Project: Socialize (Chapters 1-197)

197. To the Shopping Mall

What I had originally intended to be a solo trip now became a group thing, one where everybody in the club went on. There's me obviously, and then there's Muria, Irina, Luna, Erith, Loyd, Noah, and Zaksus, which added up to form a group of eight. Within this group, there were also subgroups as well, with Irina being with Muria, Luna being with Erith, and Loyd, Noah, and Zaksus being grouped together. Those were the main groupings in our overall group and the people that each person would engage in conversation the most with. As for me, I'm just simply walking near the end of the pack, worried about what would come of this "simple" trip.

The eight of us entered the train station and followed after the lead of Erith, who volunteered to take us to the place where she and Luna shopped. To be honest, I feel like having a guide as to where to shop is a good thing as I am unfamiliar with women's clothing and having someone experienced in shopping like her would really come in handy. However, that still did not cut out the worrying aspect of my mental state.

The train station was relatively calm and spacious as there were still a few hours until rush hour, but there was still a fair share of people in the train station, mostly the retired elderly who were headed out to buy groceries and such, but there were also people that were younger dressed in office clothing. Those I believe were either salespeople who are out running sales or people going to or from a job interview in search of a job. However, when compared to the most packed time of day, the station was still fairly spacious. Therefore, we were able to walk at a slow and leisurely pace through the not-so-empty and yet empty station. There were no lines at the ticket gates so each of us was able to pass through without much trouble. Then came the ride down the escalator to the subway platforms and once there, we waited about on the platforms for the metro to arrive.

The underground platform was illuminated by a cold lighting overhead, making sure that every corner of the platforms was visibly illuminated. The addition of the numerous safety signs and direction signs that was up against the wall or hanging from the ceiling, when combined with the advertisement monitors against the wall as well as the television monitor built into the wall and was protected by a protective see-through plastic cover, really gave the underground concrete enclosure a stroke of color. Nearby, the vending machines hummed as it kept its merchandise at the right temperature and occasionally came the in-station broadcast announcing the arrival of trains and repeated the safety warnings in regards to where to stand and such.

I stood near the edge of the platform, gazing down the dark tunnel while the others went about doing their own thing in the meantime. Loyd, Noah, and Zaksus were sitting on the benches up against the wall, talking, while Erith, Luna, Irina, and Muria engaged in a brief conversation. By the looks of it, I could tell that Erith was the type that Muria isn't the best at, but it would appear that they're getting along just right. With everyone else comfortable and waiting for the soon arrival of the metro train, I simply stood a few paces from the overall group and waited.

What do I say when I don't know about something? I asked myself as I nervously fidgeted with my fingers. 

With a sense of anxiety, I reached my hand into my school bag that I wore on my shoulder like a purse and checked the time on my phone in order to have something to occupy my mind with. After seeing that it was 3:42 PM, I released the device from my hands and allowed it to slip back into the bag in a compartment that is separated from my notebooks and other school-related materials.

A sudden gush of wind accompanied by the sound of a metro train running on the tracks and braking blew in from the tunnels, signaling to me the arrival of the metro train. Like expected, the in-station broadcast announced the arrival of the train, and soon, the headlights of the train appeared in the dark tunnels. The train soon emerged from the dark concrete tunnels and came to a smooth stop before us at this station. The doors opened up, allowing those who wanted to exit get off and allowed those who wanted to enter board the train. I followed after the others and entered the same train car as them, and due to the time of day, there were plenty of seats available in the train car and each of us were able to sit down.