A/N: Was I ever glad to finally get this written! This has been sitting in my brain for months.
This is my first time writing something focused on these two. I hope they're decently characterized.
This is inspired by the first verse of the song Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. I don't own the song, Total Drama, or these characters.
Please enjoy!
Duncan covered his bright green-tipped hair with his hood and shoved his hands in his pockets. He couldn't have people recognizing him as he walked into the old train station. Of course, it being close to midnight, no one was really there. Just a few homeless bums riding out the rain.
As the clock rang it's twelve times, and his cheap watch beeped just as many, he watched as the train pulled into the station. He stepped on and found a seat, which wasn't too difficult since there was no one on the train.
Well, almost no one.
There was a girl. She was sitting by a window, listening to music through bad-quality earbuds from the look and sound emanating from them. She sighed as the train began to move again. She took off her hood, revealing bright red hair in two short pigtails, and put her head in her hand on the edge of the window, staring out. She didn't seem to notice Duncan's presence.
Duncan walked to a seat on the opposite side of the train, so they were parallel to each other. The girl still didn't notice him. He took out his pocket knife and a piece of wood he'd snagged off the ground earlier.
This knife was his most prized possession. It was one of the few things he could call his own. The rest belonged to his, er...his guardian.
He began carving a random shape into them. The girl looked over at him, realizing he was there. She took an earbud out. "Um...hi." She started, apparently trying to make conversation.
Duncan stopped carving and looked at her, not lifting his hood. "What is it, Red? Can't you see I'm trying to carve something here?"
Her expression turned apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry, just trying to make conversation. It's kind of boring listening to the same songs over and over again." She took out her other earbud, unplugged them from what looked like her phone, and placed them in her bag.
They sat in continued silence until...
"So, where are you from?"
Duncan didn't like the question. "Around here," he simply said. He didn't care to give a random stranger on a train his home address. Not that he really had one, but still.
"Oh, ok, me too. I live a few stations down from the last one." The girl explained. She then looked him in his blue eyes. "Y'know, you have nice eyes."
"Oh. Uh, thanks." Duncan didn't get many compliments about anything. "Yours are nice too." He didn't know what else to say in return.
The girl blushed lightly. "Thanks."
More silence.
"So, just out of curiosity, why are you taking a train running at midnight?" Duncan asked, actually curious.
"Oh, I just wanted some time to think. About life. How empty it all is..." She sighed.
"Wait, why do you think that?"
"I've never been the most-social person in the world. I try to make friends, but they all think I'm kind of...weird. The guys in my town are obsessed with sports and being loud and obnoxious, and the girls are all cheerleaders. I'm not into that. It's so fake."
"Then what are you into?"
"Art, theater, music."
"Well that's all good and lovely." Duncan went back to carving.
The girl frowned and moved into the seat next to Duncan. "I told you about myself, it's your turn."
Duncan groaned. He put his knife and carving away in his pocket before looking back at her. "What is it you want to know?"
"First, I want to see your face. All I can see are your eyes."
"Fine." Duncan pulled off his hood, revealing his hair.
"You dye your hair too?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Nothing..." She smiled a little. "Why are you taking a train at midnight?"
Now that, Duncan would not answer. He just looked her in her brown eyes and said, "No."
"What?"
"I'm not answering that."
"Why not?"
"It's a... difficult subject."
"You know what's difficult? Having your boyfriend dump you."
"Oh, I feel that. Instead of a boyfriend, it was my girl. Two, actually."
"That's funny, it was a thing with two different guys-well, not really."
They laughed awkwardly.
"So how'd you manage that?" Duncan asked.
"Oh...I don't want to talk about it." She rubbed her arm. "I thought he was this sweet guy, but this other girl came into the picture, and he was all over her. And he was so two faced about it, trying to convince me he wasn't like that. But he was, he absolutely was." She wiped a tear from her eye.
"Red, stop crying."
She took a deep breath and the tears subsided. "Sorry, I get too emotional sometimes."
"And stop apologizing. It's getting on my nerves."
"Sor-ok. And you don't have to call me Red. My name's Zoey."
"Fine then, Zoey. You can call me Duncan."
He train was pulling into the next station. They'd been there a good long time, and it had gone back again to Zoey's station. She got stood up, grabbed her bag, and waved to him. "Bye, Duncan. Nice meeting you."
"Oh, uh, nice meeting you too, or whatever." He tried to play it off like he didn't care, when in reality he hoped to maybe see her again someday.
He took his carving back out with his knife, and began again, his hood back over his hair, a small smile on his face.
Please review. It's appreciated. :)
