California Dreamin'

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

It's time we stop,

Hey!

What's that sound

Everybody look

What's going down

It was two days later that John went out again with his cousin. When they returned home from the Fantasy Fair, John mostly kept his distance. He felt silly for reacting the way he did all because he smoked a bit and then wandered off to the point of getting lost. John was mature enough to go into town on his own, but this was a different situation altogether.

Patricia felt terrible for it, apologizing the following day though John rebuffed her. She had done nothing wrong. After all, she had been planning on this for a while and having her young cousin tag along was never really apart of the equation. She had her own life to worry about and John couldn't expect her to just drop it all to babysit him. He wasn't a child. He didn't need to be protected or looked after.

Except he had been looked after. By an angel of a man wearing a flower crown upon his dirty blond hair. John tried not to think about the mystery man, knowing very well he wouldn't be seeing him again. Patricia had mentioned that people from all over the country came for the festival and since he was sporting an accent similar to his own, John was fairly certain the man was no longer in the country.

He brushed it off as a once in a lifetime experience; something to talk about with his mates when he returned home. John had never been one to brag about certain things he had done, but if the topic came up then he wouldn't stop himself from mentioning it.

Patrica felt bad about losing John in the crowd, having remembered how reserved he was when it came to big groups of people. John hadn't had a full-on panic attack, but the combination of his own anxiety and the harsh reaction to the weed was enough to set him back. He declined to go out with her the following night to a poetry reading, choosing to instead remain home and play board games with Julie, Patrick, and Pamela.

It was fun for the most part. John got along well with those younger than himself. When family events would arise, John would normally be placed at the children's table. Not because his family saw him as a child, but his own maturity was enough to keep the youngsters in line.

The following day, Patricia insisted that they go out together. There was a music store in town that she thought John might take interest in. While he had previously planned on helping his aunt with the housework, John did have to admit that the idea of going to the said store did pique his interest.

They went out together in the early afternoon, with Patricia hoping to spend the day with her cousin as a bit of a makeshift apology for what transcended at the concert.

"It's really all right, Patrica," John told her, pausing for the moment. "Right. You prefer Trish now. Sorry."

"Only my friends call me, Trish. You're not my friend, John. You're my family." She insisted as they walked down the street together. "I have been terrible to you lately. We used to be so close."

"We were children. People grow up. Grow apart. Completely understandable." John didn't expect his cousin to keep their budding relationship going on after she moved across the sea. How could they? Patricia had her own life to live and her own interest to focus on. And the same went for John.

"Still. You're only here for a short time. We should make the most of it." Patricia mentioned as they approached the store.

She had a mischievous smile across her lips and there was a familiar glimmer in her eyes. John couldn't help but think back to when they were children and the female could come up with wild ideas that would get them in a bit of trouble. She had the same look then that she had now and John found himself compelled to follow her.