TWENTY TWO

Lexie

I had to squint as I stepped out onto the back patio of the Mediterranean stone home because the early morning sun was beaming so brightly from behind the white clouds that were blowing in the wind. Even though the sky was still a hazy yellow color, I knew that in exactly one hour, it will transform into a brilliant blue color.

After giving it some thought, I decided to go around the freshwater pool, where a small mist of steam rose from the warm water, and then down the stone steps to the beach instead of sitting in the hammock at the far end of the terrace to observe the shift.

The beach, according to Samantha, my best friend and closest confidante, is not very good. "I mean, it's not like Zlatni Rat or Nugal or Sunj. There are no sand beaches or waterfalls to be found here. Even though the water is wonderful, you ought to adjust your expectations accordingly."

When it happened, I couldn't believe it, and I still can't believe it now. It's hard for me to fathom the possibility of owning a slice of paradise in Croatia, complete with a golden pebble beach and a panoramic view of the Adriatic Sea, and then having the notion that I need to make amends for it. However, Samantha had a significant concern that the other members of their group would be miserable. I am unable to speculate on what our other three friends felt about the situation, but I can say that I was not the least bit disappointed. I didn't have to spend the day at the nudist beach or go cliff diving at Punta Verudela. Both of those activities were unnecessary. I would have been thrilled to spend our entire two-week vacation right here.

Two weeks.

Prior to beginning the journey, the distance appeared to be an endless, meandering, golden path with no clear finish in sight. I had two weeks to unwind, go swimming, and have a good time with my pals before I had to face the challenges of the real world. But after I had been doing it for a few days, I all of a sudden had a really clear picture of how it would all turn out. My mind, as it always did, skipped ahead in time, consuming the available time in manageable bits as it always did. My brain used to consume the equivalent of several semesters' worth of work and endless shifts at the diner. It had the effect of making the time pass by more quickly. But at this point, I wanted the time to drag on for an even longer period of time.

When I handed in her final paper and thought to myself, "By this time tomorrow, I'll be on a plane to Croatia," the knot that had been in the pit of my stomach began to loosen. began to stiffen again.

To the best of my recollection, it never truly disintegrated into pieces. I put my palm on my stomach and inhaled deeply of the warm, salty air that the water provided before taking another long breath. It would all fall into place. Everything would work out just fine. It didn't matter that I wasn't able to acquire the financial help that I needed and that I had to delay going to law school for a year because of it. After all, one year was not that long ago.

My thoughts started to turn toward it, and I began to organize it in my head as a sequence of years that would fly by just as rapidly as my senior year had.

However, this would in no way be the same as being a senior. Without the grants and scholarships, I wouldn't have been able to afford to continue my education past high school. I needed to find a real job in order to make enough money to support myself while also putting money away for law school. That was going to be challenging, and I wasn't really sure how to complete it just yet.

Although it would make the most sense for me to move back home with my mother, the city of Yellow Springs, Ohio, was not exactly a hub of employment options. I had already reached out to legal services providers in Xenia, Springfield, and Fairborn; however, they were either unable to provide me with employment opportunities or could only provide me with unpaid internships.

The knot became even more difficult to undo.

I was completely unaware of where my bare feet were going when I abruptly veered to the left and then waded into the water up to my knees. Samantha had cautioned us all to be wary of sea urchins, and now she was beginning to second-guess herself.

"Bring water shoes. They aren't harmful in and of themselves, but it will hurt like hell if you tread on one."

My mind was racing when I woke up, but the warm water that was lapping around my ankles and calves and gently nagging at the edge of the sleeveless cotton dress that I'd thrown on as soon as I could helped calm it down. When I looked down at the cyan, it made me grin. I was able to make out my outline reflected in the water's surface. I lowered my head even more so that the golden strands at the tips of my hair could splash into the water, and I took another calm, deep breath as I did so. Everything would work out just fine.

"Are you bowing down to the sky and begging it for mercy?"

It took me by surprise when I heard the voice. My cotton clothing became damp as it came into contact with the wet ends of my hair, which in turn caused my skin to feel chilly. Samantha was ecstatically grinning from ear to ear as she stood on the shore of the ocean with her hands on her hips. Water shoes were, needless to say, something she was wearing.

As I made my way back to the shore in the shallow water, I chuckled and replied, "Maybe." I was about to say that I could benefit from any assistance that was offered, but I managed to stop myself in the nick of time. It wasn't a secret that I received grants and federal aid in addition to my scholarships or that I delayed going to law school because of money, but I didn't like to talk about it more than I had to because I didn't like to bother other people with my financial situation. Even less so for Samantha, who, until I explained it to her, was completely unaware of what an FAFSA was.

Should I also fill out the questionnaire? Samantha inquired, and my response was followed by a fit of giggles.

"Actually, your father is the owner of a large portion of Hollywood, possibly even half of it. You won't be chosen for the position."

The other half of Hollywood, the flat Samantha and I stayed in during our summer vacation in Paris, a ski house that locals in Aspen referred to as a cabin, and this stunning location all belong to the same person.

When I approached Samantha, her bright grin had not yet faded, and her black eyes had a trace of deceit. I couldn't help but return the grin, despite the fact that I didn't put much stock in that expression. Because of the many problems that it had brought us in the past, I did not want to think about it at this time.

"What's up with you?" I inquired about it because my thoughts had already begun to speculate about what it might be. She was planning on persuading me to swim with sharks or jump off a cliff, and she was adamant on visiting that nudist beach despite her previous statements.

"Oh, nothing," she replied, but the way she said it led me to believe there was something going on.

As I began to make my case, I gave her a raised eyebrow and waited with a half smile on my lips. After a moment, I started making my point.

I dislike being in high places or swimming with animals that could potentially devour me. I will snap some photographs.

I'm going to go to a beach frequented by nudists, but I won't be entirely naked there. No, even if you buy me as many shots of tequila as I want to consume.

"Okay, it's something," she remarked, her excitement getting in the way of her attempt to seem nonchalant.

"Okay, it's something," she remarked, her excitement getting in the way of her attempt to seem nonchalant. She stood on the tips of her toes as we made our way back toward the home.

"Do you have anything to say to me?" I prodded. It wasn't typical for Samantha to keep people on the edge of their seats in this manner. She enjoyed engaging in kamikaze tactics, which consisted of hurling everything she possessed in your direction at such a rapid pace that your brain began to spin and you forgot that you had the ability to refuse.

I was getting ready for her to give me a long list of reasons why I had to go base jumping, whitewater rafting, or whatever other risky activity she wanted to do. I was expecting her to give me a long number of reasons.

It caught me off guard when Samantha took a big breath and then gave me a quick glance to the side.

The glitter was no longer there, and in its stead was a shadow of distrust. She did something that she never did when she wasn't anxious, which was to curl her lower lip beneath her teeth.

I slowed down, a genuine sense of worry developing within me. I never once heard Samantha utter that statement when she was on vacation, but I was used to hearing it while she was studying immediately before an exam.

"What the heck is it?"

Samantha proceeded to take a few more steps, but the bounce that used to be in her step was completely disappeared. She drew her floaty dress up to her thigh by tying a knot at the bottom of it and pulling it up. When she turned around, she had a large smile on her face, and at that moment, my fear transformed into concern.

"I've just fixed all your problems."

"I've just fixed all your problems."

Her remarks, despite the volume of her voice, pierced my pride like arrows because it was so delicate. I exerted a lot of effort to remain still.

"What problem?" I inquired with a grin on my face.

She acted as though she were saying, "Oh, come on!" by shaking her head.

Because I found it offensive that she was making an effort to conceal how much care she had, I crossed my arms.

Samantha inhaled and exhaled a few times. "Lex, I am aware of how challenging it is for you to be required to hold out for another year. I am aware that you have not yet made up your mind about what to do. I am aware that you seriously considered canceling this trip due to concerns about your ability to pay for the plane tickets. You are aware that if it meant helping you in any way, I would."

"Right," I remarked in a commanding tone. "But you know that I wouldn't ask you, so there's a chance that—"

Samantha greeted her friend with a bright grin and said, "And you should know that you don't even have to ask me."

She moved her weight from her heels to her toes and let go of the hem of her dress, which allowed the wrinkles to be smoothed out.

My anxiety continued to grow. What was wrong with her?

"Samantha–" I began at first.

"It couldn't be better." Her comments ran right over top of mine. "I find it hard to imagine that I had never considered doing that before."

"What could be better?"

"You realize that you need to make money in order to pay for law school, right? And entertainment law is something that interests you, correct?"

Her tone had become more resolute, and she was peppering me with questions as if I were on the stand and she was conducting the direct or cross examination of the witness.

"I mean, I've never said anything about entertainment law, but I'm not opposed to it," I agreed. "But I just don't understand how that..."

"And you need a somewhere to live, right? That doesn't take up all the money that you're making, does it?"

Although there was a part of me that wanted to chuckle, I was too concerned about the direction that this line of questioning was going to take. I didn't bother answering; instead, I just nodded and waited for her to get to the core of the question.

"What if I told you I knew exactly where you could obtain a decent paying work for as long as you need it and live for free? So, what if I told you I knew exactly where you could get a job?"

When I opened my lips to respond, she already had the answer ready for me.

"You'd respond, 'no, Samantha. I have no way of knowing that.'" She spoke in a solemn tone by lowering her voice. And I'd say to Lexie, well come on, what's the big deal? She started imitating my voice once more after briefly stopping. "And you'd say–"

“Samantha!” I broke down in tears out of sheer annoyance and exhaustion, having finally lost all my patience. "Let's cut to the chase! What comes to mind first that you can't believe you overlooked earlier?

She exhaled loudly and completely. "I called my dad."

My stomach felt as though it were forming a double knot as a result of the strain that was there. I let out a loud groan, and the combination of shame and bewilderment made the palpitations in my chest become more intense.

She had already called her father. "You didn't," I answered faintly. Samantha, pick it up here.

"I did," she said, protruding her chin slightly. "And I know you're so angry right now, but I'm not sorry because I was right — he can heal it." "And I know you're so angry right now."

Behind her, the sky was more blue than gold. The stunning stone home that rose up against it was a visual representation of everything that Samantha possessed that I would never have. It shouldn't come as a surprise to me that she is trying to impose her father's assistance on me.

Throughout our friendship, she had the constant need to impart upon me whatever it was that she possessed. We filled the role of sisters that the other didn't have. Nevertheless, there were limits to what I could accept, and Samantha had a hard time dealing with those constraints.

In the end, I advised, "Call him back. Just tell him that I took care of it myself."

Once more, she positioned her hands so that they were resting on her hips. "Did you?"

Obviously, I hadn't thought about that before. On the other hand, the actual threat of being poor was preferable to Ryder Williams considering me his daughter's charity case.

Unwillingly, I pictured him in my head. He was different from the other fathers in that he did not drive his daughter to college in the fall and then drive her back home in the spring. There was neither a sagging paunch nor a ripped baseball cap hidden beneath his t-shirt. The hair on his top and temples did not show any signs of graying or thinning. He had just turned forty when we met him. He stood at an intimidating height and almost always wore dark suits that were tailored to his broad shoulders, sculpted chest, and long legs. Shoes that are more expensive than my entire undergraduate degree, pristine white shirts.

Constantly covered his eyes with dark, frameless sunglasses, making it difficult to observe his expressions and obscuring his vision. The few times we'd met, I'd cringe in his stern glare, and he never once cracked a smile in polite company. It looked as though he never actually paid any attention to me. He was completely devoted to his daughter, and he worked tirelessly to provide her with the finest of everything throughout her life.

"Don't you want to know?" Samantha wriggled in discomfort as my drawn-out silence confirmed what she had already guessed. She did not wait for me to respond before continuing further.

"You'll be working for his firm as part of a paid internship program. It is a salaried position, which is terrible since you will not get paid for extra work, and believe me when I say that you will work overtime. On the bright side, you will be eligible for benefits."

Williams Entertainment Agency has paid work opportunities available for interns. As I examined the many outcomes, in spite of my best efforts, my pulse rate increased. Even though it wasn't a straight shot to a career in entertainment law, I was able to make some valuable connections. I bit my lips together, trying not to give Samantha the impression that I was interested in what she had to say. She beamed with pride, conscious of the fact that I had not been duped.

Then, as if to add the finishing touch to a delicious dessert, she added, "And you can stay at my condo for free. After I return to school in August, it will sit there collecting dust.

Simply put, "I have rent to pay," I mumbled.

"There is no need to pay rent because it has already been paid off."

So I insisted on paying the "association fee" or whatever it was called.

"Actually, Samantha. There's no way I can afford to stay there."

"In that case, I guess you may pony up the required dues to the homeowners' association."

There was a hand extended from her side. “Deal?”

I started to speak, but then realized how confined I was and shut up.