FRICTION

Ch. 14: A Fool's Errand

-Eric-

There was a certain solitude to waiting.

It was a suffocating stasis of being, thoughts languidly swirling around within a sealed echo chamber. I tried to focus on the loudness of the city, of passing cars and distant voices, but it all seemed to dull into the background. There was only static and the sound of my own building impatience... like a thudding against the side of my cranium.

I sat by the bus stop, restlessly over-thinking on the faded, dark grey bench beneath me. My hands pressed down against the cold metal seat, fingers gliding across the small ridges that spanned across the base before they settled on my lap once more.

I'd tried texting Jaqueline about it, but she hadn't replied yet, likely busy with work.

Against my better judgment, I kept replaying my conversation with Shawn in my head, as if that would unlock something. I hadn't necessarily meant to take what he said to heart, but seeing the disinterest in his eyes even as he disagreed with me had... flipped some kind of switch. It was just frustrating.

He acted like I was wrong for caring, like we were talking about something trivial like an overdue parking ticket and not someone's rights. And why even bring up that specific case? God, what an asshole.

I couldn't help but wonder where he stood. What he thought about it, outside of trying to prove I didn't know enough about any of this. All I could do was sit here and distractedly wait for the next bus, unable to shake the feeling that this was merely the consequences of my own actions. Another fool's errand for the fucking fool.

And sure, I knew it was probably dramatic of me to complain about something so simple, but it wasn't even about that.

It was the principal of the thing.

I'd offered to help with something around the office, but he clearly thought I wasn't smart enough to handle even the simplest of tasks. Even now, I could feel him looking down on me.

And yet, the moment I found myself getting upset, a single thought would inevitably find its way to the forefront of my mind: I was the one imposing on this jerk's workplace. I had been warned to stay away, and I'd allowed myself to be swayed by a stranger's offer.

All for what?

I called Mason's phone upon checking the time, noticing it was around the time his class ended. I'd tried calling him before, but it kept going to voicemail. So, I wasn't really holding my breath.

I was surprised when he actually answered this time.

"Mason," I breathed out. "Dude, finally."

"Yeah?" Mason asked, his voice a bit distant and muffled. He was likely heading home from class then, using those shitty headphones with the lousy microphone that he clung onto because he refused to buy a new one until they physically disintegrated. "Sorry, class just ended. What's wrong?"

I sighed. "I want to quit, dude."

Mason scoffed. "Uni? Just hold out... this is our last year anyways."

"No, no... I want to quit this stupid job," I elaborated, nodding my head in greeting as a couple strolled by whilst walking their tiny dog.

There was a brief pause, followed by a confused snort. His voice got even more distant, though louder in his surprise. "When the hell did you get a new job?"