megan skiendiel

It was a cold day out. When I sighed, for the fifth time already, I watched the white mist billowing up in the air, and not even that was interesting anymore.

Walking back home from uni was boring, most of the time. Lara used to come with me, but ever since she's gotten with Orlando, they have more important things to do. Important things that don't involve me anymore. It was a tough pill to swallow, but I managed.

Mostly because of my earbuds. They were a lifesaver. Not only could I get lost in my own thoughts—which is a dangerous position to put myself in, and yadda yadda—, but they also worked as a distraction if I so chose.

But the world is a cruel place, at the end of the day. And nothing's fair and everything sucks—I forgot to charge my earbuds today.

I know, I know. But, trust me, walking around is too fucking boring when you have no distraction at all. It's just me, myself and... Wait. Is this...?

I start walking with a little more purpose then, hearing a faint melody of a song I liked. I could almost remember the lyrics, they were almost on the tip of my tongue, but when my brain actually managed to recognize the familiar tune of Beyoncé's ’Baby Boy’, I was standing in front of a big window that perfectly showcased the seemingly billions of options this CD store had to offer.

I didn't even know there was a CD store here.

I hesitated for a moment, because, realistically, I don't need any CDs. But, since this is the only interesting thing until I get home, I decide to push open the glass door and look up when the bell over it jingles, announcing my arrival.

“Okay...” Sophia interrupts, lifting an eyebrow pointedly. I look at her, losing my train of thought and the point I was in at the story all at once. “Can you skip the romantic details? We just want to know about the cute guy.” She says, and I see Lara nodding from my peripheral vision. I groaned.

“Fine!” I say, tapping my chin to remember where I was. “I got in and he seemed to know exactly what I was looking for. I didn't even have to say a—”

“What did he look like, Megan?!” Lara interrupted again, and I cried out in frustration.

“I don't know!” I admit, crossing my arms and walking out of the way of someone who had their eyes glued to their phone. The girls looked confused, but I lifted my hands in the air, ready to defend myself. “He was under a lot of layers. Didn't you guys hear it when I said that ’it was a cold day out’?” I ask, gesturing in the air, and they roll their eyes in a synchronized motion. “He was wearing a huge ass hoodie, black jeans, a beanie and a fucking mask. Is that what you guys wanted to know?!” They both exclaim little ”ah”s, and I pause, incredulous.

“Why were you interested in him, anyways?” Lara asks, and, for a moment, I hold my tongue to not ask her the same about her boyfriend.

“Because he's cute! You guys don't really listen to me, do you?” I push them both, not so playfully. “Guess who listened to me? Yes, the cute guy from the CD store!” Lara gasps and takes a step back, just for a poor soul to trip in front of us. I keep on walking, too annoyed by my friends to bother with waiting for them.

I walk through the open door of the bathroom, heading straight to the last mirror. I take my bag off my shoulders and place it on the counter, reaching inside while turning my head to analyze my reflection. Not that bad, if it wasn't for those pale lips.

When I find what I was looking for, I pull it out and twist the base of the tube to open it and lean forward to get a better view of what I'm doing. I'm glad I didn't touch the red stick to my lips, because my shoulders rise and I wince at the loud sound of someone closing the door, even though it usually stays open.

I turn around, just to catch the breathless figure of a girl, who seems not to have noticed me yet. Judging by how disheveled she looks, I think she might've been the one who fell. I straighten myself, trying not to make any noises, but when she opens her eyes and looks at me, she looks like she's seen a ghost.

“Hi...” I give her a sheepish smile, waving awkwardly while holding the open lipstick. “Are you... Okay?” I ask, hoping this was a good question to ask at this moment.