[COLOR=FFF2F8][center] [img]https://i.ibb.co/xSD8CBhF/fgdfh.png[/img] [img]https://i.ibb.co/fYDDkwXH/tumblr-c38b2086ef08caefcfc1092166932359-d5b32514-400-ezgif-com-resize.gif[/img] [/center] [center] [sub] [color=#f19ac4][b]Location[/b][/color] — [color=#f6f1f3][i]Husker's[/i][/color] [color=#f19ac4][b]Interacting With[/b][/color] — [color=#f6f1f3][i]Jolene [@Tae][/i][/color] [/sub] [/center] [center][color=#f19ac4]❁ ─────────────── ❁ ─────────────── ❁[/color][/center] Willow woke up that morning in a car to the familiar scent of banana. The car sat in the early spill of morning, parked right behind Husker’s by the dumpster. It was so close the smell of old cigarettes felt baked into the vinyl. The sun rays crept through the open window, caressing the skin of the young woman folded into herself against the leather. Her lashes fluttered like they were reluctant to let the day in, but when they finally lifted, the blue of her eyes looked paler in the illumination. A small sound escaped her lips that was something between a sigh and a hum, as she lifted her head and peeled her cheek from the glass, leaving a faint pink imprint on her cheek. Her tawny hair lay in loose strands across her cheek, caught on one side by a little flower clip that was now crooked and the rest fell over her shoulders in messy, thick braids that looked like they’d been done days ago. She could feel the black choker still snug at her throat and her oversized sweatshirt clung to her, reeking of the remnants of last night. Knee-high black socks climbed her legs, and her worn Converse were kicked up on the front edge of the seat, her knees drawn up close. One hand rested in her lap, palm open, fingers gone slack as if she’d let go of something. Her gaze traveled through her surroundings slowly like she was counting things off; she liked to make sure she wasn't dreaming on mornings like this, and she often needed to. The key sat in the ignition. The radio was on low, on some station she didn’t remember choosing, its tinny music barely audible. Her window was half open, allowing the cacophony of the world outside to fill the space. She lay there and listened to that symphony as she always did: a machine humming, distant voices, a bird somewhere, the leaves whispering in a thin breeze that didn’t cool anything. [color=#FFB6C1] "The power's out, man. Let's just go to Husker's. You can hear the generator chugging already."[/color] Willow sighed as her stomach dropped, and for a second she didn’t move at all, like she was waiting for someone to tell her what happened next. Her gaze drifted about, unhurried, and that was when she saw the banana air freshener. There was that familiar little tree, swinging like a pendulum that didn't seem like it'd ever stop. It made her think about how this wasn't her car; she didn't even have a car. But she'd recognize that banana scent anywhere. She shut her eyes as her head throbbed and her fingers tapped in an anxious rhythm at her knee cap. Perhaps she thought her body could drum up memory if it kept time long enough. There were a few flashes. A parking lot. The sound of laughter. A dark living room she couldn’t place, shapes on couches, mouths moving without faces. A hand on her shoulder. A sweet feeling. Besides that, her mind drew blanks. She swallowed, her jaw clenching once as she chewed at the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper. Willow hastily reached for the radio, fingers trembling, and turned the volume up. Music flooded the car. She let it swallow the generator’s chug and the voices outside and the tap of the banana air freshener against the mirror. [center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEqXE0TMJUo[/youtube][/center] A smile managed to form on her dry lips as Stevie Nicks’ voice slid through the speakers and the feeling was bittersweet. Her body relaxed, but the song ached in a way that she felt in her very bones. Nostalgia could be so painful. Sometimes the song would make her miss her mama—make her miss the way she held her and rocked her, the way she made her feel precious for just a moment. The words of the story wouldn't matter so much, only the feelings, [i]only the pictures[/i]. This morning was one of those times. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned her head back against the window again. The glass was cool where her temple met it and she closed her eyes for a second. Eventually her eyes opened again to the sight of herself in the rearview mirror. For a moment she just stared. She swallowed, watched her own throat move. And then, she saw someone else. She saw a little girl with pigtails and stickers on her cheeks, her knees drawn tightly to her body in the backseat. Willow narrowed her eyes on the scene as if it was really happening before , listening as the child hummed along to the very same song. Willow knew that little girl. Maybe it wasn't the Willow who sat in the front seat, but she remembered the little girl who pressed her cheek to the window and pretended she was in her own music video, so the tears that slipped past her eyes didn't seem so bad. Willow’s breath caught, her eyes shining. [sub][color=#f19ac4]"I'm... I'm sorry... I'm trying."[/color][/sub] She shut her eyes as tight as she could. Then she turned the key and killed all the noise, the car going suddenly still around her. She tucked the keys up into the visor like she’d always been told to and climbed out into the sunshine. She immediately fished her phone from her pocket as she got her footing and shut the car door. Eleven percent. Her fingers worked ahead before she could process. [color=#f19ac4][i]Jo, can you please come help me—[/i][/color] Her jaw tightened and she rushed to pressed to lock the phone in a surge of adrenaline. She bit her lip and waited before returning to the message to backspace. Then she started a new one. [color=#f19ac4][i]hey Jo <3 stepped out early this morning. think the power's out in town but Husker's got the generator going. need anything?[/i][/color] [center][color=#f19ac4]❁ ─────────────── ❁ ─────────────── ❁[/color][/center] The generator’s noise got louder as she stepped into Husker’s; it sounded like the whole building had teeth it was grinding. The air inside was cooler than the car, but smellier as always. Willow kept her head down anyway as she hurried in toward the back, waving a quick hello to the manager. She weaved through the familiar obstacles into the little break room like she’d done it a hundred times, and she kinda had. This had become a little routine of hers. There was a drawer in the cabinet Willow always used, one that stuck if you didn’t pull it just right. She tugged it open and fished around beneath crumpled napkins until her fingers found what she was looking for: her bag. She pulled it out, held it close to her chest. Willow shut the drawer again with her elbow and made for the bathroom. Inside were spare clothes: A black tank, a pair of baggy jean shorts, [url=https://i.ibb.co/0pSJcW9m/5f5e0f6294b0d847ae61195b465da9c2.webp]a plaid flannel[/url], a travel brush with teeth missing, a little packet of wipes, a cheap stick of deodorant and a spare phone charger. The fluorescent light of the bathroom always was a killer on her eyes after nights like these. The mirror was spotted with old water marks. The sink had a rust ring around the drain, but she turned on the faucet anyway. After yanking her sweatshirt over her head and onto the ground, she shoved her hands into the water. Her eyes snagged on her wrist, on the dark and smeared writing. Willow stared at it for long while. Then she scrubbed. Soap, water, nails, the rough paper towels—She scrubbed until the skin was angry. She didn't work at the skin until it was clean. She had scrubbed until it [i]hurt.[/i] Willow pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth as she finally shut off the water, eyes stinging for reasons she pretended not to understand. When she lifted her gaze, her reflection stared back with that too-wide look again. [color=#f19ac4]“Okay,”[/color] she whispered, not to anyone. Then she wiped her face. Her fingers went up to her braids next, and she undid them. Her hair fell heavy around her shoulders and Willow hurriedly combed her fingers through it. She changed quickly after that. She practiced her expression in the mirror for only a few seconds, before she gathered her bag to her chest and returned it to its drawer. Willow finally stepped back out into Husker’s, ready to play the role of the girl who’d come in for an extra shift. [color=#f19ac4]“Good morning.”[/color] Willow’s smile was genuinely sweet as she brushed hair behind her ear. [color=#f19ac4]“I thought I’d swing in and give day shift a hand. I know we might get hit harder than usual with the power out.”[/color] [/COLOR] [center][color=#f19ac4]❁ ─────────────── ❁ ─────────────── ❁[/color][/center]