What An Oddity

Bus Stop

   Cadence buried her hands deep into her pockets as she rounded the corner. It was cold. She hated the cold.

   Approaching the bus stop bench, Cadence realized it was all wet, likely due to the rain that had ended not even a full ten minutes ago. Great. Now, she'd either have to stand, or soak the sleeve of her beloved sweater. Sighing, she chose the latter.

   Sitting down, Cadence began thinking about her.

   'She always had been strange.'

   Another person arrived at the stop, sitting across the metal bench. He gave a slight nod, to which Cadence awkwardly waved.

   'Everything about her seemed so contrasting.'

   The person pulled out an early-morning cigarette, managing to light it after two failed lighter flicks.

   'How her voice got meeker and softer and just a little honeyed when she'd speak with someone new. Not in a manipulative way, but almost defensively. Like she was scared they'd judge her.'

   A gust of wind flew behind Cadence, causing her to nuzzle further into her sweater.

   'The way that she was unfazed by loud, blaring alarms, yet jumped at the slightest surprise. The way she carded her fingers back through her dark hair anytime it fell into her face, almost like they did in movies.'

   A car with a Texas license plate practically flew by, obnoxiously loud music echoing through the damp streets.

   'How she was almost always unreadable, save her lip twitching upwards disdainfully if she didn't like something. How she cracked her knuckles and shook out her hands when nervous. Or stressed. Or angry. Or even just bored.'

   A bus approached the bench, stopping with a hiss and creak. Cadence lifted her head, ruddy hair falling into her face as she checked the bus number. Not her bus, and apparently not cigarette-guy's, either, as he stayed put. A tall woman with a long puffy coat, however, stepped off, crossed the street, then walked out of view.

   'Yet her smile, odd as it may have been, was amazing. Funny, how her lip curled upwards, showing her gums and teeth, something I'd always found disgusting, yet somehow she made it look beautiful.' Cadence supposed she was giving her too much credit. 'After all,' she thought, 'she never did put any real effort into her appearance.'

   Another car went down the road, this time slower, a deep grey Subaru.

   'Her hair– long and dark brown with sun-lightened ends– was always at least a little knotted. Often full out matted.' She smothered a small laugh at the memory of watching her bumble around their apartment, looking for the brush Cadence had hidden for just that reason. When she'd finally realized, they both exploded into fits of giggles.

   Another bus wheezed to a halt in front of the bench. This time #138. Still not her bus, but cigarette-guy got on, extinguishing his cigarette and dropping it into a trash can on his way up.

   'She had such a strange sense of fashion, too. All loose, swirly skirts, random branded t-shirts, and black graphic hoodies. Never wore the hood up, though, likely contributing to the messy excuse for hair upon her head, what with it always brushing up against her hair.'

   'How her laugh was odd and snorty, often with short wheezey coughing fits mixed in. It was gross. Disgusting, even. And somehow, lovely. And despite others saying that she never laughed, it seemed to be uncontainable around me. Strange.'

   'Her face,' Cadence thought, 'was perhaps the most contradictory of all. Round cheeks, but a sharp nose. Wide, watery blue eyes, topped by thick, imposing eyebrows. Light acne sprinkled along her hairline and nose, yet almost none anywhere else. She had full lips, often horribly chapped, as she almost never used lip balm of any kind. Not for lack of it, mind you, she technically had plenty. Most of them were lost. Or she just didn't use them. Instead, she picked the skin away ruthlessly, yet another nervous habit of hers.'

   'She often seemed embarrassed by her mouth, usually covering it with a sleeve politely, or sometimes wearing a mask, making her smile just that much rarer. This was particularly odd, as her lips were pretty. She was pretty.'

   The wind struck again, tossing her shoulder-length hair to the right. Cadence huffed as she swatted it away from her face. Cadence briefly lifted her arm out of her pocket, just long enough to look at her watch, before shoving it back in. It was 5:51. The bus was late.

   'And her mannerisms. Adored social anything, yet was always in the corner, looking as though she'd love nothing more than to be laughing along with everyone else. Positively craved physical affection, yet never dared to ask for it. When on the receiving end of it she seemed to melt, then promptly stiffened, like she wasn't sure she was allowed to enjoy it. On the giving end, she was hesitant. Scared, even. Almost always hovering a few inches away. Unsure.'

   'She judged people quickly, for better or worse, yet would never show it. She either ignored you, or clung to you like she'd die if she let go,' Cadence thought. 'For some reason, she clung to me.'

   'She was the most forgiving person, if she liked you. She was prone to mood swings, yet never lashed out. She couldn't handle the hot, nor the cold, yet never complained about either. She held grudges, and was far more spiteful than you'd expect, yet never acted on either.' Cadence tucked a lock of hair into her hood, shivering. 'Yet, even with so much contrast, she never managed to stand out.'

   A bus pulled up to the stop. #471. Hers.

   Cadence stood up, brushed her hands off on her pants, and approached the large vehicle.

   "Such a shame Isla's dead," she muttered, climbing the steps. But she wouldn't change a thing.

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Special thanks to my lovely editor, maddy_the_mha_lover!

This is my first time attempting to publish anything online. Please leave honest reviews, I can take criticism. I'll accept any grammar help I can get, as well. Maddy did their best, and was a huge help, but knowing me, I probably managed to sneak a few errors in. I know it's not very good. But I tried. If you have any suggestions, I'd happily take 'em.

(comment if ya wanna, it feeds my lack-of-a-soul!)

Thank y'all so much for reading, hope you have a lovely day!

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976 words, without a/n. Published mar/2/26.