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I don’t like to talk about that time, let alone think about that ti sotherave

To put it mildly, December had been a hell of a month I was in a very black place, one I feared I would never crawl out of But I did eventually crawl out that hole, dragging er sister Ada helped; she was a great shoulder to cry on And by cry, I ly, hysterical ony before

Perhaps I had been lucky that so nored me for most of my life

Finally, getting this job helped, too It forced o somewhere every day and put on et the pain that stil ricocheted through s came on the radio, a pain that left you with a tear-soaked pil ow in the

I never spoke to Dex again He tried, though, but I’l give hiht after he twisted that pin in my heart, a mil ion voicemails that I deleted (before I sed my email and total y withdrew from the little life I had attempted, which meant no contact with Jiainst them – personal y – but it was just too hard I needed to move on

By the time February rolled around, I was in a better place Of course, it’s not fun to feel sick all the tiht back, and I felt pretty disappointed inthe risk on Experi my heart on the line

But I learned, and I will live

“Do you stil want to co on me and not on the custoht hazel eyes They didn’t appeal to me in a romantic way but they reminded me of a brother I never had

“Definitely,” I told him I pointed to the washrooms “I’m fine I think I just need to splash cold water on my face”

He nodded and took care of the customer as I escaped to the safety of the washroo part-time, but I desperately wanted to move onto ful -tiine, I et out ofsick and occasional y trying to fight back tears when Bil y Joel comes on the stereo doesn’t make me look like the best employee, someone Shay would want to eventually proht on that not all is right withup

Of course, everyone else knows I’m not entirely normal – hence my nickname “Scary Perry” They all know about the Experiment in Terror show (as does the occasional customer who comes in) and they love to tease me about it

Shay believes in ghosts, so at least er doesn’t think I’m crazy, but I can tel the others don’t knohat to do with me sometimes Stil , they invite me out to the bars after work and to local band showcases (which is where I was planning to go with Ash toirl

Very slowly

I locked the bathroom door behind me and scrunched up my nose at the smelI kneas up to me to clean the bathrooet rid of this foul, rank odor that emanated from the wal s It wasn’t that it s like a nor away Sharp and acrid, al way, like spoiled meat

I stopped breathing through an dabbing a wad of paper towels on e lier than norrey coh I wondered how much of it was actual y a manifestation of how I felt Did I look like crap because I felt like crap, or did I feel like crap because I looked like crap? Ah, the mysteries of life

I took in a deep breath through htly, and I tossed the paper towels into the wastebasket behind me I leaned forward and looked closer at ed so otten older or so I had faint crow’s lines now Wrinkles at the corner of my eyes! I was only 23 - what the hel !

A breeze blew atup the bottom of my apron I looked behindfroh to make the paper toave back and forth from the dispenser

I frowned, confused But ere in a drafty old building in don Portland Too bad the breeze wasn’t clearing the terrible smel away

I looked back atin my face I pushed them behind my ears, just in time to hear a small poof from behind me

I spun around

The garbage can was on fire

Yel ow fla out of thefor the ceiling with ers

I was stunned but not for long

Fire!

I let out a s to put it out There was nothing, just me, the paper towels, the sink and the toilet

I didn’t want to run out of the washroo I needed was a coffee shop ful of panicked people

Think, Perry, think

I had an idea

I turned on the tap, took off ht shoe and fil ed it ater

It wasn’tface, it was my only choice

It only took two refil s before the fire was out and the garbage can was reduced to a wet, s pile I peered down at it, afraid to touch the ot started in the first place It’s not like I threw a cigarette into the bin It had been a paper towel, and a wet one at that

It was beyond weird but I couldn’t devote tooabout it There was a knock at the door and I was holding a toilet-water soaked shoe in er issues here