Chapter Text
“Hey, excuse me, this bus goes close to Como Avenue, doesn’t it?”
Violet looked over at the young woman who was talking to her. She had been standing at the bus sign trying to make sense of the awfully mapped out bus line since before Violet had got here. She had been hoping the stranger wouldn’t talk to her, but had at least some sympathy since the map truely was awful.
“It goes pretty close.” She said, “It stops at Manhattan, which means it’s about two blocks walk to Como.” She went over to the sign and traced her fingers along the route that would take her there.
“Okay, so it’ll stop there before getting to Tassle Road?”
“Mhm. That ends up right there.” Violet pointed to the stop that she herself would also get off, Tassle Road.
“Alright, thanks. I’m not really familiar with the area yet, just moved here over the summer.” She looked pretty embarrassed and gave a weak smile.
“Yeah, whatever, don’t worry about it. The bus map is terrible.”
Clementine embarrassingly smiled and nodded in agreement. She turned away from the map stood now closer to Violet, at a more appropriate place to wait.
“So, do you go here?”
“Hm?”
“To Rivers University.” Clem pointed her head towards the west campus buildings behind her.
“Oh, yeah, I do. Sophomore year. Um.. you?”
“Yeah, started this term. Barely full time though.”
“Where’d you move her from?” Violet asked after an uncomfortable silence. She knew she had waited to long to speak again, but both of them sitting there not saying anything seemed even worse. She glanced down at her phone: the bus was already 5 minutes late.
“Georgia. Someone I live with got a job opportunity out here, teaching at the college campus actually. He’s an English and History teacher.” Despite the vague details she gave, Clementine couldn’t help a proud smile on her face.
“Really?” Violet’s interest was perked, “What class is he teaching this semester?”
“The history of great literature. I’m not super into English myself, but it seems like it’s interesting. It’s about classic literature and how it became thought of as classics. He’s throwing in stuff he calls ‘the new classics’, something he and other English professors are all about now.”
“Hm, I’ve heard of them. I’m, like, an English major, so I thought I’d ask.”
“Then you’d get along with him,” Clem lightly chuckled. “I’m Clementine, by the way.”
“Violet.” She smiled slightly back as the bus screeched to a stop next to them.
The two of them climbed on as four running students behind them also pushed in. The bus wasn’t all that full, and Violet was happy to see the window seat she usually sat at was open still. She noticed that her new acquaintance took the two open seats across from her, throwing her backpack on to the one she didn’t occupy.
“I’m picking up someone from Como Middle School.” Clem texted AJ, the very someone she was picking up, about the Manhattan stop where he should meet her. She hoped that made it clear as to why she was hogging two seats. “I haven’t really taken the bus around here anywhere. My car needs to be brought in, the brake light's on.”
“That sucks.” Violet pulled out her phone, scrolling through her list of shuffled songs before finding the one she actually wanted to listen too. “I know someone who works at a car shop, maybe he could get you a deal or whatever.”
“Oh what, the Stranger Special?” Clementine joked.
Violet let out a slight laugh, her lip twitching up into a brief smile. “He’d thank me for the reference.”
“Is this stop hard to find?”
“No. There’s some middle schoolers who take this line after school. It’s pretty close.”
“He’s just kind of a nervous kid. Doesn’t like to be in new places alone.” Clem looked down with concern at her text conversation:
-Can you meet me at the Manhattan bus stop after school?
-Yea
-Do you know how to get to it?
-Yea
-How did your presentation go today?
-It was ok. I think i’ll at least get some points for the powerpoint
-Did you not finish the speech?
-My partner didnt finish the speech I winged it alright though. At least a c
-I bet you did better than that Alright we’re almost at the stop
The rest of the ride to the stop went by silently between the two women. Violet put her right ear bud in, but kept her left ear open, because maybe the new girl would want to talk to her more, it was whatever. Clementine seemed to be busy looking through some paper handouts.
The bus squeaked and pushed to a halt by the side of the road, near a local barbers and sub shop. Four middle schoolers got on, making the bus feel much more crowded than it actually was with their hollers and laughter. Behind them trailed AJ, who was holding on to the straps of his blue backpack and looking hesitantly at the driver, seeming to be trying to mimic what the kids before him were doing.
Clementine stood up and hobbled to the front of the bus, not trusting the vibrating beneath her.
“He’s with me, here, I have a pass for him.” She showed it to the driver, who gave a “Humph, alright.” and let him walk past.
“Hey goofball!” Clementine playfully pulled him close, it becoming more a shove as they couldn’t walk side by side down the thin middle isle. Which was sort of what she intended anyway.
“Eh, stop! You’re gonna make me trip.” He tried to sound annoyed but grinned to see her.
As Clementine got back she realized she had made the mistake of grabbing her own backpack off the bus seat she was saving for AJ. Someone had already took it, a man who was on the phone, seeming to be in a conversation about deadlines.
“I wanna sit by you, Clem.” AJ seemed to pick up on the situation from Clementine’s hesitation.
“You can have my side.” Violet stood up and waddled out from between the back of the seats.
“Really? You don’t have to-”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t care.” Violet sat next to the man, putting her bag on the floor.
“Thanks Violet, we really appreciate it.” Clem gave a grateful smile as AJ hopped at the window seat.
“It’s no problem.” Violet shrugged, taking out her ear bud and putting it on her left side now.
AJ glanced over at Violet then looked up at Clem to read her expression.
“AJ, this is Violet. She was helping me with the bus lines.”
Violet gave a subtle wave at the boy, who returned the gesture with a small “Hey.”
“Say thanks for giving up her seat for us.”
“It’s really not-” Violet started.
“Thanks.” He gave a bit more enthusiasm than before, throwing in a smile.
“Yeah, like I said, no problem” Violet gave a smile back.
“How long is the bus ride going to be?” AJ focused his attention back on Clementine.
“Well if you’re getting off on Tassle Road, it’s going to be around 20 minutes.” Violet had turned back to her phone, still having not chosen a song.
“That’s plenty of time for you to get started on your homework.” Clem said.
“I don’t have much homework.”
“Didn’t you have a chemistry workbook due next week?”
“Yeah,I guess.” AJ gave an annoyed sigh. He opened up his backpack and thumbed through some plastic and paper folders, some already having been creased and ripped from only the few months spent at school.
“I have readings to do too.” Clementine got out the same packet of paper she had been paging through before. Through sideways glances at the flashes of turned pages, Violet recognized it as an intro packet for a Composition class, either beginner or advance. She had the former last year and was taking the advanced one this semester.
Violet slid back into the deep purple and maroon splotched seat. She turned her music back on, falling into the rhythm of tapping the ‘next’ button to each song. Too happy. Too sad. Too loud. Too slow. To many memories… she needed to delete some of these off her phone. She felt her mind numbing out, absorbed in watching the titles and album covers flash by, the murmur and mumble of the rest of the passengers on the bus.
“Is this yours?”
A voice startled her out of her trance and she whipped her head over to her left to see Clementine reaching over across the aisle, holding a purple pin.
“Yeah,” She quickly grabbed the pin out of her hand. “It must have fallen off my backpack. The back is kinda loose.” She slipped it into her jean jacket pocket.
“AJ found it on the ground and since you were here last,” Clem gave a friendly nod.
“Thanks.” Violet ran her fingers over the face of the pin in her pocket. Memories of her sister giving it to her in high school after a trip to the mall. She said it was free at a booth there, but Violet knew she must have bought it, truly a grand gesture based on the meger salary of high school kids. She tried to forget most of high school, but thought the pin was cool enough to keep, especially since it was an important gesture from her sister.
“It’s a cool pin.” AJ was craning his neck over to look. “I like the design. I want to make pins and stuff of my own art. Posters or something.”
“You’re an artist?” Violet asked.
“Yeah! I take a whole bunch of art classes! And have a lot of books about drawing.” AJ beamed over at Violet.
“He’s really good at it!” Clementine added, looking equally as excited.
“That’s cool. You should keep working on it, talents like that can get you far.” Violet replied. “Or chemistry. But it’s not as fun.”
AJ snickered “That’s true.” He reluctantly turned back to the booklet he was working on, filling out equations.
The bus wheezed and lurched to a stop. Violet stood up, grabbing her bag. She pointed her head at the exit of the bus when Clementine and AJ looked up at her movement. “Tassle Road. If that’s where your stop is.”
“You get out here too?” Clem stood and helped gather AJ’s stray papers as a two people walked past them off the stop.
“Yeah, I share an apartment here. Down the road.” The three of them exited the bus into the light breeze of fall, leaves spinning to the ground.
“We’re on the opposite side, at a duplex rental house.” Clem pointed across and further down the road.
“Good luck with rentals around here. Some friends of mine live in one, they say the landlord is a piece of shit.”
“I imagine the landlord’s a piece of shit to a bunch of partying college kids, not so much to a professor.”
“Heh, that’s probably true.” Violet couldn’t help a grin, remembering the last noise complaint. It was 4 days ago.
“Well, thanks for the navigation help, Violet. I owe you one.” Clem smiled she stuck out her hand.
“Yeah, I was going this way anyway so,” Violet shrugged, but took up her hand.
Clem tried to play it off casually, but knew her hand must have felt sweaty to the other student. Both were overly conscious of their hands touching. Even for those quick seconds, feeling a stranger’s skin was always overly intimate for Violet, even if this stranger was more of an acquaintance now.
“Maybe when my car gets fixed I can give you a ride. It’s a lot shorter than taking the bus. Way better for the winter.”
“Yeah, maybe. I guess until then you’re stuck on the bus, huh?” Violet asked.
“Seems like it.” Clem replied. She saw AJ’s shoulders slouch. “It’s better for the planet anyway. See you around.” She waved at Violet as started walking down the sidewalk.
“See ya.” Violet turned to walk the other way. She heard Clementine talking to AJ about something that was out of earshot before she put both her earbuds in and listened to whatever was on.
_________________
Clementine fumbled with the duplex keys, her fingers not wanting to leave her warm pockets. The lights were on, but she knew Lee wasn’t home. Both of them would leave the lights on when the house was empty. You can never be too careful. She looked at the oven clock. 4:00.
“What do you want for dinner, goofball? Sandwiches again?” Clementine absentmindedly shuffled through the mail left on the table. Most of it junk.
“I told you I don’t like when you call me that. It’s stupid.” AJ was looking in the fridge. Even though the three of them haven’t been here long, there was already some of AJ’s drawing hanging by magnets.
“Okay, what do you want for dinner, little shit?” Clementine poked him in the ribs as AJ laughed. She swooped over him and grabbed some lunch meat out of the fridge.
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Violet scanned her ID card into the ancient building that was the student apartments. Being well into autumn it barely felt warmer in the poorly insulated hallways. One of the many things she hated about living here. As she stopped before her door, she noticed the light leaking through the bottom of the door. With a disgruntled sigh she braced herself before opening the door.
“Hey Violet!” Brody was standing in her bedrooms doorway, having heard her reluctant roommate come in. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out to go with me and the guys to Phat’s tonight. It’s Thursday, they have the four dollar mules tonight.” She put on a persuasive grin.
“I’m probably just going to stay here tonight. I have a lot of shit to study.” Violet had a trajectory to her room, lobbing her backpack into her dark room aiming for her bed with the light filtering in from the kitchen/living room area. It bounced off and thumped to the ground.
“Alright….. If ya’ sure….” Brody’s voice hung with disappointment and concern, chest fallen. She gathered up her keys, phone, pass card, and wallet in a small pleather handbag detailed with yellow and red thread. Although it was only 4:30, it took fifteen minutes to walk to the guys’ rental and another thirty to get to Phat’s Pub, assuming the group made good time, which was unlikely.
Brody was at the door, her lips seconds away from saying her goodbye. Violet stared into her dark room, picturing her sitting there for the rest of the night, eating leftover rice if she was lucky it wasn’t moldy yet, typing up homework on her laptop for the next three hours before getting lost in stupid videos on Youtube.
“Wait.” She caught Brody’s wide eyes. “I’ll go with you guys tonight.”
“Really?” Brody perked up.
“Yeah, you shouldn’t walk there alone anyway, since it gets dark so fast now.” Violet shrugged, using her grabbing her keys and wallet from her bedroom as an excuse to break eye contact.
“This is gonna be super fun! We really don’t get out enough together!” Brody pulled on her thicker vest for the outdoor weather and locked the door behind them.
“Louis is taking composition one isn’t he?”
“Yeah, I think so. I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it if you ask him.” Brody playfully rolled her eyes. “Why?”
“I was just wondering if he knew if someone was in his class.”
“He probably knows everyone in that class.”
The two women briskly jogged down the creaking stairs and out into the slightly colder fall day. They kept up a quick pace along the boulevards that crunched with orange and brown leaves, seeing stray people occasionally running in and out of group houses and apartments. They kept pace with each other, but stepped in silence.
“I’m glad you’re coming with.” Brody said. “We missed seeing you.”
“Shit Brody, you make it sound like I’ve died.” Violet scoffed.
“Sorry! It’s just… we’re all sorry for what happened with you and Minnie last year.”
“Yeah, it’s whatever.” Violet sunk her face into her jacket collar. She knew she’d answered with too much malice in her voice but didn’t bother to correct her tone. Brody looked back down at her shoes. The two walked silently again, accompanied by the occasional chitter of squirrels and gust of passing buses and cars.