Last Seen in San Francisco
It's Like I Was Never Even There
Lyla's POV
"See, I told you my boss would give you the job." Emma chuckled. We were on our way home from her- I mean our- job. I am now a waitress. Everyone starts somewhere I guess.
"Yeah, thanks, Emma." I replied.
"Hey, Lyla? I still want to know about that news report... You are eighteen, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, do you want to see my I.D. or something?" I had a little more anger in my voice than I meant to, but I don't think Emma really noticed.
"I just wanted to make sure. I don't want to be a kidnapper or something." She laughed some more. She laughs a lot, I wish I could be that happy. At least now I was happier. I got away from my parents, found a place to live, got a job and made a friend in a matter of days. So far my new life was treating me well, but that news report would probably give me some trouble.
Who knew my parents would actually care where I was, let alone what happened to me. Emma continued to drive to her apartment. When we got there I was pretty tired, Emma was too. We just went to sleep.
"Lyla, wake up!" Emma came bounding into my room, screaming for my to get up.
"No, go away." I turned in the bed and looked at the time. It was 2:45 a.m.
"LYLA, WAKE UP!" Emma jumped up onto my bed and started to jump up and down. I grabbed my pillow and slapped her legs with it, but she didn't give up.
"What?" I said groggily, now sitting upwards and rubbing my eyes. She shoved her phone in my face and ordered me to read the messages.
Gey: Hey, Em, I need you to come in early tomorrow. I'm going to need assistance on that Perry guys tattoo.
Emma: Okay, but I have to bring Lyla.
Gey: That's fine.
"So...?" I asked. Why'd she wake me up for this?
"So," She said, mimicking my extension of the "o", "You get to see that Tony guy again. I still don't get why you were so excited about him being there. Do you know him?"
I sat in the bed, disbelief and shock coming over my face. I took hold of Emma's shoulders and shook her, "Do I know him? How do you not know him, or who he is?!" I exclaimed. "He was Tony Perry, Pierce the Veil, any of this ringing a bell?" I asked.
"Pierce the Veil... Pierce the Veil... I think I've heard of them before." She replied. I rolled my eyes and pushed her off the bed. "Go back to sleep Emma."
It was 8 a.m. and Emma was in the shower. We were about to leave so she could "work" some more and she was dragging me along with her. Okay, so not dragging seeing as I was going there willingly. I blushed at the thought. You're not even there yet and you're getting nervous.
Emma knocked on the door and asked if I was ready, I didn't even notice that the shower had stopped running.
"Yeah, let me grab my things!" I yelled so she could hear me on the other side of the door. I picked my bag up off the ground. The bag had money and my phone, along with my new uniform for work. I opened the door to find Emma staring right back at me.
"Alright let's go!" She said as we walked out of the apartment.
Upon arrival to the tattoo parlor, Emma and I got out of the car. She walked around to the trunk and opened it so we could get out our bags. She locked the car doors and we went inside to see that Gey was already tattooing someone. I could tell that it wasn't Tony.
Emma checked in at the front, grabbing her citrus, a broom and the schedule. I had already sat down when she came over to her station, handing me the schedule.
"Looks like this Tony is booked all day after this." She said to me, her voice projecting the devilish grin on her face. I asked for a paper and a pencil, she looked around and handed me some. I scooted over to her drawing space and began to sketch little cartoons while messing around with my phone. By the end of the week I'd be able to get a new number.
The time passed quickly, Emma had tattooed 2 oranges and it was already 10 a.m. I heard the door to the shop open and Alex greeting someone. Then I heard footsteps against the white linoleum floors. The stopped and out of the corner of my eye I saw two shoes, not Emma's shoes either. I looked up and turned around to see a grinning Tony Perry with his hand already extended toward me. I shyly extended my hand to shake his, and smiled slightly. I let my hair fall in my face and didn't bother moving it out of the way.
"By your reaction yesterday I'm guessing you're a fan?" He said. I look down at the ground,
"Yeah, kind of." I laughed like a small child, my face began to redden. Emma was still tattooing, but I looked over and caught her smiling.
"Did you draw those?" He asked, pointing over at my doodles. I grabbed the paper and turned it over.
"Um... Yeah, but they're not that good... Just doodles..." I responded, now head toward the trash can to throw them away. I opened my hand to let the paper fall into the bin, but Tony grabbed it. He pointed to the paper,
"These are just doodles?" He asked, sounding surprised, "These are pretty good for 'just doodles'." He said folding up the paper. He placed it in his back pocket. My face drained of blood, going pale.
"Y-You're... K-Keeping them?" I asked, tripping over my words. I tried to grab the paper from his pocket, but he stepped back.
"Yes, I'm keeping the doodles." He said, a proud smile appeared on his face. I crossed my arms over my chest and stomped over to the stool.
"Fine." I said. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was 11:58.
"Hey, Em, we should probably get going. It's 11:58 now." I stated, putting my phone away.
"Alright." She said. We grabbed out bags and walked to the bathrooms. She changed in the guys bathroom and I changed in the girls bathroom. We walked out in our uniforms and I waited for her as she put away her tattooing things. As we were walking out I felt something warm grab my wrist. I snatched it back and snapped my body around, my eyes wide.
"Woah, I didn't mean to startle you. Here." It was Tony, he handed my a piece of paper. It looked like my doodles so I took the paper and continued to walk to the car. As Emma drove off, he waved until he couldn't see us anymore.
The car ride was usually boring, so I decided I'd pull out my doodle paper and put it away properly. I opened it up so I could un-crumple it as much as possible, but there weren't any doodles on the page...
Instead it was a phone number.
"See, I told you my boss would give you the job." Emma chuckled. We were on our way home from her- I mean our- job. I am now a waitress. Everyone starts somewhere I guess.
"Yeah, thanks, Emma." I replied.
"Hey, Lyla? I still want to know about that news report... You are eighteen, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, do you want to see my I.D. or something?" I had a little more anger in my voice than I meant to, but I don't think Emma really noticed.
"I just wanted to make sure. I don't want to be a kidnapper or something." She laughed some more. She laughs a lot, I wish I could be that happy. At least now I was happier. I got away from my parents, found a place to live, got a job and made a friend in a matter of days. So far my new life was treating me well, but that news report would probably give me some trouble.
Who knew my parents would actually care where I was, let alone what happened to me. Emma continued to drive to her apartment. When we got there I was pretty tired, Emma was too. We just went to sleep.
"Lyla, wake up!" Emma came bounding into my room, screaming for my to get up.
"No, go away." I turned in the bed and looked at the time. It was 2:45 a.m.
"LYLA, WAKE UP!" Emma jumped up onto my bed and started to jump up and down. I grabbed my pillow and slapped her legs with it, but she didn't give up.
"What?" I said groggily, now sitting upwards and rubbing my eyes. She shoved her phone in my face and ordered me to read the messages.
Gey: Hey, Em, I need you to come in early tomorrow. I'm going to need assistance on that Perry guys tattoo.
Emma: Okay, but I have to bring Lyla.
Gey: That's fine.
"So...?" I asked. Why'd she wake me up for this?
"So," She said, mimicking my extension of the "o", "You get to see that Tony guy again. I still don't get why you were so excited about him being there. Do you know him?"
I sat in the bed, disbelief and shock coming over my face. I took hold of Emma's shoulders and shook her, "Do I know him? How do you not know him, or who he is?!" I exclaimed. "He was Tony Perry, Pierce the Veil, any of this ringing a bell?" I asked.
"Pierce the Veil... Pierce the Veil... I think I've heard of them before." She replied. I rolled my eyes and pushed her off the bed. "Go back to sleep Emma."
It was 8 a.m. and Emma was in the shower. We were about to leave so she could "work" some more and she was dragging me along with her. Okay, so not dragging seeing as I was going there willingly. I blushed at the thought. You're not even there yet and you're getting nervous.
Emma knocked on the door and asked if I was ready, I didn't even notice that the shower had stopped running.
"Yeah, let me grab my things!" I yelled so she could hear me on the other side of the door. I picked my bag up off the ground. The bag had money and my phone, along with my new uniform for work. I opened the door to find Emma staring right back at me.
"Alright let's go!" She said as we walked out of the apartment.
Upon arrival to the tattoo parlor, Emma and I got out of the car. She walked around to the trunk and opened it so we could get out our bags. She locked the car doors and we went inside to see that Gey was already tattooing someone. I could tell that it wasn't Tony.
Emma checked in at the front, grabbing her citrus, a broom and the schedule. I had already sat down when she came over to her station, handing me the schedule.
"Looks like this Tony is booked all day after this." She said to me, her voice projecting the devilish grin on her face. I asked for a paper and a pencil, she looked around and handed me some. I scooted over to her drawing space and began to sketch little cartoons while messing around with my phone. By the end of the week I'd be able to get a new number.
The time passed quickly, Emma had tattooed 2 oranges and it was already 10 a.m. I heard the door to the shop open and Alex greeting someone. Then I heard footsteps against the white linoleum floors. The stopped and out of the corner of my eye I saw two shoes, not Emma's shoes either. I looked up and turned around to see a grinning Tony Perry with his hand already extended toward me. I shyly extended my hand to shake his, and smiled slightly. I let my hair fall in my face and didn't bother moving it out of the way.
"By your reaction yesterday I'm guessing you're a fan?" He said. I look down at the ground,
"Yeah, kind of." I laughed like a small child, my face began to redden. Emma was still tattooing, but I looked over and caught her smiling.
"Did you draw those?" He asked, pointing over at my doodles. I grabbed the paper and turned it over.
"Um... Yeah, but they're not that good... Just doodles..." I responded, now head toward the trash can to throw them away. I opened my hand to let the paper fall into the bin, but Tony grabbed it. He pointed to the paper,
"These are just doodles?" He asked, sounding surprised, "These are pretty good for 'just doodles'." He said folding up the paper. He placed it in his back pocket. My face drained of blood, going pale.
"Y-You're... K-Keeping them?" I asked, tripping over my words. I tried to grab the paper from his pocket, but he stepped back.
"Yes, I'm keeping the doodles." He said, a proud smile appeared on his face. I crossed my arms over my chest and stomped over to the stool.
"Fine." I said. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was 11:58.
"Hey, Em, we should probably get going. It's 11:58 now." I stated, putting my phone away.
"Alright." She said. We grabbed out bags and walked to the bathrooms. She changed in the guys bathroom and I changed in the girls bathroom. We walked out in our uniforms and I waited for her as she put away her tattooing things. As we were walking out I felt something warm grab my wrist. I snatched it back and snapped my body around, my eyes wide.
"Woah, I didn't mean to startle you. Here." It was Tony, he handed my a piece of paper. It looked like my doodles so I took the paper and continued to walk to the car. As Emma drove off, he waved until he couldn't see us anymore.
The car ride was usually boring, so I decided I'd pull out my doodle paper and put it away properly. I opened it up so I could un-crumple it as much as possible, but there weren't any doodles on the page...
Instead it was a phone number.
Notes
I feel kind of like this story is going no where just because it's the fifth chapter and no one's making out yet...Leave suggestions in the comments, please. :)
This story sounds so hectic. Please continue it.
4/8/14