Come A Little Closer (A Duff Mckagan Fan Fic)

Chapter 6

The view outside the window of the stuffy bus I had been trapped in for nearly 18 hours looked to be cut from the pages of a magazine.

L.A. was every bit as beautiful and vibrant as I had hoped it would be. City lights flashed all around and despite the fact that I was born and raised in a big city, Los Angeles was a whole new force of energy that I had never been exposed to in rainy Seattle.

The people had a whole other sense of living, the simplicity of Seattle being traded for hairspray and tight leather. I had never felt so out of place and out of touch before in my entire life.

The bus stopped at a busy station rushing with people going in a million different directions. I got out of the bus with my bags in tow, hoping to find a taxi as soon as possible. I lugged my stuff out of the bus station and over to a street corner, anxiety pumping through my veins seeing as how it looked like I was the only one who had no clue as to what was happening around them.

I waved my hand out in the street trying to hail a cab, taking the lead from the others trying to catch a ride. Frustrated, I climbed into a ratty cab and gave the driver the address to the dorms that I'd be staying in. That was until another girl slid into the cab.

She had big, bleach blonde hair and the brightest red lipstick I had ever seen. She was L.A. personified.

"Where you headed?"

I gave her the address to my building.

"Oh! A college girl! I'm headed in that direction too. Wanna share a cab?"

"Uh, sure." I was shocked by how open and confident she was. Nobody was like this in Seattle.

But for some reason, I was mystified by this woman. I mean, she had this sort of magnetic vibe almost like a rock star. 

"You're clearly not from around here. I can tell by the way you're looking at my hair!" She said with a sly smile.

"I don't think I could ever get my hair that big." I sounded so naive, almost childlike.

"It's an acquired skill." She let out an airy laugh. "Where you from?"

"Seattle born and raised. Are you from Los Angeles?"

"Yeah, my parents came here to follow their dreams and forgot to leave, I guess."

We shared some small talk and she introduced herself as Jess. She was an aspiring actress who had only managed to land hair care commercials so far. You could see the passion and energy seeping from her pores, like she was born to be a star.

"So, Liv, here's my number. Call me when you get settled in cause we need to get together sometime. I wanna show you the scene! I need to show you how to work L.A! " Jess slid out of the car after handing the driver her share with a wink.

After arriving to my stop, I pulled my bags out of the trunk of the cab and went inside. I met the dorm manager, Tom, and got my key and room assignment. I walked inside my stark white room that contained two small beds and two dressers. That meant I'd have to room with a stranger. Great. It looked like a 50's style mental hospital in here. I took a bit of time to set up my space and make it look a bit less dreary before leaving to go find some food.

Near the dorms there was a small coffee house that caught my eye on the drive here and caffeine was always a good idea.

I walked into the dark room that lingered with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. The place looked to be packed with kids my age and I felt out of place and a bit self concious standing there alone. The glaring fact that I was alone in this city made me panic a bit. I tried to focus on the menu above the front counter when I was pulled back to Earth by the people in front of me on line.

"Hey, I know this may seem strange, but im not a random loon trying to harvest your brains or anything..." The boy rambled on.

"...Ben, cut to the chase, stop scaring her." The girl next to him nudged him in the side.

"Don't cha think the Rolling Stones were overall better than the Beatles?" The scruffy boy asked with his arms crossed.

"The Beatles are great, don't get me wrong, but the Stones are just killer." I replied as the boy stuck his tongue out at the girl next to him.

"You're cool and you agree with me. We should keep you around, noble stranger! I'm Ben and the one with the irrelevant opinion over here is Josie."

"I'm Liv. " I smiled shyly.

"So, Liv, are you from around here?" Josie's face lit up with a slight grin.

"I'm from Seattle but I just moved here today."

"Cool! Did you come to try to 'make it' or just for the scenery."

"I'm actually here for school, UCLA"

Ben and Josie flashed excessively shocked faces at each other and I coldnt help but giggle.

"Hey! We go there too!" Josie said excitedly.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon becoming acquainted with my two new friends. They were both freshman too who came in from Arizona. They had been best friends since the second grade and it became evident that they were on the same wavelength at all times. They had the same small town look as I did, ditching the big hair for tattered jeans and old t shirts. 

"Were going to a party tonight. Its gonna be pretty huge, so you should definately come!" Ben said.

"Yeah, we'll all get shitfaced and see who can actually find their way back to the dorms first!" Josie giggled.

She reminded me of a fairy, small and happy with a sort of mysterious vibe. Kelly would have really liked her. Ben, on the other hand, was really tall with long, straggly hair that covered his eyes. His sense of humor was definately Seattle proof, with sarcasm lacing most of what he said.

We went our separate ways, planning to meet up again at 7 to head to the party. I could tell that we'd become fast friends, they reminded me of home, oddly enough.

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Hey guys! Sorry for taking ages to update and for anyone wondering, Duff is coming up soon, so no worries!