Salt Pillars

Chapter 5

Jen

There was a light rain today. Light enough that Jen didn't even really notice it at first, like a subtle flaw in her vision disrupting the horizon, but overtime the street became dark and reflective with the accumulation of moisture and her clothes grew heavy with dampness and cold. Jen withdrew her hands into the sleeves of her oversized hooded sweatshirt to shield them from the chill of the morning air.

As usual, she was the only person waiting at this particular bus stop for the six o' clock bus. Unlike most days though, today she was actually early, which with the wetness and cold, was unfortunate, but she enjoyed the time to herself before all the chaos of the day began. She played with the steam of her breath and bit the ball on the circular lip ring that protruded from her bottom lip. It was a key feature in her persona as an outcast. At least that's how she liked to think of herself, others might say something different, but she didn't get bogged down in the opinions of other people.

When the bus came, she sat at a window seat on the right side, as was her ritual. At this time of day there wasn't too much competition for seating, so she usually had her pick. Today there was two other people already on the bus; an old black women sitting near the front with heavy ragged clothing, and a skinny, middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and wild eyes.

The old woman gave her a warm smile as she walked past, but she avoided looking at the man. Jen could tell if there was something off with people, and her sense told her that was the case with him. After years of riding the bus, she had developed an intuition about where not to look to avoid trouble.

The ride to school was long and gave Jen time to get caught up on assignments or read. Despite her heavy eye makeup, piercings, and multicolored red streaked hair, she was a geek at heart. She opened her book to shut out the world around her and immerse herself into the imagination of the author. It was Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. She had been on a classic's kick lately, but she particularly enjoyed his brand of satirical humor.

As the bus drove up the block from her school, she could see Joe from her window standing on the street corner waiting for her in the same spot that he always was. He looked up at the bus as it pulled in; scowling against the sun with his long bangs blowing over his eyes. He wasn't much to behold from a distance, just a scrawny boy with and oversized T-shirt that bore the logo of some heavy metal band. He looked like a stick scarecrow whose clothes might just blow away.

The sight of him was somehow reassuring to her, a constant that she could always rely on if nothing else, and it brought a smile to her face. He was pathetic but lovable. Jen walked off the bus and kept pace past Joe as he scampered to keep up with her, throwing his book bag partially over one shoulder.

"Ello Ello," he said in a mock English accent. "And how are we this fine morning?"

"Oh just bitchin'," Jen said adding emphasis with a surfer hand gesture. "Another glorious trip courtesy of metro pubic transpo."

"You're always so fowl," Joe said.

"That's why you love me," she said making a V with her fingers then flicking her tongue between it, a suggestive gesture that made Joe feel a little embarrassed, but he quickly snapped a picture with the camera hanging around his neck.

"Is that for the cover of the year book?" Jen joked.

"Nope, that one's for my personal collection, haha," Joe replied with an eyebrow raise.

"Wow creeper."

"That's why you love me," he countered. Jen raced to her locker down the corridor of wide hallways lined with faded blue lockers and reflective floors, designed to look like stone that mirrored the florescent lighting overhead. Her sneakers made punctuated squeaks with each step on the recently buffed floors while most of the other students where already clearing out for their perspective classrooms.