A ride to Los Angeles

Chapter 1

Tiphanny

The sharp smell of the hospital hits me as soon as I start to open my eyes. I can’t ignore the pain in my left shoulder. I must have fallen on it when I lost control of my motorcycle. That’s all I remember: Harper, Cami, Kai, Theodore, Martin, and me, riding our bikes through the streets of Jackson. That’s what we usually do, together. I don’t know what they did after I crashed, but I wish I’d seen it.

I think Martin, my boyfriend, was the first to react, never letting me out of his sight, especially when I’m on the motorcycle. I imagine he probably jumped off his motorcycle, leaving it somewhere in the street, and ran toward me, followed by Harper and the rest of our friends.

Honestly, I’m grateful I met them, especially Martin, the most amazing boyfriend I could ask for. Even though my passion for bikes almost killed me today, without it, I wouldn’t have met them.

First was Harper, who I met in motorcycle school. After we got our licenses, we used to go out together. I liked her from the start; she was adventurous and outgoing, just like me.

A few months later, Harper started dating a guy named Kai, who also had a bike and joined our group. Then came Theodore, Kai’s friend, along with his younger sister, Cami, and his cousin.

That’s when Martin came into my life. He was the member of the group I initially ignored. We didn’t talk much. His introverted, mysterious, quiet nature — though it might attract other girls — just got on my nerves.

I knew he is a student at Ole Miss, studying law, which made him seem even more superior. Yeah, all the good students think they’re better than everyone else, especially future lawyers or senators — at least that’s what I thought back then.

One evening, though, after I went out for a ride alone, I stopped at a gas station to fill up. When I went inside to pay, a familiar voice called out to me:
“Hey, Tiphanny!”

When I turned around, I saw Martin. It was the first time I’d heard him say my name. I think it was also the first time we really spoke.
“Oh, hey, Martin!”

He smiled, and I couldn’t ignore the deep dimples I didn’t even know he had. He didn’t smile often, but I couldn’t deny he had a very cute smile.
“Did you choose to take a solo ride too?” he asked.
“Yeah, sometimes I like to go out on my own.”

I paid the cashier for my gas and started heading for the exit when I heard him again:
“Tiphanny?”

I turned to him with a questioning look.
“If you think I have something against you… well, I don’t.”

His response surprised me a little.
“Why would I think that?”
“I don’t know… You’re friendly with everyone else, and… we’ve barely spoken since we met.”

That’s when, for the first time, I started to feel bad about avoiding him. I hadn’t thought he’d care, but now why would he try to explain he had nothing against me when I was the one with an issue?
“Oh, right? Sorry about that… I didn’t realize.”

He smiled at me again. I felt more and more embarrassed.
“It’s okay; I just wanted to make sure there’s nothing weird between us.”
I smiled back, embarrassed.
“No, there’s nothing between us. Sorry if I made you feel weird.”
“No, it’s all good… You should go; it’s getting dark.”

I looked out the window. When I went into the gas station, the sun had just started to set, and now the sky was shades of violet and pink. Soon, it would turn dark blue, then pitch black.
“Yeah… I should go…”
“Goodbye, Tiphanny Meelver!”

I looked at him one last time before stepping out the door.
“Goodbye, Martin Kendall!”

After that encounter, I started to wonder more about him. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep at night, thinking about unanswered questions. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and turned to Cami, his cousin. What she told me not only shocked me but left me with a strong feeling of nausea. From that day on, I saw Martin Kendall differently.

The creak of a door snaps me back to reality, the hospital bed I’m stuck in. A nurse enters, but she doesn’t look at me; her gaze is fixed on someone standing in the hallway.
“She’s in here, sir.”

It must be Dad, along with Mom or Martin.

But when the visitor steps into the room, I freeze for a few seconds.

It’s not my dad or Martin who walked through the door; unbelievably, it’s the famous movie star Frederic Griffith — tall and with features so beautiful they look like they were crafted by AI, maybe even more attractive than on screen.

While any other girl my age would pay good money to be in front of this man even for a few seconds, I’m not thrilled by his presence; quite the opposite.

Yes, I’m shocked to see him in front of me and even wonder why he’s in a hospital in Mississippi, but at the same time, I can’t wait for him to notice he’s entered the wrong room, apologize, and leave the next second.

Unfortunately, to my surprise, when he sees me, there’s no shock on his face. Instead, he approaches my bed and sits down in the chair.
“How are you feeling, Jessica?”

Is this a joke? Did I hear right, or did he just call me “Jessica”? Yes, Jessica is his wife, but I don’t even look like her. She’s a movie star with a perfect body, thick black hair, full lips, and piercing blue eyes. I, on the other hand, don’t care much about how I look, but I know I’m no goddess. I am flat, with thin, dry hair and a few pimples I don’t even bother to cover up. I mean, seriously, aside from mascara and lip gloss, I don’t have any makeup.

I want to correct him and tell him my name isn’t Jessica, but when I sit up a little and see my reflection in the mirror above the sink in front of me, I’m shocked again.
“Jessica, sweetheart, can you hear me? Are you alright?”

I don’t even hear what he’s saying anymore.