Hollywood Hills

by Aimee Friedman

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  "Thank God!" Alexa called back, lying half-comatose on her bed, still in her aquamarine dress; it carried the bay-rum scent of Seamus's aftershave, and it seemed she could still feel his warmth through the silky material. If Alexa had had her druthers, she would have kept dancing with him, even after the band left, even after the sun rose, their arms wrapped around each other, their lips touching, their eyes meeting in quiet understanding. Seamus, Alexa repeated to herself as a small thrill raced through her. Seamus Kerr. She knew she was wearing the biggest, goofiest smile on her face as Holly appeared in her doorway.

  "What do you mean 'thank God'?" Holly asked, hands on her hips.

  Alexa sighed, lifting her head from the pillows. "Do I look like I'm packed?" She pointed one bare toe toward her floor, which was covered with open suitcases, a jumble of shoes, and heaps upon heaps of tunics, jeans, and footless tights.

  "But Alexa!" Holly cried, picking her way through the mess toward her friend's bed. "Graduation's tomorrow at nine a.m . sharp." Just last week, Holly's own mother had herded the senior class together for an assembly to remind them that nobody could be even a minute late to the ceremony or they would run the risk of not walking with their class. Holly

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  plopped down on the edge of the bed, giving Alexa's leg a shake. "That was why we wanted to leave early today, remember? We'll have to take the eleven p.m. red-eye out of Vegas, then we won't be in Newark until seven in the morning! That gives us only two hours --"

  "Which is plenty of time," Alexa yawned, contentedly settling back against the pillows. Nothing could bring her down this morning. Sunlight was pouring through her drapes, and Alexa knew that if she drew them back, she'd be gazing out at a landscape of crystal-blue sky and bluer water, ringed by the greenest of palm trees. She appreciated Los Angeles even more now, knowing it was Seamus's hometown. "Besides," she added, grinning devilishly at Holly. "This allows us to see our boys again today if we want."

  "Zach?" Holly asked, her cheeks flushing. "No, I'll let him sleep his night off. I probably won't call him until the fall anyway," she added pragmatically. Though Holly had had a blast with Zach at the wedding, she knew it would be healthy for her to take some time to really be single. She still needed to heal from Tyler, to feel as if things were tied up with him, before she moved on. But there was still something tantalizing about knowing that Zach -- and other adorable boys like him -- waited in LA.

  "I knew you guys were going to end up together somehow," Alexa said with a self-satisfied smile,

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  watching Holly. "When you pulled him from the water that fateful day -- "

  "Oh, please." Holly rolled her eyes, still blushing. "You're only saying that because on our way home this morning, I told you that I saw your Seamus hook-up coming from a mile away." Holly had noticed the spark between Alexa and Seamus while watching them spar like crazy at the Getty. Meanwhile, even though Holly and Seamus got along famously, it was purely platonic. "You know what?" Holly mused, tilting her head to one side as she recalled her first impression of the smart, practical boy. "I just realized that Seamus kind of reminds me of... me."

  "He reminds me of you, too," Alexa laughed. "Because he never hesitates to call me on my diva-ness." She sighed fondly, then raised her eyebrows at Holly. "And I have to say that Zach, who is clearly a total ham ..."

  "Is basically Alexa in boy form," Holly giggled, nodding at her friend. "Isn't that freaky?"

  Alexa shook her head, reaching over to tug on Holly's ponytail. "Not at all. We balance each other pretty well, don't we?" The girls exchanged a quick glance, and they both realized at once that graduation would mark the beginning of their separation. Within a couple months, they'd be living on opposite coasts. Apart, for the first time in eleven years.

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  Before either girl could get emotional, Holly got to her feet, announcing that she was going to make use of their extra time and go for a run. Kenya had mentioned Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills as a great spot to jog -- and celeb-stalk, if one so desired.

  After Holly left to change, the buzz of Alexa's cell phone on her nightstand told her she had a text message. She wondered if it was Portia, whom Alexa had texted on the way to the wedding yesterday -- just to remind her friend of how Alexa was spending her Friday night. But when Alexa flipped open her phone she saw the words: have u changed ur mind and decided u hate me again?

  So Seamus wasn't sleeping either.

  Her heart brimming, Alexa texted back: i hate U SO much i want to walk with u on the beach later and hold ur hand.

  Grinning, Alexa closed her phone. She'd been half fearful upon waking that the wedding had been some champagne-induced dream: that Seamus didn't really like her, and hadn't really kissed her, that it had been some other boy she'd danced with all night. Now, shutting her eyes, Alexa decided to drift off and dream about Seamus, the boy she knew was real and awake and thinking about her on the other side of town.

  Meanwhile, Holly was feeling surprisingly peppy

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  as she left the guesthouse in her Sauconys, shorts, and racer-back tank, armed with a mammoth bottle of Fiji water, her iPod, and her cell. El Sueño was still and serene this morning, with the birds chirping, and Jonah likely fast asleep inside the main house. "Miguel?" Holly called, waving to the gardener, who was sitting by the pool, typing on a laptop. "Do you know the best way to get to Runyon Can -- wait," Holly said, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Isn't Saturday your day off?"

  Miguel nodded. "I came here today to work on my screenplay," he said, gesturing to the laptop. "Mr. Eklundstrom lets me borrow one of his computers to write it. He's very supportive of my ambition. Oh, you know, this is Hollywood," Miguel added, clearly seeing the bemused expression on Holly's face. "Everyone has some crazy dream."

  And mine is to live here for four years -- and see what it's like, Holly thought, smiling to herself as Miguel gave her the directions and she turned and headed for the car. Of all the crazy dreams in the world, that one didn't seem too bad.

  "I know it's crazy, but I wish I didn't have to go back today," Alexa sighed, her hand in Seamus's as they stood on the beach across from El Sueño, their

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  toes sinking into the butter-soft sand. "Just when we're finally learning to tolerate each other ..."

  Seamus laughed, his hazel eyes gleaming behind his glasses, and his straight blond hair whipping across his forehead. In his jeans and faded Loops & Pluto shirt, he looked much more like the casual Seamus whom Alexa had first met, instead of the dapper Seamus of last night but he made Alexa's stomach flip just the same. They'd had lunch at a fun Caribbean place on Santa Monica Boulevard called Cha Cha Cha, and then Seamus had driven Alexa back to Malibu. Every moment had been filled with energetic talk and debate, from the topic of Jonah (whom Alexa had confessed to going on a date with) to the issue of New York City versus Los Angeles. Alexa hadn't wanted the afternoon to end. She still didn't.

  "Well," Seamus said, turning to her and putting his hands on her waist. "We can keep on tolerating each other when I'm back in New York in two weeks." He smiled, and then leaned down to kiss both of Alexa's cheeks. "I was thinking of something when I couldn't sleep this morning. I'll be doing some writing and reporting for The Observer, but I'd love to try photography as well. Would you be interested in being my private tutor?" His eyes twinkled with mischief.

  It had occurred to Alexa that morning that she

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  would only be starting college while Seamus was starting his first job. But she could tell from his expression now that he saw her as his equal in every way. Alexa felt a flood of gladness; suddenly, life on the East Coast without Holly didn't seem nearly as bleak. ''I have to warn you that I'm very strict," she replied, standing on her tiptoes in the sand to kiss the birthmark beneath Seamus's ear. "There may be some punishment involved if you don't do your homework," she added teasingly, slipping her hand beneath the collar of Seamus's shirt
, and he pulled her tighter against him, laughing into her hair.

  "I don't think I realized before," Seamus said, wrapping his arms around her. "We're both journalists, Alexa. No wonder we're always butting heads." Gently, Seamus rested his forehead against Alexa's, making her pulse race. Here was a guy she could butt heads with forever, and never find boring or predictable. She was angling her head for a kiss when she heard Holly shouting from the hill above the beach.

  "Alexa, we need to pack and we can't miss this flight!" Holly hollered in her most responsible voice. Alexa saw she had changed out of her running gear into her Seven jeans, a white tank, and long green beads. "Oh, hi, Seamus," she added, waving.

  "Hey, Holly!" Seamus grinned at her. Then he turned back to Alexa and took her face in his hands.

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  "Congratulations, graduate. Call me right afterward tomorrow, okay?" As he brought his lips to hers, Alexa realized that even though she was kissing a beautiful boy on a Malibu beach and the late afternoon sun was reflecting off the water, she didn't feel like she was in a movie. She felt like she was in her life. And that was even better.

  When Alexa returned to the guesthouse, she found Holly in a packing frenzy, making organized piles of her clothing in her room. "I called my parents from Runyon Canyon," Holly reported, carefully folding her new dress in tissue paper. "My mom has to be at the school, like, two hours in advance, but my dad and Josh can come get us from Newark and zip us over." As Holly picked up her makeup bag, the glint of something gold inside caught her eye. My Claddagh ring, Holly realized, sifting through the tubes of clear gloss to remove the ring. Holly felt the familiar ache in her throat, and she quickly tucked the ring into the pocket of her jeans. She felt it would be her good-luck charm for the plane.

  "I'll miss El Sueño" Alexa was sighing, trailing her fingers along Holly's floor-to-ceiling windows. "I'll even miss Esperanza." The sight of Jonah's assistant going wild last night had really improved Alexa's opinion of the woman.

  Holly chuckled as she zipped up her duffel. "I'll

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  bet anything she's too hungover this morning to remember either of us."

  As if Esperanza had heard them from the main house, the hallway intercom buzzed right then. When Alexa answered, a sheepish-sounding Esperanza asked if the girls were in need of the Hybrid that day. "Mr. Eklundstrom was planning to drive Ms. Durst home in it." she explained.

  Aha! Alexa thought, intrigued. So Charity had won over her costar after all. Suddenly, Alexa wondered if she could ever read Us Weekly again. Now that she knew the truths behind the gossip, it all seemed less exciting somehow though she couldn't wait to read about Margaux and Paul's Icelandic honeymoon.

  After Alexa assured Esperanza that they no longer needed the Hybrid but asked if they could have the limo to take them to the airport -- she retrieved the photo for Jonah from her bedroom and placed the gift on the kitchen counter, where Jonah had left his welcome gift. She attached a note leaving Jonah her cell number. She wasn't sure if the actor -- or his impulsive sister -- would ever really stay in touch with her, but she hoped Jonah might hang out with her and Seamus when he was in New York to film his favorite romantic comedy.

  By the time Alexa and Holly had cleaned up the

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  guesthouse and sufficiently shoved all their belongings into their bags, the limo was waiting outside.

  "Our last time in a limo," Holly said wistfully as she and Alexa slid into the soft leather interior.

  "Speak for yourself," Alexa laughed, closing the door. "Though then again, you 're the one who's moving back here. Maybe you'll end up a big-shot director one day."

  As the limo drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, the ocean flashing by the windows, the girls were silent, each remembering her experience in the golden city.

  "Who knew one week could change so much?" Alexa started to ask Holly as they approached LAX, but then she noticed that her friend was sleeping, her light-brown head resting peacefully against the seat. Alexa reached out to pat Holly's arm, remembering how their one week in South Beach had also altered the course of everything. She and Holly could certainly get a lot done in a short amount of time.

  Including make it to graduation if they were lucky.

  After their two uneventful flights, Alexa and Holly were standing impatiently in line to exit the plane at Newark Airport.

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  "It's almost seven thirty," Holly moaned, checking her watch. Back in Las Vegas, their flight had also been delayed and they'd taxied down the runway in Newark for what seemed like hours. Holly knew her dad was waiting in the arrivals area, tapping his watch while Josh complained about how Holly was always late to stuff. That -- combined with the knowledge that she'd be seeing Tyler very soon -- made Holly's stomach twist with anxiety. She seemed to have lost her California mellowness somewhere over Kansas.

  Alexa had been feeling absolutely Zen the whole flight, mentally composing a music mix for Seamus, and reading all the inaccuracies about Margaux's wedding in the New York Post 's Page Six. Now, as the line finally inched forward, she was starting to worry. She did like to arrive fashionably late to certain events, but she knew fashionably late wouldn't fly at graduation.

  After making it through a hellish wait at the luggage claim, the girls finally burst into the arrivals area, bags in hand, stumbling a little as they ran. Holly's father, wearing a navy blue suit, his dark bushy eyebrows raised in expectation, was waiting for them, while Josh slumped into a chair nearby. Her brother looked surprisingly handsome in a suit, Holly thought, but, predictably, he was scowling at her. She knew her family way too well.

  "I'm sorry!" Alexa cried guiltily as the girls flew

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  toward Mr. Jacobson. It was now after eight o'clock and the drive from Newark to Oakridge took about an hour. If there was no traffic. "It was my fault!" she added as Holly threw her arms around her dad. "I thought they lost one of my bags -- the Prada one, actually -- but by the time I went to ask security, it was coming down the carousel and Holly grabbed it...."

  "It's okay, it's okay," Mr. Jacobson said, patting Holly's hair with his free hand. "I'm just glad my wandering girls are back. At least for a little while," he added, smiling down at Holly, who smiled back at her dad, relieved to be home for a little while.

  Meanwhile, Alexa watched the two of them silently, feeling a pang of envy; she didn't get to experience that kind of parental affection too often.

  "Now, let's go," Mr. Jacobson said, turning businesslike again. "Your mortarboards and gowns are in the car Alexa, I stopped by your dad's this morning to pick yours up, since I figured you wouldn't have time to go home and change."

  "We can't put our gowns on over jeans!" Alexa exclaimed, gesturing down to her True Religions. She shuddered to think how Paz Ferrara or Margaux Eklundstrom would react to such a fashion atrocity.

  "Well," Holly said, looking at the collection of luggage at Alexa's feet. "We have skirts and dresses in our

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  bags, don't we?" She glanced at her father pleadingly. "Dad, if Josh can bring in the gowns, it'll take us, like, two seconds to run to the ladies' room, and change and fix our hair "

  But Mr. Jacobson was already striding across the sunny airport, carrying as many of the girls' bags as he could. "You can change in the car," he announced over his shoulder. "Come on, Holly. Get up, Josh. Your mom is going to kill us."

  "Ugh, gross -- I can't believe my sister is changing right behind me," Josh was groaning fifteen minutes later as Mr. Jacobson tore down the highway, and Alexa and Holly were shifting uncomfortably in the backseat, trying to give each other enough space -- and to tug off their jeans without flashing the world.

  "Shut up, Josh," Holly grunted, creatively sliding feetfirst into her drawstring white skirt, but almost falling off her seat in the process. When her Claddagh ring tumbled out of the back pocket of her jeans, Holly reached down to retrieve it.

  "Yeah," Alexa said, attempting to wriggle
into her strapless floral dress and slip in her dangly silver earrings all at once. "If you're going to be a suburban teenage boy, you'd better get used to girls being half-undressed in your backseat. Sorry, Mr. Jacobson," she

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  added quickly when Holly's father shook his head reprovingly.

  As Alexa and Holly stuck their arms through the long sleeves of their black gowns and did speedy makeup fixes in their compact mirrors, Mr. Jacobson drove the car as fast as he dared down Oakridge's quiet, tree-lined main drag. Alexa, her tube of Chanel gloss poised above her lips, looked out the window to see Suzy's Salon, the redbrick library, and the pizza parlor flash by. It felt strange to be so abruptly thrust back into small-town Oakridge after five glittery days in La-La Land, but Alexa smiled at the familiar sights; no matter how fabulous the destination you were leaving behind, there was always something comforting about homecoming.

  "Jeez, Dad," Josh commented as Mr. Jacobson made a sharp turn, wheels screeching, and Oakridge High came into view. "You're gonna get arrested." Glancing over his shoulder at Holly, Josh added, "That would be the most exciting thing to happen to the Jacobsons in years, huh?"

  I've had enough excitement to last me a while, Holly thought, holding her breath as she saw the numbers on the car's digital clock switch to 8:58. A second after her dad squeezed into a parking spot in the Oakridge lot, she and Alexa tumbled out of the backseat,

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  adjusting their gowns around their knees and carefully fastening their caps on their heads.

  "Is it just me, or is this the most unflattering piece of headgear ever invented?" Alexa asked, as she flicked the braided gold tassel out of her face and tried to straighten the boxy mortarboard. With Josh and Mr. Jacobson leading the way, the girls hurried across the hot parking lot, Alexa's sling-back sandals clicking on the cement. The school's football field, where the ceremony was being held, loomed in the distance. "What, you like mortarboards?" Alexa asked Holly when her friend didn't answer right away.