Tires slowed to a stop on white, perfectly smooth concrete. Sunlight glittered off of it, bits of quartz lighting the stone like a blanket of snow on a cold winter’s day. Yet this was no winter’s day, not anywhere around San Diego in the middle of June. Instead the red-hued Ford Fusion—not quite in the sleek, modern design that Jasper enjoyed so much—pulled across this pavement in the ninety-degree heat of a California summer. Within, the stylishly dressed, in the way of a long-sleeved and steely gray dress shirt partnered with black dress slacks, young man slipped from the now-parked vehicle with all the grace his moderately slim frame could muster—not like there was anyone around to watch.<br/><br/>“First one, huh,” he snickered to himself as he stood up. Of course he had been the only one here so far! The idea had been to meet sometime in the evening, get settled, and sleep—or not, as was seen fit—in order to get over that painful jet lag. Instead the Pennsylvanian was here only two hours after noon, in a shiny rental, with very little to do. “I don’t even have the keys,” he realized, having not been given one of the sets. This was part of the reason that everyone had poked fun at him for his insistence on early morning flights; he would not have been able to get in anyway! Now he sat on the hood of the Fusion, bright sunlight beating down on him, and could do nothing more than regret that he stuck to formal attire during flights.<em>Habits kill people, and this one might do me in.</em>he thought with a smile. Slowly he laid himself out on the trunk of the car, plastic wrap-around shades protecting him from the glowing orb of suffering right above him, and stared at the passing clouds that came in all sorts of fantastical shapes and sizes.<br/><br/>Degrees in law were thought to make someone painfully stuck-up, arrogant, and downright boring to be around. The stereotype is of painfully introverted, fat, sullen men that sweat excessively into their gold-lined and overpriced suits—a testament to the riches that many men of law acquire from those agonizingly less fortunate. Young Salazar was proud to call himself none of these things—not overweight, too sweaty, and certainly not rich. No, no, his lovely girlfriend had that last one covered.<em>That’s why she’s got the keys and I’m laid out on the hood of a car like a cooking egg—one of the sets was mailed to her. That’s what I get for taking the six-in-the-morning flight,</em>he once against cursed his habits while a smiled curled his lips.<br/><br/>No real reason to be frustrated, though. Even a quick glance revealed lushly gardened grounds that spoke volumes of the money that went in to renting a place this large—a place for a group of friends that had gotten their New York university on the news for a few reasons. Jasper had to wonder if it was because of how astoundingly attractive some of them were, his own Jessica coming to mind for more than a moment, or just that they group had achieved extraordinary things. There were upwards of ten of them, a large group to be sure. Not only that but they had stuck together for all of their years at the university—friends came, but they never went.<br/><br/>Jasper would take a bullet for anyone of them.<br/><em>I’d bleed out with the damnedest grin on my face too,</em>he thought. A serpentine, almost vile grin evolved from the former, soft smile.<br/><br/>“No use cooking myself, I never sported a tan well,” he said to no one. Feet hit ground a moment later, his black shoes starkly contrasted against the off-white pavement, and he walked around to the front of the house. There was a long, wavy sidewalk that led down a smoothly contoured hill to the street below. They were not far into the mountains around town, and the city could be seen below, but they were high enough up that<em>It’s one hell of a view,</em>he concluded. For a moment he stood there, hands buried in his pockets, and looked out of the dark-green hills that led down to the lovely urban sprawl of the famous San Diego—it really was a beautiful city.<br/><br/>Mind full of the sight laid out before him, like a buffet for the eyes, he turned back around and took a good look at the stone building that made up most of the resort they were to stay at.<em>Hot damn,</em>he thought. They really had spared no expense with they picked this place, the size alone a testament to that.<em>Ten rooms, deluxe accommodations, and enough fun that we’ll all still remember this when we’re senile and can’t remember our own names,</em>he realized. The entire construct seemed to be made of the same stone as the driveway and sidewalks, lumber certainly a rare sight on this coast, and was built in the center of a grounds that could have made even the most exacting landscaper shed a tear. Bushes and trees of all sorts, accentuated by bursts of colorful flowers, seemed to run all around the building. The inner grounds were protected by a polished-black iron fence that blended well with the overall aesthetic of resort.<br/><br/>Quiet footsteps took him to one of the gates, one he could easily jump over. On the other side and in clear view was a sparkling pool with water hued like what one might expect around the shoes of pacific islands. “God damn, I know where I’m spending the evening,” he thought. Images of the entire group filled his mind as phantoms of his friends walked around, Jasper and maybe one or two others at the grill serving their fresh meal, as the group prepared for what might have been a life-changing vacation here on the other end of the<em>continent</em>.<br/><br/>It really was a staggering concept.<br/><br/>“Harrisburg doesn't have shit on this,” he said with a laugh. Moments later, without a slightest bit of hesitation, he hopped the fence and made his way over to one of the padded, wooden loungers that surrounded the pool. Under the comforting shade of an umbrella he got himself nice and cozy in the welcoming cushions, his entire body fatigued from going over three thousand miles from home. His only regret was that he and Jessica lived cities apart and most everyone departed from home to here for various reasons—he had been forced, by the cruelty of space-time laws, to make this trek without her. One-half of the journey had been made alone, but the other half would not.