Finally!! I stretched and lied down on my bed, admiring my room. I'd just moved to Townsville recently and it had taken me several months to properly unpack. Now my house was exactly where I wanted it to be! I'd also met several of the townspeople, but I hadn't met the iconic Powerpuff Girls that were always on the news.
The Powerpuff Girls were kindergarten age superheroes who protected Townsville. I guess not meeting them means I haven't gotten into trouble and needed help. That's probably a good thing. I'd still like to meet them at some point.
I decided I wanted to go on a walk to the local park now that it was dark and probably wouldn't be super active. I did a quick look in the mirror to check my outfit. I was in a starfish sweater and some jeans with stars on them, lollipop earrings, red converse, and rainbow socks. I slipped on my Kid Cuisine ring and my chew necklace before grabbing my small backpack and heading out, satisfied with how I looked.
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I popped in my earbuds and headed out on my way to the park. I shuffled various songs by Gorillaz. It was chilly outside despite it being the beginning of summer- although, in all fairness, I was born and raised in Texas, so I was used to much hotter summers.
I finally arrived and looked around. I was almost entirely alone. There was only one other person and they were on the tire swing at the back of the park. I sat on one of the normal swings and zoned out while listening to my music. Swings are fun! I love swings. I'm going so high! I can see the top of the swing set! WEE! Townsville seems nice, aside from the hardcore crime constantly happening. That's why I got a house for so cheap. I'm nineteen and I work at a gas station but I have a cozy little two bedroom house all to myself! I'd like to meet the Powerpuff Girls at some point when they're not busy at school or fighting crime.
I was so lost in thought, I almost didn't see the person from the tire swing walking over to me. I took out an earbud and slowed down my swing as he sat down on the swing beside me. My heart skipped a beat out of nervousness when I realized it was a member of the Gangreen Gang. I didn't know enough about them to know which one it was.
"Hey, I don't want any trouble." I said, trying to sound less scared than I actually was.
"I see my reputation precedes me." He grinned as my swing came to a stop. "I just wanted to introduce myself, seein' as you're new here."
"Oh. Yeah." I nodded, feeling guilty that I'd assumed the worst of him. "Howdy, I'm Eddie."
"Really?" He remarked. "A girl named Eddie. That's new to me. You'se must be pretty interesting."
I liked his old timey gangster talk- the "you'se" was kind of cute to me, in a silly way. "Well, I'd like to think so." I smiled. "You're in the Gangreen Gang. I don't know much about y'all. What's your name?"
"Ace." He said. "You kind of have an accent. I'm guessing you're southern, yeah?"
"Yeah, Texan." I confirmed. "This is the first time I've lived anywhere out of state."
"Really!" He said as more of an exclamation than a question. "We only have one other cowboy in Townsville and he's not very friendly."
I laughed. "I definitely wouldn't call myself a cowboy."
"Well yeah, you'd be a cowgirl." He replied.
"No, I mean I wouldn't call myself that either. Back in Texas I saw cowboys and cowgirls all the time and they used to bully me a lot. I've never really acted like a stereotypical Texan." I explained.
"Ah, I see." He placed a cigarette on his lips and lit it, taking a hit off of it. "You want one?" He offered.
"No, thank you." I politely declined.
"Not a smoker?" He asked.
"Nope. I don't smoke, drink, anything like that. I can't with the meds I'm on, plus my heart problems." I explained.
"What heart problems?" He questioned. "If ya don't mind my askin'."
"POTS." I answered. "Postural tachycardia syndrome. It makes my heartbeat irregular and typically fast. I get dizzy and winded easily. Some people with POTS actually pass out a lot. Thankfully mine isn't that severe."
"Damn, I bet that's rough." He said.
"Actually, not really." I responded. "It's just incredibly normal for me. I don't even think about the fact that I have a heart condition that's unusual most days. I just feel normal. I've been dealing with this for years now."
"Ah. What meds are ya takin'?" Is it for that?" He asked.
"No, it's antidepressants." I clarified. "Sertraline. You can't do drugs or get high or anything on meds like that, especially with the dose I'm at. Plus, weed and cigarettes make your heartbeat faster. With POTS, that's the last thing I need."
"Ah, I get ya." He nodded. "Sertraline... is that the kind of pill that gives you'se a high?"
"No. It just makes me dizzy and drowsy." I said. "Well, more than usual."
"Wait... you'se got a condition that makes you dizzy already and your antidepressants make you dizzy too?" He asked.
"Yeah." I smiled. "It's kind of funny. I'm used to being dizzy at this point."
"So you're straight edge." He remarked. "I can respect that. It's a respectable way to live."
"I used to smoke before I was on serious meds." I mentioned. "Weed and cigarettes. I really enjoyed the weed."
"I don't think I'd ever wanna live without being able to get high." He chuckled.
"That's valid." I smiled. "I mean, once you've grown accustomed to something like that, why just get rid of it?"
"Yeah." He stood up and stretched, taking another long drag off of his cigarette. "Will I see you'se again, doll?"
Thankfully it was dark so he couldn't see my face heat up. "Probably. I live just down the road. I work at the gas station."
"I'll be lookin' forward to it." He grinned before taking off.
I put my other earbud in and resumed listening to music and swinging a bit. He was actually really nice. And he called me doll. Actually... he was kind of cute. Hopefully I will run into him again!
Little did I know, the next time I'd meet him would be much more intense.
