bus | todd anderson

nine

'i'm lost in the art of loving you'

alice woke up by the sound of the birds chirping outside her bedroom.

she then lift herself, still have a feeling of sleepiness.

she walked herself at the kitchen, making herself a food and for her grandmother. that was her work every morning she wakes up. alice was responsible for her grandmother ever since her parents died.

as she was doing her job, she started to have a bath, preparing herself for another day in middletown highschool.

she's done preparing herself, and so was her things to be prepared too.

she was wearing an oversized t-shirt, a blue and red stripe oversized t-shirt and a pants. she's too casual to wear clothes for herself, not so fashionable she thought.

"hey grandma, i'll be home before 7:00 PM!" she said to her grandma, waving a goodbye.

as she left in her house, she walked for a couple of miles to go to the waiting shed she always waited for a bus.

"i hope there's a bus this time," she whispered, remembering yesterday's nightmare.

and finally, a bus came right away as she walked inside of it, finding a place where she can sit comfortably.

she found a place where she sit always.

as she sat down, the bus operates again, making herself comfortable.

she then looked next to her, no person was sitting beside the window.

alice remembered the boy. that golden brown hair with a reddish cheeks.

she was hoping for him to be there, but he was not there.

she let out a sigh, also remembered her notebook full of poems. that boy might rode her shitty poems by now.

•••

"what you reading todd?" charlie suddenly came behind todd as he immediately closed the notebook that belongs to the girl.

"nothing," he said.

"it's hers isn't?" neil asked, eyeing the notebook todd was trying to hide behind him, but still sees by his friends.

"no," he confidently replied back.

"oh don't make yourself a liar todd!" meeks said, also leaning against the wall.

"you can ask knox if you want to date that girl" charle said, painted a smile on his face.

"well, speaking, knox is being dramatic again" pitts suddenly talked in their conversation as they all looked at knox, covering his face by her two hands.

"why is he like that?" todd asked for a second time.

"uh it might be because of chris," charlie said.

"no, not chris," knox said, having that frustration from his voice.

"then who?" they all asked.

"a girl," knox simply said. "i gave her a rose, but she didn't accepted it," he added.

"wait what?" cameron asked in confusion.

"first of all, i don't like that girl, i just gave her rose because chris didn't accepted it and so," knox said, sighed at the very last word he says.

"then why are you like that if you don't like her?" meeks asked.

"cause she rejected my flower!" knox shouted in frustration.

they all kept questioning knox about that incident he had. todd was just there behind them listening to their bickering.

while they're focus on knox, he slowly opened the notebook full of poems that the girl made.

"seize the day," he whispered, enough to make himself heard what he says.

he's been great with his friends, made alot of things he never expected to be made. it was pretty enjoyable for him.

it's just that, something was still missing.

he suddenly remembered the person he saw last night, he bet it was a girl by just the smell of it, he has a sensitive smell.

and that smell is familiar to him, smells sweet like honey.

the clock strikes as the sign of another class to be attended. they went to their classroom with their books and hurriedly stepped in to their classroom and wait for their teacher to come.

•••

hour passed, welton allowed the students to go home again. todd made his way to his house, he was about to go with his friends but he needs to complete the assignment he had with mr. keating, and that was to create a poem.

he got in to the bus, sat to his always seat.

the bus operates again, todd seems like he was finding someone, but nowhere to be seen.

"she's not here," he whispered.

he was hoping to see her again just to give her notebook, but he guess he wouldn't find her again.

the bus stops for a sudden as the passangers confusingly looked infront.

"sorry folks, i have no enough gas for today, maybe you should all go to the nearest terminal and get another bus" the driver said as the passengers sighed in disappointment.

they all leave inside the bus as well as todd. the terminal was not much far away from their place, and so was todd just walk until he gets in to the terminal.

while he was waiting for the another bus, he suddenly saw a figure of a girl, standing at the waiting shed infront of the terminal he was right now.

that must be the girl he thought.

he held the notebook that the girl left, he walked towards to her, hoping that he catch her up.

but then a group of people came infront of him that made his walk go slower.

"excuse me," he said nervously, but couple people walked to his way.

he looked at the girl from the waiting shed, but she's not there anymore.

todd's eyes are full of disappointment and frustation. soon enough the bus was now ready and he need to go inside before he go left behind.

•••