the note
Zooey skipped along towards the subway station, letting her bag swing freely beside her. The platform was desolate, and she took the opportunity to watch a janitor slowly move a mop from side to side.
She boarded the next train, and snuggled herself into the last remaining seat on the crowded car. The brutal heat of the summer had taken a toll on all of the passengers, who looked disgruntled and tired. But something caught Zooey’s eye. A young man seated across from her, wearing headphones over his tangles of bedhead sat with a hint of a smile on his face, which rapidly grew.
To Zooey, this seemed like a shining beacon among a sea of frowns. She rummaged through her bag and took out a scrap of a paper from her notebook and a pen. She scribbled a little note and held it close in her palm.
As she got off, she noticed the the young man was already leaving ahead of her. She rushed forward, pushing the note into his hand before dissappearing.
He opened it and read,
You have an amazing smile.