Intoxication {DISCONTINUED}

six {the angel}

Ginny's father had kicked her out.

Well, not kicked her out per se, but he'd gotten into a fit again and Ginny sensed that her presence would only push him further into his anger. Her father's frustration was like a bomb - the wrong word, the wrong act, the wrong look - anything could set him off.

She'd thrown on her running shorts and her worn Northwestern sweater and headed outside. It was only six in the morning, and the sweltering august heat still beamed against her skin. She plugged her earphones in and flipped her iPod to a random playlist.

Humming along to the beat of the song, she rounded the corner to Hurst, on the street of the library. She was about to pass it when she realized that the lights were on.

The library usually opened around noon, so it was surprising to see it was open at such an early hour. Crossing the street, she looked around, wondering if anyone else was there.

Only a few bustling businessman roamed the sidewalk, scurrying around her as they spoke quickly into their phones. The quiet noise of the chatter around her somewhat gave her peace. She liked running in the mornings; even though she knew she was not alone, she felt as if the world was her own. Like she had the streets and the pavement all to herself.

The familiar sound of the bell rung as she swung open the door. She took her earphones out and they dangled out of her pocket.

No one was inside.

No cashiers, no customers, no employees. The whole store was empty.

"Hello?"

The sound of her timid voice rang through the store. No one answered.

"Is-is anyone here? I-I saw the lights open..."

Still, no voices.

She scanned the shelves, looking to see if there was anyone hidden in them.

"I guess, erm, I should just leave," she said, even though she knew there was no one else there. She turned to make her way out, but her arm ended up hitting a stack of books on the counter, leaving them to fall onto the ground with a thud.

"Shit," she muttered to herself as she tried to organize the clutter of books. She tugged at the sleeves of her sweater nervously; she felt like someone was watching her in all her clumsiness.

"You-you looked like you could, uh, use some help." A low, raspy voice from behind her almost made her jump.

Shifting her position to see the stranger's face, she suddenly felt intimidated. He looked sullen, bored. Like there was nothing that could impress him, nothing that could interest him.

Ginny, you're taking things way out of line. You haven't even spoken a word to him.

She coughed. "Um, yeah. Do you work here? Oh my god, I'm really sorry-did I intrude? I-I just saw the lights open and I kind of assumed that it was open and-"

"It's fine," he said abruptly, cutting her off.

Ginny faced away from him as he knelt down next to her, the heat in her face rising.

She cursed at herself for being so awkward.

It wasn't like she was a virgin in experience with guys. Actually, she wasn't a virgin, period. But for the past few months since her father had found out what she had done that night, he'd limited her contact with boys - she wasn't allowed to look, speak, or interact with them. He wouldn't even let her check out items at a cash register with someone of the opposite gender behind it. It was ridiculous. He might as well wipe out the entire male existence if he thought she was going to sleep with every guy she was within a mile radius.

She gave the boy beside her a sidelong glance. He had a mess of red hair, and a scattering of freckles on his nose. He was also incredibly pale - she doubted he spent much time outside, or when the sun was out.

But there was something odd about him.

She had the feeling she'd seen his face before.

Cringing away like she had just seen a ghost, she gathered up all the books.

As they got off their knees, she questioned him. "Why didn't you answer when I called out?"

A blush rose to his cheeks. Ginny had to hold in a laugh; he looked like a red tomato on top of a white crayon.

"Well-I-um..." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I guess I-I didn't hear you."

GInny nodded, and the two stared at their feet in awkward silence.

"So," they said at the same time.

"May I ask why you are in a library at six am?" Ginny's hands moved in awkward gestures as she tried to speak without stuttering.

His arms, however, hung limply by his sides. "I could ask you the same question," he answered, the corner of his mouth tugging into a small smirk. However, it quickly faded away, his expression turning flat.

"Do you work here...? Are you-are you the one who turned the lights on?"

"I-uh, yeah. I was kind of-um, in the mood to read, and I came here to relax a little bit." He said the last part as if it was a question.

A pregnant pause passed between them.

Ginny stuck out her arm, hoping he'd understand the gesture. "Ginny."

"Levi."

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A/N: Sorry for the shortness of this chapter! This was just a filler, and I promise things will get much more interesting later on.

Anywayyy, thank you for all your support and kind comments on Intoxication so far! They mean a lot to me and they help motivate me to come up with new ideas for the story.