Supernova Souls - Ryan Upchurch

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Ryan & Waylon ^^
Ryan glanced down at his dog, Waylon, that sat in the passenger seat with his head hung out of the rolled down window, panting and breathing in the scent of way too expensive diesel and shitty gas station food.

"I'll be back in a minute, Waylon. You be a good boy 'n protect the truck." Ryan says as he pats the top of Waylon's head, smiling at his dog. "love you, little guy."

He pulls his orange and white ball cap with the Tennessee Vols logo down low on his head while he sauntered into the small gas station to pre-pay for his diesel.

His old F-350 sucked through its fuel faster than he could buy it, and with the rising costs of diesel it only made things worse for him and his old 7.3L Powerstroke. He tossed a look over his shoulder at he turquoise truck once he was inside. It shined like a diamond out there.

Ryan looked up, his blue eyes met with a beautiful pair of colorful hazel ones. "Hi, ma'am." Ryan says with a sweet gap-toothed grin. "Can I get a can of Copenhagen straight, and $100 on pump two? It's the blue-green Ford F3Fiddy." He glanced back towards his truck, and when he looked back, he saw her staring at the freshly washed dually.

Ryan ignored the strange pull he felt to this girl. He didn't know her but he felt like he's known her since the day he was born, it was unusual.

He's also never seen her around town before, which was odd, because he knew everyone here.

A brunette boy behind the counter turned and brushed his shaggy hair from his face. He had hazel eyes just like the woman standing before Ryan. "Hey, Dee?"

The hazel-eyed woman shot the boy a glare, and then asked him what. "I'm gonna go on break. Can you take care of her for me? Pretty please?" The boy nodded towards an older woman, possibly in her early fifties with graying red hair.

"Fine." She said, sighing. "But don't you dare stay out there longer than thirty minutes. You know we're swamped on the weekends." The woman, presumably Dee, said, before focusing her attention back on Ryan and forcing a fake smile onto her face.

"Yes sir." Dee says, messing with the cash register before bending down to grab his dip from the bottom shelf. "That'll be $110, anything else?"

"No, that's it. Thank you." He dug through his wallet for the money to pay her, not really bothering to think much of the girl behind the counter, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind.

He grabbed the hundred dollar bill and two fives, handing it to her in exchange for his dip. "Have a great day, ma'am."

"You too." She smiled sweetly at him before he went back outside to his truck and his dog, ready to fight with that damned old gas pump that always gave him fits, but was almost always open.
That pump was like his old faithful, really.

Waylon had made his way over to the driver's seat to wait for Ryan to get back, and once he got closer to the truck the white and brown dog shot up from his spot, pawing at the door.

"Waylon, hey buddy."

Ryan pumped the diesel while he watched the cars drive by, most of them familiar and owned by his friends and family, a few kids in the backseat of one of the cars pointing at Ryan as they drove by.
They must've recognized him.

His mind wandered back to the short brunette girl with the hazel eyes, and for a moment, he stopped and wondered about why she didn't recognize him.
He was well known in Ashland City, everyone knew his name, and he was friends with most of them.

Huh. I wonder why she didn't recognize me What if she did but she didn't say anything?

He swung open the truck's door to get in but he was immediately interrupted by Waylon jumping up on him, his tail wagging and hitting the leather seat so damn hard he thought Waylon was gonna rip it open.