A Story to Remember

Chapter 36 Lost in LA

Chelsea-

I quickly call a cab and head to meet with Andrew and Caleb Wilson. “72 West Hampshire please.” I tell the driver. I relax in the back seat and call Seth.

“Chels?” Seth’s worried voice comes through the phone.

“Hey Seth.” I answer, “I was hoping to catch you.”

“Everything okay out there?”

“Everything’s great. I just wanted to talk to you.”

“What’s up?”

“I miss you guys like crazy. I can’t believe it will be another three weeks before I can see you.”

“I know, but look at the bright side, once you’re back you’re back.” He says, “Your senior year all you have to do is worry about grades. Then when you’re back in Hollywood you’ll be stuck with me because I’m studying there for college.”

“I guess I should buy back my pent house. So we have somewhere to live. Since your moving here.”

“Look, I have to go. We’ll talk again tonight. I promise.” He says disconnecting the line.

The cab pulls to a stop and I hand the driver forty dollars and get out. I take a deep breath and head into the building, here goes nothing.

Only two hours later, the producers signed me to star in a movie over my breaks. During senior year, I will be working on grades and portraying the character Nikki Peirce in A Step of Faith. I’m only a few blocks away from Gavin’s pent house; it’s a nice day so I walk. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out. Zach’s picture and name flash on my screen.

“Hello?” I answer

“Chelsea?” Zach’s voice comes in through the static.

“Zach, what’s wrong?” I ask into the phone, “Where are you?”

“I’m…street.” He answers as the line goes dead. I check it again to make sure it’s dead. It is. I look around and I find myself in an unfamiliar part of LA. I pull up my GPS on my phone and of course, I get no signal. Now, I’m lost, utterly and completely lost somewhere in LA. I have no idea where I am or how to get out of where ever it is that I am. Other than the fact I’m in an abandoned neighborhood, I’ve got no idea as to where I am. Am I even still in LA? No one’s around. It’s a beautiful bright spring day, but no one is even here. There’s no one working on their yard. No kids outside playing in the streets. I look around for anything useful, trees, houses, payphone, and streetlight; wait, a payphone that could work. Score! I walk, okay, I run over to the payphone and quickly insert fifty cents. I put the phone to my ear and dial Zach.

“Hello?” Someone picks up on the other end.

“Zach?” I yell into the phone excitedly and urgently.

“Who is this?” he asks alarmed, confused, and by the way his voice sounds, a little shocked.

“It’s me, Chelsea.” I answer him.

“Stonefield, where are you?”

“I don’t know.” That awkward moment when, someone asks you a simple question and you don’t know how to answer.

“Where are you calling from?”

“A payphone?”

“Which one?”

“487.5645”

“What’s wrong with you phone, your brand new phone?”

“No signal. This place is a ghost town.”