In the middle of July, Carmel-by-the-sea was always full to the brim with tourists, as if it was the perfect place to take your family for a vacation. An ideal combination of a beach, history and the performing arts, Carmel was surely the place you'd want to bring your kids for the summer. It all seemed fantastic, if you didn't actually live there.<br/><br/>To Nathaniel -or any other local who cared about being honest- Carmel was absolutely boring. The sights got repetitive after some time, and as they did, so did the people. Repetitive as well as pretentious. As the saying went, Carmel was for the "newly wed and nearly dead". It was a cute little quote until you happened to take notice of all the rich, forty-year-old widows that happened to walk up and down Ocean Avenue's line of rather expensive shops. This wasn't even to mention that Nathaniel couldn't go fifteen minutes without almost tripping over a dog. It was boring and monotonous and ostentatious. And, for the same reasons he hated it, he loved it twice as much.<br/><br/>Though, he had to admit that he could deal without the heat. Or at least learn how to dress in it. In his small group of four, Nathaniel was the only person that wasn't wearing shorts or sandals, and rolling your sleeves up as far as you can was a poor substitute for a short-sleeved shirt. He would be fine, though. They were just passing the old Carmel mission, and from there it was only another twenty minute walk until he reached his home. That was still twenty minutes for heatstroke to get him, and Nathaniel wasn't really a fan of that thought.<br/><br/>"Check it out, Nate." Nathaniel glanced back over his shoulder at his friend Justin, then following his gaze. Funny thing about Carmel, you could always tell who did and did not belong there by the way they were dressed. Even most of the tourists that frequented Carmel did their best to look the part. But in black jeans and heavy boots, you did<span style="font-style: italic">not</span>look the part and you did<span style="font-style: italic">not</span>belong in Carmel. Justin spoke again, this time loud enough that the man in question could hear. "I think I used to have that shirt. You know, before I got a job."