Saint Jimmy: How I Came To Be

Chapter 10

The bus pulls into port authority... the city is much different than the suburbs. There's... so much shit everywhere...I feel a twinge of homesickness deep in my gut. No. You're stronger than this. I tell myself. I push back the tears that press behind my eyes and fight the urge I have to pull out the two pictures I have in my pocket... but the images the pictures contain flash before my eyes anyways.

The first picture, I stole from my mother... its of me, Jason, and Skylar as young kids, probably around 7 years old. The second picture is the one I used to keep hidden in my sock drawer after we separated as friends. It's of all of us, in a park, smiling and happy... the picture was taken about a month before we left for the beach.

I squint my eyes shut even harder, trying to forget what I saw, or at least put it out of my mind for the time being. I open my eyes, and that's when I see her.

Long straight blonde hair, stunning grey eyes, and full pink lips. She turns her head, everything slows down... and we make eye contact for a good couple of seconds. The she breaks eye contact and gives me a look over, and then looks away.

I narrow my eyes. What could she be thinking.

Everyone from the bus piles into the building, then fan out, going their separate ways. I decide to follow the blonde girl, she looks confident, but is probably just as lost as I am. She keeps looking around as if she can't decide where to go, then, suddenly turns around and glares at me.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

I stare at her, taken aback by her anger.

"Well?! Aren't you going to answer?"

"I.. Uh.."

"Stop stalking me!"

"I'm not stalking you!"

"Then why are you following me?!"

"I..." I decide to be honest. "I didn't know where to go... I've never been here before."

"Lemme guess, running away from home too?" She asks, rolling her eyes dramatically.

I nod... damn, there's something about her that makes me feel inferior.

"Alright..." She says, with a pensive look that reminded me of Skylar. Another pang of homesickness hits me. She presses her lips together. Then says, "Let's get something to eat... I'm hungry. Plus I have some questions."

What kind of questions...? I wonder. I follow her willingly... There's something about this girl... I can't quite put my finger on it... but... I'm drawn to her.

We enter a little café, still in port authority. We each grab the cheapest thing, a bagel. We sit down, but before I can dig in, she starts speaking.