Beach Front Family Pt. 01

Author's Note:

Special thanks to my editor for this story lonewolf68alpha. This would not be possible without you.

Chapter 1 Ariel

Ariel Tompson loved this part of the song by Bring Me the Horizon, which she was listening to as she drove down the 101 to work. The lyrics felt like they were talking right to her. Ariel had always thought herself a person of deep conflict, and the metal music she listened to frequently felt like the only thing that made sense to her.

"At least I'm honest about it." She thought to herself.

Ariel had the sneaking suspicion that most people were just full of shit most of the time. Ariel had been born into a conservative Latino family, and like all good young Christians, she had rebelled young... She had left the church of her youth and found her way to Metal music... and drugs. This became her church through high school and college.

She had gotten her first tattoo by lying about her age, to get a cobra whose snarled head stopped just under her small breasts. It had taken an excruciating 8 hours, and she had to pay in drugs for the privilege. Of course, back then, Ariel was still trying to fit in with other women. Her hair had been longer, and she even wore a tiny dress to try to convince the tattoo artists to do the work for drugs, and it had worked.

This started a lifelong obsession with tattoos, and getting what she wanted by distracting men with her body. As the years went on for Ariel though, she became less and less interested in fitting in. Her hair got shorter, and shorter, until the side of her head tapered from bald up to a less than 2 inch long, always spiked head of black hair. At 40, her arms were fully sleeved with tattoos, and she even had sat two years ago for the much-vaunted spinal tattoo. She read "Never Fit In" in Vertical Old English lettering on her back.

Ariel had lived by that mantra. Even in the alternative music world she didn't fit in. She wasn't long legged, black hair, with big tits, and big waist and ass. She was short, small breasted, and slim despite having two kids, and while she worked out, Ariel didn't consider herself classically beautiful.

Ariel's two sons were her proudest accomplishment. Matthew 18, and Blake 20. She had them young at 20 and 22, but it had been a choice both times, not a mistake. Ariel had loved her children's dad.

She had been devastated to find out he had hidden his drug addiction from her for years and came home one day to find him dead in the bathroom. What made it worse was later, she found out he had left his entire inheritance to her. When his parents, whom Ariel had never met, found out, they tried to rescind the will as they didn't approve of her, but Ariel had fought and then filed a lawsuit and won for how they had gone all over town defaming her. As a result, she worked now because she wanted to and to make use of her degree.

Ariel took a job at a local aerospace contractor. She wanted to be involved in airplane design but had entered quality process engineering. And to her frustration, she had stayed there for many years. Her work, like most places in Ventura, was deeply conservative. Frequently, she wore long-sleeved shirts and pants to cover her increasing collection of tattoos. Additionally, like most engineering firms, it was almost exclusively male. Ariel was the only woman other than the front desk receptionist. Most of the men at work were ex-military and just assumed she was the diversity hire for the "Alphabet community" and thought she was a strange one at that.

Most people wouldn't have minded it, but Ariel found men annoying for the most part. During the lawsuit, to make ends meet and keep paying the legal bills, Ariel tried became a dominatrix. Through those experiences, Ariel had found it increasingly hard to trust women who fit the standard beach bunny mold of the area. She heard horror stories from her clients about the dates they went on. She felt people who were classically beautiful always had it easier, and always got away with more.

And, while the money was good, Ariel wanted something different for her kid's life's than to have to pretend they didn't know what their mom did for a living. After losing her children's dad, Ariel wanted to live a nice quiet life.

Ariel just wanted to go to work, do her job, and leave. Most days, that's exactly what happened. But some days, she'd overhear the guys in the breakroom talking about their lives or dates. She'd be reminded that no matter what she achieved or did, she would probably never be anyone's story in the breakroom again.

No, at her age, Ariel knew that ship had most likely sailed for her. She had gone on a few dates with women when she was younger and certainly found it a pleasant experience, but since losing her kids Dad, and after trying the dominatrix work, she had rejoined the church. She, attended every week, and had taken Blake and Matt from the time they were born.

Ariel had woken this morning and forgotten it was her 40th birthday. She had come downstairs to find everyone in the kitchen. Matt and Blake had wished her a happy birthday, and Matt's girlfriend Megan chimed in. 40 didn't feel as special as people told her it would. She expected to have some kind of revelation about what life was going to be or meant, and she had none of that.

Ariel had gotten in the car thinking about how it was possible for Megan at 21 to be at her home at 7:30 in the morning. Didn't she have things to do?

The Radio DJ snapped her out of her reflection as the song ended.

"This is KBBL Radio 78.2 FM on the dial with our heavy Friday Morning show, where we only play the best and heaviest music! That was Bring me the Horizon with Blasphemy!"

"This guy is so annoying." She thought to herself.

"So, guys, we have a very special surprise for you today! Tonight, at a secret location here in Ventura, the band Thrice is going to play a private show, and the first ten callers to call in will win tickets. So, call."

"I FUCKING LOVE THRICE!" Her mind screamed.

Ariel pulled her car over the side of the road, grabbed her phone, and hurriedly dialed the number the DJ had given. It rang and rang, and finally, someone answered.

"Hello?!" Ariel said excitedly.

"Yes, you are a winner!" Said the voice.

Ariel screamed in excitement!

"Oh my god, thank you! Thank you! It's my birthday, and I had nothing planned!" she said, sounding like a jabbering fan girl.

"No worries! What is your email? We will send you the tickets and location."

Ariel gave her email address. And then, when she was done, she pulled the car back onto the highway. She felt on top of the world.

She got to work and headed into the breakroom to fill her mug with coffee. As she pushed through the double doors, she heard a loud male voice speaking.

"So, then she got so drunk that she started getting naked!" and chorus of laughs followed.

Ariel paused before walking through; she stood there and took a deep breath. She knew the voice... It was Jared, who was not only her co-worker but also her neighbor. She walked through.

Ariel began filling her cup, just hoping this once, this one time, that Jared would not notice her.

At 5 foot 9 inches, Jared was short for a guy, and he had a short guy complex. He was always the loudest guy in the room. Jared was built like someone who had spent too much time at the gym and not enough time learning not to be an asshole. She didn't know much about him other than he instantly rubbed her the wrong way, and his behavior had done little to impress her since.

"Well, you know, they can't all be delicate feminine flowers. You know, like our Ariel here," Jared said loudly to the circle of guys he was holding court with.

Ariel took a breath. Most days, she would have just pretended not to hear it, go back to her desk, and think about telling HR. She never did tell HR. She knew how these things go. She would complain, and he would flip it in some way. Guys like him always did.

She sighed, turned, and walked over to the group of guys.

"Jared, whatever poor unfortunate woman had to endure your company, I'm sure you'd have to get a step ladder to... kiss? So instead of running people down, maybe you should be happy that anyone gives you attention at all." The group of men burst into laughter, except Jared... She left Jared turning a bright shade of pink and went back to her desk.

Ariel's day flew by, and she certainly was feeling the most confident she had felt in a long while.

"Maybe 40 won't be so bad after all?" She said to herself.

5 p.m. arrived right on time, Ariel hopped in her car and got on the road. On her way home, she called her best friend Carmon.

The phone rang and then rang again. Carmon picked up, sounding a little out of breath.

"Hello?" Carmon's voice came as if she was surprised in some way.

"Hey, Carmon!" Ariel said.

"Hey... what's up?" Carmon said.

That's odd, thought Ariel... She heard Carmon trying to control her breathing.

"You, okay? You sound out of breath." Ariel asked,

"Oh... yea... I'm just at the gym..." Carmon said.

Ariel and Carmon had a rule for years. If Ariel called Carmon would always pick up, but if she was with a guy she would tell Ariel she was "At the gym" so Ariel would know that now wasn't a good time unless it was an emergency.

"It's 5 p.m., and you are already fucking a guy?!" Ariel exclaimed.

"Something like that... but what's up?" Carmon asked.

"Want to go out tonight? I got tickets for a secret show for a band I love." Ariel asked.

"Shit, I have plans already, plus you know it's probably not going to be my kind of music." Carmon quickly said.

"But I will see you tomorrow for your birthday dinner, right?!" Carmon quickly added.

"Yeah, totally. I know it was last minute, but I wanted to check." Ariel said.

"Of course, babe! That's what best friends are for. Maybe talk Blake into going! He needs to get out of the house more." Carmon said.

Ariel could hear Carmon's shit-eating grin and it made Ariel smile.

"I'll try. I guess I should let you get back to it. See you tomorrow?" Ariel said.

"Sounds good! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH!" Carmon yelled and hung up.

Ariel smiled. She and her best friend were such a mismatch. Carmon grew up in a traditional Chinese family, rebelled, and never stopped rebelling. She was two years younger than Ariel and still boy crazy at 38. Taller than Ariel by about 4 inches, Carmon was all about Zen, yoga, organic foods, and having a good time.

Ariel had always felt Ventura was a beach town where men only wanted beach bimbos. And while not blond-haired, Carmon was a new-wave version of a bimbo. But she was Ariel's longest friend, and for all those failings as Ariel saw them, she was always loyal. Ariel wished Carmon would meet a guy who didn't treat her like shit, though.

She sighed again as she pulled into her driveway. Ariel had used some of the money from the lawsuit to buy a house within sight of the ocean. The two-story, four-bedroom, three-bathroom white stucco home had huge bay windows facing the ocean. It looked like an ultramodern space oddity compared to the older 1980s beach houses that surrounded it.

Parking the car, she got out, opened the garage roll up door, and then went to the door to the kitchen, and bumped directly into her son Blake. She jumped in surprise.

"Shit, sorry, Mom." said Blake.

Blake was exactly what you would get if you imagined what a young athlete from a beachfront town in California would look like. 6'2 brown eyes, a gym-made psyche, and a chiseled jaw, which he kept shaved. He had his Dad's European skin but his mother's ability to tan.

Blake was 20 and getting ready to go to college. Ariel knew he spent most of his days working and going to the gym on repeat. Ariel also knew her oldest son worried about her being lonely, even though she told him not to and that he thought maybe she was a lesbian in denial.

At the same time Ariel had to admit she worried about him. Blake never dated, he was quiet, and shy despite his good looks. Ariel knew he at least had friends, but they were all people he'd gone to high school with and played sports with. Ariel felt boys needed more.

"Hey, baby!" She spoke.

Blake reached down and hugged his mom.

"Hey Mom, how was work?" He asked.

"Good! Guess what!?" She said excitedly.

"What?" He said, starting to smile.

"I got tickets to see Thrice tonight at a secret show! Wanna go with?" she asked excitedly.

"Shit, Mom. I would... But I got my MMA class tonight." Blake said, looking away.

"I could cancel if you want. I just already put the money down, you know? I know it's your birthday... shoot." Blake looked legitimately upset and guilty.

"Baby, it's no big deal. There will be other shows. Go to your class, but don't worry if I'm not out till late!" Ariel said, smiling.

"Okay, Mom! Have fun! I gotta run off to class!" Blake said, giving his mom a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

Blake disappeared out the door to the garage. Ariel sighed. "Strike two." she murmured to herself.

She went into the living room, where she found her youngest, Matthew, sitting and playing video games with his girlfriend.

"Hey, Mom! I heard about Thrice. What a cool birthday gift!" Matt said, pausing the game.

"Yes, that's sick!" Said Megan.

If Blake was a prototypical jock, then Matthew was a prototypical nerd. Tall and lanky, with his brother's same naturally good looks but less structure. His eyes were the same bright green his dad's had been. Ariel's youngest son was devastatingly smart and far more outgoing than his older brother. For Matt's 18th birthday, he had run an Ethernet cable to the whole house himself to ensure that he could play his games with low latency. Matt talked himself into a paying job at the church doing IT work before he had graduated high school.

Ariel didn't like Megan, though. Not because she wasn't nice but because Ariel felt like she reminded Ariel of herself too much at that age. At 21, Megan was three years older than Matt, with brown hair that she usually kept in pigtails or a long braid down her back. Short at 5'2, she and Ariel were the only people in the house who saw eye to eye.

Megan wore a lot in black, wore heavy eyeliner, and tight jeans that hugged her thick thighs, with goth band shirts that showed off her breasts. Ariel had instantly not liked Megan when she found out that Megan had a pierced tongue and did not believe in God. But Ariel knew that Matt had his own rebellious streak and that if she openly disapproved of Megan, it was more likely that Megan would become closer to him, not more distant, so Ariel tried to play it cool. Megan was no dummy, and Ariel was sure that Megan knew all of that too.

And so it was, Ariel and Megan kept a respectful distance, each trying to not create conflict with the other,

"Thanks!" Said Ariel

"Don't suppose I could talk you two into going?" She followed up.

"Oh, Mom, you know I don't like your music," Matt said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, and I don't think you'd want to go to party with just me." Megan smiled.

"It's nice of you to offer, but I think I will pass." Ariel smiled back.

"Well, I've got to go get ready. The show starts in about an hour. Don't be shocked if I'm home late!" Ariel added.

Heading upstairs, Ariel entered her room. The master bedroom was by far the largest in the house, holding a king-size banister bed in it. The walls were filled with pictures of her and her sons and some framed Vinyl records of bands she loved and had gotten her through hard times. Above the bed was a simple black cross.

Ariel went into her walk-in wardrobe and quickly changed into her best ripped skinny jeans and Metallica torn shirt. She grabbed a flannel, too, just in case. Summers in Ventura could go from warm to cold very quickly.

Ariel slipped into her Adidas and went back downstairs and went to the kitchen. She reached into a cupboard and grabbed some cereal, and in another, she grabbed a bowl.

Sitting at the center island of the kitchen, she looked around. Yes, she had been really lucky. God had been good to her, and she had worked hard. The house was painted white on the inside with dark gray wood laminate floors, marble countertops, and a clean, open, ultra-modern feel to it.

Ariel scarfed down her cereal and checked her email for the tickets. There they were! She loaded them into her digital wallet. Washing her dish in the sink, she realized how quiet Matt and Megan were being.

Ariel poked her head out of the kitchen, eyeballing the living room, to see Matt and Megan kissing deeply.

"Jeez, guys! Get a room!" She said, startling them.

She smiled, and Megan stuck her pierced tongue out at Ariel.

"Alright, guys, I'm out of here! See you later!" She yelled as she headed down the hall to the Garage.

She plugged the address into her phone it was a bar called "The Sea Shanty," which was on the edge of the main drag of downtown Ventura. She threw her car into reverse and cranked a tune by the Arctic Monkeys that was playing on the radio.

She sang along to music in her car, dancing in her seat. Looking over at a red light, she saw a neighboring driver giving her a thumbs-up! She gave him the thumbs up back with a smile.

Pulling up to the venue, she was shocked they had chosen such a location. Ventura was an area known for its dive bars, but even by those standards, this was pretty divey.

The Sea Shanty had seen better days, but it did have a side patio with heaters and lights dangling across the top. The paint was chipping off the side, and it just looked dilapidated to Ariel's eyes.

Ariel got in line at the door. She had been around this town a long time, and she was pleased to see that she recognized the bouncer at the door. She struggled to remember his name... "Shawn" That was it she thought.

Shawn was a colossal black man and definitely the guy you were not going to get past if you were too drunk and rowdy.

"Ariel!" Shawn exclaimed smiling. "Long time no see! How have you been, baby?" He said warmly.

"I'm great, Shawn! Not so much a baby anymore. I'm 40 now!" She said with a smile,

"Oh shit, don't say that to me. I don't need to be hearing that. Today is your Birthday?" He asked.

"Yep! Sure is!" She exclaimed.

"And you got tickets to this? That's awesome!" He put out his hand for a high five, and Ariel gave it a firm slap with her own much smaller hand.

"Those new tats?" He said, pointing at her full sleeve on the right side.

"Oh no, just had it touched up!" She smiled.

"Nice! Alright, well, give this card to the bartender; your drinks are on the house tonight." Shawn said, handing her a card.

Ariel was genuinely touched. "Shawn, you don't have to do that. " She said, smiling.

"Everyone gets laid or drunk on their birthday here. Sometimes both, so I'm doing my part." Shawn said laughingly.

Ariel gave the huge man a hug and a kissed him on the cheek. After he checked her ticket, she went to pass him, and he gently reached out, closing his huge hand around what seemed like her tiny upper arm. She stopped and looked back.

"Hey Ariel, if any of these guys give you trouble on the way out, just give me a thumbs down, and I'll take care of it. And the guys inside will be on the lookout for you. " He said.

"You are the best, Shawn. See you in a bit!" She said with another smile.

Entering the bar, she saw a long wide-open area in front of a small stage. To the right of the farthest back was an exit to the patio and the bar. Based on Ariel's quick count, the room had around 50 people in it. But the room was sealed in sound. The people talking filled the space as if there were hundreds in there. Ariel now understood why they chose this place for the show.

She went over to the bar and handed the bartender the card Shawn had given her. The bartender looked at it, and over the people in the room talking, she heard him say, "Happy Birthday! What will you have?" Ariel thought.