Station 429

the night of nathan and dustin

the night of nathan and dustin

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As Colleen was walking to the station the next Friday, Misty caught her at the perfect moment. Colleen wasn't used to walking in with someone else, so she felt a little uncomfortable with the change. Then again, she had felt a little uncomfortable around Misty in general, but tried to give her the benefit of the doubt this time.

"Hey Colleen," she said kindly. She was dressed in a gray pea coat, tied at the waist, and blue jeans. She almost blended in with the overcast sky.

"Hey," Colleen said. They walked in silence for a bit, because Colleen didn't know what exactly to say to her, until Colleen noticed Misty's eyebrow piercing. "Did that hurt?"

Misty looked confused. "Did what hurt?"

"Your eyebrow piercing."

"Oh." She smiled a little. "I'd like to act tough and say no, but yeah, it hurt like a bitch." Colleen raised her eyebrows, slightly taken aback. "What?" Misty asked.

"Nothing," Colleen said.

"Come on, say it," Misty teased.

"I just didn't expect curse words to be a part of your vocabulary, I guess."

Misty gave a close lipped smile again. "That's what everyone says."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I like that people get that impression from me, though. It gives me a chance to surprise people. Or totally throw them off guard. That's always fun." That made Colleen smile—she could respect that. "It also gives me a chance to share my favorite life lesson ever."

"What's that?"

They had reached the entrance then, and Misty paused to look at Colleen before entering. "That everything is not as it seems."

If Colleen knew only one thing about Station 429, it would be that it never ceased to surprise her.

The two girls began their trek through the rocks to get down to the train, where Foster was patiently waiting. "You two are late," he said once they got within ear shot.

"Actually, you're early," Misty threw back, then gave him a smile and a pat on the shoulder before stepping inside the train.

He stuck his tongue out at her playfully, then turned back to face Colleen. "You are especially late," he said.

"Misty and I got here at the same time," she said.

"Exactly." Colleen made a face at him, wanting more explanation. "You usually get here before her, and everyone else for that matter."

"What, did you miss me?"

"What if I say yes?"

"Then my suspicions would be confirmed."

"And what are those suspicions?"

Colleen took a step closer to Foster, probably to add dramatic emphasis that, for anyone else, would be unnecessary, but it was Colleen talking here. "That you have a crush on me."

Foster hardly seemed thrown off his game. "I don't have a crush on you."

"I call bullshit." She stepped past him and began to climb into the train.

"Call it all you want, but it's the truth," he called after her as he followed.

Everyone else had already shown up, so Colleen sat down in a seat next to Nathan—the oldest in the group—without comment, and Foster sat down next to her. Foster leaned down close to her ear and said in a low voice, "This conversation is not over."