One (Sarah Crossan)

Train Ride

We are tired of getting rides

to school and back again every day

so we take the train home

with Jon

and pretend we can’t hear all the words around us

like little waspy stings.

‘I bet celebrities don’t even have it this bad,’ Jon says.

‘I can’t imagine what it must be like

for you.’

‘It’s like that,’ Tippi tells him

and points at

a woman across the aisle with a phone

aimed at us like a sniper rifle.

‘Want me to say something?’

he asks.

‘No,’ I say quickly

because

I do not want a scene

and

I definitely do not want

Jon to save us.