lover boy & dollar store girl ♬ matt sturniolo

VI

CHAPTER VI
[ goddamnit. ]
♬

even at her happiest- maybe always at her happiest- minnie breaks down. it could be for a million reasons, because god knows how the girl unknowingly self-sabotages, but there's something about that feeling when things are truly, finally getting good, that reminds minnie she can't possibly deserve it.
she's always been this way. being a younger sibling to a smarter, prettier, better girl with more opportunities (or at least that's how she saw the situation) was nothing but minnie's chance to always fall short. she would never match the expectations sam had set for her. she wouldn't ever be so outgoing or self-sufficient. she wouldn't ever finish war and peace and understand the whole concept. minnie didn't have friends, not anymore, and she worked a crap job because that's all she can handle. maybe these were expectations minnie contrived herself and blamed others for, but either way, they existed, and she felt utterly oppressed and confused.
her life in the last few days has been the best it's ever been. being closed off as she is, minnie hasn't let a single person into her life; yet here's matt, handsome, charming, unfathomable matt, cracking her bulletproof glass with every flash of his teeth. the girl felt so comfortable with him it was becoming alienating. she felt something new, something odd, and that's when it starts to feel fake or wrong.
     minnie knows she should ignore those feelings. she knows it's her brain playing tricks. but when all you've ever had was your brain, it's not so easy to turn away from.

     minnie had worked her usual shift, and by the time nine o'clock rolled around, she was beyond exhausted; after a day threatened with the stress of both a calculus and chemistry exam, on top of being forced into paying goalie in a gym hockey game she tried to period-card her way out of, the cashier had had quite enough of everything. the brunette gladly counted her register and shut off all the lights, and headed out to lock the doors and get home.
     when minnie pulled out her key ring, she felt overwhelmed with no warning. in front of her was a collection of keys, all for something different, and for some reason she was blanking in exactly which key goes to the store lock- her house key, her car key, her garage key, sam's spare garage key... all of a sudden every key was the same, and the girl flipped frantically through the ring to find the goddamn door key. and if it weren't for matt, she may have stood there panicking forever.

     "hey, you!" the boy appeared out of almost thin air (he'd been waiting in the parking lot for her to come out).
     he felt a surge of guilt when the girl in the green apron jumped out of her skin and dropped the handful of keys, yelping breathlessly; he bent down to grab the ring and smiled apologetically, offering a, "shit, sorry. i didn't mean to scare you."

     minnie took notice of how his face looked gentler in the dark, without all the harsh lights of the store to make it shine. his eyes didn't look blue then, but black, and it was jarring. she couldn't look away.

     "i-it's okay,"

     "you look tired," the boy frowned.

     "i am. i..." minnie huffed, "i had a rough day."

     if he had no sense, he may have swept her into a hug, but matt knew better than to act thoughtlessly. so instead, he handed over the keys and said, "does this one go to the door? it's got green tape on it."

     wow. i'm a dumbass, minnie thought to herself. she quietly took the keys and nodded, pushing it into the doors and twisting until she heard a click; she pulled both handles to make sure everything was set, and when nothing budged, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.