“Uff!” I was jarred out of my daze when I ran into something solid. My hands instantly shot out to grip the falling figure. I almost didn’t catch her because my mind was still on the devastating blow I had just been dealt. I was walking towards the bus stop, almost there in fact and had rounded a man standing in the middle of the sidewalk, talking on his phone when I had plowed into the girl.
I blinked furiously at the tears still formed in my eyes, threatening to fall. I straightened her then let her go, averting my eyes from her frame. I was about to continue to the opposite end of the bus stop to the less crowded area, when the girl grabbed hold of my shirt sleeve.
“You could say sorry you know,” came the unusually husky voice. Though an octave lower than one would hear from a woman, there was no mistaking her gender. Her voice had a bright, cheerful and musical quality to it.
I turned back to her, irritated that she was stalling me when all I wanted to do was go back to my dorm room to grieve in quiet. I was trying desperately to keep the tears at bay and worried that any minute now, I would burst into tears in public because my girlfriend had dumped me. The dumping itself was bad but even worse was that I never saw it coming. Even now, I was trying to find out how I could win her back.
“Sorry’s not going to change anything,” I grumbled, not making any effort to lose the annoyance in my voice. I pulled my arm away and took another step.
“But it sure helps when we didn’t mean to do something,” she argued.
Her voice was more annoying than anything else, I decided then. Even though she was admonishing me for my lack of manners, her tone was of a cheerful quality. I glanced up at her with a deep scowl for engaging me, when all I wanted was to be left alone.
I was surprised to find the voice belonged to a slip of a girl. She was small, no more than a couple inches over five feet. She was petite and with a bright unruly mop of long curly hair, framing her heart-shaped face. Her most outstanding feature also happened to be the one that annoyed me the most- her smile. She had lips that stretched wide and prompted dimples in both cheeks. Her green eyes twinkled with mirth.
The bright smile on her face was a slap in the face. I scowled harder then walked stalked off rudely to stand at the other side of the bus stop. I dismissed her from my mind, toeing the pavement and ended up scoffing the front of my shoes. I stared down at the blemish, thinking my entire life felt like one. I felt like a waste as a human being. Marilyn had made me feel loved. Being around her had brought me immense joy. I’d cater to her in the ways that I could, which probably wasn’t a lot but, I would have given her my life if she had asked for it. Instead she shunned me.
Reaching for the box in the pocket of my jacket, I brought it into view and popped the lid. The sunlight shone down onto the diamonds and tears clogged my throat again and threatened to fall. Marilyn and Travis. The names engraved in the precious metal mocked me. How foolish I now felt, having bought this expensive ring that I really couldn’t afford!
“Oh my, that’s lovely!”
I gasped in outrage to find the obnoxious, smiling redhead by my side, staring at the ring. I slammed the lid shut and pushed the box in my pocket.
“Don’t you know about privacy?” I shot at her in a rude manner but I didn’t care. I wanted to lash out at someone for the hurt I felt and she was begging for it, for bugging me with no apparent reason.
“Well, we are in public,” she responded, dimples flashing. “And it is a lovely ring. Are you getting engaged?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You don’t have to be so rude, you know!”
She sounded irritated so I glanced at her but the darn girl was still smiling. I was relieved when I saw the bus coming towards us. Great! I wouldn’t have to listen to her anymore. I turned my back to her and squeezed ahead of the line so when the bus stopped, I would be one of the first to get on.
Once I climbed up inside the bus, I located a window seat and occupied it. I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. I was desperately trying not to give in to the tears. Marilyn, my sweet Marilyn, the words kept echoing in my head. I could still remember the first time we met and how-
“I hope you weren’t saving this seat for anyone!”
I groaned at the voice of Smiley, as I had decided was an apt name from her. She had taken the seat right beside me and I could practically hear her chatting for the drive back on campus. I almost got off the bus but it was too late since the vehicle took off.
“I love riding in the bus!” she gushed. “Don’t you think it’s amazing. I mean if I owned a car, I would have to keep my eyes on the road instead of enjoying what’s about me. What about you?” I didn’t respond but kept my eyes closed and my head averted. “Oh,” she said in afterthought. “I guess I should have introduced myself. I’m Emma. What’s your name?”
I swung my head in her direction. “Emma, if I tell you my name, will you leave me alone?”
She bit her bottom lip, thinking. “I don’t know yet,” she remarked. “Why don’t you try and see?”
I sighed, losing another battle. “I’m Travis.”
“Nice to meet you, Travis.”
“There’s nothing nice about this day,” I remarked in disgust, remembering again the hell I had just been through.
“We met, didn’t we?” she said, chuckling. “It’s always good to meet new people. You never know what interesting thing fate has in store for throwing two people together.”
Pain laced through my heart at her words. The interesting thing fate had in store for me with Marilyn was heartbreak- one I never saw coming. I dragged my eyes away from Emma and stared through the window at the passing traffic. The girl beside me chatted but I droned her out, retreating into myself and how torn I felt.
Some forty minutes later, I was relieved when the bus came to a stop on Jefferson Street. I shot to my feet, desperate to get away from Emma and her smiles. She was a blatant reminder of how unhappy I was and how my life was spiraling downhill. I swept past her and hurried from the bus without acknowledging her. I just wanted to get away.
I sighed with relief when I exited the bus. I dragged my feet, slowing down, on the short five-minute walk from the bus stop back to the university’s campus. Head held down and shoulders slumped in defeat, I was the perfect picture of dejection.
Hearing scuffling behind me, I glanced over my shoulder and was stumped when I saw Emma trailing me. She smiled brightly when I noticed her, the white of her teeth flashing at me. She waved and continued after me, her steps jaunty and bouncing. She was just so full of life and right now, I would do better in a den somewhere, hidden away from people while I wallowed in despair for a bit.
When I trudged through the entrance of the university’s campus and Emma did the same, I had enough. I stopped and swung around toward her.
“Will you stop following me!” I exclaimed, irritated.
“I’m not following you,” she answered and needless to say, she still had that stupid smile firmly in place.
“You expect me to believe this is a coincidence?” I snapped at her.
“Exactly,” she remarked, her brows raised to make a point. “Coincidence happens. Except, I always believe there’s a reason.”
“Stop it!” I exclaimed and even though my tone was vehement, she didn’t seem perturbed, which only bothered me more.
“Stop what?” she asked. “I’m not doing anything.”
“Stop stalking me!” I peeled out. “Stop that stupid smile off your face. Nobody smiles all the time!”
My body full of anger, I had to get to my dorm room before I blew my top and became ruder. I hurried to the direction of my dorm, the girl temporarily forgotten. I only remembered her when I glanced over my shoulder and saw her heading for the females’ only dorm.
I didn’t have the time to wonder what exactly made Emma cuckoo because I didn’t doubt she was. I had to see the break-up text Marilyn had sent me. After three years of a relationship, a text was what I was worth? But, even when she had treated me horribly, I was trying to figure out how to get her back in my life.