Let Me Choose

ONE

My mind was still reeling from yesterdays announcement that soul mates were real and it is a part of our shared destiny to meet them. Up until then I had considered myself a realist, that true love was something unattainable, a total crock of shit that us as human beings had conjured up to ensure the continuation of our race. I didn't care what the Prime Minister had said I would choose my own destiny and if I were foolish enough to fall in love I would choose who it would be with.

"Max are you coming or not?" said Annie my housemate.

"I'm coming; I'm coming chill."

"I told Sam I'd meet him and Tom at the games room at nine. Its 20 past already so hurry up!" said Annie shouting up the stairs for the second time.

Running down the narrow steps in our small yet cosy house I made it to where the girls were waiting.

"I see you've changed your hair again," I said whilst pulling on my shoe with enough gusto I was surprised my foot didn't fall through the other end of my ratted old vans. My beloved SK8-HI slim vans had gotten me through tough times and I wasn't about to give up on them because of a few holes and stains.

"Are you really going to wear them out?" said Lily my other flatmate her eyes filling with disgust.

"Not everyone can afford 3 billion pairs of dm's like some people." said Annie looking down at her equally damaged pink converse.

"Oh fuck off I have like five. Six max." said Lily pulling on her bag strap, a sign she was ready to leave.

"Guys what if I...if I meet my soul mate tonight." said Scarlett, my final house mate fiddling with the sleeve of her jacket.

Inwardly sighing I tried not to lash out and say something to upset sweet Scarlett.

"Scar, how many times have you been to town and not found him so why should tonight be any different. And anyway if you ask me its all total bullshit." I said as I linked arms with Scarlett on our way to the bus stop.

"But nobody asked you. said Annie as she pinched my bum and ran on ahead.

"BITCH!" I shouted.

"Don't listen to Mrs. Snarky over here Scar, you'll find him." said Lily running a comforting hand down her arm. I watched as she comforted our friend, I felt awkward as I was unable to give the comfort she sought.

As we sat on the bus into town I looked outside the window. Like every time we rode the bus together we found seats at the top of the bus that overlooked the small campus town that we lived in. The narrow winding roads barely able to fit one bus, which often led to what we called the 'the bus driver brawls'. It was a common occurrence here, a few fights a week. They were often disbanded before any police arrived and everything went back to the way it was before. Like throwing a rock into a river, the water keeps on flowing around it not even registering that the rock had tried to disrupts its natural flow. A stench had slowly been making its way to the front end of the bus where we were sat, it crawled over chairs and up our clothes to our noses and I just knew someone had been sick.

"Got to fuckin' love uni." I said, my voice muffled as I covered my mouth and nose with my jacket sleeve.

Annie trying not to retch was laughable, Lily had her unicorn hair wrapped over the lower part of her face trying to prevent the smell from reaching her, she was failing tremendously. As I looked over to see how Scarlett was dealing with the smell all I saw was an empty chair. She had wandered off, probably to find the idiot who had spewed. Thankfully we had arrived in town and we all dashed off the bus as quick as possible, waiting beside it for Scarlett both me and Annie ever so dramatically tried to rid the smell of sick from our noses.