Welcome to L.A.

An unexpecting ride

It has been so long since I haven't felt that good. Sleeping here, dreaming like a little kid, it's great. With my finals, I stopped being social for a while. I ignored my phone so many times that my notification number was higher than usual. Of course it was. I'm usually answering to everything I get... I also wasn't sleeping enough and it's amazing to finally be asleep on something comfortable.

Lately, in my sleep, I heard a slamming door and familiar voices. The show must be over. Wait, what? Eyes wide open, I realize that the door and the voices were real. But it wasn't because the show's over. I'm on the back seat of a car. My heads leaning on something that looks like a thigh, so I'm not too tall to lay all my body down. I can't sit down. A strong hand holds my right shoulder since the seat belt is broken. I must have been kidnapped! Wait... no seat belt, bags of food packages, water bottles, it's Mads'! I can also hear her talking to one of the two other voices at the front.

"Should I turn, now?"

"Not yet, don't stress about it, I'll tell you." As the guy answers her, he looks in the middle mirror. "Well, well, it looks like our sleeping beauty is awake!" He laughs and turns to me while the hand gets off my shoulder.

"Dude, stop it's not her fault." I'm so confused right now. Isn't that Daniel who just talked?! His voice really looks like his. He helps me getting up to seat next to him. "Don't blame her if she's tired..."

"What happened after the show?" The guy at the front laughs again, but he's offended.

"Not after, but at the show, dear." Mads sighs heavily.

"Hey, Ash, can you stop attacking her like that?! Do you even know what it's like to study your hardest without knowing if what you've done's worth a place at the Cambridge's international program? And, by the way, I kidnapped her to get here right after her last final. Knowing her, this hour and something of sleep must be her longest nap." Mads come on... "Don't be offended for something that wouldn't have happened if she wasn't the best of the best friends a girl like me could've had. I asked her to come." I can't let her blast him like that for me.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about that. Your show was really interesting and I liked what I saw, but she's not lying. I signed up for a place at Cambridge University as an international student and it's really hard to get one... Just don't feel like you're the bad guy. I shouldn't have come at the first place even though I was glad too." He's staring at me. Why isn't he saying anything?!

"Amy, don't blame yourself, don't excuse yourself. Ash is overreacting." He puts a kind hand on my shoulder and looks straight into my eyes for the first time. No way it really is Daniel!!

"I don't think he is. I wouldn't have been happy to know that one of the tickets I gave to complete strangers has gone to waist by the end of the night..."

"Wait... you mean that you are the best friend Maddy was talking about to Ash earlier today?" Well... coming from her, I guess?

"Yea? I thought you knew since we're all in this car together? But why did I wake up here at the first place? Why didn't y'all wake me up?" He laughs awkwardly.

"I should've seen it when I first saw you... Makes sense though. Ash told me Maddy was something."

"Uh, thanks, I guess?" She laughs shyly. I'm serious, what's going on here? Dan tries to explain what he knows shyly.

"This afternoon, Ash told me he met a cool girl whom he gave two tickets for our show. It was supposed to be for her best friend and her. Than I met you and... you told me that you were at the show with your best friend too and I never thought the girl who was with you was the girl Ash met... 'Cause, really, what are the odds? It was dark, so I didn't recognized her when Ash came to me saying he had an idea for this summer. We were about to leave when Maddy stopped us. She came here with someone and wouldn't leave without her. I recognized you, of course, but I guess I was too tired to get it. Regardless, it was obvious..." He looks ashamed, but it's not a big deal.