Ross 4

I hate the bus. It's always so loud and stuffy. There's a lot of jackasses on that bus too. That bus.
As the losers push to get dibs on the best seat on the back, I try to hang back for as long as possible. I want to stay off that thing for as long as possible.
Just before the doors could close, I jam myself between them, and slump into the only seat left; the front, right behind the bus driver.
I don't care how I look, with my black hair mused up, a small Chinese sauce stain on my slipknot shirt, and ragged jeans hanging low enough to show my black boxers top rim. I sag in the graffiti'ed seat, tuning out all sounds around me.
Until one voice punctures through my consciousness… a soft drawl…
"Well aren't you sour and sweet." Snapping up my lolling head, I look to see the bus driver, smirking… at me.
He was dressed as one of us, a black t-shirt fit to his torso and baggy torn jeans. His bleached blonde white hair was slicked back with some jell, but was starting to fall out in places, causing long strands of hair to fall in front of his smooth pale face.
His clacking grey misty eyes laughed at me as I just stared back in befuddlement.
"Uh…what?"
The bus driver just laughed his melodious laugh.
"Your sour sweet stain. I'm just noticing." I couldn't stop staring. The sun was lining his face just right, giving his hair a glorious halo.
But he was young… driving a bus for gods sake. Doesn't he go to school?
"Um… sir?"
"Just call me Draco."
"That's a weird name." I say, screwing up my face to empathize the comment.
Draco said nothing, just nodded.
"Anyway," I continued, "aren't you still… in school??"
he just laughed again as he started the bus engine.
"I should, but I don't need to. I graduated a year and a half early. I thought I was too smart for all this shit, and I won a lot of money in skate boarding competitions. I have a flat and plenty to live on. This job is just to entertain me."
Wow, I thought, he's so cool… what am I, eight?? He's no batman. But still…
"So… what's your name, hum?" I was tongue twisted. This guy is so cool… he wins skateboarding competitions, he stopped going to school, and he has his own flat… he'd be such a cool older brother…
"Uh… it's Harry. So… you win a lot of skateboarding competitions, huh? What's your skate name?"
"Its nimbus two thousand and one."
"HEY! I know YOU! I know almost all your moves! But I don't know how you do that one you did for that competition in London…"
This guy IS cool… I guess the bus isn't so bad…

"Sooo… what's up Harry?" swinging my weight into the front seat just as Draco started up the bus, I actually smiled. Whoa. How long since I've done that?
"Nothing really. School sucks."
"But you don't like home either. Where's your safe spot then?"
"w-what?" safe spot? What the hell, that's so corny. Then he laughed. That soft beautiful ringing laugh. What the hell, that's even cornier! And weird…
"It sounds really corny, I know, but there's got to be a place you like."
"There is now… gah!" WHAT THE HELL?? I just sounded so… weird! What the hell happened to my voice?? I do NOT talk smooth to anyone! Thank God he's too busy concentrating on his driving. But then I remember that there's a mirror right over his head. My God, he can see me blushing. Shit!
"Now where is that? Or is it… a secret?" …! How the hell does he manage to be so sexy?? GAH! My mind is… I'm going insane! What's wrong with me??
"Uh... no secret! It's…" think, Harry, think… dammit, I can't… "It's… uh, here. On the bus." Shitshitshitshit! Just as I thought, he laughed. But… it wasn't at me.
"Ah. Here, huh? Well, I won't ask why. So, may I ask why you don't talk to anyone else here except boring old bus driver me?"
Finally, something I can answer without blushing. Slouching in my usual disposition, I stated in a matter of fact way;
"Humans only ask stupid questions and say stupid things. Why bother with their idiocy?"
"True," Draco replied, smirking in the mirror, "that's how I always think too. But look at it this way, people doing stupid things is funny."
Huh. This guy is right. I think I like this guy… AGHHHHHH!!!! Mental problems!! What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. Me?? I must be veryyyyy sick or something. Yeah, that's what this weird obnoxious feeling is inside me. That's why I keep thinking this crap. That's why my pants ar… NO that is NOT happening!
"Uh! Um… I guess… yeah." It's just so calming talking to him. But something is wrong with me. I can't calm down about it. Maybe… maybe I… no way, that's not right! Sure, I've never really looked at a girl in any particular way, I guess that's because of my sister, but I've never thought of a guy like that either! So what's wrong with me? The distant clamor of annoying human behavior pounds on my eardrums for entry. I ignore until my name is called by a smirking fool behind me. His fiery red hair instantly tells me he was going to be trouble.
"Hey Harry," he taunts, "Are we so brainless to you that you've resorted to adults for an intelligent conversation?"
"heh." I laugh and turn to Draco, grinning, "see? Very stupid questions."
Draco sniggers lightly and the red head looks absolutely furious. So I reply to him,
"Yes, you all are brainless, but even adults are just as unintelligent. The most satisfying conversation I could have is with a mirror."
"But you ain't smart either! You failed math!" he fums. Once again I laugh at his simpleton remarks, brushing away that fact like a puny bug.
"Math is wrong. Below me. It will never be used in my future, why hassle?"
"Uh… because… you'll need it for… uh…" I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing at his gaping mouth as he struggles for an answer. Insolent fool.
"For one thing," Draco commented, "it can be helpful with art and skateboarding." I turn to glare at him. I want to be mad because he proved wrong my theory, but as he turns to look back at me for just a few seconds, I catch a glace at his twinkling eyes and can't do a thing. The red head decided now would be a perfect time to butt in on my weakness and try to start a pathetic fight he cannot win. My older bother taught me many things. I can kill a man. If I wanted to.
"So asshole, what are ya gonna do for the future if you're just gonna do nothin'?" God, that smirk is utterly annoying.
"Humph. I plan to…to…" huh. What am I going to do in the future? I never thought about that. Ok, minor setback.
"I'll bet you'll be a hobo!" what?? Of all the stupid… "HARRY THE HOBO!" he screams, throwing out his arms madly. Oh dear God. This isn't going well. Soon the whole bus is chanting that stupid idiotic 'thing' and even began to sing it. I hate singing.
"For the love of God, how hyperbolic are you dimwits?" it didn't work. The red head just keeps leading the song with a grin and a wink.
"HARRY THE HOBO, HARRY THE HOBO, GONNA BE A HOMOHOBO! HARRY THE HOBO…"
"SHUT UP, DAMMIT!!" no, I did not just scream that. A more frightening, terrifying voice. The very words resounds in my body, sour, jagged, hateful. The bus screeches to a stop and Draco stood up, taller, leaner, and more intimidating than ever before. His golden brow is furrowed with hate and the corner of his lips turns with disgust. His sliver eyes flames as he looked over the heads of all. A sight I never want to see on what was so lovely… gah! Here I go again. Slowly, yet powerfully, Draco walks down the isle, glaring everyone in the widened eye.
"You all disgust me. Who do you think you are? Just because you feel small you force another into you world of inferiority?? That's just sickening."
Everyone is shaking, staring at him in fear as if he had just walked out of a massacre movie. I turn my face away so at least I wouldn't have to look.
"you are all going to SHUT UP and SIT THERE and talk like this never happened. Hobo will no longer be mentioned on this bus. Harry, you get a free punch."
I turned to stare now. His eyes still flame, but his face is calm once more. A… free punch?
"I…I get a what?"
"Or free kick, take your pick."
"I don't understand."
"This jackass just verbally punched you, now you can punch him back. It's the rules of a fight. I won't mention this to my superior because it's fair."
There's a catch. I can feel it.
"no." how corny is this bus? As soon as I said that, they all gasped like a bunch of dorks in a movie.
"No, huh? Why?"
"Because it's not right. It's fair, but not right. His stupidity is his own problem and even though it is a burden on the rest of us, he should not be punished for it."
"Good. Exact answer. 100 points to Potter." Then he laughed that laugh I love. I relax. All is good again. Draco sits back down in his driver's seat and smiles.
"All right, back on the road." After dropping off the obnoxious red head who is still trying to figure everything out, Draco spoke.
"That was noble. When I was a freshman, I would have taken the punch… and some more. I like you, Potter." I froze. That last sentence hit me so hard I can't breathe. He just said… and I'm over reacting! He just said a simple complement, that's all. Nothing more. God, I'm so stupid. Maybe I'm acting like this because our bond is like brotherhood. Yeah, that's it. I've never had a real brother so what I'm feeling is what brothers feel for each other. That makes sense.
"No, I'll bet you wouldn't have. You? No way. You're too nice." God, I'm using inferior language. Ugh.
"Thanks, Harry, you're nice too. Well, to me anyway. As a bus driver, I feel honored." And in his refection, that never ending smile widened. As did my non-existent smile. Buried down there somewhere.