While Bored, I
The morning rain stung as it soaking into her school jumper and clung to her tights. Her hair was well and truly saturated as she climbed into the school bus. Her plastic school coat hung around her in a useless mess. The rain just pushed it aside in search of her skin. She could feel the cold creeping in even now as she sat huddled to the 'air conditioning' being emitted from the grate beside her. It was a pity that the bus never got the season right. The musty air filtering through the grate was icy, but better than her current state. She wrapped her scarf more tightly around her neck. If she didn't get pneumonia out of this, it was a miracle.
She closed her eyes, knowing it was futile, but hoping to get a few minutes sleep before the crowd got on at Fairhill.
She felt the bus come to a halt and snapped her eyes open, had she actually fallen asleep? It couldn't possibly be the Fairhill stop already. She craned her neck in search of an explanation. The rest of the bus seemed to be in the same confusion.
The bus jerked and began it's slow journey past a horrific scene. A car was seemingly wrapped around a telephone pole. There was clearly signs of blood on the passenger window, which was facing the bus. Garda tape was surrounding the scene, the blue shining brilliantly against the grey background of the rain sodden wreck.
Things were in slow motion, the gardaí shouting to each other over the scream of sirens and the water forming little rivers over the brims of their hats and down their faces. She turned away and scrabbled in her bag for something ... anything to distract her. She found her MP3 and looking in vain for the Dir En Gray file and the bus waited to pass.
"That t**t!" Guessing her brother had been messing with her computer. She pressed shuffle to be re-filled with annoyance as 'Numb' by Linkin Park blared with contemptuous violence.
Finally having found something to her liking she settled down and tried to put the crash out of her mind. She felt the bus come to a halt again and the old bus tremble and the doors shuddered open. She turned down her music just enough to hear the scuffle of feet to the much sought after back seat and yells of "Alright Sheeno?" and "How's Danboi?" as means of greeting friends after the weekend. Why should she still have to take the bus? Why couldn't she live closer to Emm to take the bus with her? Why wasn't she born in July not stinking October? Why should the rest of her class enjoy being 17 when she was doomed to being 16 for another 2 months?! I suppose it wasn't all bad. Her birthday being Halloween she always had holidays and a better reason to be happy on Halloween other than going to the Crypt and howling like a loon at midnight.
Her mind was wandering when Erin plopped down next to her. She rolled her eyes and paused her song.
"What?", she asked blankly.
"Good morning my sweet to you too."
More eye rolling. Undeterred he leaned closer.
"Did you know that there was an accident last night? Did you know that a girl is in hospital in a coma and there's no sign of the driver?" He glanced around and leaned back in the seat. "I know whose car it is." Alexia stared blankly at him and then reconsidered.
"We drove past it this morning." She said in her best it's-early-in-the-morning-don't-bother-me voice. His eyes widened.
"Oh," he said eventually. He cleared his throat, "What's it like? I heard Kaz was lying low until it'd be towed ..." He looked nervously around him again. "Don't tell anyone I told you that. Please?" and then he was gone, scampering back to his friends, hoping to God he hadn't opened his mouth too far.
Alexia returned to ignoring the rest of the bus and turned back on AFI or whatever rubbish her brother had managed to swap in. What did she care if Kaz was the one driving the car? She didn't trust Erin as far as she could throw him, and by the looks of his wiry frame, she could throw him far enough.
"2nd years." she mumbled to herself.
She closed her eyes, knowing it was futile, but hoping to get a few minutes sleep before the crowd got on at Fairhill.
She felt the bus come to a halt and snapped her eyes open, had she actually fallen asleep? It couldn't possibly be the Fairhill stop already. She craned her neck in search of an explanation. The rest of the bus seemed to be in the same confusion.
The bus jerked and began it's slow journey past a horrific scene. A car was seemingly wrapped around a telephone pole. There was clearly signs of blood on the passenger window, which was facing the bus. Garda tape was surrounding the scene, the blue shining brilliantly against the grey background of the rain sodden wreck.
Things were in slow motion, the gardaí shouting to each other over the scream of sirens and the water forming little rivers over the brims of their hats and down their faces. She turned away and scrabbled in her bag for something ... anything to distract her. She found her MP3 and looking in vain for the Dir En Gray file and the bus waited to pass.
"That t**t!" Guessing her brother had been messing with her computer. She pressed shuffle to be re-filled with annoyance as 'Numb' by Linkin Park blared with contemptuous violence.
Finally having found something to her liking she settled down and tried to put the crash out of her mind. She felt the bus come to a halt again and the old bus tremble and the doors shuddered open. She turned down her music just enough to hear the scuffle of feet to the much sought after back seat and yells of "Alright Sheeno?" and "How's Danboi?" as means of greeting friends after the weekend. Why should she still have to take the bus? Why couldn't she live closer to Emm to take the bus with her? Why wasn't she born in July not stinking October? Why should the rest of her class enjoy being 17 when she was doomed to being 16 for another 2 months?! I suppose it wasn't all bad. Her birthday being Halloween she always had holidays and a better reason to be happy on Halloween other than going to the Crypt and howling like a loon at midnight.
Her mind was wandering when Erin plopped down next to her. She rolled her eyes and paused her song.
"What?", she asked blankly.
"Good morning my sweet to you too."
More eye rolling. Undeterred he leaned closer.
"Did you know that there was an accident last night? Did you know that a girl is in hospital in a coma and there's no sign of the driver?" He glanced around and leaned back in the seat. "I know whose car it is." Alexia stared blankly at him and then reconsidered.
"We drove past it this morning." She said in her best it's-early-in-the-morning-don't-bother-me voice. His eyes widened.
"Oh," he said eventually. He cleared his throat, "What's it like? I heard Kaz was lying low until it'd be towed ..." He looked nervously around him again. "Don't tell anyone I told you that. Please?" and then he was gone, scampering back to his friends, hoping to God he hadn't opened his mouth too far.
Alexia returned to ignoring the rest of the bus and turned back on AFI or whatever rubbish her brother had managed to swap in. What did she care if Kaz was the one driving the car? She didn't trust Erin as far as she could throw him, and by the looks of his wiry frame, she could throw him far enough.
"2nd years." she mumbled to herself.
... and that's as far as I've gotten ... it could be going somewhere ... but as to where it's going, I have no idea.
Halp? Comments? Oh ye are stingy about commenting.
