Thunder cracked louder as rain began to fall heavier, sending people running for shelter scattering amongst the congested traffic. Cars stuck in the middle of intersections started honking horns in a disorganized cadence as Mia and Samantha rushed across the street running towards the train station. "Shit, I think I forgot my pass!" Sam shouted. The train approached the station and obstructed Mia's voice. "Well I don't have any either, I left my wallet at home!" Mia shouted.
Sam ran up the stairs of the station, jumped over the turnstile and jolted inside the train as the doors opened. Mia sprinted behind her, book bag in arm. As she hopped over the turnstile, the strap of her bag became tangled on the metal bar. SHIT. she dropped her glasses. "HEY!" Shouted a transit officer, sprinting towards Mia. She yanked on the bag repeatedly, tearing the strap off of the bottom and sprinted inside the train before the door closed.
Next stop Capitol Hill Station the train operator broadcasted. A computerized voice followed. Doors closing.
Mia continued to breathe heavily. "Thanks for the warning" Mia said, smiling. "Thought we could use the cardio, besides I didn't have any cash either" Sam said. "Yea neither did I" Mia said smiling. "Let's move down another cart" The two walked towards the next cart ignoring the gaze from disappointed adults in attendance at their spectacle.
Mia eyed the seat at the far end of the cart, tossed her bag down, and sat next to it. Sam sat next to Mia checking her phone for text messages she probably won't respond to. Mia unzipped her bag and pulled out her psychology 101 textbook "DSM-5: The Manual of Mental Disorders" and turned to the first page."Are you seriously about to read the first few chapters?" Samantha asked. "I'm seriously about to read the first few chapters"
"Why?"
"Because you know we're gonna be tested on this come Monday morning, that's why" Mia said with little doubt. "Mia, this is a little while from my stop it would be kind of nice to have someone to talk to without thinking about a fuckin' test on the syllabus" Mia smiled, placing the hair in front her face behind her ear and continued staring down at her book. "It's five to seven minutes from your stop, hoe. You can manage"
"You know what your problem is?" Sam said. "I mean I could give you a list but something tells me you narrowed it down" Mia responded. "You seriously... need to talk..to someone. Other than me of course, I mean I know how much you care for my relentless commentary" Samantha said.
Mia laughed. "Definitely. Your word is law, Sam" She said as she combed through the words on the first page.
"No seriously like-- we're at that point in our life where we have to actually talk to people you know, connect. Let the Lexapro do its job, let all of that fuckin' old drama go, because who needs that shit right? Enjoying the vanity of being the hot bitch that you are should be your power animal, if that makes any sense" Samantha preached, harshfully.
"You know what..." Mia said, taking her earphones out. "You're right Samantha. I don't how I could have missed those character traits during my random self-evaluations, sitting in front of a mirror inside of a dark fucking room, thanks" Mia replied, sarc1astically. "No but...you're right. I mean, I'm not a total prude. Just don't expect me to swipe right anytime soon" She added. "No, of course not" Sam responded.
The train began to slow down.
Capitol Hill the train operator announced over the intercom.
As the train doors opened, the cart immediately became populated. People rushed on the train covered in rain, diluted in sweat, bringing with them limitless chatter that spread through the train cart along with the nauseating whiff of mildew that followed each disheveled passenger, almost supernaturally.
Next stop, Westlake Station.
Sam focused on the small group of young men down the cart and identified a familiar face. "Doesn't that guy look like Ron from 11th grade homeroom?" Mia gazed down the cart and quickly looked at the group. "That's not him. Ron moved after winter break senior year. I actually liked him believe it or not...it's sad that didn't work out" Mia said.
"Well why don't you go say something?" Sam said. "Since when is approaching the woman an antiquated notion? Besides, I have a better time fantasizing about being in a relationship than actually pursuing one" Mia said. "Well, I can't argue with that logic" Sam replied as she continued to get lost in her phone. Mia removed one of her earphones and looked at Samantha for several seconds before getting her attention. Hesitant to put her pending question in the air.
"Hey Sam, let me ask you something. Speaking of high school, remember that bracelet?" "Which bracelet are we talking about Mia? Need I remind you, I could have opened my own shop on 47th street in Manhattan" Sam said. "First off, you're overexaggerating to the wrong person. Secondly, I'm talking about the $15,000 golden band that turned out to be $2500 in value. The zirconia?" "You mean the bracelet that happened to go missing from my closet a month or so back? That was gifted to me? That isn't a zirconia, Mia." Sam said.
"Noo, it definitely is" "Noo, it definitely isn't" "We tested it and both came to the conclusion that it was a total fugazi, how do you not remember that?" Mia asked. "No, you made that determination by way of a visual examination and a tablespoon of envy, if i'm not mistaken" Sam replied. Mia stared out the window, looking confused, trying to comprehend the explanation. "It's like you said, that was high school but I've had it tested since then and it has pretty substantial market value, even for a custom piece. Why?"
"Where did you get it from, again? Who gave it to you, is what I'm asking." "I'm pretty sure I told you this already" Sam said. "Refresh my memory, please" "It was mailed to me from a P.O. Box, the name was bullshit but I always suspected it was Scott, considering his initials were engraved on them; which is why I was surprised when you told me he was sleeping with your mother"
"..Did he sleep with you too?" Mia asked.
(Brief silence)
Sam stared elsewhere, hesitating to respond before eventually giving one. "You do realize we were about fourteen-fifteen years old at the time, Mia" "I do realize this, yes. I also realize that a grown ass man isn't going to send you a $15,000 bracelet due to sheer lust" Mia said. " No...I didn't sleep with him. Why are you asking me this? Did you steal my fucking bracelet?" Mia failed to respond. "Mia?" "I had to, Sam"
"Why?" "Because I think he gave my mother the same piece, it's the same design" Mia said. "What do you mean, you think? Is it or isn't it?" "Yeah it is. I made an attempt to blackmail him under the impression that you slept with him" Mia confessed. "Why would you do that, Mia?" Sam asked, aggravatedly. "Which part?" "All of it!" Sam loudly whispered. "Let's start with grand larceny, Mia. Regardless of if it was $2,000 or $15,000, you take jewelry out of my house? You reference personal points in my past and use me as cannon fodder for your little fucking tirade?"
"I honestly didn't think that you would be so pissed, why would I need to steal from you?" "You mean after disclosing to me that your parents froze you out of the accounts for the time being or could it be because you can't go a day without shoving that shit down your throat? Besides that, did you ever think of the can of worms you might be opening up? For what?" Samantha asked, frustratingly. "I guess this isn't the best time to tell you that I gave him the bracelet back"
Samantha snickered to mask her anger.
"Jesus Christ, you're fucking schizoid, Mia" "I'm sorry, Samantha. I didn't think that this would play out this way. I wasnt aware that you were still in love with him, okay?" "Oh fuck you, dude. Don't try to make me at fault for this, don't even pretend to"
Just then, Mia's phone began to vibrate.
"Hello? Mom? I can't hear you the line is breakin' up. I'll call you back. I'm headed home, I'll call you back, bye!" The train began to slow down, arriving at the next station.
Westlake Station, Next stop, Pioneer Square.
Samantha stood to her feet, and put her backpack on. Mia stopped laughing. "Where are you going, it's biblical out there. Come crash at my place, nobody's home" Mia said. "I'm gonna need a moment away from you, Mia-- a day, at least. I kind of find it a bit inappropriate to buy drugs with you right now. And we're seriously going to have a long conversation about this entire situation. I'm- fucking blown away. Besides, you're a bit overdue for some new friends anyway, right? Sam said, smiling spitefully.
The train came to a halt.
Doors open.
Sam exited the cart amongst the wave of rushing passengers as more entered. Mia put on her earphones and opened her textbook, again. Rihanna's "Kiss It Better" played through her earbuds. As the cart doors began to close a small group of males rushed for the cart, persistently trying to spread open the train doors. Other train passengers stood and sat vexed by the delay this was causing. Mia took one of her earphones out.
What the fuck?! She said under her breath.
"Pull it open!" one male shouted to another.
The train doors all open simultaneously allowing the men to rush on. Doors closing. Next stop, Pioneer Square.
Mia eyed the group of young men, giving a modest amount of attention to one in particular.
He looked so familiar.
He unzipped his wet black running jacket to reveal his well toned, muscular physique protruding out a wet t-shirt, presented by his peaking medium height and symmetrically sound face. His curly, coarse hair soaking wet like damp wool.
Mia continued to stare, placing her earphones back in as the song continued to play.
He stuffed the jacket into his black backpack as he leaned against the train door. Wiping the rain from his face he turned his head and locked eyes with Mia, catching her dead in the middle of her gaze. Mia quickly looked back down at her book. He continued to stare at Mia.
Mia's phone began to vibrate. It was Will. Mia unlocked her phone and responded:
(Text Message)
Will: Hey, you ok?
Mia: Yeah, headed to you now.
Will: Gone in 30 minutes.
As Mia fixed her fingers to respond, she paused. Fixated on what was said by Samantha moments ago She was an addict. She played her music and focused on her book before she was interrupted.
"Earbuds retailed at $150 each, yet she only wears one. What a fucking rebel" a voice said.
Mia refused to look up. "Eat a dick and die. Not interested" she responded, defensively.
"Wow. You have shitty taste in cuisine. But as skinny as you're stuck up ass is, I'm definitely getting part-time vegan vibes" Mia looked up, humored by the comment. The handsome, familiar stranger continued. "DSM-5 huh? It's a start. I mean as long as there aren't any Sigmund Freud excerpts with his ongoing rants about penises. He's like the Georgia O'keefe of psychology, I swear to god"
Mia chuckled softly. "Yeah, well, most people are dicks so, I guess it's justified"
"True. But that rationale kinda presents dual options. I mean you can either be a dick and say something cheeky, or you can be a pussy and decide that conversing sapiosexually with an attractive stranger is a complete waste of time. I prefer the former, "he said. His eyes fixed on Mia's big eyes.
(Brief silence)
Mia looked up and locked eyes with him; her big brown eyes shining like marmoreal. She hesitated for a moment, but decided to go along with the flirtatious banter. "Well that depends on what the endgame is. I mean who doesn't like pussy? Especially when it's soaking wet and standing right in front of you?" Mia said, looking at the guy up and down. His face illuminated.
He began to smile, to his own chagrin.
"Fuuck-- you're tough, I like that. But, I've got your number, for sure" He said, chuckling and grinning to play off the embarrassment.
"Oh you've got my number, huh?" Mia said, feeling challenged. "Yeah, but It's not going to work" he responded.
"Oh no, and why's that?" Mia asked. "Well considering you just got me feeling a little cold, which obviously says a lot; I now have every intention to make the hair on your tits stand up" Mia opened her mouth to respond, but gave a light chuckle instead. "Too much?" He asked, smiling. "That was ok, but there's no way your timing was better than mine" Mia said. "No, but it was close though; come on you gotta give me some credit"
Mia took out her earphone and closed her book.
"It's one of my super powers, you know. To sniff out those that naturally inhibit conversation, and make their lives a living hell" He said. "Yeah I'm sure it is. I'm sorry about my come off by the way. I just got through a terrible conversation with a friend of mine" Mia replied. "Well how terrible are we talkin'? He asked. "Turns out I mistakenly took a cubic zirconia bracelet worth $15,000 that I have no way of getting back" The stranger smirked. "Now obviously, you weren't aware of it's value at the time you took it, I'm gonna strongly assume" "Obviously" Mia responded "Sounds like you might be in the market for a new friend"
"Possibly. I'm Mia, by the way" she extended her hand. He received it.
"...Travis. Nice to meet you, Mia" he said, shaking her hand.
"I don't know where I've seen you before but you look familiar. You go to the U.W. or is scowling the train to pocket young women a sick hobby of yours?" Mia asked as she looked down at the textbook. "Shit, as much time I spend in the library I might as well go there. I guess I'm what you would call an independent worker. A bit of a nomad"
"An adventurer?" Mia said sarcastically. "How can I put this. I'm a financial engineer for the ninth circle of hell" "..Really?" "Basically, but if I'm being frank, even after selling my soul, I don't think I have enough to cover a $15,000 flirtationship" Travis said jokingly. Mia cracked a smile. "Would I be doing too much if I asked the backstory to that situation?" "It would be a bit of a stretch considering the brief history of our…what did you call it? Flirtationship"
Pioneer Square.
The train steadily slowed down, throwing off the equilibrium of standing passengers. As people exited the car, Travis sat down in an empty seat adjacent to Mia.
"You said I look familiar" Travis said. "What?" "You said I looked familiar a few minutes ago. You look familiar too, by the way. Why do I feel like there's six degrees of separation between us right now?" Travis asked. The train began to accelerate. Heavy rain began to fall against the train windows as the storm worsened.
Doors opening.
"Well to justify the six degrees part, you're soaking wet so you're probably freezing your ass off. As for the separation, I'm not too sure, but I can tell you one thing; I am most definitely separated. This is rare for me, Travis. I usually just end the conversation after the initial rejection" Mia said.
Doors closing.
Next stop, Chinatown.
Travis sat up in his seat and crossed his arms. Feeling intrigued he responded. "Well I can appreciate your not being such an introvert for the sake of conversation" He said. Then. Lightning lit the sky, followed by a loud bang of thunder.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The train began to slow down, coming to a screeching halt. The power shut off on all the carts.
"Ladies and gentlemen please stay calm, the lightning must have hit a generator. The emergency power should come up in a second. Just be patient, please" the train operator broadcasted. Travis checked his watch again, as he impatiently tapped his thumb against his knee. Mia noticed this style of impatience.
It mimicked Walter's. That annoyed her.
"You in a rush, or is the end of the world taking too long for you" Mia said jokingly. Travis smiled. "Nah, it's not that. There isn't any other ill-timed situation that I'd rather be in than this one, trust me" Travis replied.
"Great save, champ" Mia responded.
"So I have to ask. The university is in the opposite direction and the semester starts tomorrow. How'd you end up stuck in this shitstorm,?" Travis asked. Mia took a deep breath. Before she could reply, the power was suddenly restored. The train engine began to accelerate, giving passengers a sense of relief. They all begin clapping in unison.
Mia answered the question "It's a bit of a personal situation actually, it's way too difficult to explain, and even if I did you'd probably get a bald spot from scratching your head over it so much" Mia said. Travis sat up, adjusted the straps on his backpack and said "Well, he must be a lucky guy"
Mia shook her head "Nope. There actually is no him.." she replied. The train began to slow down.
Chinatown.
Doors opening.
Travis put his backpack on, quickly checked his watch again and replied "Well, that's a goddamn tragedy, Mia, but I'm glad we had this little verbal sparring session, this is a bit rare for me too" Travis said. Mia slowly began to smile. They continued to gaze at each other until the train doors opened.
Travis stood up to exit.
"Well, I'll see you around campus hopefully" he said as he exited the train. Mia sat with a confused look, trying to fully comprehend what just went wrong. She quickly yelled "That's it? No request for a number?" Travis turned around. "I thought I had that already!" Smiling almost with a certainty of seeing her again.
Doors closing.
Next stop, Othello.
"Where do I know him from??" She thought to herself.
Mia peered out the window opposite of her seat, trying to catch a good look at Travis walking away in the rainy distance as the train pulled away from the station, leaving him behind.
Mia sat in her seat with a faint smile. BOOM! BOOM!
The storm worsened. The rain tapped harshly on the train windows and began to sound like a drumline. "That motherfucker" she whispered to herself. She looked over to the empty seat where Travis sat and saw a black USB marked with three red X's. He must have dropped it when he put on his bag, Mia thought.
An excuse to see him maybe?Shit why not figure out who I was just flirting with. Mia hesitated to pick it up for a few seconds, looking around before scooting over to secretly snag the USB as other passengers looked elsewhere. She placed it in the smaller pocket of her backpack.