Destinations

Chapter 2

Los Angeles, California- 5:47PM

"Christian!  the ball!", Adam was yelling and running through the sand. He looked like a puppy going for the treat and we all were gonna make fun of him later, i was sure of it. Christian was laughing hysterically and going for the shoot. I prepared myself, a grin on my face. He stopped in front of me and kicked it right in the middle.
Everything around me felt like it was happening in slow motion, but even if I was bad at being guardian, he pretty sure missed it.

"Christian!! You Fucker! I told you to pass me the fucking ball!", Adam kept on rambling
It was another sunny Californian day. The sand underneath our feet was warm and we were all shirtless, running around like puppies in the snow.

Meanwhile Chase sipped on his strawberry banana milkshake from Mary&Lou's cocktail shop, the rest of us ran uncomfortably around the area.

Football was pretty great, i'll admit, but it was just a game for us. I mean, we all loved the game, but Adam had a thing for it. He took it way too seriously. It was his thing, somehow.
He was supposed to get a football scholarship to Colombia, but then his parents died and he didn't wanna go to college anymore.
But i think all three of us knew Adam wasn't good. You'd think that if we let him talk it out he'd be better. For some people, 'letting things out' is more damaging than helping. People need to understand that nobody likes to talk about the shit that hurts. If a certain subject upsets you, why mention it, right?

We grew up in Cali basically our whole life together. We met in Highschool on the football team and we went along with being best buds.
And although we were all born here, besides Chris, none of us looked like boys who grew up near the beach.
I don't think any of us talks much about feelings, but on the rare occasions that we did, none of us really opened up.

Chris was really just a good guy, the true californian between us, if thats even a word. His hobbies included surfing and being blonde, but between you and me, he liked music too. He's never told anyone but us about his hidden guitar, and i dont even know why, i mean, theres nothing to be ashamed of with playing instruments. But none of us asked him about it. It's his decisions mostly.

Then there's Chase.
He was the tallest between us. He was almost always dressed in black or any other dark colors and he had tons of books. His black hair and black eyes really scared off because my first impression of him was very creepy. But believe me the first look never matters. He had now about thirteen tattoos ( and counting ) each carelessly picked. And although he seemed like a guy from movies or books, he was real and no he hadn't been through god knows what. He had both his parents and a sister, Mayla. Younger than him, she always insisted on hanging around when we were over at his place and that pissed him off. She had a thing for Christian and it was obvious, but lets be honest he couldn't give a damn about a schoolgirl.
I mean, she was pretty cute and nice but none of us could think of dating each other's siblings.
Chase was a little freak most of the times, and he was an ugly drunk, but we always managed to hit him up and save him from embarrassment.

And then there's me, old, boring Jeremy. I was the one who usually cleaned up behind the rest. I was pretty tall if you'd ask me, and although booze and protein weren't my favorite topics, i managed to find myself talking about them whenever im high. My mom left when I was seventeen- told Dad she had to go see abuela in Spain who was sick, and she never came back. We can't say we were too devastated, maybe a little bit, i mean dad, for sure. I, on the other hand, managed, after so many months of not getting any sleep, to get the thought of it.
My little brother and sister were eleven at the time, and it was way harder for them.
Dad had to work much harder, and well, i had to manage the kid's education, as well as my own. Now theyre both nineteen and live for themselves. Lilian has grown beautifully and although she's a pain in the ass, im thankful for her. And Jody's in advanced classes this year, he's pretty smart and even when he steals half of my clothes i don't point it out because sometimes it feel like it's my fault that they grew up without a mom.
Back then, when mom was around, i didn't care much. I used to be so careless, mean and harsh sometimes. And maybe thats the reason that mom decided that she had enough of us.

Adam was the first to bump on my back, "we need to keep moving if we wanna reach the motel before tonight"
Last year, after out graduation we decided we wanted to hit the road. I dont know honestly where we would be going, as long as they were there, I was cool with it.

But this year, it was going to be different
Because we knew were we were really going.

Chase managed to rent an old truck, im pretty sure the owner wouldnt mind if we kept it, due to it's condition, so it's all good. An old toyota, i like to think it's blue but it looks grey-ish.

Our first stop will be not further than five hundred kilometers than california, since opting for a night trip wasn't obviously the best idea we had, but we did it for Christian, who'd rather leave without his father's knowledge. It was odd; four guys running from their problems at home; but honestly, we weren't running away, because we knew we'd come back, we're just taking a break, hopefully.

We all got aboard the old toyota, Chase insisting on taking the lead.

"Dude, I still can't believe we're doing this", christian's voice was barely edible but the radio didn't work, so silence was our only choice.

"Yo remember when we all used to be in high school and Adam picked on this fat girl, what was her name again?", Chase was the first one to start conversation

"Leah? Lara?" I started asking

"LENA", said Adam

"if you ask me she wasn't even fat", Christian took turn

"I know", spoke Adam, "I was just a fucker who thought I was being cool"

"Yeah, yeah you were"

Lena, i remember being in five of her classes every year since kindergarten. She was pretty and had cool green eyes. I never understood why Adam had always been a dick to her, but i was too much of a fuss back then to do anything.

The truck was no fast car so we all enjoyed feeling the wind hitting our face with laughter and memories.
We kept on talking and the time went by quickly.

11:00 PM
"I told Mirna that i had enough and announced that I quit", said Christian

"I don't know man, that sounds like a harsh way to quit a job", that time, it was Adam who spoke

"You're not the one who left the place smelling like frozen yogurt with green bash", Chris laughed, "and you're not the one to talk- you dumped a girl through text"

"Well that's different"

"How is it different?"

Along the side talks and deep conversations, I drifted away. You know the funny thing about us, we know every thing about each other: every memory, funny story, every moment, yet I dont know we find the need to say them over and over again.
It was already late when we arrived to the motel, the air was cold and the Beatles were blasting from the small portable radio our friend Joe gave Chase. The only lights were the ones on the road and for that, was enough.

"Its just different."