"Lyra, Lyra you can do it just a few more and you'll be done." I yell to my best friend Lyra as she climbs the rope for our P.E class.
"I don't think I can do it Quinn I feel like my arms are going to fall off. This is it, I am going to die, I am so young this is not how I wanted my life to end maybe by a car or something, but not like this." Lyra cries out as she starts to work her way down from the rope. She is so dramatic sometimes.
"Lyra come on down I think you're done." I say as I grab on to her torso and help her down. She lands on her feet and hugs be as if I'm going to disappear.
"Quinn, did I ever tell you how beautiful you are I don't think I ever did. You are amazing just amazing." Lyra says, cheerfulness fills her voice. Like I said so dramatic.
"Come on let's go to the locker room to change my body is weighted down by sweat." I say as I grab Lyra by her arm and drag her with me to the locker room.
As we walk to the locker room Jack Thompson, Lyra's boyfriend, walks over to us. Oh, what is life without Jack. Lyra has been with Jack for almost 4 years. I can't imagine a day where they were not together. They practically eat, sleep and breath for each other, probably would die for each other. A modern life Romeo and Juliet. She runs up to him and wraps her arms tightly around him.
"Jack what are you doing here? You are supposed to be in work shop?" She says to him as she holds on to his torso and sways with him back and forth. He waves to me with a toothy smile, I wave back just the same.
"I know but I snuck out of the class to tell you that I won't be able to hang tonight, me and the boys have to stay late today coach wants us to work on the plays." Jack says in a disappointing tone. Did I forget to tell you Jack plays on the football team, the Killer Bats. Our team is really good actually we always triumph over the other teams.
"Really?! I wanted to have a movie night with you, I guess it's OK me and Quinn can hang out today. Right Quinn?" She looks at me with her hazel eyes dancing over my face hoping to see a smile or a node showing that I agree. I give her a nod and a smile showing her that we are going to hang out tonight.
"Sure, I will hang with you, but I have to go to work today from 4 to 6." I say.
"That's OK I'll go home and do my homework and then meet up with you at your house." She says to me and then kisses Jack goodbye, me and her walk over to the locker room to get changed and ready for our next period.
The bell rings to let us know that school is out. I grab my lavender backpack off the ground and proceed to walk out the door. As I am close to the door my teacher, Mr. Jefferson, calls me over to his desk. I turn around and head on over.
"What is it Mr. Jefferson? Was their something wrong with my homework? Did I forget to turn something in I always remember to turn everything in." I say as I kept rambling on.
Mr. Jefferson shrugs off my rambling and says, " Quinneth your work is perfect there is nothing wrong with it, "he says as I release all the buildup oxygen in my lungs, he continues on to say, "I just need to know what your project is going to be for the FLOA science fair." He says. I know you're wondering what does FLOA stand for? Well it stands for Future Leaders of America, it is a program for students who inspire to be leaders and want some guidance and practice. I worked all my freshman and sophomore year to get into this program. I could say that it's all worth it in the long run.
"Yes, I wanted to do an essay on a future leader like Malala or Greta Thunberg." I say very proudly.
"Quinneth that is a good topic to write about, I feel with that you will boost yourself to the top in this program. The essay is due in a month so remember to be on you're A-game and spread your time out wisely." He says as he writes down my ideas for the project.
"OK, thanks Mr. Jefferson and thank you I hope I do good too. Can I go now?" I ask him.
"Sure, you can go see you tomorrow." He says as he waves me off, I wave back to him and walk out the door to see Lyra waiting by the door for me.
"What took you so long?" She says as she links arms with me as we walk down the hall.
"Sorry, Jefferson wanted to ask me about my project idea for the FLOA program." I say as I readjust my backpack over my shoulder.
"What are you doing your project on?" She asks.
"I'm going to do an essay on a future leader and how they benefit to society." I tell her.
"Wow that sounds good, why are you so smart?" She says in a curious tone.
"Lyra you are smart too, in your own way." I say as I mumble the last part.
"Hey!" She slightly yells at me as she slaps my arm. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing." I laugh at her as I rub my arm. She might not be able to climb a rope but she sure can slap an arm.
"I mean but what am I going to do with my life. I mean you want to be some leader of America and Jack wants to go to the NFL and I'm left in the dust. What If I never figure out what I want to do?" She says worriedly. Lyra is very smart and beautiful she could do anything she sets her mind on.
"Lyra, lots of high school kids don't know what they want to do yet trust me you are not alone." I tell her.
"Yeah I guess you're right Quinn." She says in a reassuring tone of voice.
As we walk down the hall I see a figure down by the lockers glancing over to me. His eyes burrow into mine, as if he's reading me trying to find my deepest and darkest secrets. He's wearing a red jacket, with a white shirt and jeans. A few people stand by him, they conversate but he doesn't look interested in it, only in me. I've never seen him around school before.
"Hey Lyra who's that?" I asked her nudging my head in his direction.
"Oh that's Myer's he's on the football team with Jack. He's single you know."
"Now I didn't ask all that. Also, why would he want me?"
"Your not ugly you know. Guys find you attractive."
"Who?" I asked her curiously. Every time there was a dance at school I was always a third wheel to Lyra and her date.
"Well... I can't think of any names but their are some out there." She said squeezing on my arm.
"When you find them call me." I respond back to her.
Before I knew it, we were at my car. I say goodbye to Lyra and told her that I will see her later in the day. I hop in my 2004 Yellow Volkswagen beetle. I got this car for my 16th birthday from my grandfather. I was so ecstatic to get this car my Grandfather kept having to drop me off everywhere and he was always late to pick me up so most days of my adolescents I spent on the cement curve on Hilltop Dr. I pull out the driveway and head on down the street to work.
My town was not something that people would want to hear about. I live in St. Helena, California. It's a small town with a population of over 6,000 people. There is not a lot of interesting things that happen in this town, except for the influx of wolves around here. There have been rumors of men turning into wolfs. I mean have you ever heard of something so silly? Werewolves in this town why would they come here?
There was a man who reported to the St. Helena police that he saw one lurking around the local store at night. The police obviously didn't believe him and shrugged it off, they thought he was insane. The next day he went back to the store to see if the wolf would be there again.
After that we have never heard from that man again, he's probably in a psych hospital somewhere. Next thing I know I'm at work, I pull my car into the nearest parking space, grab my purse and head into the work. I grab open the rusty door as the bell up top rings. This is the 203rd ring I've heard meaning I've been working here for 203 days. I sit down my bag on the counter and start looking for Ida, my boss.
"Ida, where are you? I just showed up." I yell as my look around for her, I swear she is like Lyra's younger brother always lost and can never be found.
"I'm down here Quinneth." She yells from the storage closet downstairs to the left. I head down there to see what she is doing. As I walk down the stairs, I swat away the cob webs and dust, can't have an antique store without the store being antique itself. I leave the stairs in my past to find Ida on the ground surrounded by old photo albums. The cool thing about this store is all the cool things we get. I mean from old lambs, photo albums and letters all from the past. It's amazing and honestly reassuring to know how life was back then.
"Hey Ida, what are you looking for exactly in these old photo albums?" I ask her. We hardly ever have people come in here looking for things like this.
She doesn't look up at me, instead says, "Oh, there was a gentleman that came by asking for a 1942 Christmas album saying that it was his great-grandmothers." She moves a couple of albums off her lap and moves it to her side.
I sit on the floor with her and start to help her. I pick up one that said, "Anne the modest". I opened it up to see a girl around my age with a long Victorian dress and a very sophisticated hat with a tall umbrella hanging over her shoulder staring directly into the camera. She looks unhappy and lost like she is looking for meaning. I close the album gently and sit it on the hardwood floor next to me. I rise off the floor to walk around the room to look for the mysterious 1942 Christmas album.
I see in the distance a shiny book in the corner of the walls. I lift my legs over the boxes to reach the album. With one leg behind me and the other bent I lean down and grab the shiny mystery book in confidence. I walk back over to where Ida is as she sits on the floor with her ruby red glasses hanging off the tip of her button nose as she searches aimlessly for the album. I dust off the book and low and behold the title of it is "1942 Christmas Album".
"Ida, I found it. Is this it?" I said as I handed her the book. Her hands with the red nail polish takes it from my barren nailed hands and starts to look in it. She repeats to herself, "Shiny book... 1942 Christmas... Yes, this is it thank you so much Quinneth." She says to me as she proceeds to get up, I see her struggling, I reach down to help her up. She thanks me with a nod as she dusts off her pants. "OK, let's mosey on up the stairs and get this wrapped up." She says as I follow her up the stairs, I shut the door behind me and walks over to the front desk.
"Quinneth would you mind helping out that customer while I wrap this album up?" She asks as she begins to look for the wrapping paper and bags.
"Sure thing Ida." I respond to her. I walk over to the tall man who has his hands in his pockets looking around the store. He is maybe about 50 years old, standing at 6'2 with pepper gray hair. "Sir, I say as I reach out for his hand in return he turns around and takes my hand in his giant one, "my name is Quinneth Worthingshire I work here is there anything I can help you with?" I ask in my work tone of voice. We really don't have a lot of customers that come in here.
"Hi, I'm here to pick of a photo album for my grandmother, she was supposed to pick it up."
"Oh yeah the 1942 Christmas Album, um follow me to the counter my boss, Ida, should have it already wrapped up for you." I said as I turn and head for the desk, he follows behind me hot on my trail. I see Ida finishing up with the album she hands the bag to me as I turn around back to the customer.
"Thank you, how much is this going to be?" He says as he reaches his hand in his back pockets to bring out his leather black wallet. I wave my hand in a no no no tone.
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