𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝑔𝒶𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑔 (Stargazing)

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 6

The buzzing sound of my alarm knocked me out of the peaceful sleeping state I was in, returning me to the coldness of reality. I forced my body up, slamming down on the button to stop the buzzing sound of that stupid machine. Silence. I had an hour until I started my shift, the baby blue morning light seeping through the drawn curtains. Laying there in silence, the memories of last night returned to me.

I closed my eyes, the darkness of my eyelids doing their best to calm my tensions. Despite this, all I could see was her. How her long black hair looked so soft and beautiful, the darkness of her eyes soothing my heart with every glance towards me. She was beautifully depressing to think about, the joy I once felt around her still flowing through my blood even though she never once felt the same. With my eyes closed, I lost myself in the soothing memories of her, knowing that they were never real.

Opening my eyes, I forced myself to get up and get dressed for my upcoming shift. Quietly, I put on dark black jeans and a black exercise shirt. The GM told me she would provide the shirt and hat I would be forced to wear. She was a nice middle-aged girl, seemingly with more experience than Angela. I had gone through this routine so many times before though with my old job, waking up early for a weekend shift before taking a stroll around the neighboring stores to eat.

My stomach quietly rumbled with hunger, but my mind was too caught up in the thoughts of my life before this moment. Just the other night, I thought my life was beautiful and perfect. It was strange to me that in a matter of three days, my life had completely changed for the worse. With every step I took, I could feel the exhaustion in my body and mind. Gradually, I made my way through the routine and started my walk towards my new job, my thoughts starting to fade away.

As I made my way out of the neighborhood, my mind went blank. Not a thought was inside of it, but at the same time, what was there to really think about? It was calming outside, the way the sunlight reflected off the bright green leaves gave the rough concrete a vibrant color. Quietly, I examined the world around me on my way to work. It looked the same as yesterday, and the day before that, the same as it always had.

With every step, I could feel my body slowly try to sooth itself with its strange calming chemicals. No matter how much I tried though, I was still lost in my own emptiness. This vast nothingness that was once filled with hopeful dreams of being with Abigail. After the longest walk of my life, I finally made it to the restaurant. Big 'ole Burg' was the restaurant's name.

It was a bright vanilla colored building with a red and blue stripe running along the top of the building. The building had been here ever since I moved from Ohio to Georgia, but it still looked fresh and new. Sighing, I walked past the building towards the Lix grocery store that stood behind Burg. Walking past the almost empty parking lot, I made my way inside the brick-colored building and proceeded towards the drink aisle. I knew what I was after as I walked through the store, following the path I always took.

All the way at the end of the brightly lit store was a small group of yellow cans. The base color was yellow but depending on the flavor, the beautiful designs would be the color similar to the drink inside. The blueberry one was my favorite, grabbing the bright colored can and carrying it towards the register. The cashier scanned it, a pale girl with short brown hair ringing me up as I stood, waiting to pay for my item.

"Two-O-Seven is your total, are you paying with cash or card?" she kindly asked, looking away from her screen towards me.

"Card," I stated blandly, before noticing her bright green eyes. They were beautiful, the way her eyes looked like the color of the leaves I had seen on my way to work. She turned away from me, looking back at the screen to do whatever as I placed my card in the chip. After a few seconds, the green check mark filled the screen, notifying me that the item had been paid for. Taking the card out of the chip, the loud hissing of the receipt machine started.