Hi! I saw that a Neverwood Chronicles archive had been created, and I was like: I gotta get in on that action! So, here we are. Enjoy.

(Re)Introductions

With the benefit of hindsight, Peter knew that he shouldn't have agreed to help out at the bookstore. The difficult part was that he hadn't had that benefit when he had actually been doing the agreeing, and he had come to regret it.

Then he felt bad for regretting it. With Wendy… gone, the old new-and-used bookshop had an unexpected and sudden vacancy, and the old man who ran it was in need of some assistance behind the counter. But an afternoon of helping had turned into a week, and then a week into a month and a half.

And the work wasn't what had bothered him. It had given him something to take his mind off of his troubles. But every time the bell over the door rang, his heart did a little tap dance inside his chest as it tried to decide whether it was going to be excited, or panic. What if she is here? His heart would whisper to his brain, as it tugged and twisted at his stomach.

Quit that! He responded.

It didn't stop. It wouldn't stop until he looked up from whatever he was doing— shelving books, messing with the cash register, or doodling in the inventory notebook— and see that it was, in fact, not Wendy crossing the threshold into the shop. Then his heart would plummet into his feet.

Every time the door opened, he went through that process, and every time it made him angry. So what if Wendy didn't come? Even if she did, she wouldn't remember him, and if his heart beat him up so badly when she wasn't there, he didn't want to see how it would when she came in.

Peter sighed. He should quit whining and start working, he told himself. There was a new shipment of books in the attic that needed to be brought down, priced, and shelved.

Shaking his head, he climbed the stairs to the second floor. Bring down, price, shelve. Easy. The store had been fairly quiet this morning, so it should be fairly quiet for him to work.

He looked forward to working in peace, but as he descended the steps to the first floor, he heard a chorus of laughter. Two people, it sounded like. A boy and a girl.

What if it's the girl? His heart whispered.

Shut up. He responded.

He set the boxes on the floor by the counter. Glancing around the store, he didn't see any people, but he heard voices behind a shelf in the back of the store.

"What about this one?" Asked the boy.

"I've already read that one." Responded the girl, and god she sounded like Wendy, but he pushed down those thoughts. His brain was probably playing tricks on him.

"Okay, what about this one?" Asked the boy again.

"I've read that, too."

"Jesus Christ, woman! Have you read every book in this store?" The boy asked incredulously.

The girl laughed. "Not everything. I— Ooh! I've been waiting for this to come out!" She said excitedly.

"Great. Now we can go!" The boy said.

Peter heard their footsteps coming closer as the girl teased her company. "So eager to kill zombies with your Geek Squad?"

"Not zombies— enemy forces. And it's not geeky!"

She laughed. "Whatever you say, baby brother."

For some reason, the fact that the boy with her was her brother made Peter feel better.

Then he saw them step out from behind the shelf, and his heart froze in his chest. He guessed it didn't know how to handle the situation, even though he had imagined what he would do a million times.

His stomach twisted, in its own way of saying I told you so as Wendy emerged with her brother and walked up to the counter.

"I'm gonna go start the car," Wendy's brother said, digging around in her purse until he pulled out a set of keys and leaving as Wendy walked up to the counter.

"Hi," she said with a soft smile, placing not one, but three books on the counter.

"H-hey," he replied. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and he silently cursed himself. Focus, Peter. To her, you're just the sales clerk at the bookstore. So check out her books.

Relieved at having something to do to distract himself, he went through the familiar process of ringing up her books.

"How much?" She asked.

He meant to say, 'Thirty-two fifty-three,' but it came out more like, "Don't worry about it. Its on me."

"A-are you sure?" She asked, seemingly shocked at this stranger's offer. "I can pay-"

"No worries." He said, shooting a grin. "You seemed like you could use an act of kindness, and I don't mind buying books for pretty girls.

She smiled at him through a blush, and his heart did a full jazz number in his chest.

"Thank you so much!" She said as he handed her the plastic bag with her books in it.

He smiled down at her. "My pleasure."

She turned to leave, but his heart wouldn't let him let her go. "Wait!" He called. "I didn't get your name."

She turned back to him. "I didn't throw it." His face must have been hilarious, because she giggled. "I'm kidding. Its Wendy. And yours?"

He found himself laughing as well. "Peter."

"Pleased to meet you, Peter." She replied, then left, not knowing that she had already met him.

Yay! Its done! If anyone caught my Heathers refference, they get a shoutout.

Reviews are sustenance for writers, so please do that! Yay.

HelplessButSatisfied