You Found Me

You Found Me - Chapter One.

"I just can't believe it, Allie! One freaking Direction!"

I clipped a ringletted lock of blonde hair behind my ear and grinned.

"I know, Lucy, you've been telling me for the past twenty minutes."

"How'd you even get tickets anyway? Didn't they sell out in--"

"Twenty minutes," I interrupted, bending my dreadfully blonde eyelashes upward. "Yeah, I've heard. You should just be happy I got the damn tickets for you, Luce." I laughed.

"Crap, you think I'm not?" Lucy feigned being horrified. "Allie, this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, if we'e being legit with each other here. I can't even thank you enough."

"Please, thank me by not thanking me." I grabbed my bag off of the kitchen counter and opened the front door. The sun streamed into the house, bouncing off my lightly tanned face and off the ocean water below. The water twinkled with a shimmering light, so close to magic that I couldn't believe I really lived here.

My house was a tiny cottage on the oceanfront -- literally. A small pier jetted out from the land, where five tiny yet coveted houses stood, mine being the very farthest from the shore. At night, when the moonlight danced across the sea, I'd count the stars to see how many I could find. Each night there was a different number, which meant that the night afterwards, I'd have to come out again just to find the number that fit. I was stubborn that way, I guess. Or maybe I just loved living on the pier so much that anything that so much involved the beach or the view I would jump up and down to participate in.

"Ha, ha. You kill me," Lucy groaned. "I'll pick you up in five, okay? I'm over by Lillian's."

"Kay. See ya."

"Later, loser."

I hung up, slipping my phone into my pocket. It scared me sometimes how much I'd changed since I'd lived in Ireland. My hair, although quite blonde before, had seemed to have gotten blonder; more like a sandy blonde than a white-blonde. My green eyes were still the colour of bright emeralds, but my Irish accent had disappeared right along with my petite stature. It was like I was a whole new person, but if someone I had known before the move to California had looked right into my eyes, they would have known exactly who I was.

I slipped off my black Toms and sat down on the side of the pier where the water lapped at my bare toes. The light breeze blew through my hair and my eyes sparkled. Yes, this is where I belonged. No one watching me now could doubt it. Of course...a part of me missed the old days in Mullingar, with my lovely, reliable house, standing forever still in front of my sprawling field of a backyard; missed the river which was our entertainment during spring and fall. But mostly I missed my best friend; that newly-blonde Irish boy with the mischievious smile that could light up a thousand suns and the dancing blue eyes the colour of ice.

Of course, now it seemed every girl in the world knew his name.

A car horn honked in the distance, yanking me from my thoughts.

"Allie!" I looked up and watched Lucy wave from her black convertible Mercedes. Lucy was a typical California girl with long, creamy-chocolate brown hair and bright robin's-egg-blue eyes. Her skin was I-paid-ten-grand-for-this tan and her legs were long and thin. Luce was just one of those girls, that even if she was wearing a plastic trash bag, she would've been drop-dead gorgeous.

"Lucy!" I stood up quickly and slid my shoes back on, not caring a bit if I got them wet. We lived on the beach for crying out loud. I bolted to her car and slid in the passenger seat.

"Hey, hoe," Lucy said, smirking. "Aaagh! I can't believe we're going to see One. Direction. You're totally fucking me over, huh?"

"Why would I do that?" I grinned. I'd never told her that one of the band members was my childhood best friend...why start now? She'd never believe me anyway.

"Ahh! We have to go shopping right now Allie. Like, now, now." Lucy squealed.

I sighed. Lucy knew how much I hated shopping. Just a pair of shorts, a tee-shirt and maybe flip-flops and I was good to go, but for Lucy, everything in her outfit had to be perfect.

"I don't trust you," I tease. "You'll come out with, like, twenty-something bags and a new guy on your arm if I leave you alone for five minutes."

"But that's why you love me!" Lucy threw back her head and laughed. She slid her sunglasses down so they hid her blue eyes.

"You don't have to get anything, Allie. Just humor me."

"Don't I always?" I winked at her as the car started and drove down the avenue.

- - - - -

An hour and five stores later, Lucy and I exited the Venice Beach Shopping Center. Lucy held on her arm a shopping bag from every store we visited, and I held one; just a simple dress that Lucy insisted would bring out my eyes.

"I don't know if I've found the right outfit yet, though," Lucy complained as we plopped ourselves down on the leather seats.

"You're kidding me, right? You've got more clothes than Coco freaking Chanel," I snapped, rolling my eyes.

"But I've worn them all before," Lucy said briskly, as if it was obvious.

"But One Direction hasn't seen you wear them," I reasoned. This seemed to perk her up quite a bit as we drove through the streets of Venice Beach. We stopped at Lucy's apartment to get her wallet before heading to Sandy's for gourmet wraps.

"It'll only be a sec," Lucy promised, slamming the driver's seat door. I nodded, and scrolled down through my messages on my iPhone.

"Come on, Elle. Ellie, let's go."

I looked up to see a lively-looking mother, trying to tear her tiny daughter's eyes away from a dog tied up to a parking meter.

"Mommy! I want to see the puppy!" The mother gently took the little girl up in her arms and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"You know what? We'll go get lunch, and we'll see the puppy afterwards, okay?" she tickled the little girl's stomach, and the girl giggled.

"Okay, Mommy." The two walked down the street hand in hand as tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

Her smile. Of course it's the first thing I think of when I think about her. It was happy when she played with Aidan and me outside during the summer; happy when she chased us around the backyard, her green eyes which so perfectly matched mine twinkling with pure joy. She radiated that joy, I remember. It was just something about her that everyone loved. I had never seen her fight with anyone. She was just always smiling.

And then...she wasn't. That smile that so often made my world complete disappeared forever. The lack of that smile made said world fall apart. One day, she was here, one day she wasn't. They told us to expect this, but I didn't wasnt to believe it. Didn't want to give in.

That little girl should realize how lucky she is to have a mother.