Writing Exercise 008

Ah, February. My favourite month of the year. ;)
And what better way to begin the new month with a new writing exercise! This time the story is about first impressions. Let's see what your first impressions of my exercise are, shall we? :D

2016/02/01 – first impressions

It was a rainy Saturday evening in July. She borded the tube at the main station and sat at one of the windows. The carriage was empty safe for a few shady guys, so she kept her luggage close. Usually around this time she would be at home cramming for the upcoming exams, writing stories or playing browser games.

But it was her friend's birthday party. So she coped with two hours of train ride to a place she didn't know to meet lots of strangers. She felt awkward with all these uncertainties; for her pal she would endure though. Her friend had said to meet up at the last but one station, so they could go together to the student boarding house where the party would take place.

So far, so good.

But then she received a phone call. “I'm sorry,” her friend began. “I can't pick you up,” she continued, “but a friend, who lives at the same boarding house, is going to get you and some of the others at the main station.”

“But I'm already on my way to you; I'm almost there.” She could have facepalmed.

Her friend thought for a moment, then decided: “Alright. Get off at the station where we should have met and wait there. My friend, we call him Lisa, will pick you up there.”

She sighed. “Okay,” she bravely said and swiftly took a glance around, “how do I recognize him?” “Oh, you can't miss him; he's tall with long dark hair and a beard,” her friend told her. "Okay,” she repeated slowly. “See you then.”

'I'll be fine,' she thought in an attempt to calm herself. 'I'll be fine.'

However two guys suddenly sat opposite her and eyed her curiously, then tried to chat her up. “I'm going to meet my friend,” she told them to fend them off. “Yeah, we're meeting up, too,” they answered with a grin. She gripped her luggage for the weekend, hugged it closer, and waited for them to leave. But they wouldn't. Everyone else got out eventually, but they stayed. And when she exited on the last but one stop, they did too.

The track was deserted; no 'Lisa' in sight. So she went down to the street and looked for a guy who might be looking for her, just to get away from these two men. But there was none either.

After a few minutes she went back up to the track, where she could take shelter from the rain. However there still were those shady guys lurking.

'Just my luck.'

She felt quite uneasy, but she wouldn't show it. Yet the wildest scenarios ran through her head; and none of them had a happy ending.

The two of them slowly approached.

Another tube was arriving, and so was a tall and stern looking figure in the rain. He had a beard and long brunette hair, and he was wearing glasses; going by his appearance he was the spitting image of a nerd or a metal fan or both. And he was towering those guys by a head.

'Please let it be him,' she thought. So she braced up and asked: “Are you Lisa?”

He stopped and eyed her. Her heart beat like a drum, thought she might have offended a stanger and embarrassed herself. Suddenly he cracked a smile. “Haha, you could very well say that.” Of course it wasn't his real name, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that he was here to get her out of this rain and away from these guys.

'My saviour!' Relief spread through her entire body. So she held out her hand and he shook it. Though she would have liked to hug him for good measure.

From the corner of her eye she saw the two guys stop and stare, then they borded the tube back to the main station. Lisa and she waited for another guest, then the three of them drove to the party. It was already started and the room was crowded with about twenty people she didn't know. Her friend was busy, so she sat at the bar and chatted with the other guest who had arrived with her and Lisa, and they drank together.

Then everyone congregated and gave their gifts to her friend and another one who also had had birthday.

She didn't have anything for the second host; but then again she didn't know. Still she didn't have anything for her friend either. So when she was empty-handed at that party she felt a bit bad about it. Despite she had already given her present to her friend on her actual birthday. She still felt bad regardless.

After all the congratulations the party games began.

First she joined the group that played 'Werewolves'. After a couple of rounds, where her roles were either Amor or Werewolf, she saw 'Lisa' playing foosball against Pi, her friend's crush. So she grabbed her friend and steered her to the foosball table. “Let's play two against two,” she suggested even though she was bad at that game. They paired up, boys against girls at first. Luckily her friend was quite good, so they didn't loose as badly.

But after two rounds Pi and her friend left to talk, whereas she and Lisa remained.

“One more time?” she asked hopefully.

“Okay,” he said and threw the ball in. Again they played and they were almost evenly matched. “One more time?” she kept asking, and he kept agreeing. Although they both were not quite fond of foosball. It was much better than binging though. Besides she wanted to continue spending time with him; he was the second one she got to know of these strange people after all. And he was surprisingly delightful company, even though there was not much to talk yet.

The party continued well until the early hours of the next day. And while Lisa and the second host went to their respective one-room-appartments, most of the guests unfolded their sleeping bags and camping mats in the party room. She was fortunate enough to fit on the tiny couch. But she didn't sleep at all. The previous evening was on her mind all this time. 

Luckily the night was short, and when everybody rose from their beds for the night she joined them for a leftover breakfast. But there was neither coffee nor tea that would have helped her tide over her tiredness and the forming headache resulting thereof.

“I might have some,” Lisa offered. He wore the same green shirt and fawn trousers as the day before, but they all looked worse for the wear anyways. She smiled hopefully: “Really?”

She followed him away from the party room and into his appartment, where he rummaged for a tea bag and a cup. Then he turned the water boiler on. The room was pretty crammed and a bit chaotic, but that was to be expected when you lived in a student boarding house. “Here you go,” he poured her a cup. “Thanks. You just saved my day,” she beamed wholeheartedly and cradled her cup. Her heart was thrumming happily.

Together they returned to the others; apparently their absence hadn't been noticed.

After cake and muffins for breakfast the group parted ways. She hefted her luggage and Lisa drove her and two others to the main station, kind as he was. She smiled to herself. “Thank you for taking me-...us,” she said when it was time to part ways. “You're welcome,” Lisa politely said and waved.

On her way home she thought about the many impressions she had of that party; and those thoughts stayed with her until the early evening when she fell into bed like a freshly felled tree. 'He was so nice,' she remembered fondly.

On Monday they sat at the lecture theatre listening to their professor. She secretly nudged her friend. “Hey,” she whispered, “Lisa surely has a girlfriend, hasn't he?” Her friend stared, and she felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “Eh? Not that I know of,” she answered. She couldn't help smiling, but the blush felt like it was spreading. “Can I get his number then?”

“Whaaaat?” her friend grinned, “That's so sweet. I hope it works out for you.” She nodded and thought to herself: 'I just hope I left a good first impression at all. He sure did, that perfect hunk.'