Shooting Stars And Chemistry

The train shuddered to a halt and Alyssa jerked her eyes open as she felt her head connect with the pole behind her. Rubbing it softly and mouthing “Ow!” she noticed a couple of boys smirking at her.
They must have only been in their early teens, but they looked and certainly acted as if they were older. Smirking slightly at each other, the bolder looking one stood up and marched across the aisle towards where Alyssa was seated. She looked up at the figure as he came to a halt in front of her and asked,

“May I help you?”

“Yeah,” the boy replied.

“Well? What do you need?” she said as politely as she could,

“I need you to wrap those legs of yours around my-“

Just as the boy went to finish his sentence there was a roar of outrage from behind Alyssa, and she spun around to see who it was.
He was a tall, well muscled guy, who seemed to be around her age. His blonde hair was flopped into his eyes and as he stood she could make out the bulging muscles beneath his checkered shirt.

“I think you should go back to your seat there kid. You don’t wanna make me angry.”

He spoke with a deep, slow, southern accent and it reminded her of cornfields or country fairs in Tennessee when she used to visit her Grandmother when she was a child. The way the man curled his lip however reminded her of an old western film, but much much more sinister.

“Oh yeah? And who are you then corn-cob?” the smaller boy replied, with a slight shake in his voice.

Alyssa had to admit, she admired the boy’s spunk, but he was clearly an egotistical lunatic.

“Possibly the last person you will ever see. If you go back to your seat now though, like a good boy, I’ll make sure that I send you back to your Mama in one piece.”

The boy paled as he was given this announcement and dropping his eyes he shuffled quickly back to his seat.

Alyssa realized only after the man had sat back down that she was shaking. She hurried to pull her white cardigan on and started rubbing her arms, she had learnt enough about medical training to know that this was what you were supposed to do to avoid going into shock. After all, she didn’t want to faint right there and then.

“Are you alright ma’am?” the man asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Turning around, Alyssa managed to squeak out,

“Y-yes I’m fine. Thank you. For doing that I mean.”

The man merely grunted and said something under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“I said I don’t like seeing ladies treated that way. It aint right.”

“Oh. Well, again thank you…”

The man swiveled slightly in his seat so as to look out the window. Alyssa took that as a significant sign to end the conversation and she in turn, laid her head back on her chair to continue the bumpy ride to the city.

His head was throbbing, his heart pounding. Why did people do that to one another?

“Common courtesy is just extinct,” he thought to himself.

Turning his head slightly so as to look at the shaking girl in front of him, he realized just how scared she must be, all he wanted to do was reach out is hand to touch her on the shoulder and reassure her that everything would be okay.

“Stupid thought. She’d probably pass out!” he argued with himself.

But he had to admit, when he saw the frightened look in her eyes all he wished he could do was take her in his arms. She was so beautiful. Like something out of a fairytale, a princess in a big bad forest.

Closing his eyes he put his head back to try and get some rest. He tried to erase the picture he had of her in his mind…the princess waiting to be rescued…