She sat on the train, her girlfriend’s head in her lap.
“Jen, do you think we’ll be okay?” her girlfriend asked groggily as her sleep threatened to take over.
“We’ll be fine, Kate. I promise.”
The sentence was enough to let Kate relax into a light slumber.
Jen let the rocking of the train car ease her tense body. She stared out the window to their stop in the distance. Even though it was night, the view was lit by the red and white lights of cars racing back and forth- people going towards the city, eager to celebrate a great night as others raced in the other direction, trying to get home to their families.
The city lights flashed on and off, filling the urban skylight with bright, twinkling dots. The corner of Jen’s lip twitched upward as she watched the lights dance in the distance. It was like the city was trying to use Morse code. Maybe they were trying to tell her that she was welcome in the city. No one would hurt her for being there, or for being herself. This new home would be the perfect escape from her last home.
She shuddered at that thought. If she’d had it her way, she would have never been there in the first place. She’d be living a happy life with a family that loved her no matter what.
“Tickets please.” The conductor’s voice reminded Jen that she wasn’t home yet. She threw her hand in her bag and quickly fished out the two ‘one way’ tickets. The conductor’s face was old. The wrinkles on his face seemed to be like the ring on a tree, telling how many years he had been here. His white hair almost reached the top of his thick-rimmed glasses.
He eyed the tickets and the girls carefully. There was no way they lived in the city, and they couldn’t have been older than seventeen.
Jen went rigid. She breathed slowly as her heart began racing. She just wanted him to do his job and move on. He didn’t need to stand there and judge them. They’d been judged enough already.
The conductor gave up, figuring they were just being stupid teenagers trying to party in the city. He didn’t get paid enough to try and help every misfit teen that stepped foot on his train, so he simply punched holes in their tickets and moved on to the next cart.
Jen sighed in relief before setting the tickets back in her bag. As she brought her hand back out, a couple of neatly folded papers fell out of the open pocket. She picked them up. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were letters: one from her brother, one from her sister, and another from her mother. Figuring she had nothing better to do and this would be the last thing she heard from them, she opened the papers and read them.


“Jen, It’s your bro, Alex. Listen, I know mom wasn’t too thrilled about your ‘announcement’, but I think if you apologize, you can come back! It may not sound that great, but it’ll beat having to live on your own. If you wanna apologize, I’ll hide a spare key under the welcome mat. I hope to see you soon.”
“Jennette Rosaline Denaire. I don’t want to have to share the same last name as you anymore. We may have the same blood, but we couldn’t be anymore different. Maybe you can earn your name back later, when you realize what you’ve done is wrong, but until then, you’ll have to go by Jennette the f*ggot. Love, From, Your Ex-sis Lily.”
Jen quickly closed the letter back up. She sniffled quietly as she tried to stop the few tears that began to lace their way down her cheeks. Jennette carefully moved her hand from coming through Kate’s hair, and she wiped the small wet streaks from her face, like they hadn’t even happened. Taking in a deep breath, she opened the last letter and began reading.
“Jennette, when you were born, I told everyone you were going to be a model woman- a beautiful young lady that would attract a young man’s heart, and you’d have a perfect family and everything. But you’ve decided to go against God’s plan for you. You’ve followed the path of sin, and I cannot have a sinner for a daughter. I don’t care where you are going, as long as you never come back here ever again. You will not be welcome as my daughter until you repent and choose the right path. Goodbye.”
Jen swiped the tear away from her eyes. She inhaled shakily, and crumpled the letters. She tossed them underneath the seat and zipped up her backpack. The train soon came to a stop, jerking Kate awake. She stretched her body out and smiled to her significant other.
“Are you ready?” Kate asked as she stood up.
“As I’ll ever be,” Jen responded.
They picked up their meager belongings before hopping off the cart. They weaved their way through the crowds of people trying to board and leave the trains. Making their way to the end of the station, they stepped out into the brisk city air. The black sky seemed to dissipate as it tried to reach the streets of the city, drowned out by the lights shining everywhere. The autumn breeze began to mix with fumes from cars and buses, creating a unique smell that shouted “city life”. The long sidewalk was packed with people. Some wore classy suits and dresses, heels and dress shoes clicking against the concrete as they rushed to catch the next train home. Others were dressed on the opposite side of the spectrum: ripped hoodies and old jeans, with sneakers and boots that gently padded across the sidewalk, getting to their destination with leisure.
Kate’s hand felt around until it locked into place with Jen’s hand. She leaned in close and kissed her cheek before moving to her ear and whispering.
“We made it.”
Jen let herself smile as they began walking in no set path.
“I promised we’d be okay.”