THE BRIDGE - Crystal Methyd x Gigi Goode | Crygi

Chapter two.

CRYSTAL HADN'T EXPECTED TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO LOS ANGELES SO SUDDENLY.

But when her mom called her at the beginning of December, asking her to come home for as long as she possibly could, Crystal didn't have to be asked twice.

Crystals Mom had assured her many times over the phone that she will easily find a Job in Los Angeles- that she doesn't have to work away at a Job she isn't comfortable at in Michigan.

Crystal didn't know why it took her this long to realise that her Mom would always welcome her back into her home with open arms. She felt stupid for spending two years of working minimum wage at a dumb art gallery that didn't even bring her any joy working at it.

Crystal had always been too embarrassed to go back. She didn't want to go back to Los Angeles to all of her old friends and her family, just to come back with nothing. She left for seven years and what does she have to show for it? That she turned straight? That bright, happy and always smiling Crystal was now gloomy, Boeing and monotone 'Crissie'? She was humiliated that the best thing she got out of this was... nothing?

So Crystal left, she didn't resign from her Job she just didn't go, she abandoned her extremely tiny apartment that was already on its last leg anyways, and she went back to Los Angeles.

It felt unfamiliar to the girl, the aura surrounding her house that she had lived at for only a year or so before going to college but yet it still meant so much to her, it was like her childhood home despite the short amount of time she lived there.

Nothing had changed in the seven years, the house was still painted a pale yellow colour, that she remembers her mom so specifically pointing at and calling it an 'old abuela colour' to her father who then proceeded to disagree with her, defending the small house and calling it 'comfy' to defend her mothers words. It was memories like that which brought so much warmth to crystals chest, it was such a simple thing but standing outside of her house, holding four suitcases which was most definitely gonna show up as dents on her fingers later, it felt right. It didn't make her feel the unease that she felt everyday knowing that she had to go to work and be flirted with relentlessly by men, it gave her so much comfort that the girl swore she could of started crying just by looking at her house.

The large wooden door of Crystals house was swung open and she was immediately met with her parents staring back at her, grinning more childishly than she was, not saying a word "oh you must be the new post lady.." Her dad cracked- Michael has always had the worst sense of humor.

Crystal shook her head, the toothy grin not leaving her lips before she pushed herself into them- the older adults hugging her as if she was a teen again- their strong embrace on their daughter didn't stop until her Mom squeaked out a small "Crystal... I'm too small for this- you are gonna break all my bones.." and Crystal didn't doubt it. She had most definitely got her average height from her Dads side, she stood at 5'8 which was still kind of tall for a female- but her Mom was 5'1 which didn't work the best on her behalf whenever she tried to tell her younger daughter off while she towered over her.

Crystal walked back and grabbed two of her suitcases, her mom and dad taking the others and pulling them into the house behind her. Crystal felt so stupid for ever thinking her parents would judge her.

It took Crystal a few hours to settle in, her suitcases still not being unpacked except for the main things like hygiene tools, hair care and makeup but aside from that the four suitcases lay on the hardwood floor of her old bedroom.

Her parents had made some changes with the room, in the year or so that she had stayed there she had tried to make it as Crystal as possible with paintings and glitter threw up her walls, but now her room was painted a muted red tone and had simple things like a wardrobe, a set of drawers, a bed, and still the exact same bright green phone that she had all them years ago.

Crystal had yet to purchase a mobile phone, which had only came out two months prior to then. She couldn't afford it and quite frankly, she thought the brick with the Antenna was ugly- she very much preferred the dainty, innocent aspect to her phone line beside the bed.

It had been seven in the afternoon whenever Crystal told her parents she was going on a walk, stating that she was going to 'refresh her mind of the scenery' which wasn't wrong. She had forgotten some of the Californian roots around by her house and the area surrounding it. Crystal had to leave, she had to get out and to have a smoke- she needed to relax her brain from everything that was happening around her, she loved her parents very dearly- of course she did, but she was stressed; so incredibly stressed. She didn't know why, she felt like she had something to prove to her parents- she felt like she had to prove that somehow their daughter hadn't been a huge fuck up.

They would still cherish and love her regardless, she knew this. Crystal just wanted to give them more.

So she found herself walking the same way she did all those years ago- the winter breeze pushing past her cold arms. She swore California was never this cold at winter. She made her way to the river.

Her heels cracked against the pavement as she walked along it, her nude pantsuit which was a few shades paler than her skintone was definitely not the right choice for in summer, the pantsuit ran a deep V line down her chest and her arms were completely exposed. This was one of her typical work outfits, except the sound of her several necklaces clinking together made noise as she walked to the entrance, it looked the same as it did all those years ago.

But as soon as she walked in through to the entrance- to the small river that she had deemed her 'secret place' it wasn't the same.

It had more than obviously been renovated.

There was a wooden bridge that took from one end of the river to the other, granted the river was quite wide, maybe around fifty feet wide, but was there really a need for a bridge?

Crystal sighed as she looked at it "at least the didn't cover up the whole fucking river" she mumbled to herself, making her way over to the wooden build.

It was definitely built right- it must have been the council that had built it there, not like anybody would be going to the river aside from the odd pedestrian walking their dog now and then, Crystal still found the bridge pointless.

She walked onto the hard wood, making her way to the centre of the bridge, a small little seat set sitting beside her as she turned to face the river, the base of her arms laying against the wooden handrail- the sun was beginning to set and the crisp air seemed to bother her less and less the more she stood there.

She found herself standing there for an hour or so, she had smoked half of her joint and flicked the rest in the river below her- almost immediately regretting it and debating going to jump in to find it- deciding against it because it had probably already gushed too far down the ever flowing stream.

She was relaxed; she had a chance to regather her thoughts and make herself more calm and collected, she didn't know if it was the walk or the joint but nonetheless she was able to think straight.

That was until she heard another set of footsteps clicking against the bridge, almost like hers except more stable, moving closer and closer to her as the seconds drew in.

"Excuse me miss? you seemed to have dropped your purse at the front of the bridge."