One Final Train: The Usual Chaos

Standing in front of the station, I couldn't help but let a sigh escape my lips. They're late. Probably overslept. With a shake of my head, I grabbed my bags, mentally preparing myself for the wait. Honestly, I kinda expected this.

As I looked around, I saw a lot of familiar faces from campus. Wait, scratch that—half the campus was here at the station. Is this a field trip no one told me about?

I awkwardly waved at a few people I vaguely recognized when someone started walking toward me. Wait, I know this guy... I think? He's the one I awkwardly smile at during class sometimes. But, uh, what was his name again?

"Hey, you waiting for your friends?" he asked.

"Ah, yeah. Sujin and Nevin are with me," I replied, realizing that he's in the same class as Sujin. Crisis averted. No need to ask his name and embarrass myself.

"You can join us till they show up," he offered, turning slightly so I could see his group: three random dudes and five girls. Oh, hell no. Social interaction overload.

"Nah, it's cool. I'll just… wait here," I said, throwing in a reassuring smile that was probably way less confident than I intended.

"If you say so." He waved me off, strolling back to his group.

"Who's that guy? Never seen him before," I heard one of his friends whisper.

Meanwhile, I'm standing there wondering how I got to the point where the thought of socializing feels like entering a gladiator arena.

I wasn't always like this, you know. Back in school, I used to talk a lot. Hell, I'd even say I was pretty popular.

But everything changed when high school happened. You know what they say—love hits hard the first time.Looking back now, it was honestly kind of embarrassing. I didn't stand a chance.

Let's just say I didn't handle rejection well. Yep, that's when I turned into a professional shut-in, complete with bonus anxiety and depression. What a package.

But I'll never forget what Nevin told me when I was one sob away from a breakdown after getting rejected by the girl I thought was the love of my life.

"Dude, who cries after getting rejected ONCE? Listen up. Ten chatting awards, three friend zones, four 'I see you as a brother' awards, two 'eww' awards, and one 'you're too ugly' award. And you think your story is bad?" Nevin said, full of wisdom, sarcasm, and whatever he had for breakfast.

"Cheer up, bro. It's a big lake, and there's more fish swimming around. Don't waste your bait on one bad catch," he said, giving me a pat on the shoulder.

That pat was surprisingly comforting, even though he basically compared my love life to fishing.

I smiled to myself, thinking about how Nevin and Sujin had always been there to cheer me up during my darkest—and, let's be real, most dramatic —moments.

Just as I finish reminiscing about my past,

I hear the train announcement blaring in the background, and panic shot through me. This is it. We're gonna miss the train. I frantically grabbed my phone, dialing Sujin for the tenth time.

Finally, he picked up.

"Where are you guys?! The train leaves in 10 minutes!" I said, barely keeping my panic under control.

There was a pause. Never a good sign.

"Sujin?" I called, gritting my teeth.

"Uh... yeah..." Sujin's voice trailed off.

"Well?! " I was seconds away from imploding.

"Okay, so… we might've gotten caught by the police." He said it so casually, like they were running five minutes late because they stopped for coffee.

"YOU WHAT?! " I shouted. Everyone at the station turned to stare at me like I had just announced the apocalypse.

In the background of the call, I heard Nevin's ever-chill voice: "Technically, we're not arrested. We're just… detained. There's a difference."

"Sujin, what did you guys do this time?!" I groaned, already knowing the answer was going to make me facepalm.

"Well… we were on Nevin's bike—" Sujin began.

"And?" I pressed, dreading what was coming next.

Nevin chimed in, "And... I kinda, maybe, forgot to wear my helmet."

There was a long pause. I stared blankly into the distance.

"You forgot to wear your helmet? THAT'S why you're with the police?"

"To be fair," Nevin said, "the wind in my hair was freeing. Didn't realize I needed protection from my own vibes."

"Oh my god, Nevin," I groaned, dragging my hand down my face. "Do you want us to miss this train?"

"Relax, we're almost done. Just waiting for the officer to, uh, finish lecturing us on road safety." I heard Sujin whispering something in the background. Probably begging the cop to let them go.

"Well, hurry up! The train leaves in five minutes!" I was starting to pace now, ready to tear my hair out.

Nevin, completely unbothered, replied, "Five minutes is a lot of time. You know, in the grand scheme of the universe."

"You are literally going to be the death of me."

I heard some muffled conversation between Sujin and the officer. Then Nevin came back on the line, "Yeah, so… we might miss the train."

"Are you kidding me?! Why?"

"Well, apparently," Nevin said, "he's not letting me go unless I find a helmet first. Safety first, my guy."

"You don't have a helmet!" I shouted, now pacing like a madman.

"Exactly, hence the dilemma," Nevin said, as if that was a totally reasonable explanation.

The train whistle blew in the distance, and I watched helplessly as the seconds ticked away. My friends were stuck with the police because Nevin couldn't be bothered to wear a helmet, and now we were going to miss our train.

"Great. We're missing the train because you wanted to 'vibe with the wind.' This is fantastic. Truly."

Nevin chuckled, "Look, on the bright side, at least I'm safe... now. Sort of."

I hung up the phone, just as I hear the train pull out of the station.