Ghosts {Lynn Gunn}

She's The Prettiest Girl...

Image above is what Ava's hair looks like

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of rain. I blinked rapidly before getting out of bed. My hair was slightly ruffled from my shower the night before. I opened my drawers and put on ripped jeans, a My Chemical Romance shirt, and a red flannel. I slipped on a pair of black vans and went into the bathroom, brushing my hair and teeth. I put on eyeliner and a couple of bracelets that I hadn't worn in a while. I shuffled into my kitchen and ate a banana while texting my mom.

Me: Got a new employee yesterday named Lynn

Mom: Really? Is she cute?

I rolled my eyes. Ever since I told my mom about myself, she had tried to become really involved in who I liked and who I didn't.

I didn't answer the text, just put my phone in my back pocket. It was raining outside, so I drove to work. I hopped into the seat of my old Volvo and started on my drive, which only took a couple of minutes.

Lynn arrived a few minutes after me. To be honest, I was a little nervous to see her again. She smiled at me as she entered the store. She was wearing a black muscle tank top and black jeans, along with black high top Converse. I think it was safe to say that everything she wore was black. She set down her olive colored bag on the counter. "Aren't you freezing?" I asked her. "No, not really," she replied, running her hands through her hair. I opened the blinds in the front of the store and turned on the OPEN sign that illuminated the dark sidewalk. I could hear the pounding of the rain as it hit the sidewalk like bullets. Lynn and I began to dust off old shelves.

"So you said you're kind of new to town?" I inquired. "Uh...well, I actually moved here from Massachusetts," Lynn told me. "Oh, wow, that's far. Why did you decide to move?"

She shrugged. "I liked the area, and I thought maybe something good could happen here."

I nodded. "Have you always lived here?" she asked me, setting down her cloth she had been cleaning with.

"Pretty much, yeah. My mom moved to Seattle a couple months ago though. But I like it in Oregon, it's nice here."

"That's cool. My mom still lives in Massachusetts. I just feel like this place is a better fit for me. But then again, I turned 18 in March, so who knows? Maybe something will change," she said. She gave me a smile before picking up her rag again. Someone entered the store and she walked over to them. I overheard them ask for a Ramones CD, and she led them to the back. I took my usual seat behind the counter and took out a book and started to read. Lynn helped the customer purchase their items and walked past me, her arm brushing me once again. I ignored it, but felt her eyes on me as she went back to dusting off shelves.

When Lynn and I got off work, it was still raining outside. I hurried to my car before Lynn stopped me. I turned around to face her and she handed me a partial sheet of paper. "It's my number," she said. "In case you ever want to hang out or anything."

"Thanks," I said. "Can I see your hand really quick? I'll write down my number too."

She extended her hand and I pulled out a pen from my bag. I took her hand in mine and jotted down my number. Her hands were warm against my cold fingers. She watched me intently until I was done and she pulled away. She smiled at me and I smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow," she told me before walking to her car. I watched her pull out and drive away, finding myself grinning at no one in particular.

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The rest of the week was pretty much the same. Only a handful of costumers came in while Lynn and I continued to get to know each other. We both had Sunday off, so I invited her over. I woke up late that morning, hurrying to shower and get dressed before Lynn arrived. I threw on grey jeans and a black shirt. I brushed out my damp hair and tied it into a braid. I brushed my teeth and put on eyeliner. By the time I checked the clock, it was around 1 P.M.

The weather was dreary as usual, but it didn't bother me. It was a good excuse to stay inside.

I heard a car pull up in my driveway and I opened the door, just as Lynn got out of her car. She ran up to my doorstep, trying not to get wet. "Hey," I said, letting her inside. "Hi," she chimed, slipping off her shoes by the door. I looked at her for a moment before we both sat down on the couch. "I swear this weather is going to kill me," she grumbled, trying to get the knots out of her long hair. "You get used to it after a while. I actually really like it. The only downside is that it stops me from being able to walk to work," I said, leaning against one of the cushions on the couch.

She laughed. "That's true."

She had a beautiful laugh. It seemed like everything about her was absolutely perfect.

"Do you want to watch a movie? They put The Breakfast Club on Netflix," I smiled, sitting up. "Ooh, I love that movie!" she exclaimed.

I chuckled at her excitement. She was actually kind of cute.

I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. I walked in to the kitchen and put some popcorn into the microwave. I set it for 3 minutes and took a seat next to Lynn again. Our arms touched as I scrolled through the movies until I found The Breakfast Club.

The microwave beeped and I pressed play on the movie before getting up to retrieve the popcorn. I grabbed a blanket since it was getting cold inside. I handed it to Lynn and sat down. She threw some blanket over me and giggled. I stuck my tongue out at her and set the popcorn in my lap. The movie started playing and we directed our attention towards it, making a couple of comments every several minutes.

When the movie ended, Lynn shifted her body towards me. "We should hang out more often," she suggested. I agreed.

"So you said your birthday's in March?"

She nodded. "Yeah, the 15th. When's yours?"

"November 20th," I answered. "Aw so it's soon."

"Yeah."

She smiled at me and I shivered. "Are you cold?" She whispered. I nodded and shifted toward her, moving my body closer. I wrapped my arms around her and she giggled. "What time is it?" I wondered. She grabbed her phone from the coffee table beside us. "It's 3:30," she told me, looking down at me. "Do you want to watch another movie?" she asked me. "Sure," I agreed, looking for the remote. I let go of Lynn and sat  up. "What do you want to watch?" I wondered, glancing over at her. "We should watch Dirty Dancing. Have you seen it?"

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites," I replied, hitting play. I leaned back on the couch. It was getting kind of dark inside already because of the gloomy weather. "You can come back here, you know," Lynn suggested, opening her arms. I bit my lip before resting against her, embracing her once again. She smelled nice, like cinnamon mixed with something else. I couldn't exactly figure out what. I listened to the steady beat of her heart and snuggled against her small frame. I could feel her smile and I saw her hand shift toward mine. When her hand met mine, I blushed as our fingers intertwined. But what did it mean? I had had plenty of friends that I rested against, or held hands with.

I knew this was different, which I didn't mind. But was I getting something wrong?

Lynn hummed along to the movie, and I admired her gentle voice.

When the movie finished, Lynn and I stayed pressed against each other for quite a while, content.

"Are you doing anything for Halloween?" she pondered, breaking the silence. "No, not really. I figured I would just stay home and watch Netflix or something like that," I responded, admiring Lynn's hand inside mine. "Do you want to come over? We can watch movies and keep each other company," she suggested. "Yeah, I'd like that. I don't think I work that day," I accepted.

"Oh, shit. I forgot about that," she sighed, looking disappointed. "Oh, you work that day? I can get someone to cover for you," I told her. She gazed into my eyes. "That'd be great. I'd much rather spend that day with you. Thanks."

She pulled me closer to her body and wrapped her free arm around my waist.

Maybe I wasn't so wrong after all.