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Description
The inside of the metropolitan train carriage bore no more smiles than a
line of office building Suits. It didn't help that I felt so overwhelmed
by my family, my 'friends', myself. On top of that, having to go to school
- that PLACE with those PEOPLE. Same as every other morning, no different.
All I could do was sit in the very farthest seat, at the end of the
carriage, the most isolated seat in the whole train and forget the world
in the loudest music I could play on my eardrum-tearing headphones. So for
the 45 minute trip to school and back, every day, on this single pathed
machine, I stared at the floor and kept my eyes off of everything and
everyone so that they would not acknowledge - judge - my presence.
Except for this one boy.
The moment he strolled into the carriage I had to force myself to keep my
eyes off of him, not because he was attractive, but intriguing. He wore
the strangest set of clothing of all kinds of colours - nothing matched -
and roller blades with which he effortlessly glided up and down the
carriage on. But even though he looked like a total and utter moron, he
looked...happy.
I was watching him roll to the opposite end of the carriage and when he
turned around to roll back, we locked eyes. He instinctively tilted his
head and smiled at me: naturally, I swept my vision back down towards the
floor and let my long hair hang down; the auburn curtain restricted my
vision to only the grimy floor.
Maybe he wouldn't notice me.
I could feel him approaching me, his strange presence moving closer and
closer. Then he stopped right next to me. I kept my face down.
For a few moments, nothing moved. Then a small white envelope slid under
my vision with the single word, written in magnificent calligraphy,
'Stranger'.
The train came to a halt and I could feel his presence leave; him rolling
out of the train and off down the platform.
I stared at the envelope, hoping it would blow away, but it didn't. Not in
here.
I huffed and picked it up quickly, tore it open and tugged out the letter.
The paper was thick and the handwriting was as spectacular as before.

'Hi there. How are you today? The sun is shining don't you know?
Take a look outside.'

It was. And it was brilliant. Turquoise sky and fluorescent sun.

'It's strange, I see you every day but you never seem to see
me. It's like you are ignoring me or something. No that can't be
true, I'm too good to miss. No, you must be trying to forget me,
like there's someone better than me?
You think that the others look prettier than you? More talkative
and interesting than you?
Listen, there's nobody better than yourself. You are beautiful,
you are interesting and I would love to get you to talk about
yourself more, if you let me.'

Cut off from the bumps and jerks of the train, I gazed at this letter,
stunned.

'By the way, your hair is a darling acorn hue, don't ever try
to change that pretty hair now.'

I looked up and noted the few other Suits in the carriage, reading their
tedious newspapers. They looked terribly bored with themselves, nothing
like this letter.
This letter that, when I looked down, was gone. No paper, no envelope,
nothing.
All that was left was this smile stretching across my face and I couldn't
get rid of it as much as I tried. I felt so happy.

I strode into school that day with a confidence that none of my 'friends'
had. They joked about me like they usually do, but it meant nothing. They
were just mocking themselves. They could really use a letter like I did.

Description
The inside of the metropolitan train carriage bore no more smiles than a
line of office building Suits. It didn't help that I felt so overwhelmed
by my family, my 'friends', myself. On top of that, having to go to school
- that PLACE with those PEOPLE. Same as every other morning, no different.
All I could do was sit in the very farthest seat, at the end of the
carriage, the most isolated seat in the whole train and forget the world
in the loudest music I could play on my eardrum-tearing headphones. So for
the 45 minute trip to school and back, every day, on this single pathed
machine, I stared at the floor and kept my eyes off of everything and
everyone so that they would not acknowledge - judge - my presence.
Except for this one boy.
The moment he strolled into the carriage I had to force myself to keep my
eyes off of him, not because he was attractive, but intriguing. He wore
the strangest set of clothing of all kinds of colours - nothing matched -
and roller blades with which he effortlessly glided up and down the
carriage on. But even though he looked like a total and utter moron, he
looked...happy.
I was watching him roll to the opposite end of the carriage and when he
turned around to roll back, we locked eyes. He instinctively tilted his
head and smiled at me: naturally, I swept my vision back down towards the
floor and let my long hair hang down; the auburn curtain restricted my
vision to only the grimy floor.
Maybe he wouldn't notice me.
I could feel him approaching me, his strange presence moving closer and
closer. Then he stopped right next to me. I kept my face down.
For a few moments, nothing moved. Then a small white envelope slid under
my vision with the single word, written in magnificent calligraphy,
'Stranger'.
The train came to a halt and I could feel his presence leave; him rolling
out of the train and off down the platform.
I stared at the envelope, hoping it would blow away, but it didn't. Not in
here.
I huffed and picked it up quickly, tore it open and tugged out the letter.
The paper was thick and the handwriting was as spectacular as before.

'Hi there. How are you today? The sun is shining don't you know?
Take a look outside.'

It was. And it was brilliant. Turquoise sky and fluorescent sun.

'It's strange, I see you every day but you never seem to see
me. It's like you are ignoring me or something. No that can't be
true, I'm too good to miss. No, you must be trying to forget me,
like there's someone better than me?
You think that the others look prettier than you? More talkative
and interesting than you?
Listen, there's nobody better than yourself. You are beautiful,
you are interesting and I would love to get you to talk about
yourself more, if you let me.'

Cut off from the bumps and jerks of the train, I gazed at this letter,
stunned.

'By the way, your hair is a darling acorn hue, don't ever try
to change that pretty hair now.'

I looked up and noted the few other Suits in the carriage, reading their
tedious newspapers. They looked terribly bored with themselves, nothing
like this letter.
This letter that, when I looked down, was gone. No paper, no envelope,
nothing.
All that was left was this smile stretching across my face and I couldn't
get rid of it as much as I tried. I felt so happy.

I strode into school that day with a confidence that none of my 'friends'
had. They joked about me like they usually do, but it meant nothing. They
were just mocking themselves. They could really use a letter like I did.