Tuning Heartstrings

Chapter 22

(Written August 19, 2014)

Before leaving town, we stop at a gas station. Everyone rushes inside to buy our favorite junk foods. We return to the car, and John and Liam start munching on chips in the back seats as we slowly start to drive out of the gas station.

As we drive, we pass a sign that reads, "You are now leaving Redding, thank you for visiting." I hold back tears, thinking about my parents and brother, and my whole childhood. Jason looks over at me and holds my hand. I squeeze his hand and stare ahead, concentrating on the road to Hollywood.

(2 hours later)

We stop at another gas station, this one is in the middle of nowhere. After using the bathroom, I buy a Coca-Cola and walk outside to see Jason and John sitting in the back on their phones while Liam fills up the car. As he finishes taking his card out of the machine, he looks at me and smiles, "Your highness, it is time for your driving shift." Laughing, I get into the car and sit in the driver's seat. In the last few months, Jason and Liam had given me driving lessons and I passed my test the first try.

As I slowly step on the accelerator and get back on the road, Liam hooks his phone to the car and cues his playlist. The first song, amusingly, is "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry. "Yo bro, you listen to Katy Perry?" John says, laughing.

Getting mad, Liam says, "Fine, I'll change it," but I quickly take one hand off the steering wheel and grasp his before he changes it. "This is my jam, Liam." We all laugh and belt out the lyrics, with John screaming them the loudest, ironically. As the song ends, I think to myself that it's funny how at age 22, I feel as if I'm finally living my teenage dream now with a loving boyfriend and two caring best friends.

(2 more hours later)

After about an hour and a half, I get tired of driving, so John and I switch places. As soon as I get sit beside Jason, he wakes up from his sleep. He looks at me for a few seconds and hugs me. Before I know it, both our eyelids get heavy, and we fall asleep while John and Liam continue to listen to Liam's playlist.

(3 hours later)

It's dark, but I hear noises. In a couple of seconds, those noises turn into voices, and finally, my eyes open to see John smiling at me. As I lift my head from Jason's shoulder, he wakes up, yawning and stretching.

"Hey Lizzie, did you sleep well?" John says, laughing. John and Liam look at each other for a second and then, in sync, say, "1, 2, 3...WELCOME TO HOLLYWOOD," moving their heads away from the surprise to reveal the Hollywood sign in the distance. Jason grabs my hand and quickly opens the door for us to get out. All four of us stand in the warm Los Angeles evening, hold each other's hands tightly and look at the sign from afar, because we've come here with big dreams. As I look at the sign, I say, "Welcome to Hollywood, kids, the land where dreams come true."