Dying Wish

[1] My Great Disruptor

All right, to put this into context, we need to do some quick math.

Wait, wait, wait. Don't run.

I promise, the math won't be so bad. Deep breath, let's get it.

First, there are near eight billion people roaming the face of this earth. And, sure, it is possible to meet someone new each and every day. But what about someone who will change your life, huh? Meeting a person like this would take some remarkable odds. One divided by eight billion. That's a very small number. So, then, how'd I meet Alice?

About that...

That morning was a chilly one. Not as chilly as my future funeral, but chily enough to warrant the protection of my bomber jacket, a knit hat and my treasured gloves. About the gloves. They were especially special because they cutaway at the highest knuckle, ideal for swiping the turnstile like a pro.

You want to talk about anxiety? The squeal of train brakes in the tunnel, people barking on your back, and you fidgeting for a wallet because your gloves suck. You'll taste wool between your teeth, whatever it takes to get to your train pass and out of this awkward situation. Just... don't do that to yourself. High school is rough enough, right? Get some cutaway gloves. Your fingertips will survive.

The train pulled into the high school station, but my khaki pants weren't going anywhere. Most of my classmates were of a similar mood. They chatted while the train exchanged flesh. As for me, I yawned to the robotic sound of "Attention! Next stop— Clearview. Doors are now closing." The motor hissed together the shields. The brakes squealed. Then, we were off. Where to exactly? Yes, Clearview. But to Smiley's.

DING-DONG!

This was easily the most popular place on Clearview before 8a.m. While other eateries fought for the lunchtime crowd, Smiley's had breakfast on lock. The moment you walked in you were enveloped in the waftings of sweet to bitter coffee beans, the buttery flavors of the fresh, warm scones, and the unending chatter and laughter of life. If none of this woke you, the latest pop jam through the speakers picked up the slack. I found a spot on line.

On my way there...

"Yo— Gray, you all right?"

"Tired man," I said.

"You coming to the game tonight?" someone yelled.

I joked, "To watch you guys lose? I don't know!"

I must've dapped up three more people before getting settled at the back of the line. It wrapped, so I could see the counter for a while, and the reason we weren't moving very fast. Rather, we weren't moving as fast as we could've been. See, during the months of frost, Alpha High School was steadfast in its dress code enforcement. Green blazers for the boys, green cardigans for the girls. Girls also had to were skirts, something no male ever complained about. Stockings were permitted. There was a cluster at the counter, desperate for the attention of one we'll call Gary.

Let me be clear, our names were similar, but we couldn't have been more opposites. Leave it there, all right? I mean it. Or you can forget it. No more story. That guy... Grrr!

He was older, in the most annoying way. The slight scruff on his face gave him the kind of ruggedness all girls find attractive. You know the kind of guy I'm talking about. While I was wearing a wool hat to keep my skull warm, he wore his for fashion. Bleh! I wanted to vomit at the sight of him. My fellow men growled to watch him fend off the throngs of batting eyelashes and giggles. I lost my nerve, I shouted, "HEY, PRETTY BOY!"

Gary cringed.

"Oh, no... What's up, Gray?"

"DON'T 'WHAT'S UP' ME! SOME OF US WANT COFFEE, TOO!"

What I got for my troubles were death glares from the girls and a resounding roar from the guys. Neither phased me. I wanted coffee. But the prospect grew bleaker with every person peeling off the line. The jitters of late. Finally, I broke away, too. Gary saw this, of course.

"Gray, where you going?" he said, pouring someone else's cup. 

"Ah, forget it. You're taking too long, Gary."

"Suit yourself."

"'Suit yourself'," I mumbled, childishly. My palms shoved the door to leave.

The sudden shift in temperature forced my fingers to my collar. A heavy breath pushed a large cloud of white from my lips. Campus was south where I looked. Determined to put the time I wasn't wasting on line to use, I went north. Deeper into the neighborhood. Over by an area I never knew existed. With good reason. 

The grove of nude trees gave way to iron fencing and the ghastly field of graves. I stopped to take in the image. Too many to count. I heard someone say on the news some time ago, there were more people buried in this part of the city than living. Tell me that doesn't depress you. Sure depressed me. I'd be fair to wonder why I entered. I suppose, I was that desperate to clear my head.

A bridge appeared. Small and curved. The stone structure connected two sides of the cemetery and would take me back toward Alpha if I crossed it. I wanted a different scenery on the return trip, so that was fine.

My legs stopped at the bridge maxima. A small river ran beneath my leather shoes. As I stood lost to a silence, an image came into my periphery. More leather shoes. The stockings of an Alpha student. Can you blame me for thinking one of my classmates followed me? I turned. That was the first time I saw her. Immediately, I noticed the chestnut hair. On this particular day, she decided on a ponytail hairstyle.

Her slender frame fit the sleeves of a jacket much too thin for this brisk month. Still, all she needed to do was pocket her hands and enough warmth found her. She nibbled an ashen coin, something she also pocketed when her glassy eyes noticed the hem of my khakis. It didn't take long for her to put together the basis of our relationship.

"Those clothes," she said. "Guess that makes us classmates." Those leather feet came closer to me. A hand and smile closed the gap. "Alice Westerly. Pleasure to meet you, uh..." She waited for my reply.

"Gray," I said.

We shook.

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