//------------------------------// // Dead Like Outer Space! // Story: Subway Girl // by Space Jazz //------------------------------// Her eyes were death. Utter fucking contempt. And, to be honest, Twilight Sparkle was kinda into it. She caught it in her periphery. Somewhere in the back of the bus, there was a woman interested in her. That much was easy to tell. She stole a few glances, trying to understand the intense stares from hateful eyes. Just what was her problem? Twilight was no stranger to people watching. It was one of her favorite pastimes. She liked picking apart little details about people she found notable and making a quick narrative around it. However, everything about this woman was remarkable. Those red eyes screamed “I hate you and everything you stand for.” Her wild orange hair only reinforced that fire. The permanent scowl was perfectly sculpted like the vindictive marble gaze of an ancient goddess. The only thing that seemed out of place was the tacky visor-cap that read “SUBWAY.” You deserve better, Twilight thought. And she was right. No one deserved to spend eight hours a day—presumably just under thirty hours a week to avoid being paid benefits—slinging low quality sandwiches full of over-salted lunch meat and hawking overpriced bags of chips and cookies. Twilight sent a smile her way. The woman’s brows raised for a moment before she rolled her eyes, her attention now focused out the window. Twilight suddenly felt cold without that raging fire on her. She tried to turn her attention back to her music. Bright, poppy rhythms. She had her ex to thank for introducing her to emo, but she could claim her adjacent discovery of math rock all to herself. Somehow, the universe created a perfect genre of music combining the best of audio and arithmetic into one stellar sound of syncopated sweetness. How could she not listen to it? Eventually, the bus’ squealing dragged Twilight out from her music. She looked back over her shoulder, finding the captivating woman standing up and heading off the bus. Twilight pretended to be more focused on her cellphone as she passed. The fiery woman then stepped on Twilight’s foot on her way out. She didn’t apologize. Rude. Twilight tried to shake off the pain. Meanwhile, her eyes chased the woman out the bus and tracked her down to a lonely looking strip mall on the corner of Seventh and Cherry. She made a mental note of it. When her stop came around, Twilight was still thinking about that Subway girl. Unfortunately, her first class didn’t give her much else to think about. The lecture was practically purgatory. It was a pre-major requirement, yet she already knew more than the course material covered. In fact, she finished all the assignments in the first week. So now all she had to do was show up and take notes to satisfy that fifteen percent of the syllabus dedicated for attendance. She had it all figured out. She rested her head on her hand and stared off into the distance. The woman from before entered her mind again, and she began to wonder just what she was doing right about now. Working, obviously. Twilight had never seriously held a job past the summer, but she figured she knew what it was like from accounts from her friends. Mostly Sunset complaining about rude customers and the workload, but the restaurant industry did not seem inviting. She could only imagine how bad it was for a fast food joint in Downtown Canterlot. Her stomach grumbled. She looked over to her classmates to see if anyone noticed. Thankfully, no one seemed to care. However, her next problem was what to have for lunch. She exhausted her healthy on-campus options, and the freshman fifteen was a genuine concern of hers. It hit her older brother hard when he first started college, and the last thing she wanted for any reason was to follow her brother’s footsteps. Something light sounded good, preferably filled with greens. She knew just the place. ~🍞🍗🧀🥬🥒🍅🍞~ Twilight followed the directions on her phone to a specific Subway on her map. When she first typed in “Subway on Seventh” she got five results within one mile. Those things were everywhere. She narrowed her search down again, remembering the cross street. For some reason she couldn’t quite place yet, she was drawn to this particular store with this particular girl. She was all she thought about, and she just had to know that woman’s name at the very least. Then she could write it in cursive over and over again in her diary until her wrist hurt. The bells jingled as Twilight entered the sandwich shop. Her breath picked up with each step. At this point, she was basically forcing herself. She stopped at the counter, staring at the flowing mane of orange curly locks. There was another girl in the back, playing with her phone while letting a rack of bread sit out in the open. The Subway Girl turned around. Twilight eyed her name tag. Adagio’s vengeful eyes narrowed. "Oh. It's you.” Her voice had a bite to it, the kind of bite reserved for bedrooms and earlobes. “Welcome to Subway. May I interest you in our spicy tuna sub? It's limited time only." "Uh, no thanks," Twilight said. Her mouth was dry. She should probably purchase a refreshing Coca-Cola. The markups on fountain drinks was how all fast-food places made their money, after all. However, her mind raced, and her mouth was uncooperative as she began to blurt out the first things on her mind. "I just saw you earlier on the bus, and I know it sounds weird and creepy, but I genuinely wanted to see you again, cause I think you’re really, reaaally pretty.” “And I don’t even know if you’re into girls at all,” Twilight continued, her train of thought still chugging. “And yes, I recognize that asking you this is totally inappropriate since you’re working right now, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll see you again in public. So, uh, do you want to go out for coffee or something? It’s totally okay to say no, and I’ll respect your decision because I swear I’m not a creep.” The sandwich artist clicked her tongue. "I'm not allowed to address suitors until I clock out," she said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "It's in the handbook." "Page seventeen, subsection two," the other girl added. Twilight scanned her name tag, Sonata. "Oh, okay," Twilight hummed. She bounced between the platforms of her feet and her heels. "So... When do you get off?" She checked her nails. "In another hour or so. If you're gonna wait until then, I suggest you buy something." "No loitering.” Sonata pointed at the sign plastered against the door. Right under it was a sign that read: “No Soliciting Dates.” “Is that a common sign in these stores?” Twilight asked. “This one in particular. It came down from corporate.” Adagio tapped the counter. “So are you going to buy something or are you still window shopping?” “Gah, right!” Twilight filled out an order, a six inch turkey breast on wheat with cucumber, tomato, and spinach. She watched as Adagio's delicate, glove-clad hands work the sub, layering thin slices of turkey onto the divided bread. She did the same with the veggies. Though Twilight couldn't help but suspect that she put extra slices of cucumber just for her. The extra green slice of water stuck out from the bottom of the sub, threatening to spill out and make a messy meal. They reached the end of the line. Adagio wrapped the sandwich in a waxy paper and dropped it at the counter. It had a heavier than than usual, as if it were a ham or chicken breast sandwich. "Five eighty-nine," she said, gesturing to the register. Twilight paid only to hear an expectant cough. She followed Adagio's eyes to the tip jar. Getting the point, she slipped a dollar into the jar. "There's two of us," Sonata said from the back. Dollar fifty. Twilight ate her sandwich slowly, agonizingly so. She checked her phone for the time, watching and counting the minutes until it came to the end of Adagio's shift. All the while, she stole a few glances of her, sometimes meeting eyes like they did on the bus. She smiled, which Adagio returned with a roll of the eyes again. Eventually, Adagio slipped into the back, disappearing for a few minutes before returning with a jacket over her unflattering polo shirt. "See you at home, Sonata. Don’t forget to take out the trash.” Sonata nodded, whipping her ponytail around the shop. Scrambling to her feet, Twilight followed Adagio out of the restaurant, like a newly adopted puppy trailing its owner. She bounced with each step until they made it to the bus stop and far from company property. It was the municipality’s problem now. "So?" Twilight asked, her throat dry. She really should have bought that drink. "Can I take you out on a date?" Adagio smiled and leaned in close. Her breath smelled sweet—like honey mustard. "Fuck. No." That was when Twilight knew she was in love.