Speed ➢ harry styles

Ch. 8 ~ Queens Station

The Queens Plaza station was hectic at this hour. It was six pm and all sorts of people rushed by, some bearing the expression of sheer exhaustion as they hopped on their trains, desperately seeking the comforts of their homes after a tiresome day at work. Mothers held the hands of their children as they cautiously navigated through the crowd. I stood waiting for Leo to return with our tickets. The plan was to board Anella's train in hopes of finding her. I was wearing a trucker cap and yet another fake mustache. Leo had laughed at my awkward get up but he assured me it'd work against recognition because I looked just like his uncle Robert from Missouri. I didn't know whether or not that was a compliment.

"Here you go uncle Robert," Leo chuckled handing me my ticket. 

"Be a good nephew and tell me which train we're taking?"

"Uncle, I'm pretty sure it's that one." Leo pointed out at a train.

"You're pretty sure? I need you to be completely sure. Go ask that ol' stranger yonder which train we're supposed to take." I said with a bad rendition of a Southern accent.

Leo shook his head. "That's not even how he talks." he told me before walking over to a man in a beige trench-coat. He returned and muttered, "Someone was being a bit too cranky."

"Did he tell you which train?"

"Nah forget him. I already know which train. It's not the one I pointed out earlier. It's the one that's gonna arrive at that track over there. Or as you like to put it 'over yonder'." I looked over at the track to see a group of people awaiting their train's arrival.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." 

I wondered if Anella was among the crowd of people surrounding the track. I peered at my watch. It was 6:25. Momentarily the train would arrive and Leo and I would board it and so will Anella. We'll be on the same train for the entire thirty minute journey. Judging by the size of the the crowd near the designated track, I worried that I'd never spot her. It'd be impossible, wouldn't it? 

"What's on your mind?"

"Oh nothing. I'm just wondering if we'll actually be able spot her in all this hustle bustle."

"Maybe you will. Don't fret. It's only your second day here and look at you already piecing shit together and finding clues. Are you a boyband member or a detective? Or is it a little bit of both?" 

I grinned. "Just a boyband member. I'm also your uncle from Missouri and I'm telling your parents you just swore." I joked as I adjusted my cap. 

Leo laughed. "Damn it uncle I'm really fucking sorry, okay? Don't tell on me. Shit, I swore again. I'm so fucking sorry." He murmured sarcastically. A woman overheard Leo swearing and shot him a dirty look as she covered her young son's ears.

Soon enough a voice on the intercom announced that all passengers of the 6:40 pm train to Atlantic terminal should approach the designated track. The train had arrived and Leo and I got in the queue to board it. 

"I don't even know what she looks like, how am I gonna help you spot her?" Leo asked. I showed him the picture on my phone. "Wow isn't she pretty?" he elbowed me amusingly. 

"Yeah,she sure is." I said softly. When we finally boarded our train I looked out the window at the other passengers still waiting. I didn't spot Anella anywhere. I began to feel apprehensive, but I had to fight it. I'd have to spot Anella in this horde of people. It felt like a complex game of Where's Waldo only I doubted that Anella was wearing a red and white striped shirt and hat. Eventually everyone boarded and the train took off. "I don't see her and I don't know if I should walk around and check the aisles. Should I, or is that too creepy?"

"I'll go walk around a bit and tell you if I see her anywhere."

"Sounds good, thanks Leo." I watched him get up and slowly disappear onto the next car. He didn't return for about ten minutes. When he'd returned he was beaming. "What is it? You saw her?"

He shook his head. "No but there's a really cute girl sitting a few cars away. You should go talk to her. Best part is she's sitting by herself. No guy with her."

I shook my head. "Oh come on Leo that's not what we're here for. If I wanted to meet other girls I'd just went to a nightclub with you or something." 

He shrugged. "Suit yourself, she was not only cute, she was also intelligent. Two for the price of one."

"How can you just look at someone and determine their intelligence?" 

"She had a textbook in her lap. It was sociology or something. She was making those little things we used to make in school. What's it called? You know the diagram with two circles overlapping slightly."

"A Venn diagram?"

"Oh yeah! That." 

"Wait a second."

"What?!"

"A Venn diagram? She was making a Venn diagram?"

"Yeah I just told you she was. What are you trying to get at?"

"Look." I pulled out Anella's Venn diagram. 

"Let me see that." Leo grabbed the sheet from me. "Well just because Anella made a Venn diagram before doesn't mean that girl I saw was her."

"Anella once told me she wanted to be a social worker or therapist. So in order to become a social worker you need to take sociology." 

"She didn't look like the girl in the picture though, but then again she did. Wait let me see the picture again." I showed it to him. "Well, the girl has the same eye color and hair color...fuck! It never registered in my mind once. She was wearing a hoodie and I just-she didn't look like..."

"Don't waste time I need you to tell me where you saw her sitting." Before I knew it though the train stopped. We'd reached Atlantic terminal. "Damn it!" People got up from their seats and everyone tried to nudged past. 

"Harry! Look over there. I see her."

"You do?! Where?"

"The girl in the navy blue hoodie. She's carrying a book bag. Right there next to the door over there!" Then I saw her. He was right. It was Anella and I watched as she exited the train. She was almost unrecognizable with her hood hiding her face, but when I did see her face it was no doubt that it was her. She looked pretty as usual.

I struggled to nudge past the crowd. I didn't want to push anyone but I struggled to make the old woman in front of me budge. She was blocking the exit because she was too busy rummaging through her purse for something. I think she was hard of hearing. 

"Ma'am can you please move?" I watched Anella step out of the train and begin to walk away. "NO!" I yelled a little too loud. People glanced at me in annoyance. At last, I'd exited the train but I couldn't see her. She had disappeared into the crowd. I scanned the entire terminal for any sign of a navy blue hoodie. "FUCK!" I wasn't one to curse very often but at this moment I was terribly frustrated. I clenched my fists and kicked the nearest thing, which in my case was a trash bin. Oh and let me tell you, it really fucking hurt. I grabbed my foot and winced in pain. 

 Leo caught up with me."Whoa Harry you alright? I need you to calm down. Come on dude we can still find her. It's fine."

"NO! LEO IT IS NOT FINE." I shrieked but then lowered my tone as passersby gave me looks. "Leo, it's not fine. It's not fine at all. We had a good chance at this and I fucking blew it. I couldn't move in that crowd. I just let her pass me by!"

"Harry, listen dude, sit down for a minute. She's probably still around here I'll go take a look. Don't be hard on yourself. Just breathe, okay?" I nodded and watched as he disappeared into the crowd. I took his advice and took a seat on the nearest bench. Leo returned after ten minutes. He shook his head sadly and took a seat next to me.

"I couldn't find her, dude. I asked around and no one knew. Harry I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. After all if it wasn't for your help, I'd never come this far. The good thing is we spotted her and we're on the right track." I was calmer now. There was no use brooding about what happened. It just made me feel better to know Anella was alive, and not lying in the bottom of the Hudson River.