There I was, standing in the corner of the chilled train station, thinking. Why did I wake up early? To stand here freezing my ass off, just so I can run for a half-hour before class starts? Now I'm going to have to trudge downtown in the thick of winter, charging through the snow! I should have just slept in.

"HEY ALLEN!" I heard shouted across the station.

"Hi Cleo." This was the girl of my dreams, this was Cleopatra. Cleo was neighbors with my best friend from childhood; she's one of those boisterous women of the 90's you can't help falling for. I walked over to sit down next to her and wait for the morning train. I noticed her hair, she'd died it red, and it really fit her I thought.

"Where's your hat today?"

"I decided against the phallic look." She said with a smirk as she adjusted the headband to cover her ears. She began talking, talk about the day ahead, and talk of the future, just talk. There I sat, pondering the depths of her crystal blue eyes.

"Here comes the train!" I heard as she excitedly got up and headed for the door. I quickly got up and followed her onto the train. We sat in the upper level, able to look down on all the sleeping commuters below.

"Allen." She called, holding up a dictionary. "See, I told you I had to bring it with me everyday for criminal justice." She let out a small laugh that woke my heart.

"Mind if I borrow that for a moment?" I queried.

"What for?"

"Remember that word from yesterday? The one in the book I'm reading? I want to look it up real quick."

"What was the word again? Let me see it in context." I pulled out my copy of On The Road by Jack Kerouac, flipping through the pages.

"Here it is, lascivious. It says, "He wanted to lend me the deuce of diamonds, which depicted a tall, mournful fellow and a lascivious, sad whore on a bed trying a position."" She fumbled through the dictionary to look it up, commenting on what a good word it was.

"Lascivious, characterized by or expressing lust. Lewd. Ooh I like that word." She pursed her lips with pure delight upon saying the word.

Cleo went back to reading her trashy magazine as I slowly drifted off into dreams, beautiful dreams of the Nile. The train reached the station and we hopped off, rushing through the bitter cold of winter for the subway beneath the city.

"So Cleo, whatever happened between you and Matt? He seemed like he was really into you."

"Oh Allen, you know me, I'm not one to be tied down for long." She brushed aside a piece of hair that had fallen astray. She started talking again as we stood there shivering, waiting for the train. The conversation turned to speeches we'd given. We related our fears and anxieties of oral presentations.

"Well, of the speeches I've given, the ones for speech class were the easiest." This Cleo said as the sound of the train squealing along could be heard in the background.

"I've never taken speech, I took introduction to communications, but never speech."

"You've never taken speech?" She gasped! "It's a requirement you know!"

"It is not, I would have taken it already if it was."

"Yes, it is!" She retorted with an air of confidence.

"I'll bet you it's not" I replied quickly. "I'll bet you, that I can prove to you by Monday it is not a requirement for graduation."

"O.K., but if you're wrong, then you have to ask out any girl I choose on a date for next Friday. Deal?"

"Deal! But, if I'm right, then you have to get lascivious with someone. Deal?"

"Deal" She said with a chuckle. We shook hands as the train was pounding into the station, quickly boarding to get out of the cold. I couldn't help but wonder who she'd choose to get lascivious with, my heart began to flutter with the thought.

The weekend was fantastic. I went to a club that night and forgot all the worries of the week. All thoughts of school and the bet vanished in the smoky air of the night. Saturday started with a hangover and ended with more drinks at the bar. My mind was freeing itself of the torments of organic chemistry. Sunday I slept. Monday morning rolled around all too quickly, and I was buzzed out of bed at six in the morning. There I stood, in the corner of the station, shivering as usual.

"HEY ALLEN!" I turned and saw Cleo, immediately remembering our bet.

"Oh No! Cleo, I completely forgot about our bet. I'll bring proof tomorrow O.K.?"

"No matter." She replied as she took off her scarf revealing the mark of payment upon her neck.

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