Adjustments

Adjustments 21

Sarah

Seven Months Later

The upside to living in California is that you don't have to deal with the snowy winters and cold weather. The sun always shines and it's always about 70 degrees. I go to my classes every day. I have my dance class first period which I don't like because I have to go to my next classes all sweaty. After dance I have acting, then vocals, then more acting. College and moving to California is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Ashley moved out here with me! It's always been our dream to get an apartment together and now we have one! It's close to campus but also close to Hollywood. Last weekend we went to the Walk of Fame and I took a picture with all of my favorite movie star's stars. Then, we went shopping on Rodeo Drive! We hit all of the major stores and bought so many little sun dresses that my closet looks like a rainbow threw-up in it.

I've made so many new friends! A few months ago, my entire acting class and I went to take a tour of an actual movie set! It looked like an actual town, it was serial.

I buried my father three months ago. As much as I despised the man, there was a part of me that didn't want to let go of him. There was a time, when I was very little, that he was my father. He did care for me at one point of his life. I did love him at one point in my life too.

Today is Saturday and it's also my birthday! I'm turning twenty-one! I am now a legal adult. Ashley's taking me to a very high end, sophisticated restaurant. I'm alone in my apartment at the moment, watching To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Ashley went to the grocery store about an hour ago. I take out my phone to call her when she walks through the door, holding something behind her back.

"What in the..."

"Turn around!" She yells. I do as she says and continue watching my movie. I hear a zipper and become anxious.

"Ashley, what did you do?" I ask with excitement in my voice.

"Okay, look!" She says. I turn around and find myself gawking at a one strap, red dress with diamonds outlining the strap going across my chest.

"Oh my God!"

"Happy Birthday!" I look up from the dress to Ashley and hug her.

"I can't believe you did this!"

"The diamonds aren't real, but it looks like it, right!"

"You didn't have to get me this, Ash, I mean we're just going to dinner!"

"You're turning twenty-one! It's a big day!" I look at her and smile. "Plus, who knows? You may meet a nice boy tonight at the club!"

"Club?" She walks into my bedroom, leaving me astonished. I follow her. "Since when are we going to a club?"

"Since an hour ago! I figured we shouldn't just eat, we should party! I invited all of your friends from acting class, and Jake!"

"Jake?" I ask, surprised. Jake is one of my very close guy friends. We've known each other since we were three. He moved to Seattle right after graduation and we haven't seen each other since.

"I took the liberty of going through your contacts."

"I haven't talked to him in three years! What did he say?"

"He said he wouldn't miss it. We have to pick him up from the airport before dinner. I invited him to come with us." She goes into the closet and takes out a pair of black heels that are about 4 inches high. "Is this too high of a heel for a club?"

"No, I can handle a little height."

"Get dressed, curl your hair and do whatever else you need to do! We have to pick Jake up in one hour!" She leaves me in my bedroom and goes into the living room.

Once I finish curling my hair and putting my makeup on, I put my dress on over my head. It hugs my curves ever so slightly, but still has a little flow to it that I can move freely. It is the most comfortable dress in the world. I put my heels on and walk into the living room. I see Ashley come out of her bedroom with a strapless blue dress on with tan high heels. We both look at each other and our jaws drop.

"Whoa." We say simultaneously.

"You look amazing!" I say, observing her dress.

"Go ahead, twirl!" She says, making a spinning motion with her finger. I turn and watch the bottom of my dress follow and I smile. "You are one hot tamale my friend." She looks at me and then remembers something. "I almost forgot!"

While Ashley runs into her room, I watch the very end of To Have and Have Not and I remember. I remember everything I went through this past year, everything I've lost. I've lost my whole life, my father and the person I loved. Everything vanished before my very eyes. When I finally moved to California, it was a start of a new me. These past seven months have called for major adjustments, but it's been remarkable.

I feel something cold around my neck and flinch.

"Stay still! I just have to clip it." Ashley is putting a necklace on me! I love her! "Okay, look in the mirror." I go to the mirror and see the most beautiful, shimmery necklace in the world! It had faux diamonds that formed X's and O's, the O's were black. I run over to Ashley and hug her again.

"Dude, can't breathe!" She says, but I don't care.

"You have been my best friend for as long as I can remember." I release and look at her. "You've helped me through so much. I thought I would never be happy after Noah died. But... I am." She smiles at me and hugs me.

"I hope tonight is everything you ever wanted." I feel myself begin to tear up and I guess Ashley is too. We both release and fan each other with our hands. "Can't cry! Fresh makeup!" She says.

We take the elevator downstairs and get into Ashley's car. On our way to LAX, I look up at the sky and form pictures with the clouds in my mind. The sun shines through the window and almost blinds me. The sky is a gorgeous shade of baby blue. There is a lot of traffic on the highway.

"Do you want to listen to some music?" She asks.

"Sure." I say. She turns on the radio and skips a few stations until she finds a Christina Aguilera song.

"I love this song!" She says humming along with it. I listen to the lyrics.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do

To hear your voice again.

Sometimes I wanna call you

But I know you won't be there"

"Can we change the station, please?" I say, getting upset.

"Oh. Yeah." She turns the station to a song I never heard that didn't remind me of what I did.

We continue driving in the blinding sun, trying to reach our destination. Something distracts me from listening to what Ashley is saying, a man walking in between the traveling cars. It's Noah. Before I can react, he moves in-front of our car. Ashley's about to hit him.

"Stop!" I yell. She stops the car and I'm flabbergasted. Noah's gone, evaporated into thin air.

"What's wrong?" She asks. I look at her then back at the road. "Sarah, was it Noah?" I don't answer. "Sarah, it was just another hallucination."

"I know." I say. Ever since he... died, I've been having really bad nightmares and hallucinations of Noah. This one wasn't as bad.

We arrive at LAX fifteen minutes later and park the car. I turn to Ashley and see a devious smile.

"I know that face." I say. "That's your 'I'm not telling you something and you're either going to be very embarrassed or extremely happy' face."

"I plead the fifth." She gets out of the car and I follow.

"Ashley!" I say, chasing her.

One. More. Chapter.