A/N: Hey everybody! Thanks to the eight wonderful people who reviewed for the last chapter! Everyone else, I'm a bit disappointed. What I don't get is how I can be on 86 people's alert list, but I only have 16 reviews. That definitely makes me a little upset. I don't mean to sound like an annoying bitch, but it really does suck. So please, all you people, read this fic! And when you do, REVIEW! Thank you.
blink gurl017: Yay! I'm so happy that you like it! And that's an enormous compliment that it's one of the best you've ever read! That makes me giggle like a small child. Lol. I hope you like the upcoming chapters just as much.
Irishdancer61790: How could one not miss you? You're awesome! Lol. I hope you like this chapter!
Loves to Read: Yeah, losing your best friend would be so hard. The person you shared everything with, wouldn't be there anymore. That would be so heartbreaking. Enough sadness, thank you so much for the review! Lol.
Lily Dwarf: lol. That would be quite a feat to swim all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy this chapter! :)
Granger's Twin: Yay and another yay! Lol. I'm so glad you like it! As for your question about the Ginny/Adam thing...you shall have to wait and see. Yes I know I'm evil. Lol. Thank you so much for telling me about the misspelled word! I fixed it! Thank you so much! :)
The Flying Moose: Ginny does need a hug! I find that hugs always help. Especially when they're from a certain sexy boy that I find extremely attractive. Oh man, he's hot. Whoo got sidetracked. Lol.
Tabytha: Thank you so much for reviewing my fic when you're incredibly. That means a lot to me. I hope you love the upcoming chapters! :)
Cumorah: Thank you! :)
That someone was in there, watching her. But there never was. Ginny pulled on her nightgown and strode over to her bed. Her hair was dripping wet and the room was freezing, but Ginny didn't care. She settled herself under the covers and closed her eyes. In minutes she had fallen asleep.
Chapter Three: Had A Bad Day Again
Two and a half months later, Ginny could be found soaking for hours in her claw-footed bathtub. Things weren't going much better for her. The pain of Ashley's death was still indescribably intense. But Ginny was torn. She didn't have enough money to pay for the apartment herself. Ashley had paid half the rent while Ginny paid the other half. Without Ashley there, Ginny had to pay the whole rent, and she was struggling. She could barely make payments.
Ginny scowled to herself, and sunk deeper into the warm water. She blew a bubble off her nose and sighed. What am I going to do? As of now, I'm screwed. Ginny dunked her entire head under the bubbly water. She was completely submerged and she for some reason felt more relaxed. Morbid thoughts began to flood her brain, and she almost didn't pull herself out of the water. But moments later she resurfaced, gasping for air. I don't really want to do that, she thought to herself. That only served to dull Ginny's mood. She hadn't truly smiled or laughed in what seemed like forever. She didn't know if she ever would again.
Ginny looked at her toes and realized that she had been immersed in the water for hours. Her toes were shriveled and the sight disturbed her. She hastily climbed out of the tub, only to slip on the wet floor. Great. Just my luck, Ginny thought bitterly She pulled herself off the floor and wrapped up in a towel. Stepping tentatively into the hallway, she peered around. Seeing no one, she walked into her room. Now that Ginny was alone in the apartment, she found herself worrying that she wasn't really alone. That someone was in there, watching her. But there never was. Ginny pulled on her nightgown and strode over to her bed. Her hair was dripping wet and the room was freezing, but Ginny didn't care. She settled herself under the covers and closed her eyes. In minutes she had fallen asleep.
Sometime during the course of the night Ginny heard a soft tapping on her bedroom window. Moonlight was streaming in through the holes in the curtains. Ginny stirred for a moment, and turned over sleepily. The tapping grew louder and more impatient. Frustrated, Ginny leapt out of bed and stormed over the window. She threw back the ratty material of the curtains and gasped at what she saw. A tawny owl was beating its wings outside of her window. Ginny hesitated for a moment. She had no idea what to do. She knew that if she left it there, it would keep tapping all night long. So after a few moments, Ginny let it in.
The owl swooped around the room and came down to land on her shoulder. Smiling faintly, she allowed the mysterious owl to peck at her fingers. Looking down, Ginny realized that the owl had no package at all. What is this all about? A few moments later the owl flew away without a sound. Ginny was dumbfounded. No normal owl ever did that. Except for wizarding owls. Suddenly everything Ginny had been trying to block out for five years came rushing back to her. She was nearly knocked over by the force of it all. One memory kept coming back.
She and Harry were lying on a blanket near the lake. It was the last night before they left school for the summer. It was a Friday, and they had spent the whole day together. The stars were shining brightly, and Ginny was afraid. Afraid of what she was about to do. Trembling, she took Harry's hand.
"Harry, I have something to tell you." She spoke softly.
"What is it Gin?" Harry asked. Just hearing him call her that made what she was about to do even harder.
Tears began to from in her eyes as she spoke.
"I don't think we should be together anymore." Ginny said her voice shaking.
Harry's eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion. Then Ginny saw his eyes change. They went from confusion, to anger, to hurt. A moment later, Harry responded.
"I feel the same way Ginny." He said quietly.
"Oh. Well, I'd better be going then. Goodbye Harry." Ginny said with tears streaming down her face.
Ginny walked away from Harry, and never saw him again. She avoided him the next morning on the train home. The very next day, Ginny packed her things and fled. She was now living in a small beach town on the coast of South Carolina. Ginny had even gone through the ordeal of changing her last name, so to be sure that no one she knew could contact her. Looking back, she didn't even know what made her leave that day. At the time it had all felt like too much. But sometimes, late at night lying in bed by herself, she regretted it. And now Ginny longed for her family to turn to for support. Ginny imagined her mother's warm arms engulfing her in a tight hug. Her brothers standing around her trying to comfort. Her father's arms wrapped around her. Ginny collapsed onto her bed and began to cry. Tears ran down her cheeks for all those years. All those things that could have been. Ginny buried her face into her worn pillow and continued to sob. Everything had changed. And nothing would ever be the same way that it was.
Ginny sat up with a start. Her hair was bedraggled and stuck up every which way. The sun was causing a glare across her sleepy eyes. Flinching with obvious fear, Ginny looked at the clock. 1:35 pm. Ginny jumped out of bed and sprinted to her bathroom. She turned on the shower and leapt under the freezing cold water. While screaming and flailing due to the temperature, Ginny knocked her shampoo bottle onto her foot. She cried out in pain and removed the object. After taking the shortest shower she had ever experienced in her life, Ginny bounded back into her room and threw on a tee shirt and a pair of jeans. She didn't even have time to dry her hair. Grabbing her sandals on the way, she raced out the door. Ginny was late for work, and her boss would not be happy.
Ginny raced across the parking lot, and into the restaurant where she was working as a waitress. She flung open the doors, and just to her luck, managed to almost run over a man leaving. Ginny turned around quickly. There was something familiar about the man. He was handsome, that was for sure. But she couldn't place what it was, and the thought was shoved out of her mind when she saw her boss approaching. He looked furious and Ginny felt faint.
"Andrews! Over here now!" Zack Mandrin, her boss, shouted.
"Yes sir." Ginny replied feebly.
She walked over to him, taking her time. She was not looking forward to his rage today.
"Why in the hell are you two hours late today?" he inquired with anger flashing in his eyes.
"I was sick last night, and I must've overslept because of being ill and all." Ginny fumbled weakly.
"OVERSLEPT? OVERSLEPT?" Zack raged.
"Yes sir." Ginny said timidly.
"I don't even know what to say to that." He said bitterly.
"I'm sorry sir." Ginny said with tears beginning to form.
Zack noticed and winced.
"Alright. Whatever. Just get to work. Now!" Zack said.
With that, Ginny shuffled off to the kitchens. Pots and pans were clanging loudly, people were shouting, and the smell of cooking food was wafting through the air. Ginny spotted her friend Leanne, and walked over to her.
"Holy shit! I thought something had happened to you! I'm so glad you're here. We're completely swamped. Go ask Patrick where you need to be. I'll talk to you later." Leanne said while giving Ginny a hug.
So Ginny went to find Patrick. She found him yelling at a bunch of new waiters and waitresses on the far side of the kitchen. He was red in the face and looked like he was about to explode. Ginny allowed the corners of her lips to upturn the slightest bit. That was the closest she got to smiling lately. After Patrick had finished his tirade, Ginny tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey Patrick. Where am I at today?"
"Ginny! Thank god you're here! I thought I was going to scream a minute ago. Those new recruits are horrible. Dropping plates everywhere, mixing up orders. It's a disaster."
"I can see that. Now where do you need me?" Ginny asked again.
"Right. Today you're manning tables four, twelve, fourteen, seventeen, and nine."
"Jesus!"
"Yeah, I know."
"Why in the bloody hell did I get given all the huge party tables?" Ginny asked to herself, more than Patrick.
"I see a bit of that accent is sneaking in." Patrick said with a smirk.
Ginny's British accent had faded immensely since her five years in South Carolina, but sometimes words she used to often use slipped into her speech. Ginny swatted Patrick on the shoulder, and walked away. She hated being reminded of her old life. Even the sound of her old words and speech made her recoil. Speeding off to table four, Ginny noticed a very familiar face sitting at the bar.
"Adam!" Ginny called
"Ginny! I'm glad that I caught you! I was hoping you'd be working today." Adam said with a wink.
"Yup. And thanks to the lovely manager, I was given all the eight people or more tables." Ginny said sarcastically
"I'm sorry babe. I was just stopping by to say hello. I'll see you later okay?" Adam said while giving Ginny a quick peck on the cheek.
With that Ginny was left standing there. A new memory came rushing back to her.
"Hey Gin." Harry said with a secret smile.
"Hey Harry." Said Ginny, returning the grin.
Harry stepped forwards, and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.
"I've been waiting to see you all day." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Oh you were, were you?" Ginny asked with a laugh.
"Of course." Harry replied, while bringing his lips to hers.
"I love you Gin."
"I love you too Harry."
Harry then leaned in and gave Ginny a soft kiss on the cheek.
Ginny was pulled out of her reverie. Someone was yelling her name, and loudly. She realized that she was standing in the middle of the restaurant with her hand on her cheek. Spinning around, Ginny came face to face with a very angry Zack.
"Andrews! What the HELL do you think you're doing? Zack yelled loudly.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I just got distracted. It won't happen again." Ginny spoke feebly.
"Damn right it won't! Because after today, you're fired!" Zack bellowed.
Tears once again began to form in Ginny's eyes. She wiped them away harshly. She would not let this cruel man see her cry.
"Fine. After today's shift, I'm done. Thank you for this opportunity." She said firmly.
Ginny walked off to her first table, thoroughly embarrassed. Zack had just fired her in front of the entire restaurant, and she was pretty sure the tables she was serving would not be happy. Sighing loudly, Ginny walked to her first one.
"Hi I'm Ginny. I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you?" Ginny asked politely.
Everyone at the table turned and shot her a look of disgust. Ginny blushed crimson, but managed to muster a false smile.
"We need one glass of Merlot, one sour apple pucker martini, one Cosmo, one Bloody Mary, one beer, two waters, and one gin and tonic. Can you remember all that?" A small mousy woman said rudely.
"No problem. I'll be right back with those."
Ginny shuffled away scowling. How can someone be so impolite? She raced back to the bar, and began mixing drinks. Ten minutes later she returned to the table.
"Well it sure took you long enough." The woman said snottily.
Ginny began to set the drinks down when a balding businessman sitting at the table called her name.
"Ginny?" said the man.
"Yes?" she replied as nicely as possible.
"I asked for a gin and tonic, not a screwdriver."
"Oh I'm so sorry. Let me take that back for you."
Ginny walked over to his side of the table and grabbed the glass. As she was walking away someone grabbed her backside. Ginny jumped in surprise, ready to say something foul. But she looked up and saw the businessman wink at her. Disgusted, Ginny walked away. The customer is always right. I can't even say anything to the bastard, Ginny thought bitterly. She returned later and took their dinner order, specifically avoiding the businessman.
The rest of the night went about the same way. Sleazy men hit on her, she messed up orders, and dropped plates. Ginny was tired and upset when the time came to go home. She had been fired. Now she was really screwed. The air was surprisingly cold. It was still September, and it was usually fairly warm. It was also dark outside, and Ginny couldn't help but feel nervous. She had walked to work. And now she would have to walk home in the dark. Alone. Stupid! Stupid! Ginny thought to herself. She was walking down an alley, and there seemed to be no one there. Ginny started to relax and kept on walking. She had almost reached the end of the alley, when someone grabbed her from behind.
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! It's on the longer side, and I hope you shall find that uh, good. Lol. Not a whole lot happened in this chapter, I was basically just describing what her life is like two and half months after Ashley passes away. And the bold and italicized parts are flashbacks. Just thought I'd let you know that. But once again, hope you enjoyed it. Remember, you know what to do. REVIEW! Thank you!