SYMPATHEIA

CHAPTER THREE

Beach | παραλία

The next morning, he woke up late. Breakfast was no longer being served in the hotel lobby. Drool was dried up and crusty, caked to his cheek. He looked around as he sat up. The television was still on, and there was a nature show playing. On the desk in the corner next to the dresser sat the General Tso's dish from last night, combined with a strong, stale odor of onions and ginger.

Sage flung his legs from under the sheets and onto the carpeted floor and headed to the bathroom to clean the crust off of his face. Before long he was dressed in Bermuda shorts and a polo shirt, his goatee was trimmed and Cool Water was splashed on his face.

On the way to the elevators, he quickly tossed the trash in the outdoor trash bin near the ice and vending machines to get rid of the smell. Within a few short moments, he stood standing outside of the lobby under the portico waiting for James.

The weather was warm and pleasant, but the smell where he was standing was pungent. He wrinkled his nose at the stench coming from the rectangular cigarette butt receptacle and moved away from it to stand in the sunlight.

A hotel shuttle van creeped beneath the portico and behind it, the Landcruiser pulled up and maneuvered around it to stop where Sage was standing. Wilson was riding shotgun. Ryan was in the third row with a brunette who looked like she was still in high school and a short girl with cocoa skin and short hair, quietly sipping a purplish Gatorade.

In the middle seat sitting behind James was an Asian looking brunette with curly hair wearing an oversized, long sleeve t-shirt and leggings. She was reaching up, scratching the back of James' neck with her long nails. Beside her in the middle seat was a leggy bleach-blonde, long-haired girl in high heels and cut off shorts crowning her bronzed thighs. Her crop top shirt had a black and white photo of Marilyn Monroe on the front with red high heels and red lipstick.

Sage sighed, shook his head, and climbed in next to the beach-blonde. She smiled at him and scooted over to give him more room. Once he was seated next to her, she crossed her long legs so that her left leg draped over his left knee and her left foot arched to dangle her sandal. Sage ignored her and glanced out the window.

"Yo, Sage, what's up, buddy," James said, twisting around to watch him for a moment.

"What's up," Sage said, looking at him.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Getting all cozy back there. So this is Heather in the back seat with the short hair. Next to her is Candace. Then in the middle next to you is Gina and then next to her is Andrea," James said, pointing with one eye squinted as he spoke.

"Nice to meet you," Gina said, elbowing Sage playfully. Sage smiled.

"You too," he said.

"Now that we're all making friends, let's hit the beach!" James said, peeling out of the portico like a madman, forcing Sage against the door of the Landcruiser.

"Dude, you keep driving like that, you're gonna lose your freaking license," Sage murmured.

"What, man, you drive worse than I do," James said, cutting through the parking lot to make a left onto Nimitz Boulevard.

Sage grinned, watching older homes pass as they headed north. The group fell silent as Wilson reached over to turn the music up. James was listening to the radio, and for the billionth time this year, Prince's "1999" blasted from the speakers.

James started bouncing in his seat. Wilson watched him for a moment with one eyebrow raised, then reached to snap on the CD player. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony pounded from all directions, and Sage sank into his seat. Gina lifted her golden hued left leg to adjust to his new position and then pressed it harder against his. He looked at her. She smiled and looked away.