Hitchhiking to the Memorial Roxy Attn: Any

[Roxy Rivera]

This really was ridiculous. Sure Roxy was probably grounded for the rest of her life after she'd been brought home by the police on Sunday night, but one of her best friends had lost a family member and the least Roxy could do was go to the memorial....but no....her parents would not let her out of the house.

"Especially after the school violence! You're not going anywhere!" her father had yelled. It was rare that her father was angry at her. Usually it was just her mom...but after the police had taken her home...well, her father had taken a new tone with her.

But Roxy wasn't going to stand for it. Ezzie had lost her sister and Roxy was going to be there for her damn it! If Ezzie was even there. Roxy honestly had no idea if anyone she knew would be attending the memorial because her parents had taken her cell phone away, but she had to at least try.

She wanted to go over to the Cotton's first...get Thad and perhaps Fallon and Sidra to come with her too, but she figured it might be a bad idea. They hadn't been happy about the police involvement wither...and Sidra had been arrested later due to their lighthouse antics. Roxy figured that she better not try her luck...she'd probably get caught by Sandra or something and sent right back home. That was the last thing Roxy needed.

It took her awhile to climb down her house, but she'd done it enough times now that she knew what she was doing. She would have thought that her parents would have done something to prevent her leaving through the window but when she'd lied and insisted she'd escaped through the back door, they'd believed her, which was good because she wouldn't have put it passed them to put bars on her windows...

She creeped around the front of her house, making sure the coast was clear before she bolted, running all the way until she hit the main road. Only she didn't have any money with her to take the bus and she couldn't take her bike either. She'd have to walk which meant she'd be late, but Roxy supposed that was better than not showing up at all. She continued to walk down the road which was rather deserted even though it was usually a fairly busy street. One car started coming in the distance and without really thinking about it, Roxy stuck her thumb out, although truth be told she didn't really expect anything to come of it.

Tag any

[Ezzie Lopez]

Ezzie had enjoyed the conversation with Sunar from the day before. It had helped. Just being able to talk to someone that was not family. When Pepe had picked her up the family had a mini memorial of sorts that night. Her mother was a basket case. Her older siblings had all returned home or were coming home today from college. It was a crowded house once again. Yet none of then had to sleep in the room. Ezzie and Sierra had shared a room. Ezzie spent most of the night staring at Sierra's bed waiting for her to come through the door and tell Ezzie to get a life.

The things one remembered when someone died. The things one took for granted. Like when Ezzie would purposefully borrow Sierra's clothes without telling her. The look on Sierra's face when Ezzie did something crazy to her clothes was priceless. Now it just seemed like a distant memory. Ezzie could not even remember the last time she told Sierra she loved her. Ezzie could remember the last fight they had, but not the last conversation.

In the morning Ezzie did not even want to get out of bed. Instead of her crazy outfits Ezzie chose something simple and plain. A black skirt and a black shirt. Nothing flashy or showy. It was simple and elegant. It seemed appropiate for the memorial. Pepe was wearing a white button shirt, black tie and black slacks. He agreed to drive Ezzie around a bit. To be honest he was avoiding the Memorial as well.

Ezzie was looking out the passenger side window as Pepe drove around. She breathed against the window and made little designs. No one said a words. Ezzie looked out and into the beyond. She wondered if Sierra was enjoying heaven. Silly to think, but it gave her comfort. All the sudden she saw someone familiar very familiar with her thumb in the air. "Stop the car that's Roxy." Ezzie said. Pepe immediatly stopped and Ezzie jumped out, "Roxy.....why are you hitch hiking....get in..."

[Roxy Rivera]

As the car slowed, Roxy actually felt nervous. What if she made a mistake? What if whoever was stopping for her was some creepy rapist? Maybe she should just run. But the car was faster than her...it was too late. The car came to a stop in front of her and it was Ezzie.

Roxy let out a sigh of relief. "Ezzie! I'm so glad it was you!" she exclaimed flinging herself at the car and throwing her arms around her friend through the open window. "I was trying to get to the memorial," she said. "Can you believe my mom...I'm so grounded she wouldn't even let me out of the house to go...I managed to sneak out again but I didn't have any bus money or my bicycle," she said shaking her head.

"Are you going to the memorial?" Roxy asked as she let go of her friend. She opened the back door of the car and got into the back seat. "If not its okay...I was going for you anyway...I'm...really sorry...I wish I had something better to say than that....but I don't," she admitted, ending her little speech with a much softer voice than she'd begun with.

"Let me know if there is anything I can do...even if its just attempting to get your mind off things..." she trailed off, looking over at Pepe. She actually didn't know Ezzie's brother too well even though Ezzie talked about him a lot. "The same goes for you," she said to him, not sure how else to comfort the siblings.

[Ezzie Lopez]

Ezzie hugged her friend back. She hugged Roxy extra tight. It was just nice to have a friend right now. Ezzie needed to text Thad later and check on him. She looked at her friend as she got into the car, "Honestly I am not sure we are going. Pepe and I were just driving around. Courage seems to be lacking you know." She said giving her friend a look, "Heard from Thad. Maybe we can pick him up too? You know...all hang or something." She smiled at her friend. A small smile.

"Thank you. Just saying that helps. To be honest there is not much anyone can say, but just knowing you care helps." Ezzie told her friend. It was true. She had heard too many times how are you, are you okay, it will get better with time. What Ezzie really needed was a hug and to hang with her friends as a distraction.

Pepe looked in the rear view mirror and looked at Roxy as she spoke to him. "Thanks. Where too, I am not going, but I can drop you off." Pepe was not into it at all. He was sjust....him and Sierra had been very close. And now she was gone and he really just wanted to be alone.

"If Roxy doesn't mind I was thinking the beach. Sierra's favorite spot....I am not sure I can handle going to a memorial and hearing someone talk about Sierra like they knew her. No offense but the principle did not know her and to sit through it...I would rather go to her favorite place on the beach and think about her there." Ezzie looked at Roxy to see if that was okay with her. Maybe she should invite Thad too.

Pepe put the car in drive and drove them to the beach.

[Roxy Rivera]

Roxy smiled when Ezzie said she was helping. That was all she wanted anyway. Roxy knew how to deal with a lot of things...but death...not so much. She'd been lucky. No one she'd been close to in her family had ever passed away and she was an only child so she really couldn't understand what it would be like to lose a sibling but she imagined it would be just like losing a parent. Sure Roxy warred with her parents a lot of the time but she'd still be crushed if one of them died.

"Yeah...you could try calling Thad," Roxy said. "I was going to go over and see if he wanted to come with me to the memorial but I was kind of afraid too. Since we live right next to one another his parents know that I was brought home by the police with him and they know that I'm not supposed to be out of the house. I was afraid they'd catch me and make me go home. But maybe if he can get out, I can just hide in here while you wait for him," she suggested. There was no way she was letting herself get caught. She would not put it past Sandra at all to send her right home and tell her parents that she'd snuck out again.

"The beach it fine with me," Roxy said. After all, like she had said, she'd only been going to the memorial to support Ezzie. There was no point in going if she had the chance to go with Ezzie somewhere else and support her that way. After all, she'd do a much better thing for her friend by hanging out with her and trying to keep her mind off things that she would standing at a memorial while they talked about a bunch of people she didn't really know.

Roxy say back and buckled herself in. She was by no means dressed for the beach but oh well. She'd just have to take her boots off and deal with it. Plus, she didn't live too far from the beach so she assumed they'd stay in Santa Monica which meant they'd have the pier to wander about too.

[Ezzie Lopez]

"I can send him a text just in case the step mother is around." Ezzie needed the distraction. Badly. So sending a text is just what she needed to do. So Ezzie pulled out her phone and sent Thad a text. "I just called him a brave, sexy man. You think he noticed it was just fun when we were coming on to him in the light house." Usually the idea would make Ezzie laugh, but right now it earned a smirk and a small laugh as she hit send.

Pepe looked at his sister, "What is this about you and Thad? Something I should know." Pepe drove then toward Santa Monica Pier. Sure Ezzie and he lived in Compton, but he liked the Pier so why not.

Ezzie looked at her brother and rolled her eyes, "Its nothing. Just fun. No explanation needed." She told her brother and turned in her seat to look at Roxie, "Snuck out huh. Well I think my parents have forgotten about the police because when i asked they never really said no. My mom and dad are not really up for talking. And I prefer to stay out of their way at the moment. My other siblings are coming into town. Its just a little crowded and I can't stand my room so...."

Ezzie gave a half shrug. She did not really want to talk. She was trying to be strong for herself and her other siblings, but it was hard. Ezzie just wanted to crumble, but she had to be strong. She needed to be. Why? Who knows, but for now its what she felt she needed. Its almost as if it had not set in yet. In her mind it was some cruel joke. But in reality her older sister was dead and she was never coming back.

[Roxy Rivera]

Roxy just sat there staring out the window as Ezzie texted Thad. Her parents had taken her phone away from her so for the time being she had to do without...at least until her grounding was over which seemed like never. Her parents just didn't get her, she thought...that's why she had to act out and do the things she did. Okay, maybe she got herself into trouble half the time but she needed to have some sort of rebellion for her own sanity.

Roxy laughed when Ez told her what she texted Thad. "I have no idea...seemed like he was actually buying it but he might have just been playing along," she giggled. That night had been a lot of fun. She wondered if they'd ever be able to do anything like it again given everything that had happened the past few days. "My parents stole my cell otherwise I'd text him too...I'll just have to lay it on real thick next time I see him...about how brave he was," she said with a laugh.

She laughed harder when Pepe asked if Ezzie and Thad we're a thing. "Hell no!" she said. "It's Thad! Well...they better not get together...I have no desire to be a perpetual third wheel," Roxy said, although she didn't really think she had to worry about that. There was no way Ezzie and Thad would ever seriously go on a date.

When Ezzie mentioned her parents forgetting about the punishment, Roxy almost said she was lucky, but held her tongue the moment she thought it through...Ezzie was the unlucky one really. After all, Roxy hadn't lost anyone. "I'm sure they'll come around and punish you eventually," she said, playfully sticking her tongue out at Ezzie, hoping the comment made her laugh. "And maybe by then Thad and I will be free from our groundings and we can help bust you out," she said with a smile.

[Ezzie Lopez]

Ezzie just rolled her eyes, "Brothers. Apparently you text one man that he is sexy and you have to be dating him." Ezzie said. This was kind of distracting. "I could not tell either. I had no clue if he believed us or not. I mean I almost feel bad if he believed us because he got hurt, but on the other hand it was funny." She told Roxy. Ezzie sighed. She had told Sierra about that night. Sierra had called her juvenile, but said odds are she might have done the same thing.

"Same goes for you by the way. No dating Thad. I did not want to be the third wheel. And no PDA, I mean...yuck. I don't see how couples do it. It's like I get it, your dating, do we have to see it." Ezzie said shaking her head. She felt Pepe stopped and he eyed both girls.

Pepe turned off the car and looked at them, "Good, you both are too young to date anyway." He told them as he got out of the car, "Be back in two hours. I mean it." He told them as he walked off.

"Be back in two hours, we are too young." Ezzie mocked. "Brothers...see...I think being a pain is written in his DNA and he is older then me." She knew this was a distraction for him too. Although what Pepe said was normal for him. "So no cell, grounded, interesting. I will remember to keep my bedroom window unlocked when I get grounded." She smiled a small smiled and walked over to the spot she knew Sierra liked.

[Roxy Rivera]

Roxy giggled. "Yeah I don't have to deal with that," she said about brothers. After all, Roxy was an only child. It made it much easier to go off and do her own thing. Even Ezzie and Thad didn't know some of the things Roxy had gone off and done...mostly because she didn't want to admit it to them. "Yeah...I think he'll be alright though. He wasn't hurt too bad. And it was pretty funny," she smiled thinking back at that night and how they'd pretended to fight over Thad.

"Um ew," Roxy said about dating Thad. "I don't think that would ever happen," she said, shaking her head. "Although Fallon was giving us weird looks the other night as if she thought there was something going on," she admitted. "I might need to talk some sense into that girl," she giggled. She just didn't think of Thad that way. Plus she was more experienced than both Ezzie and Thad combined as far as she knew. It would be weird being with someone her own age.

Roxy rolled her eyes when Pepe said they were too young to date. If he only knew...she thought to herself as she got out of the car and gave him a wave. "See ya in a bit," she said.

"Yeah, don't get grounded," she added to her friend as they headed towards the sand. "It sucks...trust me...."

OOC sorry got short in the end...got to run!

[Ezzie Lopez]

"Siblings are fun. Especially when you need to place the blame else where. So easy to not get blamed. Unless you are brought home by the police. Then its not so easy." Ezzie said with a shrug. "All my parents said was we would talk after school and that was yesterday." Ezzie did not need to say anything else. "A ghost and a shooting. I think I need less fun from now on." Ezzie loved to have fun, but the past two days had been too filled with crap. She just wanted a calm day for once.

"It was funny. I mean I feel bad Thad got hurt, but it was funny. I keep thinking about it and it helps me smile. Its just so weird at night. I look over and I see her bed and it's real. She is not in it." Ezzie told her friend. "I always use to joke about her moving out so I could have my own room.....now I don't want my own room any more.' Ezzie said sadly.

She was trying to be that sunny girl and be funny and laugh, but laughing was not happening. Not when her heart was broken over the loss of her sister. You never think it can happen, but it can. "Fallon...no way...she gave you and Thad looks. You sure it was not just her giving you looks." Ezzie winked. She was clearly joking. "Anyway I think Pepe has a point. Way to young to worry about that. Isn't this the time to have fun." Ezzie was very innocent. She had no idea what Roxy had done, but she had kissed another guy.

"I will keep that in mind about not getting grounded. I am sure it's not fun. Although being confined to my room, for me is a treat. I am always busy with my siblings wanting to play dress up. I welcome the break." Although her room was not too much fun, but the peace and quiet would be nice.

OOC that was not short at all, lol