Woolfish

I thought this would be a good piece to start with. I wrote this for a summer writing class I did last May. My final project that had ‘Desire’ as the theme. Here was my interpretation of it.

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Adam loathed commuting to and from his college. He lived very far from the school and the journey in between would remind him of the distance frequently. In order to get to class on time, Adam had to be up at 4AM sharp in order to beat the traffic going to the train station. What added to the boy’s ire was that he had to ride the train all the way to the end of the line to get to his destination. Throw in some insensitive commuters and you have got one surly boy on his way to class.

This particular day for commuting was no different for Adam. As usual, he stood waiting impatiently for the train to arrive. The weather was ungodly; humid to the point that the boy would think his clothes might melt off his own body. The platform reeked of human sweat and oil from the fried food that was being sold in the station. Adam tapped his foot on the concrete floor and adjusted his bag strap, praying that the train would come chugging down the track right at that instant.

“Hey! Watch it!”

Instead of Adam’s prayer being answered, a man had bumped into the boy’s shoulder while the former was making his way to the other side of the platform. Adam rubbed his sore part while glaring at the commuter who ran into him.

The guilty party just shrugged. “Sorry, man,” he said, and then went on his way. This brief example of apathy irritated Adam even more. But before he could project his frustration on an innocent bystander, the train appeared. The boy took a sharp intake of breath and trudged on until he got inside of the car. Luckily, he was able to find an empty seat. This brightened his mood for a moment.

Hello tedious train ride… Adam thought wryly while looking out the train window. He watched the scenery pass by to quell his boredom. Trees, cars, and buildings became blurs of color as the train zipped past them. By the time they reached the third stop, Adam grew tired of watching the view and shifted his attention to the people in the train car with him.

The boy was about to make a sardonic remark about his appalling situation under his breath when the loud clang of train door distracted him. He felt compelled to turn his head and see who was about to board the train. One passenger, however, caught his eye.

It was a girl about his age. She had long, curly brown hair tied in a messy knot, and she wore black-rimmed glasses with a square frame that magnified her gray eyes. Her top and skirt were very eye-catching too: a yellow orange tie-dyed tank top and a deep red bohemic skirt that came down to her ankles. The girl’s canvas sandals came into Adam’s vision clearly, and he realized that she was already standing in front of him. He looked up at her and gulped.

“Mind if I sit there?” She pointed at an empty spot beside the awestruck boy.

“No… Wait, I mean yes!” Adam slapped his palm to his forehead. “I mean, sure, you can sit here.” The girl chuckled as she sat down. Adam groaned inwardly.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Don’t mention it.”

He wanted to say something, anything to keep her attention on him. All he could think of so far was to keep on talking to her. Adam cleared his throat and the girl glanced his way.

All that came out of his mouth was, “Uh, so…” which sounded very suave to him… not.

Adam could see the girl’s shoulders were shaking from attempting to hold laughter in.

“Pffffft, smooth.”

“Um, thanks?” Adam shrugged.

The girl finally let her laughter out, disrupting the other passengers around her. She paid no mind to their disapproving stares and extended a hand to Adam.

“My name’s Mackenzie. But people call me ‘Mac,’” The boy took it and wondered if his own hand was cold to touch. Mackenzie didn’t seem to mind though. “And, you are?”

“A-Adam. My name is Adam.” The pair shook hands and it gave Adam the guilty pleasure of touching her.

“Uhh, and we’re done with that.” The boy looked down to see that he was still holding her hand. He had to let go – albeit reluctantly – or Mackenzie would’ve thought that Adam was some kind of maniac.

“Oh, sorry! I-I was—“

“You’re so edgy! Relax, it’s fine.” The girl laughed and squeezed his hand. The friendly gesture made him even more nervous than before. “Adam, where’s your stop?”

“At the very end of the line.” There was an odd feeling of loss when Adam retrieved his hand back and settled it on one of his bag straps.

“And you take this route everyday?”

“Pretty much.”

Mackenzie made sympathetic noises and patted Adam’s shoulder. “You poor thing! You must be bored stiff every time you’re here.”

When he nodded, the girl grinned and started to search fervently in her messenger bag for something. Adam looked on, curious at what she was looking for.

When she gazed up from the bag, her eyebrows were scrunched up and worry flushed over her features. She stood up suddenly and yelled, “DAMN IT! I LEFT MY SKETCHBOOK!”

Adam also stood up because of the girl’s outburst. “Why? What do you need it for?”

“Besides for class later – crap, my professor’s going to incarcerate me – I wanted to draw you–” While Adam and the girl were distracted, two people from the other side of the train swooped in and claimed their seats.

“Hey! Get out of there, bastards!”

“Mac, just leave them alone.” The boy went to the railing and grabbed it to steady himself.

“But we were there first!” Mackenzie joined him, grabbing the bar angrily. “No manners at all… Wow, you’re tall.”

Adam was about to retort with “Wow, that rhymed,” when he realized she was standing so close to him. He peered down at her, reveling in the fact that he can see her entire face at such close proximity.

“You know, what you –OOF!” The boy never had the chance to say what he had in mind because the train stopped dead in its tracks, which made Mackenzie crash into him, her arms draped over his shoulders in a vain attempt to keep her balance. .

“Stupid train,” she muttered into his chest. “Errr, you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Adam coughed while trying to steady her. “I got the wind knocked right out of me, but I’m fine.”

“What? I’m not that heavy am I?”

“No, you’re not. I just,” He tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear. “I’m just glad to see that you’re not hurt.”

“Well, that’s just… Oh.” Mackenzie mumbled while pulling away from the boy. She was about to grab the railing above her when the train car jostled again. “Stupid—“

“Train. Yeah, I know,” Adam ended up pulling the girl closer to him in order for her not to lose her balance again. “This train is so… I just did it again, didn’t I?” To the boy’s relief, the train was moving a bit smoother now. Mackenzie relaxed in his arms and chuckled.

“Yeah. I never knew you were so ‘touchy-feely’.”

“Hey! I am no—“

“Adam, don’t worry about it. It’s okay.” No matter how much she reassured him, Adam couldn’t help but worry. He felt torn about holding this girl in his arms. He never knew that guilt could be lumped in together with contentment at the same time.

For the next stops, neither one of them spoke. They stood in comfortable silence and the two didn’t notice the nonexistent distance between them. Mackenzie wasn’t holding on to Adam anymore. However, she was still standing close to him.

A childish part inside him didn’t want the train ride to end. He wanted to know more about Mackenzie; talk to her more, hear her laugh, and hold her. The thought of getting to class in time was far from his mind now.

“Ahh, this is my stop.” What she said brought him out of his daze. No, Adam didn’t want to lose her now. He grabbed his bag and followed her out onto the platform.

“Adam? This isn’t your stop…”

“I know! I just…” The boy was at a loss. It looked pathetic if he followed her around like a puppy. But it was now or never. Taking a breath of resolve, he said, “Can I see you again?”

“Well,” She smiled at him. “We do have the same route…” Right there and then, Adam knew he was hooked.