Intoxication {DISCONTINUED}

four {the angel}

The blistering heat licked her skin like flames as Ginny made her way to the bookstore.

Her sandals clacked against the sidewalk, the sound bouncing off the walls but becoming lost in the buzz of the people walking around her.

The sidewalk was narrow, barely enough to contain the crowd of people walking amongst it. Ginny had the idea that behind every person, there was a story to uncover; so when she found herself bored and unhabited, she tried to uncover those stories.

The man and the woman arguing in the corner - what was their spat about? Perhaps a divorce, maybe they had suspicions of the other's loyalty. The girl hugging her bag to her chest, the one with the thick lensed glasses, what was she so afraid of? What had been the reason for her to shy away?

Then there was Ginny, and there was her story.

Asian. Short. Dyed hair. That's what you'd think of when you saw her. Simple words, with no meaning behind them. That was the way people looked at you - not what was beyond the surface, but they formed opinions and ideas of you based on what you looked like to them. Yeah, there was that "it's what's on the inside that counts" crap that parents taught their delusional kids but the thing was, people never stop looking at what there is to offer on the outside.

If someone thought you were ugly, they'd awkwardly shift their eyes and try to avert them every time you looked their way; every time you came near them they'd flinch as if you had an illness.

She knew that, because she'd seen that reaction to her all but too many times.

It wasn't that she was hideous. She was just...different looking. And people reacted in anger, or in disgust to things they couldn't understand or explain.

Lost in her thoughts, a man shoved past her, muttering curses under his breath. Rolling her eyes, she continued down the sidewalk, ignoring the rude pedestrian.

She swung open the door to the bookstore, the cool air bringing a pleasant wave to her face.

"Back again?" Celia waved at her from behind the counter.

"You know it."

Ginny visited almost everyday, per request of her father who wanted her to study more, to read more, to push her further. There were so many books on her desk now that she was afraid it's legs would give away.

She loved the store, more than anything else. It was old, and the shelves were beyond dusty, but the smell and the feel of crisp new pages under her fingers made her happy.

Her father had ruined it for her. Instead of being excited to come back and explore the wondrous amount of novels, she grew tired of visiting time after time to purchase guides, studies, and literature that was too advanced and much too hard to read at her level. She couldn't understand it; the words were like a different language she needed to decipher. She never complained, though she knew that he would only rise his expectations higher.

Celia was her friend, almost. She visited all too often and the two had begun to converse.

All of the people she'd befriended before had drifted away after the rumors began to travel around the school, the sound of the whispers from ear to ear lingering in the halls.

It was funny how things ended up sometimes. People who swore they'd never leave you behind left you falling when you needed someone to catch you.

Today, Ginny was in a different mood. She wanted to read. An actual book, one that captivated her and absorbed her into it's telling.

Down one of the hallways, there was a small corner full of books that no one had touched; mostly because the section was too far away and people were too lazy to discover it.

But, she thought, the best books are the ones you have to explore to find.

She made her way down and trailed her fingers over the spines, trying to look for a title that caught her eye.

Daughter Of Smoke & Bone

She slid it out of it's spot. Turning the page, she noticed one of the first before the chapter had an illustration of a feather on it.

"Once upon a time, an angel and devil fell in love.

It did not end well."

Ginny grinned to herself and began to read.

___

She couldn't tell how much time had passed. Half an hour? Two?

The hands of the clock had spun around quickly, the numbers whizzing by. She'd gotten here at lunchtime, it was almost two now. She would have stayed, immersed in the story but someone had snapped her out of her dreamy state. Her ears pricked on the sound of someone's feet shuffling. Setting the book down on her lap, she scanned the area.

Hm.

She got up and walked around the bookcase, searching for whoever had interrupted her fall into cloud nine.

No one.

Sighing, and realizing that her father would demand her home any minute now, she slid the book she'd been reading back to it's spot, determined to come back and read it the next day. She huffed as she picked up the haul of books she'd been ordered to buy. Something about calculus, another about english lit, history, and the other, she had no idea what was about. Nor did she care.

Her legs were tired and stiff as she had been sitting down for nearly two hours. Her shoulders slumping, she put her bag over her shoulder and trudged her way over to the check out. Celia raised an eyebrow when she saw her.

"You really shouldnt be studying this hard, you know. It's summer. Relax. Find love," she said in a sing-song voice.

Ginny only laughed in return. "Oh, I wish I could, but I have to prepare myself."

Not really, but that's what her father had told her.

"Well, you should take some time to relax. I know you need to get into all those AP classes and shit but I can see you're stressed." Celia wasn't exactly lying; her eyes were clouded over and her bags were darker than the sky outside at midnight.

She only smiled in return. Thumping her books near the register, she pulled her wallet out of her pocket. "What's the price today?"

"Thirty five-fifty. Seriously, how come you never go broke?"

"The old man doesn't tell his secrets in money-making," she replied, managing a weak smile. Another lie. Her father came from a rich family, and his parents had spoiled him. Even though he was a big boy and could get a job for himself, his grandparents had insisted. Ironically, he forced Ginny to work for herself when even he couldn't do that.

She called a thank you out to Celia as she left, the bell ringing as the door swung closed.

__

A/N: Dedicated to @IssyStrike for the lovely critique!