Fragile Heart

Runaway

Alex used a map of the area and a bus book to get to the bus station, like her brother taught her, keeping an eye out for the street signs. It took three buses to get there, taking about almost an hour and a half. The last bus stop she got off at was, thankfully, right there near the bus station.

Alex got off and looked up at the station. She took a deep breath in and blew it out slowly before making her way inside.

The place was packed with people coming and going. Alex had never been here since her uncle had always driven up to New York to pick her up. She had seen it in movies, at least. Hopefully, that would help a little.

She got in line behind several adults to wait her turn.

Once she had gotten to the last bus stop, Alex put away the map and bus book and took out The Rock. Or she almost did. Since Alex was doing this on her own, she wanted to look adult and adults did not carry around toys. So, she stuffed him right back inside her backpack.

But scanning around the busy station at the dozens of strangers coming and going kind of made her nervous. Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking only of her brother. Jess wasn't afraid of anything, so why should she?

Every few minutes, voices would come on over the loudspeaker, like at school, but to inform people of bus arrivals. Alex kept her ears open in case they mention Stars Hollow or Connecticut. So far, nothing.

Then worry set in. What if there wasn't a bus to Connecticut that day? Is that how it works?

Alex leaned to the side to peer over at the lit-up ticker board and scanned it for Connecticut or Stars Hollow. Hartford and New Haven were up there. She knew from school that Hartford was the capital of Connecticut, but she didn't see Stars Hollow. How far away was Hartford from Stars Hollow? Would she have to go there and switch to a local bus?

Alex continually wiped her palms along her khaki shorts.

What seemed to go on forever, the line moved along until it was finally her turn. People in New York usually kept to themselves, so no one paid the unsupervised kid no mind. But once she got up to the window where the unshaven middle age guy was standing behind, her luck ran out.

When it was her turn, Alex had to take another deep breath and force herself to walk up there. It was hard enough asking a teacher for help with her homework. This was a total stranger who smelled of cigarettes and body odor that physically made her stop in her tracks.

The guy snapped at her to "Hurry the heck up. We don't got all day!"

Alex flinched before hurrying the rest of the way.

"What do ya want, kid?" The man asked once he realized she was a child.

At first, Alex could only stare up at him with her mouth hanging open.

"The restrooms are back that a way," he motioned his scruffy chin towards his right. His voice sounded deep and scratchy from years of smoking. 

Alex looked in that direction, but turned back to the man. She was finding it hard to control her heart racing in her chest and wondered if a kid can have a heart attack like adults have on those doctor shows Liz sometimes watched.

She tried to speak but her stuttering kicked in.

"Where are your parents?" The guy demanded, annoyed, that it seemed like Alex was only wasting his time. "I don't got time for this." He tried to shoo her away like a stray animal begging for food when Alex suddenly blurted out, "I'm trying to get to Stars Hollow, in Connecticut!"