Halloween was on Saturday, so as I began my walk to work, I noticed the many decorations on people's houses. It was my favorite holiday, and it always had been. I was wearing a black dress and tights, along with combat boots. I enjoyed my walk to work, feeling the cool air against my legs.
When I arrived at work, Lynn was already there, leaning against the counter. She turned to face me and grinned. "You look nice," she commented, giving me a look. I thanked her and set my bag down. "Aren't you cold now?" she joked. "Maybe a little, but I have you to keep me warm," I giggled, recalling the last weekend. She rolled her eyes at me and turned back to the register. I walked to the storage room and pulled out a box of classic vinyls.
Lynn helped someone in the front as I stocked them, lining them up next to each other. We had been getting more costumers recently, which was great. I had no idea why, but I didn't question it. We had a few vintage record players on display, and I noticed a broken record on the floor. "Fuck," I whispered, exasperated. I bent down and picked up the pieces, walking back to the front. I tossed the pieces into the garbage and took a seat behind the old register. "Did somebody break that?" Lynn asked, pointing to the remains in the garbage can. "Yeah," I confirmed, leaning my elbows against the counter. "That sucks," she stated. I sighed.
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When I got home, I dumped my bag on to the kitchen counter and walked down my hallway, heading to the bathroom, which was the first door on the left. I started the bath water, taking off my clothes. Once it was filled up a decent amount, I stepped in to the tub, sitting down slowly.
I was so tired, but it was only 8 P.M. and I had to stay up in case my mom tried calling me.
About ten minutes later, my phone rang and I groaned. I dried my hand off with a towel that was lying by the tub and picked up my phone from the floor.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ava, how are you?"
'Hey mom..I'm fine, just tired. What about you? How has everything been?"
"I'm doing great! Your father just got back from his business trip so we're having a dinner tomorrow night. Do you have anything planned for Halloween?"
"Oh, tell dad I say hi. And kind of, I'm going over to Lynn's to hang out."
"That sounds fun. What's she like?"
"She's pretty cool. She has a great music taste and she's just genuinely really nice. She just moved here from Massachusetts."
"Oh, wow. Oh, Ava, you should come to visit sometime."
"Yeah, maybe I could drive up."
"You better. How's work been?"
"It's been okay I guess. We've been getting a few more people coming in which is surprising, but I'm not complaining."
"That's good to hear. Okay, well I have to go. I love you. Call me soon okay?"
"Okay. Love you too. Bye."
I hung up and set my phone down on the floor, immersing myself in the water. I held my breath and enjoyed the peace underwater. I couldn't hear anything, couldn't really see. I closed my eyes and stayed there for as long as possible. I considered staying down there until I ran out of oxygen. To me, it didn't seem like a bad way to go. Quiet, peaceful. But I forced myself to come back up after a minute or so. I rubbed my face and wrapped my arms around my torso, leaning my head against my knees.
After a while, I got out and dried off, changing into sweats and a t-shirt. I brushed my teeth and walked down the hallway to my room. I flopped on to my bed and shut my eyes, ignoring my thoughts. Most of them were about Lynn, which frustrated me. I had been thinking about her a lot lately, but I just wanted it to stop for a second. I turned my head to the side and began tracing patterns on my sheets, moving my index finger in circles, over and over.
I felt my phone buzz beside me and I reached for my phone. I opened the text that Lynn sent me.
Lynn: i got saturday off! we're still on right?
Me: yeah :) if we're watching horror movies don't be surprised when i hold on to u for dear life
Lynn: i'll have to make sure we watch some horror movies then
I bit my lip and sat up on my bed.
Me: sounds good to me.
Lynn: awesome. see you tomorrow :)
I put my phone on my nightstand and pulled the covers over myself, lying my head on my fluffy white pillows. I closed my eyes and thought about the next day, and how I couldn't wait to see Lynn.
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I got to the store right on time the next day, wearing black jeans and a frnkiero andthe cellabration t-shirt. Lynn and I arrived at the same time and I unlocked the front door, closing it behind us.
"Okay, so today we have to decorate the store for Halloween," I announced, heading to the back to bring out a box of decorations that we hung up yearly. I placed it on the front counter.
"Ooh, fun," Lynn stated, opening the box. She reach in and pulled out some lanterns, fake pumpkins, cobwebs, and some other things. I took out some of those markers you can draw on windows with and decided to put up a ghost this year. Lynn worked on hanging up the cobwebs, connecting them to the shelves and whatnot.
I started my drawing, going carefully.
It took me quite a while, but when I was finished, I looked behind me to see a bunch of decorations that Lynn had put up while I had been working. There were cobwebs up, along with the pumpkin lanterns that stretched across the ceiling. Lynn also put some fake pumpkins on top of the shelves, and placed a gravestone against the counter.
"Wow," I said, surprised.
"I've always loved decorating for Halloween, so.." she trailed off. I smiled at her. "It's amazing."
She looked behind me at the ghost I had drawn on the window. I tried to make it more of a cartoon, since I didn't have the energy to make specific details. "That's really good. Do you draw anything else?" She wondered, glancing at me. I shrugged. "Yeah, but I haven't had much inspiration lately," I responded, setting the window marker back in the box. "You should draw more," she told me.
It wasn't raining, but it was definitely freezing and super overcast.
"Have you made any other friends here yet?" I wondered. Lynn breathed deeply beside me as we both looked outside the front window. We were both sitting on the cool floor, passing the time.
"Not really. I haven't gone out much besides work. Do you have many friends here?" She pondered.
"I have one or two, but other than that, I just kind of stay home or go to work. But I don't mind it," I said, playing with my bracelets. I set my hands down in my lap and continued watching the sky. Suddenly, I felt Lynn's hand touch mine again and I turned to look at her. She didn't say anything, just took my hand in hers and turned her attention back to the window.
There was something I loved about how she acted like that gesture was nothing, but there was also a part of me that didn't want that.
When have I ever known what I wanted though?
We stayed like that for a while, until someone entered the store. We both stood up quickly and took our usual spots. The girl wandered up to me. "Do you have any albums that you could recommend me? I'm looking for something new to listen to."
She had short purple hair with bangs, and big brown eyes, along with a strong jawline and full lips. "What kind of music are you in to?" I wondered, needing information before I gave her any suggestions. "I like all sorts. I listen to Motionless In White, Pierce The Veil, Bring Me The Horizon, and also My Chemical Romance."
"Nice," I said. "Okay, well if you like those bands, you might like Being As An Ocean, if you haven't heard of them yet. Their lyrics are pretty awesome."
"Cool. Do you have some of their albums?"
"Yeah, of course. Just follow me," I told her, walking over to the right side of the shop that started at the beginning of the alphabet. I located the 'B' section and looked for the right label. "Here we go," I mumbled, pulling out some CDs. I handed them to her. "We just got some copies of their album from earlier this year. I really liked Dear G-d though."
She took all three of the albums from me. "Thanks, they look really cool."
"No problem," I replied while leading her to the register. Lynn was in the back cleaning the record players. I scanned the girl's items. "That'll be $19.50," I said. She handed me a $20 and I gave her back two quarters, along with her receipt and new albums. She thanked me once again before leaving.
Lynn appeared from the back of the store and I checked the clock. It was only 3:02.
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"What do you mean you're busy on Saturday?"
My friend Jess was starting to give me a headache.
"I made plans. Sorry."
"It's okay. Who'd you make plans with?"
"Her name is Lynn. She started working at the music store a couple of weeks ago."
"Oh cool. Do you like her?"
"Shut up, Jess."
"Gee, okay, just wondering. By the way, do you need any more dye? I got a bunch from work that I have no idea what to do with."
"Yeah, sure. I was thinking of dying my hair again anyway."
"Cool, I'll drop them off Saturday morning. Oh yeah, and I have that hat you left at my house."
"Seriously? I've been looking for that thing for ages!"
She laughs. "Yeah, I'll drop that off too. Shit, I have to go, someone else is calling. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
I hung up and leaned against the kitchen counter. I set my phone down and opened the refrigerator, deciding on leftovers for dinner.
I ate slowly, thinking about the next day. Jess would probably come earlier than expected, and end up waking me. Jess dyed her hair almost every couple of weeks. The last time I saw her, she had short blue and pink hair, which, to be honest, suited her quite well.
After washing my dishes, I flopped onto the couch and turned the TV on, looking for something to watch. As I was scrolling through the movie titles on Netflix, a memory popped into my brain. Something I had dreamt about not too long ago. It was what I had been trying to remember for quite some time.
~ F l a s h b a c k ~
"Ava, come on, it'll be fun!" Jess exclaimed, tugging on my wrist. Her emerald green hair caressed her face gently, and just barely touched her shoulders. She had on black high-waisted shorts and a red tank top. Her makeup was done perfectly. I couldn't find a single imperfection.
I rolled my eyes at her. "No, I don't know anyone there. Plus they all hate me," I complained, pulling my arm away. "How can they hate you if they don't know you? Come on! Pleeeaaaseee?" she begged, pouting. I sighed before agreeing quietly. Jess squealed in delight and I found myself smiling back at her before heading to the bathroom to change.
A couple of her friends were having a campfire in their backyard, and Jess wanted me to come along. I remembered the humid air and the smell of smoke that overwhelmed me. I took a seat next to Jess as everyone began telling stories, jokes, memories. I enjoyed listening to them, along with the crackle of the warm flames. As I began roasting a marshmallow, I felt someone sit beside me and I looked up at them.
She had a kind face, with electric green almond shaped eyes. She had a blond pixie cut, and freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks. She had on a black hoodie, despite the warm weather, and shorts. She wore black flip-flops, and I noticed her toes were painted a dark red. She took a sip from her drink and smiled at me.
"What?" I asked, dumbfounded. She chuckled lightly. "Nothing. You just looked lonely."
"Ah. I guess you could say that," I replied, glancing over at Jess who had been flirting with some guy all night.
"What's your name?" the blond girl asked, setting her drink down on the freshly trimmed grass.
"Ava. Yours?"
"I'm Emily. But you can call me Em," she told me, cracking another smile. I couldn't help but smile back.
"So, Ava, tell me about yourself," she said. I laughed awkwardly. "What would you like to know?"
"Anything."
"Okay, well..I play music, but I haven't had much time to recently since I've been busy with school. I also write poetry, which I've been doing a lot of lately. I'm in to a lot of things, but those are my two main hobbies," I told her, picking up her drink and taking a sip. It was lukewarm iced tea, which I was thankful for. I handed it back to her.
"That's interesting. And what do you play, Ava?" Emily inquired, taking another sip.
"I play the piano, and sing a bit. I've never been very good at singing though," I said, laughing at myself. "I bet you're magnificent," she told me, picking up her drink once again. "Why did you really come over here?" I questioned.
She looked as if she had been caught red handed. "I thought you might like some company. And you're cute, which is a bonus. "
"Ah, I see. And thank you."
"So, Ava, how would you like to go out sometime?" Emily wondered.
I thought for a second before answering. "I don't know anything about you."
She pointed at me as she held her drink. "Now that's what the date's for. Get to know me, and I'll continue getting to know you."
I nodded my head. "Okay, then."
~ E n d O f F l a s h b a c k ~
I didn't know why I could never remember that memory. Did I try so hard to get rid of it that I actually forgot it? It had only been a couple of years ago. I had been 16 at the time, in my junior year of high school. I struggled to figure out why it had taken me so long to recall that memory. But it was familiar all the same. Most of it was gone, but part of it had still lingered in my mind for quite some time.
The atmosphere, the feeling. But none of the people, none of the conversations. I realized I had been dreaming about it for a long time, but never woke up remembering. It was a strange feeling, which only left me more confused.
Had it even really happened? Or did Emily and I meet some other place, at some other time?
No, we couldn't have. I would have remembered that.
I pushed those thoughts aside and told myself they didn't matter. I watched the movie I had picked, thinking of Lynn. I was excited for the next day. I wondered what would happen, if anything did at all. My phone buzzed beside me and I checked my texts.
Lynn: i'll pick u up at 4, is that okay?
Me: perfect
Lynn: address?
Me: 457 willow drive
Lynn: thanks :) i'll see u tomorrow
Me: ok. goodnight :)
I set my phone back down and grabbed a blanket that was hanging on the other side of the couch. I covered myself with it and snuggled in to the couch, watching the movie.
I soon began to doze off as the movie continued playing, sinking further into the couch.
I hope that was kind of okay. I tried to make it as long as possible. I might do a chapter with Lynn's P.O.V., but I'm not sure yet. Let me know what you think:) Oh, and I've been writing a bit more for Polarize. I should have the new chapter out by the end of the week (at the most)