(State U Canteen — Night Before Midterms)
Rain streaked the canteen windows like moving glass.
Students huddled around half-empty cups, drowning in notes and caffeine.
The Titans had claimed a corner table—no practice tonight, just "academic survival."
Luis scrolled his phone. "You ever heard about the ghost train?"
Noel looked up. "Which one?"
"The one that passes through campus at midnight. My cousin swears he saw the headlights cut across the old railway by Gate 5. No sound. No driver."
Luis grinned, sensing a story. "They say if you see it with someone, you're stuck with that person for life."
Tom Ramos looked at Mika across the table, expression unreadable.
"Guess we better not be at Gate 5 then, huh?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Guess not."
Her voice was calm, but something in it made Luis glance between them.
Coach Yssa walked by with her usual tray of empanadas.
"If anyone finds that train, tell it to take your unpaid dues with it."
Scene 1 — The Dare
Later that night, the rain hadn't stopped.
Mika was packing her things when Tom appeared by the door, umbrella slanted, grin soft.
"You heading home?"
"Trying to."
"Platform Zero?"
She sighed. "That's not a thing."
"Come on, Manager. One field test. For science."
"Science doesn't chase folklore."
"Then call it extracurricular statistics."
She almost said no.
But the look in his eyes wasn't teasing anymore—it was an invitation back to whatever rhythm they'd lost.
"Fine," she said. "Ten minutes. Then we leave."
Scene 2 — Platform Zero
Gate 5 sat behind the old railway line, the tracks half-swallowed by grass.
A rusted sign still read STATE UNIVERSITY SPUR — CLOSED 1985.
The air smelled of rain, iron, and electricity.
Tom held the umbrella over both of them. "Cold?"
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
"And you always ask."
"Tradition."
They walked along the tracks until the path disappeared into fog.
Her shoes soaked through; she didn't complain.
He glanced sideways, wanting to ask something he didn't know how to phrase.
Scene 3 — The Waiting
They found the old platform—cracked tiles, graffiti ghosts, vending machines long dead.
Tom brushed dust off a bench. "Still think it's fake?"
"I think you're easily entertained."
He grinned. "That's one of my better traits."
They sat in silence.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder crawled.
Mika wrapped her arms around her clipboard, staring into the fog.
"Why'd you really come?" he asked quietly.
She shrugged. "I got tired of waiting for things that never arrive."
It sounded like a joke, but her voice betrayed her.
Tom looked at her—longer this time, like he'd been saving it.
The lights of the highway glimmered faintly through the mist, forming lines that could almost be tracks.
Scene 4 — The Whistle
A low hum broke the silence.
At first, just wind.
Then, unmistakably—metal on metal, growing louder.
Tom stood, scanning the horizon. "You hear that?"
She rose too, heart skipping.
A glow began to bloom through the fog—a pale line sweeping past trees, too fast, too silent.
The ground trembled once.
Then nothing.
No train.
No rails shining.
Just the echo of what could've been.
They stood still, breath held.
Mika whispered, "That wasn't real."
Tom said, "Then why are you shaking?"
She looked at her hands. "Because I wanted it to be."
Scene 5 — The Shelter
Rain came again, heavy this time.
They ran for the maintenance shed at the end of the platform.
Inside smelled of rust and paper, a bulletin board half-collapsed.
One schedule was still pinned there—FINAL DEPARTURE: 10:47 PM.
Mika checked her watch. 10:47.
Tom laughed quietly. "Guess we missed our stop."
Water dripped from their clothes, forming small puddles.
He took off his jacket, handed it to her without words.
She didn't argue this time.
The flashlight on his phone flickered; in that dim circle, she looked up.
Her eyes were steady, tired, unguarded.
"Tom," she said.
He blinked.
"Thank you. For waiting—even when I didn't ask you to."
He smiled, small, unsure.
"Manager, you say stuff like that and it sounds like a goodbye."
"Maybe it's a restart."
He didn't move closer.
He just nodded, slow, the rain filling the silence between them.
Scene 6 — The Walk Back
Campus shimmered under streetlights when they finally left.
Water pooled around their ankles, headlights streaked past.
Tom kicked a pebble along the track.
"You think it was real?"
"Does it matter?"
"Maybe not."
"Then don't ruin it."
They walked side by side, umbrella tilted against the drizzle.
Every few steps, their shoulders brushed; neither adjusted the distance.
Scene 7 — Notebook Moment
Later, in her dorm, she opened her planner.
Her hair still smelled of rain.
Manager Rule #8:
Proof isn't always the point.
Sometimes you wait for something impossible,
just to see who waits with you.
Her phone buzzed.
Tom: [Still think trains don't pass through campus?]
Mika: [Still think ghosts are real?]
Tom: [Only when they carry clipboards.]
She laughed quietly, turned off the light,
and somewhere beyond the city's hum,
a single low whistle threaded through the night.
End of Episode 8 — "The Last Train to State U."