Wonderless CH2 Unsolved Mystery

"So what kind of music are you into?" Patrick inquired curiously after Winter accepted his offer to be her friend. Winter tilted her head of wet hair a little bit to the left in deep thought. Patrick took a sip from his chai tea while he waited calmly for her reply.

This is what he would do. He would ask her simple questions such as her taste in art, favorite hobbies and if she's planning on applying to any universities. He'd tell her about himself as well, about his passions and his former band. And when they'd get closer, that's when he'll get into the heavier stuff. Figure out all of her unsolved mysteries and help her. Give her someone to hold on to, to cry on when life treats her like shit.

"I listen to a lot of everything," she finally started. "But I'd say rock and roll is my thing. Especially the classics." Winter finished.

The blonde man nodded. He was expecting for her to say something along the lines of My Chemical Romance, Green Day, or Fall Out Boy even. Her answer was a pleasant surprise. For once, he had a friend who actually treated him like a regular person and not this celebrity god. In some ways, he needed this just as much as she did.

"Really? Do you have any favorite bands or artists?"

It was then that he saw Winter's lips pull into a little half smile. It wasn't much but it was something. It's a start at least.

"Ah man that's a toughie...I dunno, probably like...Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, The Stooges, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd...What about you?"

Patrick smiled at her answer and said "I'm a real sucker for anything from the '80s." He admitted. Winter let out a soft, kind of tired sounding chuckle. "I figured as much. I could kind of tell while listening to 'Soul Punk'." She then lifted the piping hot mug to her lips and took a drink, leaving a bit of her red lipstick on the rim. The way she held the mug totally went against her overall grunge appearance. Patrick found that strange yet oddly charming.

"You've listened to 'Soul Punk'?"

Winter nodded. "I have."

Patrick could feel his face turning slightly red at this, however when he looked at the girl in front of him, she didn't seem to care at all. She just sipped from her coffee and leaned back in her chair. He cleared his throat and asked another question.

"Do you-Do you have any hobbies?"

Winter paused for a moment when she held her coffee up halfway up to her face. She then set it down and looked down at her hands.

"Y-Yeah. I play guitar and some piano, and I can kinda sorta draw. And uhm...Dancing, I suppose?" The last part of her answer seemed more like a question then a statement as she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. Patrick smiled. "That's he really cool. Maybe you could show me sometime in the future." He complimented. Winter muttered something under her breath.

"Maybe..."

He could sense she was growing uncomfortable, so to mend the situation at hand, he started to talk about something else.

"You know, I have Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon. I don't really listen to it. You can have it if you want."

The mood had lightened up now and Winter leaned forward again.

"That's really nice of you, but unfortunately my record player broke a long time ago." She sighed. "But thank you."

"That's a bummer." Patrick replied.

"Ah, it's no big deal. Once I turn sixteen, I wanna get a job and hopefully get myself a new one." Winter then let out a small laugh. "Floyd is actually my middle name."

Patrick's interest had been peaked and he leaned in more.

"Really?" She nodded. "You're parents must be huge fans of the '70s."

Winter's smile faded slightly, though she managed to keep her friendly facade up. Patrick wondered if maybe she had family issues back at home. Maybe they didn't treat her as well as they should be. He remembered her implying that her mother didn't care about her at all. Maybe she was abusive.

That would certainly explain why she wore those aviators day and night and even in the darkness as far as he could tell. It's a possibility she was hiding a black eye or two. It would make sense. But he decided to leave it alone for now. It was far too early to start asking her super personal questions like that. Patrick would just stick to the basics for now. Besides, Winter told him she had a bit of an anger problem and the last thing he wanted to do was fuel that fire. Pissing anyone off was most definitely something he wanted to avoid as much as possible.

Patrick then went on to ask her other things, such as what her favorite color was, what books she likes to read and if there was a particular genre she favored over all else. He even offered her his cardigan, seeing as how she was still covered in rain.

Winter politely declined, stating that she didn't mind it. In fact she quite enjoyed being out in the rain. It calmed her for the time being.

So far, Patrick learned that her favorite colors were red, black, indigo, and cerulean. Her favorite novels were Game of Thrones, To Kill A Mockingbird, Paper Towns and anything written by Stephen King. She loves horror, suspense, and humor. Some of her favorite films included The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell, Haggard, and Dazed and Confused.

To be completely honest Patrick just wanted to sit and talk with her all day, she was just that interesting and intriguing. After all, he had nothing but time. So of course, he was disappointed when she said "This was really nice, but I've gotta get going." She gave him a small smile and then dug around in her jean pocket for a second before pulling out a ten dollar bill. Patrick motioned for her to keep it.

"Don't worry about it, It's on me." He told her. Winter sighed. "You sure?"

"I'm sure."

She put the dollar bill away back where she grabbed it from. "Well, um. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied. Winter then stood up from her seat, as did Patrick. They stood in front of each other and Patrick noticed she was actually much shorter than he was. It was to the point where he had to tilt his chin downwards in order to make eye contact with her. She grew a bit flustered at how tall he was compared with her and he was only five foot five. He chuckled. "Did you shrink at all?" He joked. Winter scoffed. "Yeah I was never that tall to begin with." She said sheepishly.

"Five foot?" He guessed. Winter shook her head. "I wish. I'm four foot ten."

Patrick's eyes widened at that. "Really?" She nodded.

After a moments worth of silence, Winter took a few steps closer and stood on her tippy toes.

With her fingers interlocked behind her back, she pecked his cheek affectionately and then instantly backed away. His right cheek now had an imprint in the shape of her lips. "Thank you, seriously."

Patrick blushed, and he knew she doesn't just mean for the coffee. She was thanking him for wanting to be her friend. He smiled a meaningful and heartfelt smile. "You don't have to thank me."

With a parting farewell Winter stuffed her hands back in her jean pockets and disappeared on out the door. He watched her through the spacious glass window as she jogged off in the rain in the opposite direction of the cafe. As he watched her go away, more questions about her had surfaced from the ocean that was his mind. She really was one big mystery.

And he was determined to figure her out.