Someday The Waves ✔ *Wattys15 Winner*

Chapter Six

. . .

Only when our drinks had arrived, finally along with our food, did I begin to tell Noah how I'd ended up in Pesmo Beach, living with my sister in our grandparent's old bungalow.

As I picked around the leafy salad, pushing all the greenery to the side of the plate Noah asked me if everything was ok.

"Something wrong with your food?" he said, an eyebrow raised.

I wanted to tell him that I'd only ordered a salad to be polite, because I had assumed he may be vegetarian. I should have been able to explain that I worried too much, about what he'd think of me tucking in a juicy, meat heavy burger but I couldn't.

"Oh no it's fine, just not as hungry as I thought I was." I lied, putting a piece of soggy lettuce to my mouth, forcing myself to eat.

Noah had all but devoured his burger, a few stray fries lingering on the edge of his plate. My stomach rumbled with desire to scoop them up but manners stopped me.

"So you didn't like your internship then?" Noah asked, finally finishing off the fries I'd had my eye on. "Must have been cool living in New York though."

"New York was very different from where I grew up." I began to tell him, pushing away the picked apart salad. "Portland was much more laid back and easy going, so I wasn't quite prepared for how hectic it was."

"Never been to New York or Portland but I imagine big city life is quite daunting if you're not used to it."

"It was, and of course I'd never lived by myself or away from home before so that didn't help, especially since I shared an apartment with really unfriendly people." I sighed, remembering the arguments over unwashed dishes, the endless mess and noise I'd come home to each evening and Dave the creep, who lived in the room next door, and who would always wait for me outside the bathroom.

I didn't miss it one bit.

Finishing the last of my soda, I told Noah how I'd dreamt of leaving home and making a name for myself in the publishing industry, that I wanted to do well to prove everyone wrong, that I didn't need college to get ahead. I tried to explain how menial and demeaning some of my duties were and just how bad it got towards my last few months.

"Wow, that sounds awful." he exclaimed, eyes wide when I told him how the creative director had once made me clean her stiletto's, after she'd stepped in dog shit on her way to the office.

He stared at me, opened mouth and in shock, when I revealed that I once stayed in over the fourth of July weekend to finish off a paper-mache, placenta piñata for her best friends upcoming baby shower. The memory of my hands pink and covered in glue and tissue was still burned into my mind.

Not even the worst memory of my time there, either.

"I don't blame you for walking out." Noah laughed. "I'm surprised you lasted so long!"

"I don't know how I did either but I know my Mom was mad at me for quitting, she told me to go back the next day and beg them for forgiveness."

"I hope you didn't listen to her."

"I didn't." I replied proudly. "But it meant she refused to speak to me for weeks."

Noah looked up at me. "Well I'm glad you followed your gut."

"I was glad too and happy, until I eventually ran out of money and had to beg my sister to let me stay with her, here in Pesmo."

I still hated the thought of that phone call, when I'd cried and pleaded with her to help me out, because our Mom was too busy holidaying with her new boyfriend, Phillip to care what happened to me. It took a lot of convincing on my part to make her agree.