Apathy ⇉ Girl Meets World

⇉ thirteen

thirteen - A New Path

The distance from Lucas house to Ryan's was a forty five to fifty minute bus ride, a twenty minute train ride and a ten minute car ride.

Ryan Collins didn't have any cash on her to pay for a ride at three in the morning, so her best choice was to take the train.

New York at night was so scary.

It's so busy and filled with light by day, it seems the world has ended when it's hushed in the streets at night.

Not to mention those that lurk in the dark, that's what she was afraid of the most.

But she had her phone on her, with nine-one-one on speed dial.

Ryan walked fast down the steps of the train station. The trains weren't running at the moment, at least not for another two hours.

She jumped the turnstile and took a seat on one of the public benches. Her eyes were wide as she looked around.

She could actually hear the air blowing from within the underground tunnels. There were rats squeaking in the tracks, traveling.

Looking across the platform, there homeless men sleeping on the same bench similar to hers with either newspaper or dirty makeshift blankets covering them.

There were some on her end of the platform also.

Her bottom lip trembled and her mind race. Her eyes began to get glossy as she clamps a hand over her mouth to suppress a choked sob.

Of all things to experience in life or to cross off of a bucket list, traveling by yourself in the city of New York at three in the morning was not one of them.

She pulls her hand away and sighs softly. She wipes away the small tears and turns on her phone, checking the time.

Three ; forty seven, it read. She was in for a long night.

× × ×

It was nearly six ; thirty in the morning by the time Ryan reached her doorstep.

Her home was so deceiving. It was so pretty on the outside, colors painted and up to date. It gives off this whole demeanor that it's nice and cozy with expensive taste detailed on the inside.

But the inside was as plastic as a doll house. It wasn't really home.

She didn't want to believe it, but her definition of home was long gone the day that her mother died.

Her father couldn't replace that any time soon. Even when he was in his good state.

Oh, god. Her father.

This whole time, he hasn't even crossed her mind. She was so focused on surviving the night, she didn't realize that trouble had only started.

She wished she could stay in Lucas house. It felt like home there. There were home cooked meals, a friend to hang out with, a bed to sleep into.

Most importantly, there was love. Even if his father was taking late night shifts at work, there was still plenty of love to give.

She remembered when she had that. That was such a careless time, where Ryan didn't learn to appreciate all that love, nonetheless savor it.