Still Water

Walkin' After Midnight (Part 2)

Steam began to fill the bathroom as hot water streamed from the shower head. Astrid's bed had looked inviting, but she was too grimy from the morning's activities to condone soiling her covers. The teen stepped into the glass box, letting the warmth wash over her as the water cascaded down her naked body. After shampooing and conditioning her radiant waves, she began to massage her skin with her favorite body wash, Forever Sunshine by Bath and Bodyworks. 

Its smell reminded her of the warm, summer days of a simpler time, and while she couldn't turn back the clock, these reveries still brought her comfort and pleasant feelings. Astrid turned the water off before she started to prune and reached for the soft blue towel sitting on the bench of the shower.

After drying herself off, Astrid stepped out of the small room, careful not to slip on the intricate tile of the shower floor. The teenager palmed her wet hair with the towel as she picked up her phone, noticing that she had received a couple of text messages from Nan.

Nan's too thoughtful for this earth, Astrid thought, I shouldn't have shut down on her as I did. I've got to apologize to her. While the teen had been in the shower, her Nan had stopped by with some groceries from Gene's store and completely stocked her fridge. Astrid shook her head, leave it to Nan to know that I haven't bothered to take care of myself.

The girl left her bathroom and walked straight past the clothes that she had thrown on the floor and over to her large, wooden dresser. What to wear, what to wear? Astrid pondered, sifting through her assortment of clothes. 

Her grandmother—in addition to telling her to stop blasting the Eurythmics while she showered—had informed her that one of her oldest friends in Portland was now working at the Bonfire Country Bar and that if she were feeling a little lonely, she should swing by for a visit.

Astrid had indeed been feeling a bit isolated and had every intention of taking her Nan's advice if she could only find something decent to wear to the venue. After about fifteen minutes of staring pointedly at her wardrobe, the indecisive young woman finally produced a full outfit.

"It'll have to do," Astrid remarked as she held it up to herself in the mirror next to the wardrobe. She had chosen a navy blue, cotton dress with crisp white polka dots. It was fitted around the waist and when buttoned all the way, showed a very tasteful amount of cleavage, revealing only the curve of her breasts. The sleeves were short and the hem of the dress brushed her knees. Astrid loved that the dress could be dressed up or dressed down as needed. The teenager put on her battered white converse and swept her hair up into a loose half-up half down. Giving her reflection a final nod of approval, Astrid exited the room.

Only a few feet away were the boxes that she had said she would unpack that night. Astrid eyed them warily. I can't do it yet, the girl sighed in defeat. She had been trying to muster the courage to put away the rest of her things, but all of her attempts had proven to be fruitless. Astrid couldn't shake the feeling that something bad would happen if she were to finish unpacking.

The day she had spent in Portland had been amazing; she wasn't used to feeling so free. The teenager was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Good things do not happen to you, Astrid Dinwiddie, the girl reminded herself. You can't get your hopes up and you can't get too comfortable here because the second you do, it's all going to be ripped away from you. You don't get a happy ending.

Before she pulled herself into a funk, Astrid continued in the opposite direction and descended the stairs to grab her small, brown leather purse left haphazardly on the kitchen floor. She slung the purse over her left shoulder, grabbed both her house keys and car keys from the small, wooden table by the front door, tossing them into her bag and leaving the house.