Welcome to Oceanside High: Revenge of the Bully

Chapter 14

The big beachfront condominium complex comes into view. It towers over the sands of Deerfield's beachfront.

"What's this place?" I ask him as he cuts the truck off in the parking lot.

Travis reaches into the back and grabs his duffel bag and then hands me mine. "It's my parent's condo. Dad and mom would come here on the weekends or for special occasions but she hasn't been here since his passing."

I shake my head like I understand completely. But my parents are both alive and I can't imagine what it would be like to lose either of them. Mom and I have our differences these days but I know one day we'll find our way back to the friendship we once had. I hope. "Oh okay. What's the special occasion for us then?"

"A shower," he says with a smile. "Now let's get our asses up there cause you stink."

"Uggh! Travis McDurn I thought we agreed—"

"What? I can't be truthful? You think I don't stink?"

"Well, since you put it that way I've been wondering what that skunk smell is."

"Skunk?" He takes a big whiff under his arm pits. "That smells like Calvin Klein."

"More like a used pair of Calvin Klein underwear." I remark and we both laugh.

I slide down out of his truck and pull my duffel bag with me. I slam the door and look up at the complex. I can hear the soft sound of the ocean from the beach on the other side.

I like being someplace new. It means that the familiar thoughts of my life and an angry best friend won't slip so easily into my mind and bug me all night. Or so I hope.

The place is immaculate with polished marble floors in the lobby, and a security guard at a small round computer desk in its center. "Fourteenth floor," Travis says as we step into the elevator. I'm closest to the buttons so I push it. There are four floors above the fourteenth.

"So you're not in the penthouse?"

"Nope. No penthouse. My parents weren't ever rich. They're working folks. But they always appreciate what they got."

"Yeah, my dad does okay," I say, unsure if he means my dad too. We aren't rich like Lindzey's parents who own several foot locker franchises, or Billy Bowen's parents and their fleet of boats.

The elevator doors open and I follow Travis down to the left of the hall and up to the condominium door. The halls look updated with warm colors and new lighting. "Thankfully the place this floor is renovated. They started from the lobby and during the week day this place is filled with sounds of tools pounding into the cement walls. They're replacing the balconies too. But they finished ours two weeks ago. It's not too peaceful here during the week days anyway."

The door opens and I can tell the place is just used for weekend getaways for two people. There's old scratched and chipped up tile on the kitchen floor, an old white refrigerator with some rust spots here and there and a dinged up dishwasher. The counter is scuffed up with markings like they'd tried to bleach it white and at times somebody didn't even bother to use a cutting board. It reminds me of when I lived in the single-wide trailer with mom. It still felt like home no matter how new or old things were. These things didn't ever matter to me.

"Sorry about the place. I come here sometimes when I just have to be alone and away from the world. Mom doesn't know I come here more often than not."

"Sorry for what?" I notice some piles of old clothes on the living room couch and some old pizza boxes stacked in the corner. "Oh. I see."

"Yeah" He smiles shyly.

"So. You living it up like a bachelor up here?"

"Did you and your Trio ever come up here?"