Dean wasn’t afraid of anything. He especially wasn’t afraid of the things that his parents warned him about in the subway.
“Don’t ever take the subway,” his father said. “It's full of drug addicts and rats. The platforms are filled with animals, both human and non-human. They’ll stab you.”
“You’ll get robbed! You’ll get shot!” his mother exclaimed. “You’ll get shot and robbed!”
But Dean didn't care. He wasn't afraid of anything! All he knew was that his best friend, Jeff, needed help. Jeff had run away from home and was lost in Brooklyn. He needed Dean to come find him and get him home.
“I’m stuck in Williamsburg, and I don’t know how to get home! Can you please come and get me?” Jeff pleaded over text.
Dean knew that he was forbidden from taking the subway, but his friend was in danger. Who knows what would happen to him in Williamsburg! That’s when Dean hatched his plan.
Dean watched the clock until midnight arrived. Jeff was still lost, and Dean had to find him before his parents woke up. Dean craftily crept out of his apartment and closed the door. He hastily made his way to Hunts Point station without any issues, but when he reached the station, he was immediately frightened by the sight. His parents were right. The subway did look scary and dangerous.
Dean descended the stairs and cautiously looked around him. There was nobody around. He swiped his MetroCard at the turnstile and walked through to the platform. All was quiet, and his train did not arrive for another 15 minutes. “Not so scary,” he thought to himself as he sat down on a bench to wait. All of a sudden, he heard a squeak coming from behind him. He looked behind to see nothing, but when he looked back at his feet, he saw a rat! He jumped onto the bench in fear, only to see the rat’s cute face staring back at him. He sat back down and threw the rat a crumb from his pocket. The rat ate the crumb and scurried away. “Oh, not scary,” he mumbled under his breath. Just that moment, Dean’s train arrived, and he nervously boarded the empty car. He quickly sat down and was thrust to the left as the train began moving.
A few minutes later, two men boarded the train. They had long black trench coats, each carrying two black duffel bags. Dean was paralyzed with fear. “Do they have bombs?” he thought. “Or maybe they're filled with guns and knives! Am I going to leave the train in one of those duffel bags?” They sat down next to him, and his stomach dropped. One of the men turned to him and said, “Is this the train to JFK?”
“Uh- I’m not… sure,” he stammered.
The men looked up towards the screen, realizing they were on the wrong train. “Oh no, we're gonna miss our flight,” one man said to the other.
“Where are you going?” Dean asked.
“We are going to… Las Vegas… to continue our studies in the field,” the other man stuttered. The train halted to a stop, and they immediately sprinted off.
“I can't believe I thought those two scientists were ill-willed criminals,” Dean sighed. “I need to get a grip.”
About half an hour later, he arrived at his stop and got off the train to see the vast Canal Street station. He was overwhelmed by the sight of homeless people and began to walk around. He was almost to the end of the platform when he heard a voice behind him. “Hey, kid,” the voice said. Dean gasped. “I’m going to get shot and robbed,” he thought to himself. Dean slowly turned to see a plump older man with a long gray beard and a filthy fleece coat. He was sitting on the bench next to a cup of quarters and a plastic bag that was tied shut.
“You seem lost. Do you need directions?” said the man.
It was the first time Dean had seen a homeless man up close, and he thought he would get robbed. “I- I don- don’t hav-” Dean stuttered.
“Where’re you headed?” asked the man.
Dean realized that the man was only trying to help. “Williamsburg,” Dean said. “I’m trying to find my friend Jeff.”
Dean was skeptical.
“You must be a good friend,” exclaimed the homeless man. Williamsburg is only 10 minutes away. You just have to walk to the other side of the station and get on the J train.” A smile appeared across Dean’s face. “What’s so funny?” the man asked. “Are you just messing with me?”
Dean sheepishly replied, “I thought you were going to offer me drugs.”
“Drugs!? Stay away from them. That's how I ended up on the streets. You’d better stay in school.” replied the man.
“Thank you for your help,” Dean said.
“You're very welcome, and good luck finding your friend!”
Dean quickly traversed the station and hopped on the arriving J train. Within ten minutes, he was ascending the stairs at the Marcy Ave stop. Jeff was standing at the top of the stairs with a terrified expression. “You took the subway here!?” Jeff exclaimed. “You’re lucky you're still alive! I took an UberX.”
“You took an UberX to run away?”
“Yeah, it's safer.”
“Whatever, dude. Let’s hurry home.” Dean replied.
“On the subway!?” Jeff said, horrified. “I don’t want to get shot! I don’t want to get robbed! Or get attacked by rats, or get addicted to dru-”
“Don’t worry, it's safe,” Dean interrupted. “Believe me, I know. Let's go!”