Six Months // pjm

/2/

The Uber ride to the Boulevard wasn't very far from our hotel. This, however, didn't stop Olivia and I from soaking in every detail. Trying to remember everything made the ride seem a lot longer. The driver noticed our obvious gawking and laughed. "First time, huh?"

"Yes sir." I said to him. The older man was being really friendly. I would've been annoyed at two teenage girls gasping and pointing out everything we drove past.

"Want my advice? Most people come here for tourism, but this city is full of romance. I met my wife on these streets." He smiled nostalgically with love in his eyes.

"I don't know sir, we're not really concerned with relationships right now." Olivia piped in as we pulled over to get out.

The car rolled to a stop and the driver turned around to look at us "I get it. You're young, not looking for anything. Enjoy yourselves girls. But don't shut out all the possibilities. There's so many opportunities amongst you. And just so you know, I had the same mindset- then I met the love of my life." He smiled at us as we crawled out of the car and onto the sidewalk.

"Thank you sir! Have a good day!" I said to him through the passenger window. He smiled once again and drove out of sight.

His words of wisdom ran through my mind as I turned to Olivia. "Where to?" I asked her.
She looked around curiously until her eyes landed somewhere down the street.

"Coffee?" She asked. She already knew my answer. We both lived on coffee and tried it everywhere we went together. It had become one of our traditions.

I smiled at her and linked our arms as we started making our way to the coffee shop.

•••

We had both gotten our drinks after waiting about five minutes. The little shop wasn't very crowded at all, which was surprising because it was right on Hollywood Boulevard. We had opted to sit at a little wooden table beside a huge portrait window that was looking down the street.

People rushed to and fro- some tourists, most people just trying to get to work since it was only 10:30. I looked at Olivia and was thankful for this time of calm before the inevitable rush of California was to come. Not that I wasn't excited for that, but this little moment made everything seem more real. Little ol' us- small town South Carolina girls, smack dab in the middle of one of our biggest dreams. And it hadn't really even began.

I glanced towards the window and saw our reflection. Me with curly brown hair, big blue eyes, a plain face, and big black framed glasses. Then there was Olivia with perfect wavy caramel hair, bright hazel eyes, a beautiful face, and her tiny little nose piercing that she got back when we turned sixteen and she went through a bit of rebellious phase. I convinced her to keep it though- it suited her.

I wouldn't say that I was completely bad looking, but it was obvious who the better looking one of us was. Olivia would say otherwise, but that's just because she was too kind. I loved her for that, but in all reality, she was the one who needed a boy-bodyguard, not me. The barista had already written his number on her cup.

Olivia and I began talking about all the things we wanted to do for the six months we were here. A nature tour, visit the Golden Gate Bridge, take a trip to Napa Valley, the options were endless. My mind was buzzing with possibilities as Olivia's attention turned towards something outside of the window.

"Amanda, look." Olivia pointed out the window towards a mob crossing the street. Everyone I could see had a camera or microphone in their hand and there was obviously someone in the front they were following.

This was the only bad side to our California trip so far. I knew this happened often, but it would always make me uncomfortable. "Poor person. I would have a panic attack right there on the street if something like that happened to me."

I looked at the crowd and saw a girl with bright blue hair doing her best to get away from them. I didn't know who it was, but she must've been having a hard time.

A black car pulled in front of them. Three men quickly came out from inside of the vehicle, helped her crawl inside, and shut the door in all of their faces. They drove off and the mob quickly dispersed, looking for someone new to bother. I looked at them with disgust. Do they have no conscience?

Olivia noticed my sour look and quickly tried to change the subject. "So, any place in particular that you want to go after this?" She asked, effectively pulling my thoughts away from earlier.

"How about that one shop you really liked? It should just be a few blocks that way." I suggested. We both started collecting our things and threw out empty coffee cups in the trash.

"You know we don't just have to go there because I want to. We could go somewhere else first." Olivia said as I pushed open the door to leave. The sounds of the city rushed through my ears and a feeling of happiness washed over me. This was much different than back home, and I loved it.

"No, come on, let's just go. You never know. There might be something there we could miss if we didn't go right now." I told her, the talk of possibility from the man earlier still lingering in my mind.

We walked happily down the street, towards the store.