IF I FALL - #Wattys2016

MY ONLY ESCAPE | TOM

It took me a few seconds to remember where I saw that scared puppy face until I rememberes her as that country girl I saw at the station earlier... I should have guessed she was heading here after all: her young age, her huge suitcase and the fact that she got off at the same station... Easy math, she was just another student.

"You're the guy from earlier" she said before I could even say anything.

The shocked expression on her face made me laugh. It was indeed a coincidence for us to meet again, but her exagerated expression was too much. "Glad you managed to deal with your suitcase" I answered before sitting down on the chair next to her.

"Oh.. Yeah... Sorry if I overheard your conversation by the way. I didn't mean to eavedrop or anything"

" Sure. No problem" I pulled the paper out of my pocket and started rolling a blunt before lighting it. I was so absorbed in my thing that I didn't realize the country girl was intensively looking at me rolling like it was the most captivating thing she had seen in days. What was up with her? Wasn't she about to leave or something?

"Want some?" I asked while handing her the blunt, wondering if her sudden interest in my rolling might mean that she wanted a smoke.

Instead, she looked at it with widened eyes, in shok with my offer.

"Ah... No... I don't smoke... That" she bebbled.

"That?" I laughed. Now she really sounded like a good daddy's little girl.

"I smoked a couple times a parties and all back in high school... but it never had the right effect on me"

" I guess" I answered while redirecting my attention on my blunt.

"Do you mind if I stay here?" She bluntly asked, after a few seconds of silence.

"The rooftop is not mine. You're free to stay if you want". I answered, somewhat annoyed.

To be honest, I would have rather been by myself. Not that her presence particularly bothered me or anything but I never really liked smoking with people around. Always been that way. When most of people think of weed as a social thing, I always believed it was more of a personal pleasure that I'd rather enjoy by myself. Her being there was somehow going to ruin my moment.

"I love this place. It's like the rooftop of the world" she sighed with her eyes fixed on the horizon.

I almost choked with the smoke. Who even say something like that?

"Where are you from?" I asked, curious to know what shit hole she was out from.

"Orlando" she answered with a smile.

"So what, you don't have high rise condos in Orlando or something?"

"We do... But everything seems so vast and high here that I'm just amazed at anything. I know I sound like someone who never been anywhere beforr... so don't make fun of me" she joke.

"So I guess you left because you wanted to live in a big city then?" Even though I knew Orlando would technically considered a big city, everyrhing beside New York was the countryside to me.

" You can say that" she answered while walking to the edge and leaning on the guardrail.

"So what's your story then?" I asked without trully being interested. Since I was to be stuck with her while smoking, I figured that I might as well do the regular small talk.

She turned to me with a wide smile on her lips. This girl was really weird. One minute she could look as scared as a little lamb and the other, she could smile confidently.