Procrastination is my GAME

Okay so maybe leaving that post on there without any follow up for, like, a freaking month was a reeeeally bad start.

SO

Let's try this again!

Ahem...

Hello there internet and all you non-existent people actually reading this thing! My name is Opal Everett and, despite the popular belief of my peers, I'm not insane. Well... legally anyway...

I've seen some shit and been through some more shit, but that's neither here or there, yeah? So, like I said I'm an Aries. I'm not a fan of giving out my age so just suffice to say that I'm in my last year of High School. And I'm a chick. Well... last time I checked anyway! Haha...

....

Ugh this is so dumb...

Anyway... enough of the rambling. You know how I said in my first post that only I could see that massive black dog? Well... apparently the night-cashier at the local corner store can too.

Okay just lemme start from the beginning. Buckle up kiddos and keep your hands, feet, and other precious extremities in the car at all times! HERE WE GO

Yesterday I wanted to buy some chocolate for myself because there isn't any in the house ever. So I drove over to the convenience store-pharmacy-thingy that I feel like I shouldn't actually name because yeah. These people don't seem like they want where they work to really be broadcasted. That's my reason. Deal with it. Anyway, I walk in, find the chocolate, and grab it NBD. It's like 8pm and no one's in the store. Again, no big deal. honestly I live out in the sticks so people don't really go out past 7 anyway. Because everything's closed. Lame.

Anyway I walk up to the counter and this girl who looks about my age but has a few inches on my measly five feet of awesome, really amazing blue eyes (like they were lazers!), and short black hair. She looked tired as fuck and 1000% done with her day. And kinda depressed. She rung up my chocolate and bagged it, told me the price, all that good cashier shit that cashiers do. So as I was handing her the money I hear that damn growl behind me. I try to ignore it, thinking that the cashier didn't hear it.

Oh, was I wrong. She kinda stood up straighter and her eyes, which looked jaded as fuck, suddenly looked like glaciers. Like the pretty blue ones in Alaska. Or Greenland. Or is it Iceland?

Anyway

So I kinda glance behind me and that fucking THING is there chilling by the men's deodorant. I look back at the cashier as she picks up the phone. I'm thinking alright she's gonna call animal control and they'll see we're both insane. Awesome.

But no, she just says. "Hey Matt, we've got a Serious Black here."

I blink, super confused as she breaks my 20 and hands me the change. "You may wanna stay here while I take care of this queue behind you..." she says. Me, still super confused, I just nod and shuffle awkwardly over to the side. She rings up the few people who had gathered and had no clue what was going on.

Soon enough this guy who looks to be about 24ish and has a good foot-and-a-half on my five feet of awesome walks up. The cashier nods over to me. Evidently this guy with the blonde hair and dark eyes is Matt.

"Ummm.... Hi?" I ask, still really super confused.

"Do you know what that thing following you is?" he asks me, sounding completely serious and not treating me like I'm a nutzo.

"Um... a giant black dog that I thought only I could see, right?" I blink.

"Yo Matt," the cashier speaks up again, leaning on the counter, "How come we can see it too?"

"Chessescake."

"Ah, makes sense. And why isn't Sirius Black after us?"

"Lovecraft."

"Oh, alright then."

By now I realized that neither of them were wearing nametags. And their weird code made me think they were in a gang or something.

"Um... what...?"

"Don't bother trying to figure it out," Matt laughs. "Seriously though. We need to talk. Think you can lock the door? We were gonna close early tonight anyway."

"Oh hell yes I can lock the door!" the cashier nearly jumped over the counter.

"You just wanna go home." Matt smirks.

"Shut up. It's more like extended babysitting." the cashier rolls her eyes as she locks the door. "Anyway let's explain things here," the cashier says as she walks back over. "You may wanna sit down for this..." she sighs as she hops up on the counter. Matt brings over a chair and I sit down, still pretty confused.

"That thing that's been following you is a Fear - capital F. There're more than one. The Black Dog - or Serious Black as we call him here - is the fear of people finding out your secrets or the fear of guilt..." her lazer-blue eyes stare at me harshly and I try to shrink back from them.

"So basically," Matt shrugs as he opens up a bottle of coke, "You need to reveal your secret - whatever's been eating away at you - before it kills you. Literally."

I fall back into the chair and my breath leaves me in a really big whoosh. Tell my secret? I could never... I burried that day, that me, so deep that I hardly remembered what it was or what had happened.

"Hey," the cashier says softly. I look up at her, wondering if she sees the fear in my eyes. "You don't have to tell us. Hell, you don't even really need to tell anyone. The best thing to do is just tell the thing itself. Look your fear in the eye and conquer it, so to speak." she smiles kindly at me and I can see that she's a kind person, but shes been through a lot. Probably more than I have...

"T-thanks..." i mumble out.

"Will you be able to get home alright?" I look back up at the cashier, whose looking at me like a concerned mother almost.

"Aw look someone's motherly in-" suddenly Matt was pinned to the ground and the cashier was holding a throwing knife at his throat. Her eyes were narrowed and she RADIATED angry. Like, super angry.

"Say that one more time and I will slit your throat I swear to god..." she growled out.

"Geez, touchy." Matt rolled his eyes. "Fine, I give. No more mom cracks... for tonight."

"Good." she let him up before turning to me. I couldn't help but scoot back a bit. I mean, was she bi-polar or something? And how the hell did she move so fast? And she was so TINY how did she PIN him? SERIOUSLY?

"Sorry... I've been having a... a really rough time. I'm usually more in control of myself..." she rubbed her hand behind her head awkwardly.

"It's fine... I think..." I watch as she tucks the throwing knife back into the sleeve of her work shirt. I see a flash of a bunch of old and newer scars on her arm. She notices where I was looking and gives me a small smile.

"I'd tell you that story, but you've got enough to process for one night," she laughs, but its not because she finds something amusing.

"Also she doesn't want to give you too many more nightmares," Matt smirks.

"Oh... Okay... Well... I should be getting home? I mean my parents don't really care how late I stay out but... I have stuff tomorrow and..." I can't think straight. all of this shit is starting to make my brain fuzzy.

"Where do you live? I can drive you back in your car," the cashier suggests.

"How will you...?"

"Don't ask, just give me your address and show me your car." her tone doesn't leave any room for me to argue so I mumble out my address.

"Matt, you good with counting out the drawers alone?" she asks her coworker.

"Yeah, just get the newbie home. I have a feeling we'll be seeing her around again."

I followed the cashier out of the store and led her to my car. I handed her the keys and slid into the passenger seat. She started it up and we waited for the heat to be actually warm.

"So, what's your name?" she asked

"Opal... Opal Everett..." I looked at her through my hair that fell into my face. "What about you?"

"Just call me V." she twitched slightly, like she had a headache. "Do me a favor and start a blog."

"I already have one but... why?"

"Why isn't of any importance to you, I just need you to trust me."

"Okaaayyy..."

After I give her some directions on where to turn we end up at my house. "Go inside and try to sleep. Come back to the store tomorrow anytime after five, alright? Preferably with a URL." she was smirking slightly.

"O-okay. Goodnight V. It was... nice to meet you? I guess? I mean you seem pretty cool even though I don't really know you. but you know about all of this stuff which is good and - shoot i'm rambling again..."

she laughed and shooed me out of my car. she turned it off and handed me the keys.

Aaand that's that. yeah.

A Prelude to a Pessimist

I really hate introducing myself. I never know what to say. I mean do I just straight up say "Hey I'm Opal, I'm an Aries, and I feel like my life's going to shit?" How about "My name is Opal Everett and I'm turning to the internet in hopes that I'm not crazy?"
See, none of that sounds right to me at all.
So. Hi. My name is Opal, I'm withholding my age, I'm of the fairer gender, and there's a giant black dog stalking me that only I can see!
That didn't seem quite right either, but it gets the point across.
Guess that's it for now....