bad day ❁ euphoria

jules ❂ stranger danger

- summary jules is your knight in shining armour from a creep

- relationship not established

- m/f/a misc

- trigger warnings minor final-episode spoilers, creepy men lol

- word count 2000+

The train's doors hiss open right as you arrive, panting and struggling with your bulky suitcase while the few people around you filter closer. The wet concrete threatens to make you fall and the metal steps onto the carriage are no better but thankfully you stay upright, lugging your case onto a window seat at a table and collapsing beside it. You knew you were risking missing the train altogether and you could have easily left far earlier to be safe, but BB asked if you wanted to go out for dinner before you left and for some reason, you said yes. If you had missed this one, you would be stuck here another uncomfortable day; BB's fun, but suburbia is sickening. You're grateful to be going home.

A glance out the window presents a scene straight from a romance movie with a bitter end; a girl hangs out the doorway of the train and clasps the hand of another stood unsteadily on the platform. You can only see the arm of the girl on the train, but the other one is crying, holding the knot of hands to her heaving chest. You shift in your seat to see them better when they speak, unable to hear or read their lips but feeling the emotion. It's strong enough to stagger even without context or audio; heartbreak has never been so well displayed on a face than it is now, a mess of purple glitter and tears running rivers on the girl's skin. The other pulls away and the doors close. You crane your head to see the girl on the platform while the train eases itself away from the station, watching her hang her head and crush her face in her hands until she's less than a dot. It feels like the final chapter a fifties lesbian pulp novel cautioning women against what happens if you like other women.

You sigh and pull the hem of your skirt down to better cover your thighs, glancing at the smattering of other passengers in the fluorescent yellow strip lights, simply to look. None of them are looking back; all eyes are on the windows, excluding one young girl sat with her mother and fiddling with a coral pink 3DS. You take your eyes away from them and, as you go to look out the window, a man spots you. He feasts on you with his eyes, shameless and careless in his lust, and your skin crawls, heart leaping up into your throat when he stands. He doesn't look especially special, you wouldn't let your eyes linger on him if spotted in a crowd, but his smile clearly says he feels rather differently about you. You wish you could swap seats with your case to be further away.

"Where you off to?" He asks, smiling widely. It's a grin that exposes some teeth that aren't white but at the same time aren't yellow; it scares you how normal this man is. If he tries something - because men always seem to try something - you'll never be able to describe him.

"Just... to the city." You reply. BB somehow knows more than you about how to avoid these encounters blossoming badly (the only thing she knows more about than you) and a quick education on it last year let you know three things: one, if you don't smile, they think you're boring and won't want to talk to you; two, if you keep your answers short and indescriptive, they have less to stay around and talk about; and three, lying is advised.

"Oh yeah?" He starts to slide onto the seat across from you. You take your legs back from where they were sprawled so they don't touch his, "Coming back or getting away?"

"...Just visiting the city, seeing some family."

"Oh, that's nice. You live down here then?"

You pause, then shake your head. "It's where I changed trains, that's all."