support from the most, were hell-bent on tearing up my dream of fronting a rock band. I knew I could do it; I just needed someone else in my life to tell me that they thought I could do it too. Why was this so hard to understand? Why couldn't they just accept that I am not my older sister Krista? That my dreams revolve around something completely opposite of becoming a lawyer. �I don�t believe this, you two are my parents! Well guess what? It doesn�t matter what you think because I�m going to do this, no matter what!� I yelled and picked up my jean jacket on my way down the stairs. Tears were flooding my eyes, but I would not let them fall, not now anyway. I heard my mother�s heels clicking behind me on the stairs and I walked faster. �If you walk out that door, don�t bother coming back!� My mother yelled from the foot of the stairs. Thinking my ears had temporarily betrayed me, I slowly turned my head in her direction. Her face was flushed, her back was straight and her chin was set. Her blue eyes glowed with the intensity of the emotions coursing inside her and I knew she was serious. I shook my head and pulled the door open, quickly slamming it behind me. ***END FLASH*** I�d always been taught to walk away from a situation where you could end up saying something you�d regret so that�s why I walked out. But the longer I wandered the streets of Long Beach California, I realized that I was even more determined now than I�d ever been. I�d show my parents and everyone else who doubted me that I could and would do this. Thunder breaking over my head squelched my hopes that the rain would subside. It was cold now and I had nowhere to go. My feet had taken me to places I hadn�t visited in years and without realizing it, I found myself at the train tracks. When my family had moved to California from Atlanta 5 years ago, I thought that I would die. I had no friends, no relatives, and let�s face it, a girl that grows up taking public buses and trains was not going to take to surfing and skateboarding too well. I thought I�d never get used to this place, but I had. I got this weird feeling suddenly, to look up and try to gauge where I was. My heart began to pump wildly in my chest as I noticed someone sitting on the old train station steps. As I walked closer I realized it was a boy. His hair was jet black like mine and his clothes were soaked. For some unknown reason, even to me, I felt compelled to move closer to him. His head was between his legs so I couldn�t tell anything about him. It was probably stupid of me to be doing this, after all he could turn out to be this psychotic axe murderer or something, but I walked closer anyway. So intent was I on not disturbing him, that I wasn't watching where I was going and tripped on a discarded beer bottle, the sudden noise made him look up. He was gorgeous! The most beautiful hazily brown eyes that I�d ever seen stared back at me from below a pillow of long dark lashes. He had an elegant nose and nicely curved lips. �Hey.� I said, making the first move. God, was I this desperate for company? That I�d actually start a conversation with a complete stranger? Even if he was a delicious looking piece of man God stranger. �Hey.� He answered, finding a smirk/smile to give me. I returned the smile and found the nerve to sit next to him. �What�s your name?� He asked turning his body so that it was facing me. I eyed him warily for a couple of seconds and then found my voice again. �Annie. Well Anne actually, but my friends call me Annie.� Wow, where the hell had that come from? I'm never this talkative around people I'd just met and here I am jabbing away. This boy was working some kind of magic on me huh? He smiled and extended his left had towards me. �Nice to meet you Annie, I�m Milo.� Title: Brooding California Author: Priscilla Chapter 2: Shed Some Light We talked there, on the old abandoned railroad station steps, for hours it seemed and I have never felt so at ease with a person who I'd only met a couple of hours before. Milo, I soon learned, was an intelligent, well-mannered, and soft-spoken 24 yr old. He was currently living in California but was planning on moving soon for a job opportunity. So at ease was I with Milo, that I found myself telling him about my dreams and the situation with my parents. He listened intently, asking questions only when he didn't understand something. "So you must sing pretty well then." He offered after a few minutes. I nodded my head and he smiled. "Sing something for me." He asked in that soft voice that I'd already began to get accustomed to. I shook my head shyly. I hadn't actually sang in front of strangers before and my songs were so personal, I felt I'd be giving way too much insight into the Annie no one knew but me. "C'mon." He said nudging my side and I gave in. Creative criticism was never really a bad thing. I cleared my throat and began to sing 'Witness'. ~Make me a witness Take me out Out of darkness Out of doubt I won't weigh you down With good intentions We'll make fire out of clay Or other inventions Will we burn in heaven? Like we do down here Will the change come while we're waiting? Everyone is waiting. And when we're done Soul searching And we've carried the weight And died for a cause Is misery made beautiful Right before our eyes Will mercy be revealed? Or blind us where we stand Will we burn in heaven? Like we do down here Will the change come while we're waiting? Everyone is waiting.~ After I was finished we sat in silence, both lost in our own thoughts I guess. and then he spoke. "That was beautiful Annie. Why would your parents not be able to see that?" He asked shaking his head as if the idea of someone thinking my music unworthy was ludicrous. I smiled in appreciation and watched as Milo stood up and stretched. The rain had stopped and the sun was fighting with the clouds for dominance of the sky. "Let's get out of here." Milo said suddenly causing me to look up at him. Ok, so he was definitely taller than I'd first imagined. I shook my head. �Thanks but I think I�ll pass. Besides, we just met Milo.� �Yeah I know that, but you just said yourself that you had nowhere to go. Your parents basically threw you out on the street. Let me help you.� �I can find something.......I don�t even know you.� I pointed out again, fighting the urge to take the silver ring clad hand he was now offering. Milo smiled at my stubbornness and moved closer. He tilted my chin up so I would look him in the eyes. �But you can get to know me and I can get to know you. But it is up to you.� He said letting his hand fall to his side, thus breaking the contact of his skin on mine. I thought about it briefly and realized that being stupid was not in my best interest in this situation. I had no place to go and here I had a seemingly nice guy offering me a place to stay, even if it was for one night. �Ok. I�ll go with you.� I said taking the hand he was once again offering me. We walked through the abandoned station and out the back door where a shiny black Honda S2000 was waiting. My mouth dropped open when Milo pulled out keys and unlocked the driver�s side door. He looked at me and chuckled. �Th-this is your car?!� I basically shrieked. Milo just put his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans and nodded his head. �Yep. I just got her a couple of weeks ago.� He said opening the passenger�s side door for me. When we were properly secured into our seats, I finally let the giggle that I had been holding spill. �What?� Milo asked, briefly tearing his eyes away from the road to look at me questioningly. �Her? You gave your car a girl name?� I asked finally laughing out loud. �Yeah, so what? C�mon doesn�t this car look like a Lucy to you?� I was laughing so hard by now my eyes we�re tearing up. Milo smirked at me and gave me an evil look. �Shut up.� He said faking hurt that I�d laughed at his car�s name. You should do that more often you know." "Do what more often?" I asked when I finally sobered. "Smile. You have a beautiful smile." He said, before turning his head back to the road. I turned my burning face towards the window as soon as he looked away and watched the city go by as he drove while I tried to calm my emotions. I didn't know if I was making the right decision, I didn't know if I should trust Milo or not, but I knew that for now I was looking forward to finding out. *The song above is sole property of Sarah McLachlan and Sony Records.* |