When Stars Align

Chapter 2 - The Record Store

The farther the group walked up the street, the more Evangeline's uncertainty eased. The boys were actually really nice, a bit annoying but that's what you get when you pick up a group of teenage boys off the street. The boys were all fascinated by Evangeline's "American accent" and kept asking her to say the most random things.

"Okay okay now say uh- 'foxy lady'"

"Foxy lady" Evangeline grinned.

"Sirius why the hell would you pick that of all things for her to say"

"Because James. I like foxy ladies" he replied, waggling his eyebrows at Evangeline.

"Whatever. Can you do an English accent, Evangeline? Try it"

Evangeline thought for a moment, unsure if she would be able to replicate their accents.

"Uh- hello darlin'" she tried.

All four boys burst out laughing and Evangeline's cheeks went bright red.

"Holy shit! That was the worst accent I've ever heard! You really do sound like a bloody tourist" Sirius exclaimed.

"Hey! I've never done the accent before!" she protested back.

"So where exactly are you from in America? I've been to California a few times with my family" Peter asked proudly.

"New York" she replied as she twisted her face in disgust. Remus gave her an odd look.

Eager to change the subject, Evangeline pointed up the street to the next storefront.

"Is that the record store there?" she asked.

Sirius whipped his head around and gasped, breaking into a run as he bolted to the end of the street. He began jumping around frantically as he waited for the others to approach.

"Ya know, your accent wasn't all that bad. He's just giving you a hard time," Remus said to Evangeline, giving her an awkward shove.

"Remus its not like your accent is any better," Peter said with a giggle and James erupted with laughter.

"Hurry up guys I wanna go insideee," Sirius whined as they opened the door.

"Well then stop acting like a lost puppy and go in," Remus said.

A little bell rang from deep in the shop somewhere as the group entered the store and their noses were met with the overwhelming smell of vanilla incense. Sirius began rushing around the store, not sure of what to look at first. Evangeline wasn't sure what he could be so excited for, they were just records after all. James and Peter wandered around the store aimlessly, seemingly unsure of what to do in a store like this, while Remus found a seat on some cushions in the back corner. "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5 was playing softly from the register's record player.

"Evangeline look!" Sirius called out as he held up a Led Zeppelin record sleeve, matching the art on his beat-up shirt.

"We match!"

"That's a Led Zeppelin shirt? I couldn't even tell," she giggled.

"Evangeline you have no idea. He found that shirt three years ago crumpled up on the side of the road somewhere near Merton and wears it at least once a week. Says it makes him look 'cool,'" James teased coming up behind Sirius.

"It does make me look cool! It's art."

James rolled his eyes and went over to Remus to talk to him. He looked a bit concerned for his friend. Was he alright? He was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. Sirius continued flipping through the buckets of records like a mad man, completely oblivious to his friends' condition until he finally found what he was looking for.

"Got it!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a Queen II album from the pile.

He scurried over to Evangeline and showed her the cover art.

"I've been wanting this since it was released in March but I had no way to get it. It's a miracle I could find one!" he whispered excitedly at her.

He then ran up to the cashier, a tall man with tan skin and a curly brown mullet, and very carefully placed the record on the counter. He pulled out a handful of coins and counted them out as the cashier slid the record into a bag and handed it back to Sirius. After he had paid, he walked back over to Evangeline.

"Do you know what that is he's playing right now?"

"On the record player? The Jackson 5"

"Oh! They sound cool. I'll have to buy that one next time I-" but he was cut off by Peter running up to them.

"I think it's time we take Remus back home Sirius" he squeaked.

"What why?" Sirius glared back at him before beginning to search the store for his friend. Peter bulged his eyes out at Sirius as a signal before glancing back at Evangeline.

"Oh. Right. Well, I guess we're off then. You'll be alright on your own?" Sirius asked Evangeline.

"Oh yeah I have to get going anyway!" she lied.

Sirius stared at Evangeline for a moment before digging into his bag to find his receipt.

"Wormtail go write James' house phone number on here," Sirius said as he handed the receipt to Peter.

Wormtail? What kind of nickname was that?

Peter protested momentarily before earning a slap to the back of the head and gave in. After scribbling something down on the little paper he stomped back over to the pair and handed Evangeline the receipt with a phone number written on it.

"Call us if you need anything... or just wanna hang out," Sirius said with a wink.

"Let's go Pads"

"Goodbye, my dearest Angie! We will see each other again!" Sirius yelled back as he was being shoved out the door.

Evangeline stood in the middle of the store clutching that little receipt in her hand with butterflies in her stomach. Angie? Nobody had ever given her a nickname before. Nobody had ever looked at her that way before.

After taking a moment to collect herself, she looked out the storefront window and noticed that it was already around 4 in the afternoon. How long had they been in there? Evangeline folded up the receipt and put it in her bag before stepping out into the boiling summer heat. Now to find a place to sleep.

Evangeline walked aimlessly around the town for a good two hours before settling on a nice bench in a little park. She pulled out her book and continued from where she left off before the day's interruptions. She read until sunset and decided to just stay there for the night. It was warm enough after all, and she had nowhere else to go. After the sun had set, the park and all its surroundings were empty except for the quiet hum of a car here and there. Evangeline sat awake on the bench racking her brain for any idea of what to do with her life now. She couldn't go back, and she sure as hell couldn't stay here as a bum on the streets of a foreign country. She laid back and eventually fell asleep with all of her worries swarming in her head.