Little Girl Blue - 𝐖𝐋𝐖

𝐈. Philia- Fifteen

Harper was excited to see me again. Something about how she thought she scared me off and they would never find another person to cover the day shift. I stood there watching her talk excitedly as bouncing curls of pink and black become a blur.

"What brings you to Washington?" She was incredibly energetic, going on about her brothers and a recent fishing trip all while splurging out questions about where I was from or if I knew how to work a cash register.

To each I responded simple answers. One's I made up on the spot I thought would satisfy her eager mind. "Just passing through." I said dryly. "Pakistan and Italy," I followed. "No."

"Are you going to California? I've never been to the beach. I was supposed to go on Spring break when I was twelve but the ra—" She was walking down the aisle. That bright yellow FoodMart vest stinging my eyes. I was trying to keep up with her step, the skipping girl feet ahead of me.

We had just left the dairy section, the chills on my arm smoothing out as we entered the non-perishables. Harper gave information and tips I hardly paid attention to. Whenever she'd look back I'd dramatically nod and smile as if I heard a thing she said.

"The more popular items are in the center." She pointed to a shelf of rice. White in the middle, Jasmine to the right, brown to the left. " Everything else is stocked on top alphabetically," She leaned in and gave a smile full of gums, "Nobody really buys what's on the bottom shelf, trade it out anyway so it doesn't expire."

When I asked Jane to drop me off I was expecting to fill out an application, maybe take an interview. The manager, Lenny, gave me the job on the spot and Harper the OK to start my training. I was set to work tomorrow, neon vest and all.

It was my first job; stocking shelves and ringing out customers. Admittedly, I wanted more for myself. At this age, at this rate, I knew it was the best I could do and took the job with a nod and limp handshake.

"It's alright if you don't get it the first few tries. It took me a few days to memorize the aisles and yams from sweet potatoes," She laughed, her tongue piercing touching the roof of her mouth. "It gets easier after awhile." She clasped her hands together at her chest, high on her toes.

"Well thank you for showing me around Harper..." Jane had been waiting at the front for the past forty minutes, and God was the woman impatient.

"Oh wait!" Her eyes became wide and she held up a hand. "I want you to meet somebody!" She grabbed me by the hand and rushed me through the store towards check-out. We had been lucky no holiday displays were set up or many people were there. With my wrist being dragged along with the rest of my body, surely something fell.

A boy with shoulder length hair and an identical vest was packing groceries, headphones tight over his ears.

Yanking them down, "Gid this is Florence, she's going to be working here now." She was half yelling as if he hadn't already stopped his music. The small lady waiting for the rest of her groceries glared at the hyper girl.

I waved nervously.

He nodded, "Nice," And set the bags into the cart. His name tag read Gideon. "From here?" He asked. I shook my head and stood awkwardly still.

"Are you coming with us to the creek?"

I turned to Harper, seeing her eyes widen again. "I meant to tell you that!" She pinched Gideon's cheek, cooing, "What would I do without you?"

Gideon slightly swatted her hand away, finishing the last of his bagging. "A group of us are going to the creek, the one by Mount. Olympus with the waterfall, would you want to come?"

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and lightly shrugged. I was thinking about Jane. How she felt the last time I went out, what she said about not liking me leaving. "I'll see." I tried to give a small smile, seem friendly and experienced. Being next to Gideon who was relaxed and tall made me feel that everything I did was clumsy. With Harper I felt almost incompetent next to them. Two young, normal, people.

"I'll give you my number." Gideon had a pen sticking out from his collared shirt, Harper grabbing it from the pocket and the back of an old receipt, quickly jotting down. When she finished, the paper was shoved in my hand with another bright grin, "Call me later tonight and we'll come pick you up."

"Cool." I tucked the piece of paper away and stuffed my hands back into my pocket. "So...Thanks." They stared blankly. "...I have to go now."

Harper perked up, "See you tonight?"

Though I really wasn't sure, I shook my head anyway. Said bye to Gideon and then fled through the automatic doors to find Jane's car.

When I placed the buckle over my chest she was fumbling at the AC. "How did it go?" She was so focused the lines in her forehead creased.

It was the hottest month of the year. June. The rain was scarce and the sun stayed up far much longer. In the morning you could smell the salt from the ocean, far yet so close as the sun rose, turning the sky blue for the day, pushing aside any clouds that would block its rays.

Things dragged by with an endless heat. During the days when the house had gotten too stuffy, we moved outside. Usually for breakfast or lunch on the porch, accompanied by a cup or two of coffee. Jane would bring the record player and set it on the top step, playing the same album until it started to skip. When we would tire of that, we'd move inside to sit in front of electric fans, Jane going through boxes of her father's archives, I usually going back and forth between a book and whatever I could see of Jane if I turned my head ever so slightly. I had been here for weeks now.

"I got the job," I motioned to the contract on my lap.

Jane peeked her head up from the fan, "Yay! That's good, Florence. Congratulations."

I emptied my pockets and dumped whatever remained on to my lap. "Thanks." I replied.

She shifted the gears and decided that for now the windows would just be rolled down. As she drove, our hair sprawled about our headbands and ponytails, the wind giving us nice relief from the growing heat.

"What's this?" We had gotten to a stop, the folded receipt between her two fingers, Harper's number visibly written with hearts over the I's in her last name.

"Oh," I shifted to lean my elbow out the window, "Some people from the store invited me to hang out tonight."

"Yeah, where?"

I flipped down the sun visor. "I'm not sure, she said she'd pick me up."

She shook her head, "I don't want her knowing where we live. What time?"

"Geez why are you being so weird about it?" Folding my arms I glared over at her. Her tight lips, almost worried expression.

Jane briefly looked down, "Sorry, I just—" Huffing, "I want you to go out and I'm glad that you're meeting people. I just— " She stumbles on her words again, gripping the wheel tight.

"You should go." She says after looking at the paper.

I turned to see her side. "Really?"

"Yes and you should call her when we get back before I change my mind." She gave a small smile, a car horn disputing our eye contact.

When we got back to the house Jane started on lunch and I phoned Harper. She was on her break, and even more excited to hear that I was coming. I told her my friend would be dropping me off around seven and to not wait up. She agreed happily, hanging up in a rush to inform Gideon.