Story 1: Ride of a Lifetime
Chapter 2
As they reached the platform level, Andrew was quite surprised that the rain stopped all of a sudden and the sky became bright again.
He said: “Hey!! The rain stopped already? What’s wrong with the weather these days?”
Hazel, who is still annoyed with Andrew for being late, said: “Well, the world seems to be changing due to global warming. That should be the main cause of this weird weather, I suppose.”
She looked at her watch impatiently and said: “It’s already 8:50am! We’ll definitely be late now and the next train is another 5 minutes away.”
Andrew in his usual nonchalant tone said: “We’ll just be slightly late. Relax!”
She stared at him looking rather cross and he just gave another cheeky smile back at her. The platform heading east was not very crowded and only a few dozen people were waiting for the train. On the contrary, many people were alighting from the opposite platform to get to work since many companies and factories are located near to Boon Lay.
“Another 2 minutes! This is getting really slow!” Hazel said in an impatient tone.
2 minutes passed fast as the two of them started discussing some details of their final year project.
“Finally, there’s the train! Let’s go!” Hazel said in a rather rushing kind of tone.
Andrew just followed into the train slowly with his hands in his pockets and his headphones in his ears, playing music from Jay Chou.
“Beeeeep!!!!” came from the speakers as the train doors closed. A whizzing sound came from the engine and the train moved off slowly before picking up speed towards the next station.
“Ding dong!!! Next station, Lakeside!” said the speakers loudly in the half-packed train. More people were waiting at the platform at Lakeside than Boon Lay as the train pulled into the station. The doors opened and the train gradually start to feel not as empty anymore as people moved in. The doors closed again as the train started moving off for the next station.
“Ding dong!!! Next station, Chinese Garden!” said the speakers loudly in the train that is now three quarter full. Andrew and Hazel begin discussing their final year project and other schoolwork.
“I was thinking we should just shorten the introduction slides and focus more on the explanation slides. What do you think?” Andrew said with a more serious tone.
Hazel paused for a while to think and replied: “But if the slides are not clear enough for the introduction, further explanation at the back would make it more confusing for the audience.”
“We just have to explain it slowly for them.” he replied, back in his relaxed tone.
She interrupted immediately: “Cannot! We don’t have the time to do it slow! We only got 10 minutes to present so many slides!”
“Ding dong! Chinese Garden” sounded in the background of their heated conversation.
“The train really is slow and it’s all because of your fault!” Hazel replied in her annoyed tone.
Andrew did not say anything and just gave an innocent look at her. The rest of the ride continued in silence as the train continued towards Jurong East.
As the train starts slowing down and pulled into Jurong East station, quite a lot of commuters were moving towards the doors to alight and board the north-bound train across the platform. Likewise, the platform was already jam-packed with people wanting to take the east-bound train towards the business district.
“Ding dong! Jurong East Interchange!” went the speakers as the train moved to a halt.
“Great! More people in the train!” Andrew muttered annoyingly to himself. Despite having a relaxed attitude and having fun with friends most of the time, he had a problem with crowds. He detests crowded places and always avoids those places. He even went as far as to skip gatherings with friends just to avoid crowds.
As the train starts to move out of the station, Hazel said all of a sudden: “Oh ya! Have you done the assignments given by Mr Lim last week?”
Andrew answered in a very proud manner: “Of course! I finished them at night on the day he gave us. Those maths questions are a piece of cake”
She said shockingly:”What! So fast! Crap, I only finish half the questions only!” There was a brief pause. “Do you mind lending me for ‘reference’ during our free period?”
Andrew replied in enthusiasm: “Sure! I know you just want to copy only, right?”
Hazel stared at him again with her annoyed yet beautiful look and said: “Ya lah! My GPA is not as high as yours so I got nothing to say.”
Andrew is actually a smart fellow who excels in his studies. His GPA was consistent throughout the three years and stands at 3.9. Hazel, on the other hand, has a GPA of 3.65, due to her diligence.
“Ding dong! Clementi!” went the speakers above us. People start moving towards the train doors, preparing to alight.
“Great! There’s going to be more people coming in!” Andrew went in an annoying tone.
The train, however, sped into the station at full speed and did not stop. Seconds later, the train was out of the station and zoomed towards the next.
The train, however, sped into the station at full speed and did not stop. Seconds later, the train was out of the station and zoomed towards the next.
Suddenly, everyone start discussing why the train did not stop. Some looked rather annoyed and furious, while some looked worried and curious. Some people even press the communication button to ask the driver what’s going on.
“Now that’s weird. Why the train didn’t stop?” Andrew said, sounding amused.
“Well, it’s none of my business though. I just need to get to school.” Hazel said, buried in her notes.
“Let’s hope that we could get there.” Andrew said, beginning to sound a bit worried.
The train continues to whiz towards Dover at full speed as the sun now shines brightly in the sky with no traces of rain clouds around it.
That's the end of Chapter 2! Chapter 3 might be published on Monday!!! Bye!!!
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