The Cage
"Ashley, you don't need to do this." Her roommate said with more than a hint of concern.
"Yeah, men are so creepy they'll probably just like it anyway." Her other roommate chimed in.
Ashley Johnson, having been catcalled one too many times, had decided on a radical course of action. She was going to walk down to public square and the entire time on her way there- she was going to catcall every man that she walked past.
"I need to do this, it's the principle of the thing. Besides, I'll make them so terrible nobody in their right mind would like it." Her friends looked at her like she was crazy, but she knew she was doing the right thing by making a statement. She stood up from the chair she was sitting in, grabbed her tiny Uchiha backpack and draped it across her side.
"See, you do this thing all the time where you get really angry, don't think, and then do something stupid." Her roommate interjected. "This is one of those times, hun."
"It's not stupid. It's brave!" Ashley said, flashing a peace sign before running off. She ran down to the ground floor, out the door and onto Euclid Ave.
Once on the street she started strutting like a dude and piercing every man she saw with her eyes, as if to undress them. She started out with a simple "Hey sexy, you got a boyfriend?" at the first man she saw. And then loudly whistled at the next one. As she walked down towards public square, she let loose every last horrible thing she could think to utter.
"I bet your dick isn't too small!" She said to one man.
"I bet you have a real nice asshole!" She yelled at another.
"I wanna motorboat your tits!!!" She giggled after that one because, that was actually something she had heard herself a few times. Ashley's body was soft. She was by no means skinny (but not "fat" either) and her boobs were the size of cantaloupes, if not maybe even a little bigger.
"Damn babe! Nice ass!" She said, continuing her crusade.
"Why don't you smile more? You'd look prettier if you smiled!"
Finally she arrived at her destination, public square. But as she was walking up to the big doors at Tower City, she heard a man shouting from behind her.
"Hey!"
Ashley turned her head and looked back to see a man wading through the crowd to reach her. Oh shit, he's following me! Ashley thought as she sped up, opening the big doors. Then, once inside instead of going to her destination, the train station- which would have required her to make a straight line where she was sure to be accosted by the man following her- she made a left turn into the Jack Casino lobby. Not sure if she was still being followed, she weaved through the casino floor and into a side room where the elevators to the guest rooms and other floors of the casino were.
"Hey! You!"
Shit! He found me! Ashley panicked, running for the elevator. She rapidly pushed the button, calling the elevator but the man caught up to her.
"You're the girl who told me told me she liked my ass!"
Hurry damnit! She thought as the man stopped right in front of her.
"I thought what you said was very kind, and I was wondering- well I was wondering if maybe I could get your number!"
Finally the elevator came and Ashley hurried inside. The man followed her.
"Hi? Can you hear me, I'm talking to you."
"Hey. I don't know what you're talking about. Just leave me alone." Ashley went to the control panel and hurriedly tapped the third floor button, so that she could get out as quickly as possible but at a place with plenty of bystanders.
"What are you talking about? You're the one that complimented me."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I think you're mistaken, you have the wrong woman."
"It was you, I know it was you because I recognize your Itachi backpack."
The elevator was slow, only just now reaching the second floor and so she continued to hit the panel. Suddenly, a loud creaking sound rang out and the elevator shook before it completely stopped. "Damnit damnit, god damn this stupid fucking elevator!!!" She panicked.
"What's wrong, claustrophobic? I am a little too. But don't worry. I'm sure its just a mechanical issue. It'll be fixed soon."
She was trapped, in a cage, with no exit. Ashley clicked the emergency button on the panel, "Hello? We're trapped, please help!" but got no response. She then secretly took her switchblade from her bag and held it behind her back, just incase. The man seemed pretty skinny and not too strong, but you could never be too careful. They were roughly the same height too.
"Well I guess we're going to be stuck here for a little while. Might as well get to know each other! My name's Josh, you?"
"Fucking Ashley."
"Nice to meet you 'fucking Ashley'! Sorry to run after you like that, but what you said- complimenting me- well I don't get compliments very often. That was really nice of you."
"I was catcalling you, its not supposed to feel nice. It's supposed to feel shitty."
"Shit, really?" Josh paused for a moment "I guess- I just feel so starved for attention that any attention, even bad attention, is nice."
"Huh? What are you, some kind of incel? I swear to god, just when I feel like I'm starting to understand men." Ashley groaned with an eye roll as she sat down.
"Incel? That's kinda harsh, don't you think? Making friends is hard enough. Not to mention getting women to have a conversation with you is damn near impossible."
"I know your type though. You think that you're owed something in this world, especially women's attention. And you don't even see us as people, just objects to fuck. I'm sorry you can't get laid and women won't even talk to you. But it's not my problem."
"Damn, you're a fucking bitch. You don't know me? I've been nothing but nice to you."
"Wow, you're such a saint!" Ashley set her switchblade down for a second to clap her hands, "Being nice should be expected, you don't get some award for being a decent fucking human being."
"Well when half the world are assholes, yeah I feel like being kind to others is a valuable commodity these days."
"Fuck you."
The two sat in silence in the elevator for a prolonged time. Before, eventually Josh broke the awkward silence.
"Have you ever been lonely?"
"What? Yeah, everyone feels lonely sometimes. Doesn't give you the right to talk to someone that clearly doesn't want to talk to you."
"No, I didn't ask if you've ever felt lonely. I asked if you've ever been lonely. Day after day its just me, I'm my only friend. I feel like I've lived my entire life in one of those padded cells, solitary confinement. I've tried hard to make friends- but when 50% of the world thinks that you just want to assault them or use them, it really dwindles down who you can connect with. Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean that I can make friends with every male out there. It's just nice to even be noticed. I feel like I've been left behind. The problem just feels so overwhelming and unsolvable, just like losing my virginity."
"Wait, what? You're a virgin? But you're like twenty-five." Puzzled, Ashley studied his face. True he was not exactly "conventionally attractive" but other than his weak facial hair, pale skin and pencil thin mustache he looked like an almost normal thin guy. Albeit one that probably owned a fedora. "I'm sorry. I was angry and stressed out. I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"That's ok. I understand... to a point."
"Being trapped in an elevator with a stranger isn't exactly a comforting situation for a woman."
"Everyone's a stranger until you get to know them!"
He then moved to sit next to her on her side of the elevator. Prompting her to say "Ummm, I never said that you could get near me."
"Sorry!" He blushed "I just wanted to comfort you, you seem really anxious and stressed out."
"Well thanks, and yes... I am."
"Is there anything I can do to help? A beautiful woman like yourself shouldn't suffer in silence."
"No, I'm fine. Just tired of being trapped in this stupid fucking elevator!" Ashley said pounding her fist against the wall.
"Not much I can do about that, I'm afraid. But I'd love to learn more about you or vise versa."
