Greendale

Testing The Waters

    As Harvey separates from me in the hall, I start to feel lonely again. The halls are barren, what I imagine a psych ward to look like.

     The day drags, I was alone through Marine bio, Lunch, and Algebra 2. My first elective of the day was next, excited to let stress transfer into art. I make my way through the doors, I smell the acrylic paint under the ancient desks. I'm at home.

  Until I saw fate. Sabrina. She was next to a boy, but still had a bare seat next to her left side. She waves me over.

"Hey, listen-" I'm cut off.
"No no, it's okay. Let's paint" she smiles as she pulls the chair out for me.

    Art was what I needed. We were met with a nice cat lady-teacher who taught us the art of painting through our hearts. I met a new friend named Theo, the most normal boy I had crossed paths with so far. We joked and laughed, and I finally felt all of the pressure wash out of my system. This classroom was going to be my home.

   After school, I returned to my same ole, witch and broom at the bookstore. Cerberus curled up to a book, reading to a group of fresh 3rd graders. As he read a newly polished children's book, I worked on cleaning up the layer of dust that lay on the historical section. As I dragged my rag on the lowest shelf, my head started to feel fuzzy.

   Then I saw her. The meadow was bright now, she was running.

"I SAID NO!" She screamed.

I heard that before. She looked so familiar. I knew the whole scene perfectly but not well enough at the same time.

"LYDIA, NO!!" She knew my name.

"Hi, stranger" I turn to find Ambrose standing behind me.
"You love popping up places, don't you" I shook my head, shaking off the shiver down my side.
"It's my specialty"

He stared as I finished the V-Z section on the shelf. It felt like an hour went by as he stared at my back.

"Do you need help with anything, Mr. Spellman?" I sighed.
"Oh me? Ohhhh nooo, I'm just enjoying the view" he put his hand on his chin with his smug little look.

I tried to ignore him. I stood further up to wipe the second shelving unit.

"I think you missed a layer on the first one" He pointed to the whole shelf.

I stood up to meet his face. We were only a foot away and I whispered in my most angered tone I could muster.

"Leave. Me. Alone."

He stared at me for a second, the most intense glare I had ever seen on a man. It seemed as if he was trying to read my mind through my eyes.

"Lighten up, babes" he quickly turns soft and pats my arm.
"Goodbye, BABES" I rolled my eyes and turned my back.

A few silent moments went by, him now leaning against the Sci-fi section.

"You might wanna dust these next, ya know" he wiped his finger across the shelf, wiping the dust on his pants.

Realization hit me mid smart ass remark. The girl was in his yard. It was the only yard in the surrounding area that had those Rott iron fences.

I turned around, "hey have you ever seen a girl in red?"
"I've seen lots of girls in red, Sabrina often-" he stops for a moment. "She also likes red".

Sabrina? No, the woman was unfamiliar.

"I gotta go" Ambrose quickly turns his back on me, treading out of the store.

Man I should actually start talking to him, if it makes him leave that easily.