Life Goes On

19. Familiar Faces

For weeks, all I did was go out. I was never home now and it was crazy to me. Every night, I found myself at a new club and during the day, I'd be out shopping or doing something away from home and Santa Monica. I usually went to The Grove, the Alley's, or the beach, mostly the beach.

I hung out with Jazmyn all the time, but never at her house, not after what happened the last time. Driving away from him was the hardest thing and I didn't want to keep doing it over and over, pretending like nothing was wrong when in reality, everything was fucked up.

Right now, I'm at the beach, by myself. Jaz and I had hung out just yesterday, so I thought I'd take a day to myself. A book was opened in front of me and I read the words on the page, but missed everything that had happened because of overthinking. I inwardly groaned and reread a couple more times, until I finally understood.

Just as I was getting back to my reading, a figure appeared in front of me, blocking the sun from tanning my pale skin. I look up and find a very familiar guy. How he found me and remembered me, I had no idea. "You're the girl from the diner," he says.

"Excuse me?" He looked very familiar, but I couldn't quite figure out who he was.

"Faith & Destiny," he says, and then I remember.

"Oh right, you're the one my ex went all crazy on," I laugh, "what's your name again?"

"Adam," he says, refreshing my memory, "nice to see you around again."

"I kind of had a boyfriend at the time that I met you," I explain.

"Kind of?"

"Yeah, it was complicated and weird, but we're just friends now. Seems to be better that way with everyone," I say.

"How about I buy you some ice cream and you can rethink that?" He smiles and extends his hand to help me up. I smile back and take it. I put my book in my bag and slip on my dress-like cover up so I wouldn't be so exposed.

We walk up the sandy beach and I rest at a bench that's just under a palm tree, while he gets us ice creams from a nearby vendor. When he comes back, I immediately get to eating it, so I wouldn't have to answer any of the questions I was sure he was going to ask. "So, tell me about yourself?"

"There's nothing really to say. My life is pretty boring," I say, not wanting to mention the reality of it.

"Everyone has a little excitement in their life," he says, "c'mon just tell me."

I sigh, "Everyone knows my business because I've been putting my life on the Internet for almost 5 years now. I make videos every week and post them on MyTube. I have over a million views and I travel sometimes to do shows for them. I don't live a normal life and right now is probably the most normal I've been in a very long time. Is that enough excitement?"

"Sounds interesting. Tell me more."

"Anywhere I go, I get noticed and it's weird sometimes, but I've gotten used to it. The last time I went to Disneyland, half the time I spent taking pictures with my viewers, but I don't complain because they've given me an incredible amount of things," I explain more in depth.

"So you're basically famous?" He asks.

I shake my head, "I don't like that term. I prefer 'well known.'"

"But you're a big deal, right?" I nod and continue eating my ice cream.

"What about you? What's your story?" I ask.

"I got emancipated at the age of 17 and I've been on my own ever since. I have no idea who my birth parents are and I don't think I want to know. From what I've heard, my dad is a successful asshole and my mom is somewhere making a living off men."