C L A R A 
(the silence shouts so loudly)

June 2016, Summer
Los Angeles
(Clara, 17)

"Hey sunshine, come help me with this!" Mike carried a huge crate of beers into the bar. The glass bottles rattled and their necks clanked with each heavy step he took.

"Whoa, Dad! You're going to sprain your back carrying this heavy stuff," I laughed, dropping the tablecloth and ran towards him. My hands shot out to grab on the crate and lifted it into the bar with him.

-

Mike's my adoptive father and he's the best and kindest person you could ever ask for, at least, I could ever ask for. You see, everyone's family had their own dirty laundry and that didn't exclude mine. In short, let's just state that my parents were never the parents of the year.

They married out of convenience and never bothered trying to develop the relationship into something amiable. Neither of them also bothered to be part of my life. They could leave the country for years for a business trip without returning once. Even if they did, they wouldn't spend their time with me. I was being thrown around very often, relatives to relatives. They didn't even bother checking which aunt or uncle had taken me in and if I was safe under their care. I was convinced that they would definitely feel better if some random relative accidentally murdered me so that they could take me off their list of burdens.

I ran from home very often. Mostly because I didn't even feel that I had an actual home to return to. During one of my grand escape, I met Mike by the beach. He saw the multiple bruises on my arms and legs and decided to hear me out. Within a month's time, my parents were charged for child neglect and had their parental rights over me terminated. I was only in elementary school then but social workers came to knock on my aunt's door to demand for me. Overwhelmed by panic, I cried so badly for the fear that I was about to be sent into an orphanage or foster home.

Yet, not only was I not sent there, but my name changed from Madison Mitchell to Clara Morgan.

I was dropped at a care centre where Mike picked me up after an hour. That was when I knew that he was the one who caused the hefty fines on my parents, which they got away quickly with their almost unlimited wealth. Of course, I didn't trust Mike immediately and practically raised the entire hell into Morgan's household. But regardless of what I did, he never once got angry. Instead, he said, "Sunshine, just let it out and we'll talk when you're ready."

Mike's a single man but he sure did the 'parent' job better than my actual ones. When he adopted me, he had just recently retired from the marines and was trying to get a hold of his life by settling down in LA. The bar was simply a way for him to earn some while killing time. In order to take care of me, he worked fewer hours in the bar and spent a lot of time with me at home. He can be really clumsy but at least he tried his best and made sure I had all the warmth and familial love he could ever give.

Music and composition later became my source of release for all the frustrations I felt within. Things started to get a lot better for me because I grew to be open to Mike and it was not long before I invited him to my first composition performance. That was the very first time I called him 'Dad'. That was also the first time I witnessed a burly man who had been through the toughest of times during his services could actually tear up because of the one word I said. Till then, I never knew I meant so much to him.

Mike loved to talk to everyone about me and he was always the proudest of my achievements.  You could say that he's the typical enthusiastic Dad and he cliqued so well with Rachelle's Mom to the point that he's like a brother that Pam never knew she needed.

-

Anyways, speak of the devil.

My phone chimed and it was a text from Rachelle.

───────────────

R: Hey Clarabug, did you actually ran off with some random dude? You haven't texted since summer break started.

C: I hate to say this, but random dude have yet to exist.

R: Haha, anyways, Leo invited me on a hiking trip, but I don't think I'm going.

C: Why not?!

R: I have a date with you.

C: Are you stupid or stupid?

R: None of the above?

C: Girlfriend, I'm not going to run away. So date me anytime. But you don't get to date Prince Charming all the time.

R: Ovaries before brovaries.

C: Ew, that's disgusting as hell.

R: Uteruses before duderuses.

C: Cut it out!

R: I was trying to be humorous.

C: A terrible fail.

R: You really okay with it?

C: Of course! But don't bother coming back if nothing naughty happens on the trip.

R: CLARA!

C: Teehee!

───────────────

I locked my screen and pushed my phone back into the waist apron. Seeing that a group of college boys had entered the bar, I stretched over the counter and picked up a small clipboard and pen. I walked towards the table that they had settled themselves in and start taking their orders.

The blonde that was closest to me was reading out drinks name at a speed that was way too fast for me to follow. I leaned towards him and followed closely to where his finger pointed to while frantically scribbling through. A voice sounded close to my ear that made my skin crawl, "Hey, you're pretty cute. Let's hang out after your shift."

Annoyed, I took a step back to re-establish my own personal space. I straightened my back and said, "Is there anything else you would like to have? If not, I shall repeat your order."

"Is that a yes or no?" The smirk on Jerkface grew.

"A clear no," I replied curtly, forcing a smile to return to him.

"Aw, don't play hard to get," Jerkface's hand shot forward in an attempt to grab on my wrist. I was taken by surprise but before the hand could reach me, a tall frame appeared in front of me, blocking my view in total.

"Which part of no did you not understand?" Tall Guy snapped.

"Chill man, didn't know she's taken," Jerkface laughed.

"Yeah, now you know." Tall Guy tilted his head slightly towards the door and continued, "So, get out."

Taken? Who's taken?

Crisis averted, but the bar was silent once again. I stood facing the back of Tall Guy and wondered if I should say something. I don't sit well with silence and I decided to tap on his arm. He turned around and asked, "Hey, you okay?"

First thing first, Tall Guy definitely sounded good as hell. His voice was smooth and piquant like honey. He had nicely tanned skin which complimented perfectly with his black and slightly curly hair. When our eyes met, I was immediately magnetised to his brown eyes. They had so much warmth in them that it caused my heart to thump weirdly. I probably should give him a reply but my tongue had stupidly knotted itself.

"Hey, Max!" Mike's shout sounded from the door and his eyes caught us standing close to one another. I turned and saw his eyes squinted slightly, and a deathly aura surrounded him. "Should I be concerned?"

"Mike, I—" Max stuttered, looking really flustered.

Mike folded his arms in front of his chest, revealing the firm chest muscles and his ginormous strong arms. I noticed Max's throat worked on a swallow and I burst out laughing, "Dad, Max just helped to chase Jerkface and his friends off."

"Those damned college brats again!" Mike tutted but turned to face Max. "Hey buddy, I wasn't referring to you, in case you feel offended."

"Um, no offence taken," Max rubbed the back of his neck and took a step away from me. I was amused by his awkwardness. It was rather cute actually.

"Sunshine, this is Max. Max, this is Clara," Mike introduced us to each other before turning towards me and said, "He'll be helping out here too."

"Since when were you hiring?" I asked.

"I wasn't hiring at all, but this kid was hoping to earn some monies while he enjoys his holiday here," Mike removed the beers from the crate and stocked up the fridge. "Max, you're from which state again?"

"Massachusetts," he smiled. "Nice to meet you, Clara."

"Same here," I beamed. "Thanks for just now!"

-

When my shift ended, I packed up and changed into a new set of clothes. I exited the dressing room and spotted Max.

"Heading back home?" he asked, giving me that boyish smile that looked really charming on him.

"Yeah, do you lodge around the area?" I asked.

"Just down the beach," he replied. "Do you surf?"

"Sadly, no." A light frown pulled at my lips.

"Want to learn?" he offered.

"You surf?" I enquired.

"Doesn't look like it?" he laughed.

"Didn't expect it, to be exact."

"Let me know if you would like to learn," he mentioned.

"Sure, I don't mind," I chuckled. "Let's say tomorrow after work?"

-

The more I hang out with Max, I grew to understand that he's a really great guy. He's patient, compassionate and can be quite affectionate if he wanted to. He had a personality that drew people to him naturally and I couldn't deny that I was inexplicably drawn to him. He's just magnetic without even needing to try.

At first, I thought it was a polite gesture but he really did teach me how to surf, and dear god, he was so damn good at it.

When he walked back to the shore, he unwrapped the leash on his ankle before reaching for my ankle. I withdrew my leg immediately as my face blushed in pink. I muttered, "I-I can take it off myself."

He laughed softly and raised his hands on both sides. Turning around, he lay his back down on the sad and rested his head behind his open palms. I watched as he did that then I followed suit. I giggled softly when small waves crashed into my feet tickling them playfully. Moving my head to the side, I saw Max smiling gently at me. "I enjoy watching you."

"Gee, you make me sound like an unfortunate and unconsented cast of animal planet."

"No," he burst out laughing. "You know that I definitely don't mean that way."

"I know, cheeky boy." A wide grin appeared on my face, my gaze went back to the twinkling night sky above us. "Tell me something interesting about yourself."

"Hmm," Max paused for a moment to think. "Does loving chicken nuggets and a happy meal count?"

I choked on my laugh, trying my 'hardest' to stifle my gigglings. "What are you, three?"

"Three and a half, you're welcome," he chuckled adorably. "And who said that you can't order happy meals? The toys are pretty awesome."

"Sure thing, kiddo," I sucked in a breath in between my laughter.

"Your turn, sunshine. Tell me something about yourself."

I wasn't sure whether it was the comfort of the silent night accompanied by the soft sounds of waves or was it his presence that bubbled me within the sphere of security. But I blurted out something that had bothered me all the time, "I'm not all cheery and happy as what people would like to believe. I'm actually insecure and it has been bothering me if I should tell my best friend that I hope she doesn't leave me even if things went well with her childhood sweetheart."

As I expected, silence fell between us, morphing into an invisible barrier that I couldn't get through. Placing my palms in the sand, I pushed myself into a sitting position. I knew that if I ever were to tell others about this side of me, it would be a fact too difficult to swallow.

"Clara, thank you for telling me," Max said, breathing softly.

"You don't think I'm weird?" I was surprised by his reply.

"No, I could sense something was definitely bothering you the past few days."

"You knew?"

"I know a lot about you actually," he admitted. "I don't mean to pry but Mike told me a lot of things when we had a couple of drinks a few nights before."

As he rambled on, my expression changed. Washed over by horror and a greater sense of insecurity as though he was seeing through my skin and into the deepest depths of me, where the silence shouts so loudly. Dad definitely revealed too much about me.

"W-wait," he panicked, sitting straight up and grabbed the back of my arm. His brows furrowed with worry. "Please don't tell me that you're mad at me."

I forced myself to speak and managed to murmur a few words that were barely audible, "W-What do you think about me?"

"I think you're strong," he spoke, his thumb skated idly on my arm. "You're brave."

Then, his hand moved to cup on my cheek, my eyes met his and he whispered, "And you're beautiful."

"You can't be real," I inhaled sharply.

"Clara, every part is you. Your happiness and your sadness. These are genuine emotions that make you, you," he explained. "It's only human to harbour negative emotions. You don't have to hide them away and pretend everything is okay."

I simply stared at him, not sure what I could say because no one ever said that to me. His brows raised as he moved my hair over my shoulders and gave me a gentle squeeze on my shoulder. He continued, "If you need a bit of advice, I'd say you should tell your friend about it. There's nothing more genuine than being honest."

"What if I fail? What if she thinks I'm weird?" I freaked.

"You had been blabbering about her the past few days," he chuckled. "I'm sure you're as important to her as she was to you."

"Really?"

"If anything fails, know that I'm here to catch you when you fall, sunshine."

✿

clara played a very important role in the book, but i never got the chance to tell you her story.

so, here it is! i was hoping to write another bonus chapter before i seriously end this book, but i'm hitting a writer's block. let me know if there's anyone's story you would like to hear from.