Prepared

Author – lrsocks

The sun was shining and a light breeze was rocking the hammock back and forth with my legs hanging over the edge. In the distance there was a person moving closer to me. As the person got closer it turned out to be my brother. Once he was close enough he bent down and looked from my face to my feet and back again. I turned my head a little with a confused look. He started grinning. Suddenly the breeze stopped and my brother went for my left sneaker. I could not speak or move. I watched helplessly as he grabbed the heel and started pulling. My teal/abyss Nike Zoom Stefan Janoski SB slipped away slowly revealing the white heel of my black sock. Slowly the arch then finally the ball of my sock foot was free. He stopped long enough to look back up at me before he freed the rest of my sock foot revealing the white toe of my sock. He placed my sneaker on the ground and went for my right one next. As slowly as the first he slipped that one off as well until both my Nike black socks with white heels and toes were out for all to see. I woke up to my brother saying get up we’re late. I jumped off the bed and looked for my sneakers. My brother laughed as he ran for the door. He had taken my sneakers again. He had invaded my dream. That was okay because I was prepared. I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door. My black, gray and yellow DC Cortex sneakers were by the door, well they were this morning. They were gone. My brother laughed again as I looked for my sneakers. I knew he had struck again. I frowned as I looked at my black and yellow DC no-show sock feet. That was okay because I was still prepared. I had placed my black, white and red DC Net SE sneakers in the back of the car. After I got into the car, I slipped the black and yellow DC socks from my feet, slipped on my black and red DC socks and reached for my sneakers. They were gone. My brother started giggling to himself. I thought I was prepared, but it seemed that he was prepared for me. I frowned again as I looked at my sock feet. My brother jumped out the car laughing while I sat there looking angry. I started smiling after he left because what he did not know was that I had my black, charcoal and teal Osiris NYC 83 high-tops in my backpack. I quickly slipped off my DC socks and slipped on my Nike Elite gray and black socks followed by my high-tops. I had won or so I thought. I didn’t know that he had told his friends to jump me if I came into the school with shoes. As soon as I walked through the doors they grabbed me. I was taken to the closest bathroom and held by three of his friends. Two held my arms while one held my legs. He appeared in front of me and smiled. I tried to struggle, but it was too late. He grabbed the heels of both my sneakers and slowly pulled. I stopped struggling because it only made my sneakers come off quicker. I tried curling my toes but that didn’t work. I could only watch helplessly as my sock feet slipped from my sneakers. First my black heel, then gray arch followed by the ball of my foot. He stopped and looked at his friends as if to say should I continue. They looked at me and then back at him and nodded. He started pulling until the black toes of my socks were free for all to see. They left me on the floor shoeless. I was angry now and frustrated. I was still prepared though. In my locker were my black Converse One Star Pro sneakers. I quickly went to my locker and slipped them onto my feet. I avoided my brother and his friends. What I did not know was that he had gotten to my friends. When first period was over I met up with my friends in the bathroom. Something was wrong. They grabbed me. They told me that my brother had threatened to take their sneakers if they didn’t take mine. I screamed no. They held me down while Brady slipped my left Converse off followed by the right one. He said he was sorry and walked out of the bathroom followed by the rest of them. This was getting out of hand, and I was getting more angry than ever, but I was still prepared. What my brother and friends didn’t realize was that there was a reason why we met in the same bathroom everyday. In the last stall behind the toilet in a plastic bag was my black, gray and white DVS Squadron sneakers. I quickly put them on and hurried to my next class. Well it was time for some payback. To my friends horror I walked into class with my sneakers. They looked like their pets had died. After class they took their time leaving class. I purposely walked out and walked past my brother and their friends so that they could see that I was still wearing my sneakers. My brother and his friends waited for my friends to walk out of the class room. They quickly grabbed them and escorted them to the bathroom. They did not even hold them down. They just told them to hand over their sneakers. Brady slipped off his black, teal and gray Globe Scribes revealing his teal crew socks with black heels and toes. Chip reluctantly slipped off his gray and black Fallen Slash sneakers moving as slowly as he could watching my brother take hold of them. My other friend did not have the same class so he got off lucky. You would think that was the end, but my brother and his friends had to pay as well. A little birdie told one of the teachers about the event, and guess who walked in while it was happening. My brother and his friends were marched to the teacher’s class where my friends told him everything. Not only did they have to give my friends back their sneakers, they had to give the teacher their sneakers to show them what it felt like to bully others. My brother slipped his black and teal Vans Old Skool V sneakers off showing his teal socks followed by his first friend giving up his black, gray and white Airwalk Throttle sneakers revealing his black and white Nike ankle socks. The last friend slipped off his black, white and teal Etnies Fader sneakers exposing his white, teal and black no-show socks to us all. They had to spend the rest of the school in their socks as a lesson for taking other people’s sneakers. Eventually I got back all my sneakers over time, and my brother vowed he would get revenge. He did however admit that I had bested him this time. I had won the battle, but he swore that he would win the war. He left me shivering with his evil maniacal laugh. I was worried now just how far he would go next time…

Dilemma

Author – lrsocks

The clock said 7:28 which meant I was late. I jumped out of bed, slipped on my clothes and penny loafers, grabbed my backpack and dashed out the door just in time to see the bus role by my house. My only thought was catching the bus at the next stop four blocks away. I didn’t realize my mistake of using my neighbor’s backyard as a shortcut until I landed and heard a deep growl. There was no time to go back or panic. I made a dash for the gate, but there was no time to open it. I jumped onto the fence and then landed on the other side. The dog did not get me, but he got my right penny loafer. My grey-striped white sock with maroon heel and green toe was now free for all to see. I didn’t have time to waste. I started running as fast as one shod foot and one sock foot would allow. The only way I was going to catch that bus was to go up the steep hill. I was going to make it. I was confident until I felt my heel slipping in and out of my loafer as I got closer to the top of the hill. I was determined to catch that bus. As I reached the top of the hill my loafer decided it did not want to stay on. I turned and watched it roll back down the hill until it reached the bottom. I would have went back down to get it, but the bus rounded the corner. I had no choice but to get on the bus shoeless. Some pointed, some laughed and others pointed and laughed. I may have lost my loafers, but I had caught the bus. I looked down at my two white sock feet wiggling my toes wondering how the rest of the day would play out. I took my sneakers out of my backpack and slipped them on wondering how I was going to get through school. At school we are only allowed to wear sneakers during P.E. class. I tried to think, but nothing came to mind. The closer we got to school the more bummed I got knowing I was in trouble. “Hey, I left my sneakers at home. Would you mind swapping with me for first period?” asked Brady. I was relieved for now. Brady had P.E. first period and was wearing his uniform with a pair of Sperry boat shoes. I gladly slipped off my black, gunmetal and lime Osiris NYC hightops and handed them to him. He slipped off his boat shoes showing his black crew socks with green heels and toes. “Thanks man, you are a life saver”, I said. Brady said we can switch back at the end of class. The only thing left was to figure out how I was going to get through the rest of the day without getting into trouble. First period did not last long enough for me. I met Brady after first period, and we swapped shoes again. I started to panic until I heard Chase say, “Hey I want to switch shoes too.” He had P.E. next which worked out for me. He slipped off his Docker’s tassel loafers, and I slipped off my sneakers and gave them to him. I was actually going to make it. I was more confident now. Second period went by quickly. Chase and I swapped shoes. Third period was no sweat because I had P.E. Since lunch was next I could get away with wearing my P.E. uniform during lunch. Unfortunately, no one else would swap with me after that. I had to change back into my regular clothes with my sneakers. Lucky for me I was close to my next period. I quickly ducked into the class and took my seat without anyone noticing. The class was almost over when I noticed Logan looking down at my feet. I tried to hide my sneakers, but it was too late. I thought he was going to tell on me, but the bell rang, and I quickly walked out. I though I had gotten away until I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was the principal telling me to meet him in his office. Everyone shook their heads and pointed as I made my way to the principal’s office. Logan said, “Shame on you.” The principal did not waste any time. He read me the riot act and told me to hand over my sneakers. There was no point in arguing with him. I slipped off my sneakers and handed them to him. I could have told him what happened, but he would have just said I should have gotten up early enough to catch the bus. I had to wear the old pair of Clark loafers which said to all that I had broken the rules and did not have the proper footwear. I passed by the locker room on the way to my next class. I slipped into the locker room and spotted Logan’s boat shoes. I quickly grabbed them and hid them feeling justified for him telling on me. After class I saw the principal holding Logan’s black, blue and white Versaflex sneakers in his hand as Logan walked away in his white-striped black socks with blue heels and toes. There was only one pair of spare shoes, so other offenders had to go shoeless. Served him right. At lease I had on shoes for now. Before long I had to untie the laces because the loafers were too tight. They were still uncomfortable, so in class I slipped them both off to get some relief. I didn’t realize that the guys behind me decided to play a prank and take them. When class was over I looked for the loafers but could not find them. I was in real trouble now. Of course the principal would be right there as I came out of the class room. Once again I was on my way to the principal’s office this time in my socks. This day had really gone down hill. What I did not know was that it would get better once I made it to the principal’s office. Guess who was waiting on me when I entered the door. Not only was I in trouble so were the pranksters that stole the loafers. Luckily the principal had caught them with the loafers he gave to me. Not only did they have to give me back the loafers. They had to hand over their sneakers. They had not bothered to wear their loafers. They all had on sneakers. I watched as Max slipped off his black and white leather Nike Cortez revealing his white and black elite socks, Myk handed over his teal Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars showing his ironic blue and white socks that looked like Converse sneakers, and finally Matt slipping off his gray, white and black DVS Havoc skateshoes revealing his no-show black and white socks. At the end of the day we all went to the office to retrieve our shoes. As we waited for the principal Mitch walked into the office in his black socks with white heels and toes. His DVS Tracker Heir skateshoes had been confiscated by the principal after P.E. class when he could not find his Sperry boat shoes. We waited and waited for the principal. Finally, the principal walked in and told us that we could not have our sneakers back. We all looked at each other and then back at the principal. He told us that our sneakers had been stolen, and because it was the end of the day, there was nothing he could do until tomorrow morning. I had to hand over the loafers because they belong to the school. We were all in socks now and had to do the walk of shame shoeless, but luckily most of the students had already left the school.

Orange Socks – Pt 8

Author – Jman

Brent was passing through town and stopped at the diner. He tried to pay for his food with a credit card but the diner does not accept credit cards and Brent could not pay for his meal. Sally then called the sheriff. When the sheriff arrived, he noticed Brent’s very expensive leather shoes. He smiled to himself as he was looking forward to taking the shoes when Brent got to the jail. Brent tried to explain his situation but was arrested, charged and taken to jail. At the jail, Brent was ordered to remove his patent leather shoes and was very upset about having to do that. Brent was then placed in the cell in his stocking feet. He was wearing black dress socks. It was now time for him to appear before the judge. Brent was led out of his cell to make the journey to the courthouse. He was thinking that he would be getting his shoes back now that he was out of the holding cell. When he found out that he would be appearing before the judge in stocking feet he was very upset. “By not letting me wear shoes, you are violating my rights,” Brent said, “When everyone else is in shoes and I am in stocking feet, that puts me at an unfair advantage.” The sheriff replied, “The court of appeals stated that our policy of defendants appearing in court without shoes was legal and not a violation of rights. You have two choices, go to court in stocking feet or stay in the jail cell forever.” Brent realized he had no choice but to go to court in his stocking feet. Outside the courthouse, Dave and Dan were doing some painting on the grounds and saw Brent being hauled to court in his socks, just like they were. Dave then said, “They got another one.” Brent pleaded not guilty to the charge on the grounds that the diner should have had a sign saying that they do not accept credit cards. The judge says that there is no law that requires that. Brent replied that most people assume that restaurants take credit cards. The judge replied that there was no sign saying they accepted credit cards. “Ignorance is no excuse. You are found guilty: two weeks community service.” Report to the community service supervisor. Brent was then given the infamous orange socks. He asked about getting his shoes back. He was told that community service workers don’t wear shoes when doing service. The orange socks were durable enough that shoes were not needed. Brent said, “This is a violation of safety regulations.” The supervisor replied, “These orange socks meet the safety standards for the jobs that you are doing.” Brent was taken to a home to paint fences. He objected to doing community service at a private home and that the paint would ruin his good clothes. The supervisor replied, “If the town is to be kept up, private homes need to be maintained so community service workers take care of the homes.” Meanwhile the sheriff took Brent’s shoes to the thrift store. The store manager looked at them and knew that this expensive pair would bring in some money. The sheriff said, “He tried to pay for lunch with a credit card.” The next day Brent was assigned to work at the diner. He objected to working for a private business. The supervisor said that since the diner provides food for the sockies (those wearing the orange socks) that the diner qualifies for sockies to work there. Brent was also warned about his attitude that could bring him an extra week of community service. Once inside the diner, Sally told him that if he said anything to anyone that they don’t accept credit cards, he would get another week of community service. Brent said, “If the people knew that it was cash only, people would not be in a position where they could not pay for their food.” Sally replied, “If people don’t break the Law, we can’t sentence them to community service and the town does not get maintained.” The bus is now pulling into town. Who will be the next ones to wear the orange socks? to be continued.

Teachers Bet

Author – Nike Mike

Aaron and Greg were the two popular guys in class, they were just biding their time to leave school. Both lads were tall, their good looks charmed the girls especially Aaron with his blond hair. They were the class jokers who wouldn’t be going to college after the summer break, they had no interest in any classes and todays period of business studies would be no different. The teacher was new and tried to get Aaron and Greg to engage with him rather than letting them disrupt his class. He asked Greg what is the best way to make money. Aaron shouted gambling, the class laughed. Their teacher said that you should only bet what you can afford to lose and nothing else before discussing the correct answer of investments which didn’t interest the two boys, their disruptive behaviour continued and the teacher threatened them with detention. The boys laughed. Greg shouted to the teacher I bet you don’t get Aaron to attend detention, the class laughed. Aaron said ‘when I refuse detention you can then suspend me from school forever’ The whole class laughed again. The teacher felt hopeless with them so decided to change the subject to gambling seeing as this interested the two boys. He asked Greg how much he would wager on his bet but Greg said he had no money. The teacher removed a £50 note from his wallet ‘If Aaron fails to attend detention you get to keep this’. Aaron told Greg to accept the bet, easy money as he would not be doing any detention. ‘Gambling does make money’ said Aaron, the class laughed again. The teacher asked Greg what he could wager to match the £50. Greg shrugged his shoulders. ‘Those trainers you are wearing look expensive, they should match my money’ he said. The whole class looked down at Greg’s feet, he was wearing white Nike Air Force 1 trainers. ‘They’re worth more than 50 quid’ he said. The classed laughed with the teacher when he replied ‘yes but they’ve been on your feet’ Greg looked at Aaron ‘Take the bet, it’s easy money’ said Aaron. Greg told the teacher he could have his trainers if he lost the bet but confidently said ‘expect to lose that £50’. The teacher smiled as they shook hands, he then asked Aaron if he wanted to gamble. ‘You gonna give me £50 if I don’t do detention ‘ he said causing the class to laugh again. The teacher shook his head telling Aaron he didn’t have another £50. ‘Neither do I sir’ said Aaron. The teacher switched on a TV and flicked through the channels until live horse racing came on. ‘We’ll both choose a horse whichever passes the finish line first wins’ said the teacher suggesting they wage their own shoes like Greg had done. The teacher was wearing a pair of black Nike Airmax 95 trainers, more expensive than the brand new black Nike Air Force 1 trainers on his own feet. Aaron was unsure, Greg encouraged him seeing as had just waged his trainers, Aaron asked the teacher for his shoe size. The teacher took off his right trainer looked inside before sniffing it. ‘Size 10 and they still smell new’ he said. Wearing only one shoe the teacher walked over to Aaron and placed his right trainer on Aaron’s desk. ‘Take a look’ said the teacher. Aaron held the teachers shoe in his hands, he wanted them but worried about the risk of losing his new trainers that his mother had just bought but felt pressured after persuading Greg to gamble his trainers. ‘OK Sir, the bets on’ he said. The class cheered. Aaron chose his horse first, he picked the favourite. The teacher then picked a horse with 3 to 1 odds on winning. The race started, the whole class cheering on as Aaron’s horse took an early lead. Halfway through and Aaron was out of his seat cheering whilst waving the teachers Nike in the air. ‘You’re gonna look silly sir, no money and no trainers’ shouted Aaron with excitement. Several horses overtook Aaron’s but the teachers remained behind. Then Aaron’s horse began to slow and fell back further and the teachers horse sprinted passed the line just ahead of Aaron’s. Neither had won the race but the teachers horse had passed the line first. The teacher switched the TV off. Still wearing one shoe he walked back to Aaron took his shoe and put it back on. ‘Looks like I’ve won a new pair of Nikes’ said the teacher smiling as he looked down at Aaron’s feet. Aaron blushed as the whole class stared at him. ‘But Sir’ said Aaron. ‘No buts, a bet is a bet, you lost so give me your shoes’. Aaron was feeling pretty embarrassed as he took off his trainers infront of the watching class. The girls he was flirting with earlier giggled as he displayed his white socked feet, he was not feeling so confident now. The teacher took off his own trainers and tried Aaron’s on for size. ‘These are warm and comfy’ he said before looking at a shoeless Aaron. ‘I now have no shoes to wear for the rest of today and I can’t walk home in my socks’ said Aaron. The teacher told him and the rest of the class ‘Remember what I said earlier, don’t gamble what you can’t afford to lose. If it had been rent money you had lost you would still owe the rent but now have no money’ he said. Greg looked down at Aaron’s shoeless feet. ‘When I win that £50 we can go buy a cheap pair of trainers’ he said. Aaron shook his head telling his mate he would need to buy Nikes and £50 wasn’t enough. As Aaron sat uncomfortably in his socked feet he watched the teacher change back into his Nike Airmax 95’s. The teacher then picked up Aaron’s Air Force 1’s and said ‘Attend detention and you can see these again’. Aaron’s eyes lit up at the thought of getting his shoes back but it put him in a dilemma. For him to get his shoes returned would mean Greg losing his. He looked at his mate who was shaking his head saying no. He had already convinced himself he was £50 richer and never ever expected to lose the bet or the shoes of his feet. The wrath from his mother at losing his brand new trainers would be far worse than seeing his mate shoeless. ‘Sorry Greg’ said Aaron. ‘Thanks for nothing Aaron’ said Greg disgruntled at his mate as the teacher made him take off his trainers. The two class jokers sat shoeless in class, no more disruption from either of them. The teacher reiterated about the dangers of gambling. He said he could afford to lose £50, he would of hated to lose his own new shoes but he could manage without them as he could drive his car in socked feet and get another pair from home. ‘You two have not only lost something you couldn’t afford to lose, but you have also strained your friendship. Be thankful it’s only your shoes you have lost today’ said the teacher warning all the class again about gambling. ‘Next lesson will be about investing your money not gambling it’ he said. As Greg sat uncomfortably in his white socks he asked the teacher if he could do detention instead of losing his shoes. ‘It’s the first time anyone has asked for detention’ he said causing the class to laugh again. The teacher stood up, picked up both Greg and Aaron’s trainers and agreed to allow Greg to do detention before locking their Nike Air Force 1 trainers in a cupboard. The two tall good looking popular guys in class sat sheepishly in their socked feet for the rest of the lesson, no more messing around from either of them. As the two shoeless guys left the classroom the teacher thanked them both for contributing to today’s lesson and making it entertaining too. He told them to be prompt for detention if they wanted see their trainers again but it doesn’t necessarily mean you will get them back. The pair left feeling rather embarrassed having to walk around school for the rest of the day in their white socked feet hoping they would get their Nike trainers returned and the only way of knowing would be to attend detention.

My girlfriends jealous Ex – Pt. 2

Author – Jay

Being suited and booted at the Mayors charity to being shoeless in jail was scary. Breathalysed by the police, arrested and handcuffed, all my stuff confiscated including my boots and then placed in a cell. Bradley had made my experience feel very real for the newspaper article. Now it was time to leave. With real prisoners shouting and protesting in their cells, I just added to the noise as I banged on the cell door. Nobody came to release me. With my watch confiscated I could only guess the time and knew I should be meeting Katie about now. I paced the cell in my socked feet feeling frustrated. I fell asleep on the mattress from the alcohol earlier. The noises from the other cells woke me, my feet were cold, I very quickly realised I was still in a cell. I had no idea how long I had been asleep. Finally the door opened and I was taken to the charge desk. It was busy, others were getting booked in, their belongings confiscated. Mostly lads in sports clothing, joggers and t-shirts taking off their Nike trainers before going to the cells in socked feet. I felt quite conspicuous in my suit, the young lads assumed I was a duty solicitor or detective until they noticed my shoeless feet, then they laughed thinking I was no different to them, just another criminal. The sergeant explained that I would normally have been charged and summonsed to court. They returned my property including my watch, it was 2am. “Why have I been locked up for over eight hours?”, I demanded to know. “Bradley insisted upon you being treated no differently to other prisoners, he claimed that is what you wanted. We’d have kept you locked up until breakfast time but we are quite full tonight and need your cell. I became annoyed, Bradley knew I had a date. “Give me my boots so I can leave”, I said angrily. He looked down at my shoeless feet and scratched his head. He went away but returned moments later and told me my footwear had been misplaced. “Fucking hell, you’ve had me locked up unnecessarily and now you’ve lost my boots”, I shouted. The sergeant warned me to lower my tone with him or I would not be needing my boots afterall as I would be put back in the cell. “I shall speak with Bradley about your boots when his shift starts”, he said. “What am I supposed to do? Fucking walk home in the middle of the night in my socks” I shouted. A drunk guy pulling his trainers off at the next desk shouted words of encouragement as I raised my voice. “You tell them fucking pigs” he said slurring his words. The sergeant again threatened to lock me up. He organised a ride home, fortunately it was the middle of the night and my neighbours did not see me getting out of a police car shoeless. During the ride home I had checked my phone, no missed calls. I found it unusual considering I had missed my date with Katie. I could only assume Harry had spoken to her. After a few hours sleep I got ready for work. I dressed casually in jeans and t-shirt. My feet slipped into my green New Balance trainers, they where quite comfortable compared to my missing boots. I tried ringing Katie again then Harry but both their phones went to voicemail. In the office my editor asked about yesterday. I told him how I had spent the night in the cells and the police had lost my boots. He just laughed “Great! Write it up, it will make an excellent article for the paper”. He asked if I had seen Harry, he hadn’t turned up for work. I tried phoning him and Katie again. Why isn’t Katie returning my calls? Where is Harry? And where are my boots? It was lunchtime when Harry finally arrived into the office. He looked rather dishevelled, messy hair, crumpled suit and he had no shoes on his feet. “Where have you been?” I asked.

The Train Encounter – Part 3

Author – Jock

Two teenagers arrived on the platform. They whispered between themselves as they kept looking over. I worried they might find my shoeless appearance as a weakness. They began to approach, I thought they might attack me but instead they asked if I was OK. They were concerned that I may have been mugged for my shoes and money and asked if I needed any help. I felt embarrassed, I couldn’t exactly tell them the truth, that I had given my shoes to a total stranger on a train and got off at some random station in my socked feet. I said I had kicked off my trainers on the train and fell asleep. I woke up as the train halted, I thought it was my stop, panicked, then ran off the train leaving my shoes behind. A bit far fetched but they bought it. As long as you are OK that’s what matters they said. I told them I was just embarrassed with cold feet after standing on the platform for so long. They asked what size shoe do I wear. I told them a size 10. One of them wearing white Reebok classics said he is my size and asked if I would like to wear his trainers until the train arrived. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse but did telling him I couldn’t allow him to stand on the platform in his socks. He insisted and kicked off his shoes and slid them over to my feet. My cold feet felt relieved when I slipped them into his warm Reebok trainers. They were really comfortable. I thanked him for his kindness as he stood in his blue socked feet. He said he was wearing football socks, they were thick and comfortable enough to be without his shoes for a short while. A train must be due as others entered the platform. The shoeless teenager got a few odd stares but it didn’t seem to bother him. As the train arrived I took off the borrowed trainers and gave them back. I wondered if he got the same sensation of putting his cold feet into warm shoes like I had. They were greeted by their friends on the train, I thanked them and went to a different part of the train away from any further embarrassment. My attention returned to getting my own trainers back. I hoped this stranger who had taken my shoes would be still waiting at the next stop. The train rolled into the station, through the window I could see plenty of passengers waiting to board, amongst them the stranger stood holding my Adidas Superstars. I felt so relieved. I got off onto the busy platform. Passengers hurriedly got on and off the train. As everyone dispersed I could not see the stranger or my shoes. The train doors closed as it began to move. Amongst the sea of faces staring through the train windows at my socked feet was the stranger smiling and waving my Superstars. I instinctively put my hand up waving at him or was I subconsciously waving goodbye forever to my trainers. I stood on the platform inside the large station, plenty of people around. If I felt awkward and embarrassed on the isolated platform at the last stop I was feeling it 100 times more as I stood in my socked feet wondering what to do next. After a few moments a young uniformed railway worker approached, he constantly stared at my shoeless feet. Was I about to be removed from the station for not wearing shoes? He said he was asked to give a note to the guy in socks stood on the platform. He handed me the note, it read ‘next station!’