The cool afternoon breeze seeped through Eric's jacket as he rode down the twisting roads of Ridgeview. It was a beautiful town, old-fashioned with many large, old houses and massive trees. It was a small town and that was what Eric liked about it. He was never one for rowdy places and high-pitched cheers.
There was nowhere in particular that he wanted to go. He just wanted to take a look around the place and give his mom and Sophia a chance to catch up about whatever women like to talk about. Although Sophia hardly acted like a typical girl, he was sure he would become bored with the conversation quickly.
He faltered slightly when a figure caught his eye.
He focused his gaze and his eyes widened when he noticed Sophia's friend walk into a grocery store. Without thinking, he pulled into an open parking and hopped off the bike.
Eric didn't know what it was, but there was something about the timid girl that caught his eye. She was cute and the way she pushed her glasses up her nose in a nervous manner was exceedingly adorable.
He wasn't the one to chase after girls, it was normally the other way around which was why he wasn't too keen on dating. As soon as they heard who his mother was, girls would flock to him left, right and centre. It was one of the reasons he joined the army; he wanted to get away from all of that for a little while too.
Eric straightened his jacket, his dog-tags brushing against his skin as he did so, and made his way into the grocery store. It took him a moment to locate the dark-haired girl and he walked up to her, noticing the way her delicate eyebrows pulled into a frown as she stared at the fruit on display.
"They're not going to attack you, you know," Eric stated as he reached her and the small girl jumped in fright at the sound of his voice.
Eric blinked at her reaction when she stared up at him wide-eyed before letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."
Mindy quickly shook her head. "O-Oh, no, you didn't. I-I just get startled easily," she muttered, her eyes gravitating to the floor as she bit her lip, clutching onto the basket she held in her hand.
An awkward silence passed between them and Eric glanced to the display. "So what did the fruit do to you to make you scrutinize them so?" he asked in a light tone, hoping to get the tense girl to relax.
Mindy quickly shook her head. "T-They didn't do anything ... I just- my mom is picky about her food."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "So then why doesn't she come and choose?" When Mindy didn't reply, Eric realised he overstepped a boundary. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
The timid girl quickly shook her head. "No, it's okay. I just ..." she trailed off, noticing the time on her watch. "I have to go," she said and quickly ducked around him, making her way to the tills.
To her dismay, she heard Eric follow behind her and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She didn't want to make an even bigger fool of herself than she already had in front of him. The cashier quickly rang up her items and she paid before dashing out the store.
"Wait!" she heard Eric call and she glanced over her shoulder to see him staring at her with a concerned expression. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you feel uneasy back there-"
Mindy quickly interrupted him. "No, it's not that, I'm just running late."
"Well, I could always drop you off if you like," Eric offered, but Mindy, once again shook her head.
"No, it's okay, really. I have to get going," she said and rushed down the sidewalk leaving a baffled Eric behind her.
-
It was a good half an hour later when Mindy finally reached her destination. Like every town, Ridgeview also had its poor neighbourhood that people liked to steer clear of due to the fact that it would get more dangerous as sun set. Even though it would have been wiser for Mindy to have accepted Eric's offer, she was embarrassed to have him know of where she stayed, considering the fact that his mother was a well-known celebrity.
He was nice-looking and all, but Mindy knew that he was completely out of her league so she didn't even start to think of the possibility of getting to know him.
The porch steps creaked loudly as she reached the front-door and inserted the key. The hinges groaned from lack of maintenance as she opened the door and quietly slipped inside the house.
The house was quiet as Mindy dodged the odd bottle on the ground to get to the kitchen and placed the groceries in their respective places. She had the day off work today and always did her shopping then.
She worked at a bookstore, ringing up purchases and unpacking stock. It was a job she loved doing because it was quiet most of the time and she could immerse herself in the worlds of the pages that surrounded her. It was one of the little pleasures she still had in the world since her father left a year ago for a younger, prettier woman.
Mindy's mom had blamed her for her father leaving them, saying that Mindy wasn't pretty enough for him to be proud of her to stay with them. It wasn't long after that when her mother turned to drink. They lost their house because her mother couldn't keep a job and they ended up moving to the poorest part of Ridgeview because it was the only place they could afford.
Mindy tried to keep it together for the both of them. She got a job which paid just enough to see them through. But it was difficult to keep the momentum going when you had a mother who constantly degraded your very existence and would drink away everything you earned. Her life only grew worse when Rachel heard of her dilemma.
For months Mindy felt so alone in the world and so useless to everyone that she didn't want to keep living, but Sophia had somehow managed to pull her out of the mess in a way she still couldn't quite conceive. All that Mindy knew was that she was eternally in her debt for helping her. Because if the girl that everyone wanted to be friends with, was friends with her of all people, then surely she still had something going for her.
Mindy's thoughts trailed back to the boy she just met and quickly shook it away. She didn't know why she was thinking of him so much. She had just met him! But Mindy couldn't deny that there was just something about him that caught her eye. Although he was tall and clearly strong, his eyes held a gentleness that Mindy couldn't ignore.
And Mindy couldn't help but hope that maybe he would still be at Sophia's house tomorrow.