Raconteuse // Halsey

5

"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken."

-Fyodor Dostoevsky

I needed to get out.
The confined walls of my new home in Boston were no friends of mine. They taunted me in such a way that made me want to tear them apart. Mockingly, they reminded me of how I have no control over this life of mine. Therefore, I left. I longed for the fresh air.

Once outside, I thanked my past self for checking the weather that morning, because it was raining and I had remembered my jacket. It was a raggedy, pale orange one that my uncle had gotten me for my birthday three years ago. If only he had known me well enough to know that orange is my least favorite color.

Heavy drops of rain bounced off the pavement as I inhaled the crisp air. I hoped it would storm later, since the event gave me a sense of comfort.

There was no one else walking in the streets, for they took shelter from the rain. A few cars drove past me occasionally, but not many. The shops and stores around this area silently took their beating from the weather and the wind had knocked over a few signs that sat outside of bars and restaurants.

A little while later, I had noticed a record store, which had read 24th Street Records. Curiosity took the best of me, and I pushed open the wooden door.

I wiped my feet off on the doormat that was at the front of the store, and took in my surroundings. A song that I didn't recognize played over the speakers, creating a soothing environment. I noticed the lack of customers, and the only other people in the store were two workers. I strolled past the checkout desk, not making eye contact with the workers. Failing to go unnoticed, a man greeted me and offered his assistance in finding what I needed. I politely declined his offer and continued to look at the music.

After some time, I decided to actually see what the workers looked like, since I avoided doing so earlier. I glanced up from behind a row of vinyls and noticed the man who had spoken to me before. He had long, wavy hair and didn't lack any height whatsoever. He practically towered over every object in the room.

The other employee was a girl. She seemed slightly older than me and she was sitting behind the desk, writing in a notebook. Her bright blue hair was extremely unavoidable as it rested over her shoulders delicately. Her body slightly swayed side to side to the beat of the music that played throughout the store. She had a natural light to her features. She seemed to emit joy effortlessly.

Caught in my observations, she peeked up from  her notebook and her eyes found mine. I quickly looked down and could feel her smile to herself. 

I wanted to leave quickly, for I felt troubled for some reason. It was possibly because of the girl with the blue hair. She made the tips of my fingers flush with uncertainty.

I grabbed a random vinyl, which I later noticed was an album by The Wombats, and hurried to the checkout desk. Luckily, the man was the one to check me out, rather than the girl. He asked me if I had found everything I needed and I nodded, not wanting to speak. I looked at the clock that hung on the back wall and read 3:47. Time seemed to slow then, and the girl watched me intently as I stood waiting for my receipt. I desperately attempted to look everywhere else except for at her. She gave off a weird feeling, that to this day, I still cannot describe.

Finally, the man handed me my receipt and vinyl. I quietly thanked him and left without daring to look back to the girl. If only I had the audacity back then to do so.