RE Bunch

Astraphobia: Fear of thunder and lightning

“Hey mate, got a spare buck or two?” Xavier adjusted his hair under his flip billed hat. His long coppery red hair fell in greasy strings as he gathered it out of his face. He brushed his hair down his back under his sweatshirt and fixed his hat facing forward. It read “Suicdal” in silver sharpie as he looked back up to the old woman waiting at the bus stop with him.

“I’ve been waiting here all day, and this prick driver won’t let me on.” Xavier adjusted his black sweatshirt and denim vest. His clothes released a cloud of dirt that he tried to wave away. “It’s been a long whatever. I just want to go home.”

The old woman coughed and looked away from him. She brought her worn white leather purse closer to her chest. “Sweetie, I’m sorry. But don’t you have someone to call?”

“Yeah Nah. My phone got smashed today. It’s no good. Some punk mugged me earlier, and I dropped my phone during it.”

“I’m really sorry,” She looked back to Xavier’s face. His red stubbly beard revealed large purple bruises sprouting around his face, and split lips. His nose was swollen and crunched as he wrinkled his face. Growing black rings and broken blood vessels hid his Kelly-green eyes. The old woman looked through him into the dark street and saw the large headlights of the bus. The brakes squealed as the bus came to a stop before them. She hurriedly walked up the steps of the bus, into the brightly lit compartment. In the distance, a clap of thunder rumbled.

Xavier stood up and came to the door again. The same middle-aged bus driver was still behind the wheel from before. “Hey man. Can I please just go home? It’s 10:30 and my girl is probably freaking out.”

“Sure, if you got a bus card or cash.” The bus driver did not look off the road when he spoke. His shoulder read Sheridan Driver: C. Billings.

“Please! I live like fifteen miles from here. That’s like a three-hour walk. This is the last bus out and it’s getting ready to rain.” Xavier pleaded with the driver. His body ached as he tried to step onto the bus.

“The covered bench is free to use, and so is walking. I have to go, or I’m going to be late for my next stop. So, pay or get off.” The bus driver reached for the door arm and began to pull it shut.

Xavier jumped back from the door and stuck up both his middle fingers to the driver. “Fuck you and your mother! Asshole!”

Xavier sat back down on the bench as he watched the giant grey bus sluggishly pull away from the stop. The next bus would not come until 5:00 am. As he looked around the empty street, he became skeptical of being able to panhandle enough money to get on by then. As the night sky became heavy with dark purple clouds, he realized he was wasting time sitting on the bench. The storm was coming regardless. He rather be mostly home than stuck under this flimsy bus stop. He loosened the laces on his left boot and pulled out a baggie of chipped yellow pills.

“Fuck,” He said pawing through them. He grabbed three of them and swallowed them in one long gulp. He chucked the rest of the bag into the street. “What a shitty day. At least it buys me more time to make up something to tell Rook.”

Xavier retied his boots high up his ankle. The once black leather faded into dark browns and suede patches. The rubber soles were cracking and worn unevenly thin. The steel capped toes creased the toe box and started to show through the leather. He sighed heavily and started his way down the dark road. He hoped the rain would hold off for a bit longer. He did not want to spend the next three hours slogging through a downpour.

“Of course,” he mused. “It would totally be fitting that I would spend the entire walk home in rain. Break me in for living under a bridge in a couple days.”

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