California

Chapter Seven

It turns out Amanda's mom made for a great cook, whose skills might even rival my mom's, though I wouldn't care to admit that to her. We had lunch and went to her backyard, where her dad had had a pool built. It wasn't too big, but the small deck near the garden had two reclining deck chairs and that's where we spent the rest of the afternoon. I didn't know how Emma and Sarah would react upon knowing I had already made a friend who I was hanging out with all day, so I decided to postpone telling them about Amanda, at least until my departure's mourning period was through.

Mrs. Jacobs brought us lemonade and snacks along the day while we lounged at the pool and I was beginning to comprehend why Amanda lost track of her weight so suddenly. It wasn't that her mom didn't have her best interests at heart, but maybe going on a diet would be healthier for her. I remembered when I was growing up and my weight had gone up unexpectedly - mom took me to a doctor and she got me started on a better diet. I got used to the vegetables and low-fat food, in spite of having struggled at the beginning.

Amanda went on to tell me everything about the trio we had seen at the beach earlier that day: 

Clara was the brunette who had a stylish yellow sundress on. She looked amazing with her dashing hair blowing in the cool wind and heart-shaped lips. Amanda said she wasn't too bright when it came to school stuff, but her Instagram profile had more than one hundred thousand followers who kept up with her makeup tips and avidly commented on the daily looks she posted. She had branded herself an "influencer" and loved all the attention.

Hannah had stunning green eyes and red hair, which she always kept tangled in a messy bun that really suited her. She wore round glasses and had a few freckles on her cheeks, which I guessed guys found charming. She was actually smart and dedicated to studying but didn't refuse a party when one came up. Like Clara, she also had a considerable social media following, although less significant, which she fed with pictures of herself traveling the globe with her parents.

Stacey, at the center of it all, was the one everybody talked about. She had been known for hanging out with celebrities and attending select parties award-winning artists went to, and that was because her dad was a famous music producer and hooked her up with a few connections. At the beach she had set her pony tail free and beautiful golden curls flew about, shining with the sun. Her wide, blue eyes held anyone's gaze and it looked like she'd stolen her lips from Kylie Jenner herself. She was truly pretty, incredibly so, sort of Gigi Hadid-looking. Amanda told me she'd only ever dated one guy, Harry Knowles, but they'd broken up before summer break and no one knew what would happen next between them. 

"You know what the best part is?" She asked, sipping on her lemonade.

"What's that?" I had my arm stretched out hiding my eyes from the sun.

"Remember Cali? From the yearbook picture?" As Amanda spoke his face came to mind, perfect teeth and strong jaw. "Stacey used to hook up with him when they were sophomores. Harry kinda hates Cali's guts, and I don't know how he's gonna react if she gets together with Cali again."

"You think they might? You know, get together again?" I asked, pretending to be only loosely interested.

"It's definitely on the table. In my humble opinion it only didn't happen yet because she was away all break long. I guess we'll know soon enough."

Her mom came along and invited us in for some cake. The sun was setting and I couldn't eat any more even if I tried, so I thanked her but told Amanda I had to get going. We made plans to hang out the next afternoon again and maybe watch some shows, since it was supposed to rain all day long. I took off and got home a few minutes later, only then realizing the sunset was really pretty over there. We didn't get those in Seattle: the clouds were scattered about, flooded by an orange glow that escaped through the horizon. I breathed in the evening air, took a picture of that amazing landscape and went in.

Mom told me dinner would be ready soon but I couldn't stand the sight of food just yet, so I told her I'd eat later. I took a shower to get all that sunscreen off my body and opened the window just a bit so that the breeze could get in. I went to bed and put on Friends on Netflix, which I always watched when I just wanted to chill. Rachel was my favorite, and I sometimes caught myself wishing for a dorky Ross in my life, but that was just because I loved their chemistry so much.

I checked my Instagram feed and scrolled past many pictures of my friends reminiscing on summer vacation. I still had this week left, but back in Seattle they were already invested in P.E., Civic Studies and that sort of thing. I liked most of the pictures, commented on a few and finally went through the stories. When I was about to put my phone down and enjoy Chandler's wisecracking, I was struck with curiosity.

I searched for Amanda's profile and checked the people that she followed. I found Clara's, Hannah's and Stacey's profiles in no time. They indeed were all that. Maybe the most popular girls in Clareview High. Then, I found Harry Knowles' profile. It was different than most: all of his pictures were black and white and his bio only read "LA/CA." He was handsome though, with full dark, messy hair and blue eyes, and I could see how Stacey and he made for the couple most likely to be elected prom royalty.

Then, inspired by my detective skills and a little bit instigated, I decided to search for that Cali guy. I typed his name in but nothing came up. I tried it through everyone else's following lists but I got nothing. I had nothing else to go on and after a few minutes I gave up. What kind of name even was that, anyway? Cali? With a name like that it shouldn't be so hard to find him in social media - unless he was one of those people who liked it better to stay away from such a vain, shallow world, which I thought was nonsense. You could check Instagram every once in a while and still be a nice, down-to-earth person.

Anyway, I set my phone on the nightstand and plugged it in the charger, concerning myself only with the show, even though Cali never completely slipped off my mind. Either way, school was starting soon so I guessed I'd probably get a better look at him soon enough.