LINDY WOKE UP earlier than usual, tangled in her sheets and blinking away the sleep that clouded her vision. The sun was just coming up, hidden by gloomy clouds, but nonetheless rising for the day. That, of course, concluded one certain thing— Lee had already left for work.
Lindy threw her covers off of her, surprised when she saw she had fallen asleep in her clothes from the previous night. She tugged them off, replacing them for a new pair of jeans and an oversized, faded t-shirt that had Spin City's logo emblazoned across the front.
She ran downstairs and out the front door, stepping into the dewy morning air. With no car and no phone number for Krist's house, she had no idea how to track down her brother. She vaguely remembered the directions Trae had taken to get to Krist's, but even then, it would be much too far of a walk.
The only solution Lindy could think of would be to walk to Spin City, where she was almost certain Trae had a shift that morning. She could have waited at home until the afternoon, but she didn't want to be inside of her house for a second longer. The negative energy from the night before seemed to permeate every corner, making the place seem more like hell than home.
Without a fully formed plan, she began her walk down the driveway, folding her arms and hoping for the best.
With the way things had been going, things seemed like they could not get much worse.
________
Before heading to Spin City, Lindy stopped at the gas station, where she purchased a bag of Skittles and a new pack of cigarettes. They worker behind the counter had eyed her suspiciously as he'd handed over the fresh box of American Spirits, but declined to remark on her age. She treated herself to a new lighter as well, selecting the all white one that caught her eye.
Afterwards, she trudged to the record store, which was still closed. Defeated and still tired, Lindy sat down out front on the sidewalk, her back pressed against the hard concrete wall. She tore open her bag of Skittles, sifting through the candy until she had collected all the green candies in the palm of her hand. They were her favorite.
Lindy had kept her head down for so long that she didn't see the person who approached her, wearing an oversized parka-like jacket that was hardly suitable for the weather.
"Lindy?"
She looked up and almost choked on the Skittle that she was she was chewing. It was Kurt, standing in front of her with his hands balled into his jacket pockets.
"Oh god," she winced, feeling horribly embarrassed to have been caught by Kurt while camped out in front of a record store, eating candy for breakfast.
"What are you doing?" he smiled curiously, looking down at Lindy as if running into her outside of Spin City at the crack of dawn was an ordinary ordeal.
Hoping to avoid discussing the real matter that was plaguing her, Lindy tipped her bag of Skittles towards Kurt.
"Eating. Want one?"
Kurt laughed, but took a seat next to Lindy, reaching into the bag and taking a few candies in his hand.
"I shouldn't eat this crap. It makes my stomach hurt. But they're the best."
"Agreed," Lindy said, popping another in her mouth. Despite the fact that they had pretty much kissed the night before, things seemed at ease between her and Kurt. In fact, Kurt was communicating the idea that he'd known Lindy all his life just by how comfortable he seemed to be beside her. Their shoulders brushed together as he ate his handful of Skittles.
