Mina

Morning Chat

"Closing time." Mrs. Rae called, emerging from the staircase.

I let a yawn escape, my eyes tired from staring at my textbook. Ever since I spent the evening with Grace at the police station I'd been trying to play catch up. Needless to say, I was running myself into the ground. Staying up late and waking early was bound to catch up to me at some point.

"Go home and get some sleep dear." She told me.

"I will." I smiled up at her, lying as I gathered my things.

I wished my life was that simple. That I could just go home and go to bed because I was tired. But Penny had sent me a grocery list earlier and I knew showing up empty handed wouldn't fly. And I still had some homework for school I had to finish. I'd been neglecting it trying to stay on schedule with my college courses instead.

So after I said another goodbye to Mrs. Rae, I let out a heavy sigh and started my car heading for the grocery store.  I listened to nothing but the hum of the engine and my own breathing as I drove, my mind thankful for the lack of stimulation.

I found a parking spot in the middle of the lot, climbing out of my car. It was still daylight which was a nice change of pace from the majority of my other grocery runs. It always seemed I was stopping after one of my evening classes, just me and a half full store of employees.

Today though I found myself in the midst of chaos, everyone and their mother there. I grumbled to myself as I grabbed a cart and filed into the masses. Most of Penny's list was frozen or prepackaged but I swung through the produce to get myself some food. Scanning the bananas for a bundle of slightly underripe bananas, I heard my name.

"Mina?" Alec appeared beside me, Donny beside him.

"Hello Alec." I said with a flat expression. "Donny."

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

I glanced over at him, rolling my eyes. He apparently sucked at small talk. "Grocery shopping."

I plucked a bundle of bananas off the shelf and set them in the cart.

"Oh right." Alec laughed at himself.

"Aren't you friends with that gay kid?" Donny asked me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Annoyed that people had to give others an identifier. Why did Max have to be known as that "gay" kid. Couldn't he also be known as the kid that's always impeccably dressed or would give the shirt off his back for damn near anyone? Why did it have to be about who he liked.

"I'm sorry, who?" I said annoyed.

Donny snapped his fingers, ignoring Alec who was trying to get him to shut up discreetly. "You know, I swear I see you with him all the time, what's his name Alec?"

"Max." Alec barked.

"Oh my god, Max is gay?" I said with wide eyes as if it were news to me.

"Dude, so gay." Donny informed.

I had never really had a conversation with Donny but I was now glad that I had gone this long without.

"Alright, were just going to go." Alec said, grabbing Donny by the arm as he rambled about Max flirting with someone off the football team. "Bye Mina."

I raised my eyebrows, pressing my lips into a hard line. I swear, sometimes the big, dunce of a football stereotype was true. Donny was proof.

I blew out a sigh, hoping that was the end of my encounters as I made my way father through the grocery store.

                              ————————

Four hours.

I only managed four hours of sleep.

Rolling over, I pulled my phone from its charger to check the time, just incase my alarm had gone off early. Impossible I know but one could dream.

I sighed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I sat up. At least with the weather starting to warm up going for a run wasn't awful in the mornings like it was in the winter. After I made my bed, I pulled on my running stuff and brushed my teeth. Slipping out of the house, my phone in hand, I started down the street.

I hadn't even gotten to a mile when my phone vibrated in my hand. There was no way it was Max or Chelsea. And Penny didn't usually wake up until six, just in time to demand me make her breakfast before leaving for school. I clicked my phone screen on, staring at the number I hadn't saved in my phone. Unlocking my phone, I opened the thread, reading the entire interaction.

Unknown: you were right

Me: when am I not?

Unknown: hey

It was Owen. I had hoped him texting me was a one time thing. Our two sentence conversation from weeks ago still lingering. But there he was, interrupting my running with a one word text. And considering the time, I had a good idea why he was awake.

Me: need something?

I kept running, relying mostly on autocorrect to fix my mistakes from trying to type on the go.

Unknown: no. Just awake and bored.

Unknown: what are you doing awake?

He was lying.

Me: I wake up at four to workout

I crossed an empty intersection, stumbling up the curb as I stared at my phone.

Unknown: what are you doing? Workout wise?

If I fell and hurt myself because of Owen I would kill him. Working out and running was a rare time when I could dictate whether or not I wanted noise. And even though Owen was just texting me, it still felt like noise.

Me: running

He didn't answer right away. I wasn't sure which was more annoying, him texting back quickly or feeling like I had to keep glancing at my phone while I waited for his reply.

Unknown: I miss running

I sped up as I made my way up a hill, forcing my feet to push off the concrete and propel myself farther up. My lungs were straining as I used my entire body to run. When the ground leveled out, I read Owen's text at least five times.

Why hadn't I thought of it before? Of course he missed running. I didn't know Owen that well but the whole school knew he had received a scholarship for soccer and track. And you don't get scholarships for soccer and track without living the sport.

He had to miss it.

As I turned into a subdivision to run the shorter loop before heading back to my house I made a mental note to text Katie when it wasn't four in the morning.

Maybe if Owen knew sports weren't out of the question, just because he was in a chair, his anger would subside. At the very least, maybe it'd give him a place to channel his anger.

                             ————————

Who's watching Stranger Things? We're on episode 7, watching the finale tonight. Oh. My. God.