Serendipity & the Serpent

Even The Score

Johnny didn't see you at first.

You watched from the doorway of the record shop as he sorted through boxes, examining the records thoroughly. You took one step and he looked up to meet your eyes.

And his face immediately lost all color.

Awkwardly walking toward him, you started zipping up your bag that you had just placed your skates in. The sound of the zipper was the only thing that could be heard in the room.

Since the shop was nearing close, your mother didn't have the music playing from the record player at the front of the store. It was just your luck, when you needed music the most. Otherwise, you were both going to stand here awkwardly for the rest of the night.

"Hey." He whispered softly.

"Hi."

He looked away from you and back down at the records, trying to hide the expression in his eyes. "Hi."

"Hey." You repeated, laughing to lighten the mood.

You heard him chuckle as you approached the other side of the table he was at, standing across from him. He refused to look up at you again for a very long time. You had so many questions to ask him, but you didn't know where to begin, and something told you that he expected an interrogation.

His hands plucked up a record and he looked at it intently. You caught a glimpse of the cover and smiled to yourself, thinking of ways to use music to break the silence.

"AC/DC Back in Black. Great album."

He looked at you, an amusing smile playing at the corner of his lips. "You listen to them?"

"What kind of girl doesn't?"

He laughed quietly before looking down at the record again. "You just don't strike me as an AC/DC kind of girl."

"And you don't strike me as a Speedwagon kind of guy."

It was almost as if you could see the memories from the day before when he drove you home from the dojo, playing in his mind. You watched it like a movie as it played out through his eyes. He smiled at you fondly, recalling the way you both sang to Take It On The Run.

"Touché."

You watched him for a moment, his focus and concentration on the records cut deep.

"And while we're pointing fingers here, you don't exactly strike me as a record kind of guy either."

"Well, you broke my Walkman so I have to listen to my music somehow, right?"

"Well, you broke my radio."

He chuckled. "Ouch, princess. Alright you got me there. Touché... touché."

Another stretch of awkward silence. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw your mother behind the counter watching you with a small grin on her face. You rolled your eyes and looked back to the problem in front of you.

Only he was looking back at you.

"Something on your mind, princess?"

You sighed, figuring that now was probably the best time to come clean. How you felt, how you perceived him... everything continued to change because he was constantly changing. Not once have his conversations been predictable. You had just discovered he had gotten into a fight with Daniel and refused to show up to school the next day, of course there was something on your mind.