This short story is just an idea that was floating around my head I had to get down on paper but didn't have the time to make into a larger work.
***
We were like fire and ice, always have been. Water and oil. Two fundamentally incompatible people. That would be totally fine, we were more than happy to go our separate ways, believe me. The only problem was that we were siblings.
Maya was two years older than me and she never let me forget that fact. It didn't matter that we were both in college, I was always "little Danny" to her, the perpetual baby brother who could never in a million years be right.
In some ways, it was mutually beneficial to be constantly at our throats. All my life I've been trying to catch up to her and all her life, she'd try to outrun me both literally and academically. We were both active in track and field and both made it into the state college.
In other, more immediate ways, she was the bane of my existence.
"It's not a problem at all, you're just a spoiled brat," Maya said.
The entire track and field team, all eight of us, were sitting around a table at the Huntsman Bar & Grill for our monthly "team-building" dinner. The topic at hand was the bus situation, a long-running complaint among students and faculty.
Over the last two decades, the number of people living in Marion had almost doubled. The public transit system, however, had not. That meant that during peak rush hour, the busses were crammed full to burst with the doors barely being able to close. People wedged up against one another in the humid, hot air.
Everyone I knew hated it and someone at Marion College had started collecting signatures for this year's petition to the mayor. The third such petition.
Almost everyone.
"We grew up in the same house and it doesn't have anything to do with being spoiled if you don't like suffocating in a crowd of people," I insisted and turned to the others. "Am I right?"
All six of our team members made a point to avoid my gaze, looking like they wished they were somewhere else. I wish I could say it was the first time we had a heated sibling argument but we did have a reputation.
"I have my own car," Tom muttered and shrugged.
"Maybe one of the WOMEN at the table can chime in?" I pleaded. "Surely you don't like being squashed up against people all the time."
"What kind of sexist bullshit is that?" Maya growled before anyone else could reply. "What does any of this have to do with being a woman?"
"I read online that sometimes assholes like to grope women and—"
"Right, I know what kind of porn you watch."
"It's not porn!" I said feeling the heat rise to my face. "It was a feminist magazine."
"You have no idea what it's like being a woman, don't you dare try to lecture me, baby brother."
"I wouldn't have to lecture you if you weren't being so stupid."
Maya rolled her eyes.
"What's stupid is everyone having to suddenly pay more for our tickets just because you want to be able to sit your lazy ass down."
"I don't care if I sit or stand, I just don't want to be suffocated by a bunch of people. Do you?"
"I've never had any problems," Maya sneered.
That was a lie, of course. You didn't have to be an expert in body language to tell she was just being her usual stubborn self but, due to circumstances beyond my control, I was. The jutted out chin, the crossed arms, it was clear. Maya was not going to back down no matter what.
"So you're telling me you're okay being sandwiched by two greasy, smelly guys?"
"That would never happen and if it did, it's not a big deal. It's just a bus ride, you'll live."
"It happens all the—" Greta started and cut off, wincing as she realized she had entered the conversation.
"Thank you!" I said immediately.
Maya turned her head to the twenty-two-year-old long-distance runner and stared a death-glare.
"Maybe not everyone is as prude as you," Maya snarled.
Greta paled and looked away.
"Too far," Sarah muttered.
Instead of an apology, Maya turned her death-glare on me. Her brown eyes were like daggers and I knew what was going through her head. "This is all your fault." She knew it was an indefensible position as well as I did.
"Are you saying you'd enjoy getting groped on the bus?" I asked.
I received a nudge in my side from Tom's sharp elbow. I ignored it.
"Maybe I am," Maya said.
"Why don't we order some ice cream?" Harry suggested.
"No, I wanna hear more about—"
"HONESTLY, WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP ALREADY?" Sarah shouted loud enough for the entire block to hear.
"Yeah, we're supposed to be a team, not kill each other," Tom added.
"But—" I started.
"One more word and I'm gonna have to tell coach," Sarah threatened.
That did it. Maya and I were already on thin ice with her due to our squabbling and I wasn't looking forward to another lecture.
I took a deep breath and realized just how tense my entire body was. I unclenched my fists and saw my nails had left a gouge mark in my palm.
Maya stuck out her tongue at me.
***
"I'll see you tomorrow in math," I said, waving.
"See ya," Mike called out from the couch.
It was late in the evening but not yet dark. The air was warm with a gentle breeze carrying the smells of nearby restaurants into my nostrils. I closed the door behind me and headed down the stairs.
It had been an enjoyable Friday evening of pizza and video games, which I sorely needed after a strenuous week. I stretched my legs, glad that I wore shorts instead of something longer. It wasn't the most comfortable jogging attire but it was better than nothing.
Mike's house was about a mile from the nearest bus stop and I broke into a light trot. Not enough to strain my muscles but enough to make myself feel better about eating an entire pepperoni pizza.
A quarter-mile to the stop, the bus passed me. It was one of the long, articulated buses that serviced downtown. Line five. Even though it was almost seven, the carriage was crammed. I decided that I'd wait for the next one. Half an hour of waiting in exchange for some personal comfort.
But then my heart skipped a beat.
In the back car, wedged between two tall figures, was someone I would have recognized blind. Maya, looking down at her phone.
Without thinking, I picked the pace into a near sprint. The bus wasn't going very fast due to traffic and the street light ahead was red. I passed the bus and arrived at the bus stop first, wheezing for breath. I moved to the front, putting a group of four between myself and the line of sight of the bus.
It was the best opportunity I could have hoped for to teach my sister a lesson.
Three people got off the bus and I waited patiently before entering at the front. It took me a full minute to squeeze my way into the back section, receiving more than one complaint. The air was very humid and it didn't help that I had just sprinted at what felt like record pace. My heart was beating fast, not just from exertion.
As far as I could tell, Maya hadn't noticed anything. She was facing away from me, still looking down at her phone. She had just enough room to raise her hand, standing next to an older gentleman. Her elbows were pressed up on the window.
It looked like she had been hanging out with friends, too. She wasn't wearing enough makeup for a night out and she wore her usual clothes, yoga pants, and a cami top.
Briefly scoping out the situation, I decided the coast was clear. The older man had his back turned to her and the woman on the other side was just as deeply engrossed in her own phone. I took another step close and reached past the man.
I was just close enough for my fingertips to bump into her waist.
Maya looked around and I stepped to the side, pretending I was yawning while hiding from her view. When I took another peek, Maya was looking at her phone again.
It was go-time. I muttered an apology and wedged past the guy to stand behind my sister. Over her shoulder, I saw that she was texting her friend Amy.
Reaching out carefully, I touched her butt cheek with four fingertips. Maya startled and less than a heartbeat later, she batted away my hand. I grinned.
There wasn't enough room to really swing my arm but I was still able to get at least a decent wind-up. I smacked her ass with an open palm.
Maya jumped.
"Fucking cut it—"
Her words died in her mouth as soon as she turned around enough to see my pretty mug.
"What's the matter?" I said sarcastically. "You don't like it after all?"
"No—I—That—" she spluttered. "I was just surprised, that's all."
"Uh-huh, sure. You're still not gonna admit you were wrong?"
"I wasn't wrong."
God, why was she so damn stubborn? It was maddening.
"So you don't mind if some stranger does this?" I asked and put my hand on her ass.
