The Bus Boy

Rachel had a love-hate relationship with the bus ride home. She loved the fact that college was over for the day. She loved the chats she had with her best friend, Becky. She loved the route and the sound of the struggling engine on the hills... but she hated that boy. But she loved that boy. That boy that always sat at the back of the bus, like the cool kid of the school. That boy that never looked twice at her, but when he hopped, uncaring, onto the bus each day, she loved the way his eyes always scanned the rest of the bus. Rachel didn't know where he was going, or where he'd been, but she loved his journey as much as she loved her own. She hated the fact that she couldn't do anything about it.

"You know he doesn't get off for at least another two stops..." Becky whispered into Rachel's ear, making her jump from her daydream.

"I know, but-"

"You can either talk to him, or hate yourself for another week. It's Friday. Before the holidays. Man up and do it!"

Rachel just stared at her best friend. She was right. If she was ever going to do this, it had to be now. With one last threatening, yet encouraging, look from Becky, Rachel stood unsteadily. 

The boy, in his big red hoodie, skinny jeans and tattered shoes that looked too big for him, sat in his usual back-corner seat, with one of his legs resting on the seat in front of him. He looked out of the window on every journey, but as Rachel approached, he looked toward her.

"Do you mind if I sit here, please?"

The boy just looked at her, with a shy smile for a moment. As the bus halted at another stop, Rachel stumbled forwards, but remained surprisingly calm. The boy smiled and nodded for her to sit.

Rachel's cheeks flushed, but luckily, he'd returned to looking out of the window. She plucked up the courage, and while staring at her hands, blurted her thoughts at him - "H-hey... So, I see you here quite a lot. I get the bus home every weekday and you seem to be here, like, three times a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, usually, but that's sounds kind of stalker-ish of me... Anyway, I see that you're always alone and that you get off at the stop just before mine, so I was kind of wondering if there was any way, because I often travel alone too, that maybe once in a while, or perhaps just once... We could travel together maybe? I mean it's fine if you don't want to, but I thought it would be nicer than sitting on your own. I know I could do with someone to talk to. Silence kills me. You can probably tell though, because I speak so quickly. I haven't let you say anything yet, but that's because I'm just nervous. I wouldn't be like this everyday. Look, my hands are shaking..."

She offered out her hand for him to see, but she was so busy looking at the grubby bus floor, she didn't know if he was laughing at her or not. Regardless, she plowed on.

"I guess you live pretty close to me, because you get off not too far away. I was thinking that if you wanted to, we could maybe even go out some time? Again, it's okay if you don't want to, I just thought... Maybe..."

Rachel gently reached out to the boy's hand in the space between them, and as she looked up at his face for the first time since she started talking, she noticed he was looking out of the window again. 

A little annoyed, but ever hopeful, she asked, "So what do you think?"

Slowly the boy lifted his head from the window pane, moved his hand from under hers, and looked her directly in the eyes. It's only when he spoke that she noticed he'd moved at all. She studied him as his lips moved, and his body moved with the bumps of the bus. He lifted his hands to the sides of his face, removed his earplugs and casually asked, "Huh?"

And Rachel never caught the bus again.