Defining Normal | EMBRY CALL

Kindness

After a cursory conversation with her coworker, she settled in at the register for a long night ahead. It took Lex an hour, tops, to complete her short list of closing tasks, hastened by her consistent lack of clientele. A little cleaning here or there, if she felt inspired enough, and then the rest of the night was hers to wile away in between customers. Typically she worked on college stuff - her worries from her first week were soon proved correct, and the coursework seemed to pile up faster than she could complete it. Even Kim was struggling to keep her head above water, and Lex knew that didn't bode well for her own chances of success. Nevertheless, Lex dutifully continued her nightly study, even roaming the store at times to ward off sleep. As comfortable as she was with her work, she'd never chance a nap at the register. At least, not yet.

It took until 3 AM for her first customer to pull into the lot. Thankfully she wasn't expected to offer assistance outside - safety concerns aside, she could not handle the chill - and so she abandoned her books to wait for the man to finish filling up. As the tall figure approached the store, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in disbelief. Quil? And sure enough, as he ducked to pass through the door frame, she was certain.

"Quil!" Lex called, sounding far too excited for this time of night. Blame it on the caffeine and total lack of human interaction, she thought, feeling a little satisfied by his clear surprise.

"Lex? Since when do you work here?" Quil scrunched his face in thought, squinting at her. Oh right, 3 AM. Not really socialising hours.

"A few months, actually. I normally only do nights though, so I don't see too many people while I'm here. You're up late," she commented, glancing across at his furrowed eyebrows and tense expression. Weird.

"Nights? All the time? Dude," he muttered, saying something indistinguishable. "How are you getting here? Do you live close?"

Lex was caught entirely off-guard by his concern. She'd met Quil what, twice?, and here he was, openly worrying about her safety. It was both touching and strange, but she didn't really have too many other friendships that she could compare it to. Regardless, it was kind of nice to have someone worried about her. Sometimes she thought that if she didn't come home, Liz and Maya might not notice until rent was due. She really needed better friends.

"Uh, my place is a bit of a walk from here. It's fine. I need the exercise," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. Quil's frown only deepened.

"Lex, you can't seriously be walking all around town at night. It's not safe. Shit, you're the size of a pop-stick, how the hell are you going to fight someone off?" Quil rubbed his hand across his face in frustration. "God, just send me your schedule. I'm not letting you walk here at night. That's bullshit."

Lex wasn't sure if her eyebrows could move any higher on her forehead. She hesitated for a moment before taking his outstretched phone to type in her number, quietly agreeing to text him some details. Quil was acting weird with a capital W, but surely it was just some odd middle-of-the-night mood. Why else would a near-stranger care enough to offer her indefinite lifts? Quil took his phone back, nodding in approval at her compliance.

"What time do you finish?" he asked, pacified.

Lex glanced at the clock for a moment. "Six," she said, guzzling another sip of her drink. "It's fine though, it'll be a lot lighter by the time I get home."

Quil jerked his head in a rough shake. "Hell no. I'll get one of the guys to pick you up. And Lex, I swear to God, if you leave without a lift I will be pissed."

One look at his expression cemented that he was deadly serious. The thought of arguing briefly crossed her mind, but in all honesty, she'd love a lift. There was only so many layers of clothing she could bundle on to try and stave off the cold, but Lex didn't think she owned a sufficient quantity of coats for that. So, in an act of total compliance, she agreed with a quiet thank you, processing his fuel payment and sending him off into the darkness with a wave. She didn't understand Quil's motivations, not like she seemed to understand Kim, and it kind of left her uneasy. Why did he care? Really, why did any of them care about her? None of the people she knew back in Beaver would stick their necks out for a stranger as they did, and they did it with no expectation of thanks. It's not like Lex could possibly have anything that they wanted, either - she was as average as could be, with nothing that alluring or exciting about her that could draw someone in. Why?