lover boy & dollar store girl ♬ matt sturniolo

II

CHAPTER II
[ damaged goods ]
♬

     the tally of days where minnie was stuck inside the store was starting to lose any sensible count, and she had stopped trying to keep track. every day consisted of going to school, coming to work, reading her book at the register, and waiting for nine o'clock; and saturdays and sundays were for getting the sleep she doesn't during the week.
     but today, she has a new number to count. it's been one day since a boy came to the dollar store. and not just any boy, but a cute boy.

the store was dead from the second minnie got there at four, and it stayed dead all afternoon. minnie flipped back and forth through all kinds of checklists, tidying up and restocking pointlessly full shelves because her shift gets no business; she vacuumed and mopped the back room, wiped down the windows, and even tore her kiosk apart and wiped down everything around and underneath the register. she's cleaned every square inch of the store and done every chore to pass the time and she still has an hour left of work. so, to make things move faster, minnie sat on her makeshift stool and played with a copy of dracula while she stared into space and recalled the interaction she had last night.
the memory of those pretty eyes and that unruly hair stuck so clearly to her brain that she felt matt could've been standing in front of her. she replayed the way he asked for her name, and tried not to make herself feel embarrassed for mulling over an interaction that meant nothing to begin with. the girl was zoned out in her own head for nearly a half hour before the bell above the door clamored, snapping her out of her daze.

in piled matt and his two brothers, all giggling and spreading the air of mischief. minnie was suddenly very conscious of the way her hair and makeup looked, yet she was the only one, because three identical heads scurried off to the back without so much as a hello. with their attention diverted, the employee took the opportunity to set her phone up behind the register and spiff herself back to life. minnie's anxious hands rifled through her backpack for her little touch-up bag, and she smiled when her fingers met the worn satin; it felt familiar every time. the bag was grey; a soft, slate grey, stained brown and red in spots where makeup had lovingly smudged the fabric. it was a gift from her older sister, sam.
     sam was everything minnie wasn't (or so she felt.) sam was taller, smarter, and prettier- she was a college student studying english. she had read every book and analyzed every collection of poetry, and she wore heavy army boots and old goodwill sweaters for a grandfather. samantha mcallister was cool, and she was the most stable connection minnie had ever had. of every gentle moment with her older sister, the day she received this makeup bag was a favorite. it was a simple day, during an unassuming week, when minnie came home from 6th grade and found sam in her bedroom laying out brand new makeup on the desk.

     "what are you doing?" minnie asked.

     sam's thick head of labrador brown hair whipped around, and her canine-sharp smile flashed comfortingly. "i thought i'd give you a little makeover since you keep sneaking my purple lipstick."

     "i haven't been-"

     "oh, yes you have! there's lipstick tissues in my bathroom trash!" the older sibling chuckled, "it's okay, minn, you know you just have to ask. i'll let you use whatever you want. but i want you to know how to wear it first!"

     "okay,"

     "now come here, sit on the bed."

     twelve-year old minnie sat down then, and sam handed the girl a brand new makeup bag made with a soft, silky fabric. the tag was still on it, with an orange clearance sticker obstructing the original price. she watched as her older sister showed every new product and placed them in the bag, explaining what they were for, and minnie finally felt like maybe, with all this makeup, she could be as beautiful as sam someday.