Laguna Nights Read Free Page A

pain and humiliation, she reminded herself now, pulling on her jacket in case the ocean breeze had picked up. And she would have one cup of coffee and tell him to leave her alone. This was her new life and he would never be a part of it.
     

    A s he stood on the oceanfront balcony of his three-bedroom suite, Josh smiled for the first time since arriving back ‘home’. The sound of the surf was loud, and called to him. He had to admit, Laguna Beach was beautiful. Perfect. He looked to his left, noticing the waves undulating toward town, the same coves he spent his childhood exploring and surfing and wondered if there would be a swell this week. He made a note to check his surf app before holding his phone up to take a selfie, just him and the beauty behind him. He uploaded it to Instagram with the hashtags #home #Friday #JustJosh #surfsup. Then he thought better of it and deleted #surfsup. He knew the producers and his manager and agent probably wouldn’t let him surf, but still, if the waves were right, he’d find a way to sneak out. He’d borrow a board from a surf shop, no problem.
    He thought again about calling his parents. It would be awkward if he bumped into them somewhere in town, but he’d rationalized they were probably travelling, perhaps out of town visiting his older brother John’s family. Josh knew he was a disappointment because he always had been compared to John. John had been captain of the most popular of Laguna Beach High School boys’ sports, volleyball and soccer, while Josh couldn’t make either team, even if he had tried. Josh had been drawn to the stage. Acting in the middle school play was compulsory for all students, so his father couldn’t stop him, but by high school it was made clear that he would not be part of “that drama crowd”. Even as children, even before middle school, his venture capitalist father had sat both boys down at least once a year in his lavishly paneled study. He would explain through a swirl of pipe smoke that they were to follow in his life’s footsteps – high school athlete and leader, prestigious college followed by an Ivy League MBA followed by a quiet, private life of great wealth and privilege. His brother, the golden child, had done just that. Josh had run the other way whenever possible, avoiding both of his parents and their disapproval. He had done it with Holly’s help.
    It wasn’t as if he led a life of deprivation growing up, of course. Everyone in the world had witnessed his wealthy lifestyle – his parents’ mansion, the Porsche that he received at age sixteen, his expensive clothes and spending habits. His brother got the same things. But the difference was while John was studying during high school, Josh had been surfing and skipping classes. While John had headed off to Harvard, Josh had joined the cast of Laguna Nights , forging his mother’s signature on the contract, a secret he’d told only one person, ever. His parents pretended as if the show never happened, never discussing it with him. But the world had noticed the show. By Josh’s senior year in high school, his second season on the show, he was being flown around the country for lucrative celebrity appearances on most weekends and some school nights. By then, they’d let him go. They had never watched an episode then, or to his knowledge now, even though the show was the final blow to their relationship. But it was as it should be. He didn’t need his parents, and they had his brother John to live through vicariously.
    “At least they got one son to be proud of,” Josh said aloud before walking back inside his room, wondering again if he should have changed his last name. He shook his head to clear away the bad memories, the bad feelings that lingered here in this town, his father’s hometown. He took a deep breath. The air inside and outside was perfect – no humidity, clean, crisp and seventy-two degrees.
    He needed to change into a bathing suit for an afternoon swim