𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘

This Feeling Will Pass

AEI: my biggest fears are mukbang, hand driers and coriander, all of which i faced today. fuck mondays!! also my p.e. teacher gave me two HOUR-LONG detentions because i didn't want to play softball, so that sucked. 

ANYWAY:

Isabell hates the subway.

She was first introduced to it about eight years ago, and every day since then, the only way to get her onto it is by physically dragging her by the wrist. It drove Maria up the wall.

From the look on James' face, he's about to feel the same way.

Isabell folds her arms.

"Not going in there."

"How else are we getting to therapy, then?"

"I'll walk." She states, firmer than she's been in a while. James rolls his eyes.

"It'll take forever. Just get in the subway, Iz."

"No."

"Why not?"

Isabell leans against the wall and wraps her jacket tighter around her. She's wearing her blue dress again and it's freezing in the wind, but she can't afford the laundrette around the corner and she's too shy to ask James for change.

This is the only clean thing she has left.

Her boots scuff against the ground.

"I hate the subway." She says simply, "It's noisy, there are a thousand people, and it's dirty. D'you know how many diseases you can get from there?"

"I'm sure it's plenty," James replies, snappier than he means to, "And when you catch all of them, you can whine about it as much as you want."

His fists clench and unclench, clearly distressed by her behaviour, but Isabell is ready to be stubborn about this. She doesn't want to come to his stupid therapist anyway, considering how much she hated the ones she had as a child, and she wants to go on the subway even less.

James glares at her.

"You're making us late, and Raynor really hates it when I'm late," His eyes narrow, "She likes to call up my supervisors and tell them I'm being difficult."

"So go without me." Isabell protests.

"No. We have an agreement."

"If you want me to come so bad, find something that isn't the subway."

"You think I can afford a taxi in New York City?" James' eyebrows raise. "Come on Iz, you're smarter than that."

She twitches.

"I'm not going on the subway."

"Yes, you are. Don't be such a child."

Isabell's lips are thin. "К черту тебя и твое метро." (Fuck you and your subway.)

"For fuck's sake," James mutters.

Irritated, he reaches towards her suddenly, hand clamping down around her arm and attempting to pull her towards him. His palm is hot against her skin, much too tight, and a nasty little thought crosses Isabell's mind.

You couldn't get away if you wanted to.

He could hurt you if he wanted to.

Something inside of her snaps.

She shrieks before she can stop herself, kicking him hard in the shin and pulling away like he's burnt her. James stumbles, groaning and cursing, and she backs away.