CELLOPHANE- Ginny Weasley

chapter five: I'll take care of you.

Danica has recovered from seeing her parents. Or at least she thinks she has, and that's enough for her decide to try and venture into the world again, and praying she doesn't run into Ginny Weasley again so she can avoid a fate more embarrassing than she could imagine. 

However, maybe her subconscious is hell-bent on seeing how red her face can turn or she'd forgotten where exactly she'd met Ginny for the first time, because as soon as Danica steps into the familiar coffee shop, she can see the flaming red hair pulled up into a ponytail with some wild red strands escaping beautifully, like an out of control fire. Danica panics. She can't tell whether she wants to cry or turn and run away or blush like crazy and hope Ginny doesn't spot her on the way out. I'm short, she thinks. I'm not noticeable. It's fine. You're fine. You're okay. She repeats some of the words she remembers her mom whispering to her. 

She can see Ginny pay for her (probably sugar-filled) coffee, and then turn around to scan the crowd. Danica guesses that it's become second nature for her too, always watching her back. She can almost feel the recognition that passes through Ginny's face as she and Danica make eye contact. First, she can see the small flare of her nostrils. Then, a deep breath, and Ginny is walking towards her with a small smile on her face. Danica feels genuinely mortified. 

"Hi, Danica." Ginny is the first to speak.

"Ginny, " Danica starts. "I am so so so sorry. Oh my god, I really am. I- I was fucking wasted, and I know that's not an excuse but I'm just so sorry for dumping that on you, like that especially at that time in the morning! It was incredibly not cool of me to do that. I'm sorry." Danica's cheeks are red and she takes a deep breath once she finishes her rant. Ginny has a primly plucked blonde eyebrow raised. It's a stark contrast to Danica's thick, dark and overgrown eyebrows. 

"Are you done?" Ginny asks, not unkindly.

"Yes." Danica blows out a nervous breath.

"Look it's hard. I get it, Danica. You know I get it. Better than most people will ever get it. I'm not too pissed you left that voicemail. Alright? I mean to be honest, it just made me kind of worried for you. So, I will offer this to you one more time, okay Danica? Do you want to talk about it?"

Danica nods, and says "Let me get my coffee first."

"Okay, Danica."

Once Danica is holding a medium black coffee, and is sitting across from a fiery woman who slightly scares the shit out of her, does Danica say "Thank you so much, Ginny. I really appreciate this. I know you don't have to do this, and it just... means a lot."

Ginny holds her guard up, and Danica knows she can't fault her for it. Their last encounter had probably unearthed some shitty feelings, especially with her perceived judgement from Danica. Eventually, Ginny blows out a breath, the tension in her body slightly loosening.

"It's fine. I understand it's hard. So.... what do you want to talk about?" A long silence follows as Danica looks thoughtfully at her hot cup of coffee. She can feel the warmth of the steam on her face, warm enough to comfort, not hot enough to burn. Finally, she raises her brown eyes to Ginny's vibrant blue ones.

"I think I want to tell you about Thomas." Danica says.

Ginny nods. "Alright. What was he like?"

"Thomas was easily my best friend in the entire world. I mean, as you might know, he was my twin. I always felt that we were these kind of polar opposite forces. Like, Thomas is the sun. He's this bright boy, always so happy and full of kindness. He would bounce around the house with this infinite energy I could never seem to replicate. And trust me, I tried. He just radiated this warmth that seemed to draw everyone to him. It was like they could tell that he was good, that his intentions were never anything less than pure. So, the sun. You see?" Danica had been staring at her cup the whole time, only looking up once she was done her rant. Ginny gives her a nod, yes. Her eyes tell Danica to continue.