Page 10 of Burn Bright
The subway car rolls to a stop.
I sense a person hovering near my back. I barely glance over my shoulder to catch the brown eyes of my bodyguard.
Olive skin from his Italian-Croatian heritage, shaggy walnut-brown hair styled meticulously, khakis and a linen shirt. He blends in like an average thirtysomething living in the trendy parts of Brooklyn.
Chris Novak has been assigned to my detail since I was ten. He’s been unfortunate enough to be around for my two growth spurts. Shot up to six-foot in middle school and then wrecked my back with stretch marks in ninth grade when I climbed to six-foot-five. That was a real pissy year for me, and Novak heard most of my complaining.
“Next stop,” I tell him.
He gives me a short nod. His gaze has left mine and roams the cramped subway car. I know I don’t make his life easier. Could’ve hailed a cab. Could’ve done a lot of things differently. But even if I wasn’t penny-pinching right now, I’d still be trying to leave the world better than when I entered it. My carbon footprint matters to me, and I don’t give a shit what people think of me for it.
I check my texts.
As the subway car halts again, Novak follows me off the platform while I scroll and move. Usually, he’ll slip in front of meto clear a path, but people rush out and we both naturally walk with the flow.
My messages have blown up in the past three hours.
Santiago A.P. English Lit (Dalton Academy)
You’re moving to New York? Dude!
Rita Carraways Show
Heard you moved to NYC. Let’s grab drinks
Prescott Kappa Phi Delta (MVU)
Hey, Ben. Don’t forget to rush Kappa Phi.
I sift through another five sent from different people I’ve met over the years, and I smile when I come across a thread from thirty minutes ago. I click it and reread.
Harriet Fisher
We’re still meeting @ 3 for the job interview thing?
Ben Cobalt
I’ll meet you at the corner of 10th & 55th
Harriet Fisher
Chances of getting hired are low, but fuck it. What’s the worst that can happen?
Ben Cobalt
Positive thoughts, Fisher.
Harriet Fisher
That’s what you’re here for, Cobalt boy.
My smile grows, and I check the time on my phone.
It’s 10 a.m., and I have a canvas duffel bag strapped across my chest with my essentials. I wish I could fast-forward to threeand just meet up with her now, but I can’t delay this move-in any longer.
It’s time to be with my brothers.
The thought is both comfort and tension. A paradox. And funny enough, my family loves those.
