I am not my hair.
People always assumed that blondes were dumb, or just wanted to have fun. I couldn't completely disagree with the latter, because who wouldn't want to just have fun?
But one thing's for sure; I am not dumb. Blondes are not dumb, damn it.
My alarm clock went off as I pondered the thought, grabbing onto my hair and pulling it up high above my head.
18:15
Putting on my off-white, silk T-shirt, I raced to the door and grabbed my coat and little red umbrella - which I deserved an applause for since not many women can run in high heels, for that matter.
It was raining cats and dogs out there and there was no way in hell I was going to drive my freshly coated baby blue Gran Coupé – six series, mind you – in such a weather. Thankfully though, it was safely covered up in the same spot it's been parked in for the last four years. Then again, it wasn't a free parking, so I shouldn't have been expecting anyone else to park in there until I...well, die.
I shut the door behind me, straightening my glasses and dusting off my jeans as I hoisted my black hand-bag at the crook of my elbow. For a hand-bag, it was pretty large in size and spacious from the inside, devouring my graphic novel just right.
Pulling out my favorite shade of Mac lipstick, I clicked on the elevator button and waited.
I was already running late, but now, 'late' was more of an understatement. Plus, I had to take the freaking bus to work, which meant that I was going to spend a lot more time on the road. And, who knows how bad the traffic is in this weather?
A groan resounded in my chest.
I couldn't even begin to imagine the disasters that were happening in the kitchen. Still having Harvey in there was enough of a thought to give me a headache.
The restaurant received four out of five stars mainly because of his incompetence.
Then again, it's better to not get carried away and blame someone Matthewhired because of my lack in time-keeping. But also, Harvey should know when to get his things together.
Smacking my lips, I entered the dimly lit box and soon, it plummeted to the last floor. I walked down the steps and opened up my umbrella, marching to the bus stop.
Five more minutes. Just five.
I pulled out the graphic novel just as the bus came into view. Folding away the umbrella, I hopped on the rumbling vehicle and gave the driver whatever change I found in the coat's pocket; I sighed in relief when I had just the exact amount of coins needed.
Turning to face the passengers, I examined the seats.
Just great, really. All the seats were taken, except for one on the fifth row to the left.
Sitting with his head tilting on the window, a man wore sunglasses and a hood over his head. The hood I understood, but what the heck were the glasses for?
Shino Aburame style, indeed.
I mentally shrugged and made my way to the empty seat next to him, balancing myself on my heels and hoping that I didn't fall flat on my face as the bus began to move.
Instinctively, I clutched on to the seat to my right, almost grabbing hold of an old woman's shoulder.
"Sorry," I stuttered, forcing a smile at her. She glared up at me, her lips twitching into a look of disgust. I just said I was sorry, damn.
"What did you just say to me?" she suddenly growled.
"Oh crap. Did I say that out loud...?" I mumbled to myself, turning slowly and straining my cheeks to stay upright. "N-nothing; sorry. I'm just running late to work, that's all."
"Keep your bad manners to yourself," the lady murmured before scoffing and looking away. "Youngsters these days..."
Twirling slightly, sweating from the frustration I was feeling, I took my seat and exaggerated a sigh. Finally.
Placing the umbrella between my legs, I brought the graphic novel to my face. The cover didn't consist of the novel's true essence, since this geekier side of me was usually hidden behind bars; I wrapped it in one of Shakespeare's book jackets from a hard-covered book of his that I owned back at the apartment – Othello, to be exact.
In this issue of Fullmetal Alchemist, there was a lot of things going down. After reading and going through so many plot twists, I mentally reprimanded myself for not picking up this manga sooner. The plot was so twisting and turning that I didn't even have theories in mind.
The man sitting beside me stirred for a moment, straightening his back against the blue-coated chair. I mainly disliked reading in public places because of the random distractions that pulled me out of the books, but I shook my head and forced my focus on the contents.
I hadn't seen the anime yet, but I was looking forward to. When I read about it online, several people were debating on which anime was better, since there were two that've been released based on Fullmetal Alchemist.
Which version was 'better' didn't matter to me; I only cared about what stayed true to the manga. Usually, I only read books and manga rather than watch movies and anime, simply because of the fact that some directors out there think that changing the original work into something of their own made it better...gee, the nerve of some people...
Anyway, going back into the realm of alchemists...
"Oh my God, NO WAY!" I whisper-shouted, digging what I had for nails into the palm of my hand. The man sitting beside me jerked slightly, as if waking up from a slumber. "Sorry," I mumbled, looking to my right from the corner of my eye. Pushing the glasses up the bridge of my nose, I smiled faintly, hoping it would make up for the startle. "I just...got carried away."
Because he's...he's a...homunculus?!
The man groaned and visibly shifted closer to me, marginally craning his head over my shoulder and looking into the contents of the novel.
"What's that?" he asked, his voice's rough and husky; almost sounded sick, even. But I couldn't blame him – he might've really been asleep, all this time.
"U-uh, Shakespeare, obviously." I grumbled as I furrowed my brows, showing the cover of the book to him and trying to imagine what his eyes must've looked like when he raised an eyebrow. The man's skin, I had noticed, was shades lighter than my own; pale. A ring dangled from his right nostril and, if my eyes were not deceiving me, edges of tattoos crawled upon both sides of his neck.
A part of me already grew nervous at the sight; did I just put myself in a tough spot? This guy could pull a gun out on me...at any minute.
Okay, you're just being paranoid. Relax a bit...don't judge a book by its cover, remember?
"Shakespeare?" he abruptly questioned, bringing me out of my thoughts and having me slightly jerk to his direction. "I don't remember Othello having a graphic novel."
"Oh—oh, yeah! Yeah, I mean, it was limited edition and stuff...so, you know, Shakespeare being...Shakespeare, I just had to get it." I smiled sheepishly. Gosh...
He chuckled just then, firming his grip on himself and making me wonder if he was looking at me or the book. "You're a bad liar."
"U-um, no, I'm not." I shook my head. It sounded more like a question rather than a declaration, because I knew, all too well, that he was right.
Yes, I am a terrible liar.
"There you go again!" his grin widened. Even though most of his face was concealed behind those big, black sunglasses, there was something very appealing about him. His charisma was all over the place.
Blushing at the notion, I shook my head. "D-do I know you?" I asked, a bit too aggressively.
"You might," he said as he straightened his posture against the bus's window.
"Oh," I exclaimed sarcastically. "I might, huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing suggestive of course," he continued to grin. "Just a general assumption."
"You shouldn't assume things. That way, you're just making an ass of u and me..." I paused for a moment, waiting for him to laugh. When he didn't, I opted to explain. "Get it? Assume? Ass-u-me? Because, you know...you're assuming...yeah...okay..."
Why do I put myself in these awkward situations?
"No, no, I got it." He snickered again, turning to face the window briefly. "Man, you really do meet some interesting people on the bus."
Slightly offended, I squinted at him through my glasses. "Interesting?"
Scrutinizing him, I saw that his tattoos were covered by his black hair, which seemed pretty long. Noticing this, he lowered the hood over his head and tightened the jacket on his collars. "Again; nothing suggestive."
"Still," I rolled my eyes. "You shouldn't think out loud, you know? It might give people the wrong impression."
"But then, they'd just be assuming stuff, right?" he smiled covertly.
This guy...
"For your information," I inhaled deeply, somewhat irritated. "I rarely go on the bus. I'm just here because it's raining and I didn't want to get my car dirty."
"I didn't say anything," he laughed, raising his hands up in defense. "You shouldn't assume things. That way, you're just making an ass of you and me."
I found myself gritting my teeth, trying not to smile. Opening my mouth to speak, he abruptly interrupted me.
"I don't usually go on the bus either."
I looked to him, wondering why he wore such an outfit. "That much I could tell from your last statement, oh mysterious-one." He laughed, completely wiping away any trace of annoyance I had in me. "Why are you on the bus today, then?"
"I'm actually on tour. Cincinnati's our last stop."
On tour...? Our?
"You and...? This seat was empty when I walked in..." I looked around me, quickly studying those that surrounded us. "And no one in here seems to be, you know...with you."
"No, my band's not with me." He said simply.
Band?
"Shouldn't you be with them? I mean like, on a tour bus, right?"
He turned to me but I couldn't tell where he was looking. "You ask a lot of questions." I was about to retort, but he continued to speak with another grin. "But yeah; they're on the tour bus. I wanted to take the public bus for the nostalgia of it all."
"How poetic," I snickered, covering my mouth with my book. "I guess that's a good enough reason as any. Like, nostalgia's a...a weird feeling. Weird, but good, I think."
Before falling silent, he laughed and said, "Yeah, it's a good weird."
Ten more minutes...just ten.
The man beside me was looking out the window, perhaps drinking in all the nostalgia he could find. I wondered if he was getting off after or before me; there were only a couple of stops left before the bus had to head back to its station, and my stop was after the one we were already in.
He was probably heading to the arena, which was the stop before the last, if he was performing tonight. I didn't ask what kind of music did he play, or what position he played either; the entire situation felt somewhat forced and unnecessary...I was surprised that he even spoke to me to begin with – surprised that our conversation was even that long.
No one does that...not really, at least. It happened before, but...not like this.
Sighing to myself, I opened the manga and started to read again.
This isn't working...I'm totally not focused anymore.
"You didn't tell me what you're reading." He spoke again, mildly shocking me. A chuckle slipped past his lips at the way I responded. "Are you always this jumpy?"
"Well," I breathed deeply, sardonically smiling to him. "When a random stranger suddenly talks to me on the bus, I could get a bit erratic. I mean, if you're as famous as you say you are, then why don't I recognize you?"
"What do you think the outfit's for?"
"Still...I don't know you!"
He hummed thoughtfully. "I guess it depends on what kind of music you listen to."
"Obviously," my eyes rolled involuntarily; I shook my head, hoping that it would take back the automatic, rude response. "Like, I don't think I've ever listened to your music, otherwise, I would have surely recognized you. N-no offense, of course!"
"None taken," he chuckled, amused. "My bad, then. Also, to be fair, you startled me when I was just enjoying the scenery, so I'm a bit curious as to what made you react that way. Tell me, what are you reading?"
Looking to the book, I removed the Shakespeare book-jacket with a heavy sigh. "It's just a comic–graphic novel–manga–whatever. I don't think you'd be interested in something like this."
"I may not look the part, but I really like reading comic books. I even have a favorite superhero." He grinned widely. "Batman, of course."
Smiling, I elaborated. "I-it's not that type of comic book, though. I mean, there is a hero, but he's not that kind of hero, and the story doesn't only revolve around him..."
"That makes it all the more interesting," he encouraged. "What's it called?"
My smile stretched; for some reason, a part of me felt flattered. "Fullmetal Alchemist."
He nodded slowly, processing the name by repeating it under his breath. "Thanks."
"But they don't sell it in every book store," I continued. "Like, it took me a while to actually be able to find a book store that sold this stuff."
"Don't worry," he smirked, causing my brows to furrow. "There are a lot of manga sections in several comic book stores around Cincinnati. I've seen some at the ones I used to go to."
"Oh," somewhat distracted, I looked around me and outside the window the man sat near to, seeing the well-lit restaurant zoom into our direction. "That's good, then. I hope you find it; you'll really love it. It's like, so great. Like, so good."
He asked me something, but I was too distracted to process the question.
"Huh?" I glanced to him and raised a brow, suddenly hearing his words from a few seconds ago.
"Is this your stop?"
"Uh-oh-oh-yeah – yeah, this is my stop," I said hastily. "Sorry, I'm running super late to work and I can't imagine what kind of disasters I'll be facing as soon as I walk in there."
Standing up slowly, the bus abruptly came to a full halt, making me jerk forwards slightly. I grabbed my umbrella and handbag, shoving the book back into it.
"It was nice meeting you," the man I sat next to smiled up at me. "Miss...?"
Swiftly, I stepped out of the small space I was standing in and straightened my shirt and coat. "Jude," I declared. "I'm Jude." Then I hurried to the front of the bus.
"Maybe I'll see you again!" he shouted to me. I responded with a quick grin and a wave. The idea was doubtful – I never meet the same people on the bus twice; this was surely a one-time thing, and I was never going to see this man, ever again.
As I stepped off the bus and opened up my umbrella, it occurred to me.
I didn't get his name.
cast:
Emily Bett Rickards as Jude Hendrix
Black Veil Brides as Themselves
Ella Cole as Herself
Katie Cassidy as Lauren
Amanda Seyfried as Amy
Jacksepticeye as Sean
Greg Kinnear as Thomas Hendrix (father)
Veronica Ferres as Christianne Frei/Hendrix (mother)
Nicholas Hoult as Cole Hendrix (brother)
Alicia Von Rittberg as Sophia Hase/Hendrix (brother's wife)