“I’m getting off at the next stop too. Perhaps we could walk together on the way home.”

I really didn’t want to respond, especially the fact that they were someone I never wanted to meet again. They didn’t seem to recognize me though, or they didn’t want to say that they recognized me. Who knows? I wasn’t paying attention to their facial expressions, as I just wanted to leave the train and run back home. Since they didn’t recognize me, I had no reason to be rude though, and I should have given a response.

“It’s fine, I have a few things to get from the convenience store, so it’ll be a while.”

I lied of course, I didn’t need anything. Plus, I just wanted an excuse to leave their sight. They seemed to pick up on that hint, and nodded their head when I looked at them again.

“Yeah sure, maybe next time, Lee.”

Wait, Lee, did they just say my name? Shit, they must have finally figured out who I was. I couldn’t help and I had to ask this.

“Oh, so you did recognize me, Skye, even after all these years?”

Skye Long, the one person who I didn’t want to see ever again, did a number of things to me throughout my life. When I was in elementary school, they convinced everyone in my classes to not be friends with me as I had the “ick”, causing everyone to keep a distance from me. It was so bad to the point where the teacher had to ask a few of my classmates at that time to explain. Sure, they got punished afterwards, but that was only the start of my torture.

When I was in high school, thanks to Skye, I found myself in various unwelcomed situations, from a Facebook hate group dedicated to ruining my (already thinning) reputation, to being the one and only target at dodgeball every P.E. class, to being shamed for my body size and interests (I was heavily into reading at that time). I would have told my parents about it, but knowing how things were dealt with in school, I wouldn’t be taken seriously and I would have been facing worse situations then, or at least that was what I believed.

So I ended up toughening up those few years and not be bothered by Skye’s antics. I just wanted to leave for college as I already knew my major. As it turned out, luck was finally on my side as Skye left high school in their final year, while my life significantly turned better since then. I didn’t find out the reason why they left, but I also didn’t bother because the one person who terrorized me finally wasn’t in my school life anymore.

Or so I thought, until that person was standing in front of me while I was on the train home.

“Yeah, your face is hard to forget. Actually, I’ve been wanting to chat with you about something. Can you let me know when you’re available so we could meet up again?”

What else did they want to say to me? Didn’t they already do enough to damage me? I couldn’t figure out a good reason why they would want to willingly chat with me when they never liked me as a person.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Skye. Don’t you hate me?”

I was a direct person, so as much as I wanted to beat around the bush, I couldn’t and I would rather find out from Skye themself.

“That’s the thing. I don’t, and I never hated you. I want to explain everything I did, and I’m so sorry for what I did throughout those years.”

Well that was a surprise. I was shocked. Skye never hated me? But why would they do that to me? I was about to give an answer when the train announced that we were approaching the station, the same station that I was about to get off with Skye. Soon after that, the train reached the station and I got off onto the platform without giving them an answer.

I was about to walk into the convenience store as I realised I actually needed something there, when someone grabbed my shoulder. As I expected, it was Skye. 

“I meant everything I said just now. I really am sorry for everything I did. I hope you can forgive me, if not just listen to what I have to say and go from there.”

I sighed, and gave it another thought. My bully in my schooling years wanted to have a chat with me and apologised to me multiple times in the process. Surely this wasn’t a trap? If it was, I wouldn’t forgive myself for being so naive. 

“Okay, you win. I’m free tomorrow morning if you want a quick chat. We can meet at the nearby café.”

Skye’s face immediately lit up and nodded furiously.

“Yes, I’m free in the morning. Does 10am sound good to you?”

I shrugged. 10am was my usual time to get some coffee on the weekend anyway. I tend to have a sense of routine even on weekends.

“Sure, that’s when I usually get a cup of coffee anyway.”

“See you then, Lee. I’ll be there.”

Skye then left the convenience store and turned left, where I assumed where they lived, in the same apartment complex as they used to be with their family.

I grabbed what I needed from the convenience store (some bread, I realised I was running low on it for the week), and turned right to walk to my home, while laughing in my head as I realised I agreed to a meeting with someone I least expected to see again.