Chicago? Who Knows.

SYIC: Part 1: Survival — Chapter 42

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Plans and people change. Nothing stays constant. And the past is little more than a dream. Those were the realities Jack had grown used to as he waited for TJ to arrive from the one place he dared not return: New York City.

The wind swirled as Jack stood outside the Binghamton Short Line bus terminal, waiting for riders to disembark.

“Arriving: Bus 270 from Port Authority Bus Terminal,” the intercom blared.

A few snowflakes drifted lazily as passengers began to file off the bus: an old woman with a tripod cane, a girl with pink hair, and three Asian college students wearing Binghamton University sweatshirts.

Jack waited.

And then the bus pulled away.

Frustrated, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

“Where are you, dude?”

TJ’s voice came groggy. “I decided not to come home.”

There was some muffled chatter in the background before he continued, “Sorry, bro. I got a place down here. Gonna stay with Ruslana for a bit.”

“Dude, I’m waiting for you at the bus station. It’s fuckin’ early. I didn’t have to drive down here before the crack of dawn. I’ve been sittin’ here…