Jionni.

The sounds of a train running on its tracks rings.

Melissa opens her eyes. Blurred vision clearing. She stretches, stands, looking up and down the center aisle of the train.

No passengers.

“Hello?” Melissa utters, standing awkwardly in the center. “Anyone here?”

Panicked, Melissa jogs into the locomotive room, heels clicking loudly on the solid floors of the vacant train. Entering the locomotive, Melissa is even more confused than before.

No driver. No passenger. A moving train, driving itself.

“Hello,” Melissa shouts, running back into the seated area. “Is anyone here? Where am I?”

All windows, closed with an outdated gray projector like shade. Frantic, Melissa runs towards the window, lifting one of the shades.

A photo of a young man is plastered on the window. Her same skin color, but different race. Brown complexion. Black. Prime features with a perfect white smile that makes the girls in his teenaged age bracket swoon.

Jionni.

“Aww. My baby,” Melissa smiles to herself, tracing her french tip nails against the photo. “Beautiful.”

Revealing the shade in the next section, a photo of Melissa and Jionni kissing at their homecoming dance.

Suddenly, the train speeds up, causing Melissa to stumble. She quickly grips onto the seat, maintaining the balance of the increased speed. She giggles a bit, unveiling the next picture in the next row.

Jionni, dressed in a suit.

“Melissa,” A woman calls over the PA in the train.

Melissa recognizes this voice in an instant. Her mother, Rosia.

“Mom,” Melissa says, looking around and stumbling back towards the center of the train. “Where are you?”

Initially, there’s no response.

“You and this boy,” Rosia laughs over the intercom. “You are so funny.”

“Are you driving?” Melissa asks, walking towards the front of the train. “How’d you get on the intercom? And where am I?”

“I remember how much you used to love designing your old clothes in your spare time,” Rosia continues, speaking over the intercom. “Since you’ve entered senior year though, Jionni is all you think about.”

Melissa smiles, looking at the unveiled pictures.

“Am I wrong?” Rosia asks.

Melissa continues to smile at the photos, barely moving.

“Are you even listening to me, Melissa?”

“Huh? Y-Yeah,” Melissa lies, snapping out of her thoughts. “Sorry, Mom. Ask me again?”

Rosia chuckles. The train continues traveling.

“What is it about this boy that makes you think about him more than you do yourself?” Rosia jokes. “He’s a cutie pie, but there’s got to be something more to him. You’ve never thought of any boy like this.”

“Well…”

Melissa smiles. Suddenly, she nearly rocked off of her feet when the train increases its speed another notch. She grabs onto the seat she stumbles across, climbing onto one of the seats. She gathers herself, unveiling another photo of the young man.

Jionni’s senior yearbook photo.

“I dunno, he’s just..” Melissa smiles, staring at the picture. “He’s special.”

“What’s special about him?”

“The way he treats me. Better than my old boyfriend, that’s for sure.”

“That’s broad, Melissa. Tell us more.”

“He’s appreciates all of the insecurities I have, like my pimples that come and go,” Melissa sighs, tracing her nails on the photo once more. “He’s the first person who told me I looked pretty without makeup.”

The speed on the train increases. Melissa rocks to the side, holding onto her seat with her right hand.

“That’s it?” Rosia laughs over the intercom. “There has to be more!”

“He’s a gentleman,” Melissa continues. “He opens the door for me, he kisses me, he hugs me every time we’re in the hallways and doesn’t care who sees..”

The speed on the train, increases. Melissa doesn’t move much, but clutches harder onto her seat.

“And?” Rosia says.

“And he’s beautiful,” Melissa says loudly over the increasing track noise. “His jawline, eyelashes, his perfect smile with no dental work, his voice, he burps excessively and it pisses me off, but he’s perfect. Perfect for me at least. And-“

The speed of the train is now dangerously fast. Melissa’s short hair blows in the increasing wind speed. Force shoving her forward, Melissa clutches harder onto her seat to maintain steadiness. The noise from the tracks are now blaring. Melissa grabs hold of the armrests, struggling to keep her hair from in front of her eyes.

Still, through all of the noise, Jionni’s senior photo captures all of her attention. The speed of the train increasing doesn’t move her. The train tracks go silent. The hair blowing in her face doesn’t break her focus.

Jionni, is her everything.

“Melissa,” Rosia calls over the intercom.

Melissa is dazed. Her mothers voice, also tuned out.

“Melissa!” Rosia calls out louder.

Melissa’s eyes, doesn’t break focus. She remains in her train of thought. A daze. Her own world.

Sitting on the couch of her home, Melissa stares at the Polaroid photo of she and Jionni on a date, out of the country. France. Rosia and Melissa’s aunt, Lucy, stares at the teen from the further end of the den. The women laugh at the young woman, smitten and in love.

“She doesn’t even hear me calling her, that’s how love she is with that boy,” Rosia chuckles, shaking her head at her sister. “I can see it through her shirt. Her heart races every time you mention his name. You think she was conscious when she answered any of my questions?”

“She’s been staring at that picture for a while,” Lucy chuckles back. “Ah, to be in love at 17 again. What a time, eh?”

“Young love,” Rosia sighs, both smiling at Melissa. “The way she feels about that boy is like a runaway train. There’s no stopping it.”