It's summer in Hawkins, Indiana. The days are short and bright, Morgan just waiting for it to end before she can leave for college. Steve gets her a job Scoops Ahoy, the ice cream parlor in the new Starcourt Mall that's slowly sucking the life out...
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"I can't fix my mouth to say how I feel"-
THE COLOR PURPLE by ALICE WALKER
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PLAY: [TRACK THREE] M.E. by Gary Newman
MORGAN wakes up the next day feeling anxious, nervous energy racing through her. She was breathing heavier and her appetite was practically nonexistent, the girl deciding to skip breakfast without a second thought. She was late anyway, having missed the early bus to Starcourt by about ten minutes.
She has to talk to Steve, that was clear to her. But it doesn't make it any less terrifying. He wasn't exactly subtle with the attention he showed her once she got hired at Scoops but the girl had pushed it aside, hoping that it might go away. Obviously, it had not.
Today is darker, grey clouds rolling over Hawkins as the girl looks out the window of the bus. She was working with Robin in the morning shift, thank god, until Steve arrives at midday so they can both take their breaks.
She's still anxious, despite there being four hours until she would see Steve, the bus arriving quicker than she'd like. Morgan squints up at the sky just before she walks into Starcourt, the rain seemingly not ready to break like she had thought.
She spots Robin's bike in the rack at the front, shoving her hands in the pockets of her windbreaker while forgoing listening to her Walkman. The unease in her gut had made it difficult to be energetic and as soon as she spots the Scoops Ahoy sign in the distance, it feels she has had no sleep at all.
Morgan rubs a hand over her eyes tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she lets out a tense breath. She shakes her head from side to side slowly, lips now pressed tightly together as she then forcefully pushes down the anxiety in her chest.
The girl then walks forward toward Scoops, spotting Robin turning on the lights and air-conditioning in the backroom. She was nearing twenty minutes late now. Her Dr. Martens sound louder than usual as she ducks down through the half-open grate pulled over the entrance, the ice cream store not officially opening for another thirty minutes.
Robin looks up as Morgan moves to the back, noting her tired eyes, pale face and the lack of headphones that seemed to be almost always attached to her ears. "Are you okay?" The girl's voice is usually sarcastic, so the change is mildly shocking to the brunette who turns around at this.
Morgan swallows once, gaze flicking down for a second before she nods hesitantly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replies, fishing out the Scoops Ahoy hat and putting it on her head. "All aboard the U.S.S Butterscotch, right?" the girl smiles sarcastically, looking almost pained as she throws a salute toward her co-worker.
