Emma sighed as the bus pulled up to her stop. She let out a cough as she inhaled some of the exhaust the yellow monster let out. She already missed her little bug that her parents had taken away from her. "No car until you're making all As." They had said and locked her keys away in the drawer of their desk.
Emma really hated her parents as she climbed in to the bus. Why couldn't they have taken away her computer like all of her friends' parents did? She glanced around the almost empty bus for a seat. A handful of Freshmen sat scattered around the bus. A few Sophomores sat in the back of the bus shouting at each other. Emma noticed a couple of Juniors sat practically on top of each other making out. She didn't see a single Senior like herself. Thankful that no one she knew would see her on the bus, she sat down in the middle and pulled out her earbuds.
She looked out the window as the bus started to move again. She could her the couple making out behind her. She scooted lower in to her chair and cranked up the volume on her iPod. Every time they stopped at a new stop Emma sank a little bit deeper in to her seat, afraid that someone she knew would climb on.
Her favorite song, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, had just started to play when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to see a boy with blue eyes wearing a baseball cap. She recognized him instantly. Killian Jones. Once upon a time they had been best friends, but now they hardly saw each other let alone talked to each other.
"Can I sit here?" He asked. Emma glanced around at the dozens of empty seats around them. Did he not see any of them? She moved her bag from the seat next to her and sunk deeper in to the chair. "How have you been?" He asked. Emma sighed. Was he seriously trying to make conversation?
"Good." She answered. She looked out the window hoping that he would take a clue. He didn't.
"That's nice to hear." He said. "I haven't seen you in forever."
"Yeah." Emma said mostly to herself. They had stopped talking to each other in eighth grade when Emma had started dating Neal, one of their best friends. She sat up a little. "Why did you stop talking to me?" She asked.
Killian shrugged. "How's it going with you and Neal?" He asked, avoiding the question.
"He moved over the summer." She said, hoping that answered his question. In all truth, she had wanted to continue the relationship but Neal had said that it would of been impossible.
"Oh." Killian said. He seemed to understand how she felt. Emma liked him better for it. "Why are you on the bus?"
Emma sighed. "My parents took away my car until I start getting all As." She explained. Killian nodded and said nothing. "Why do you ride the bus?" She asked him.
"I totaled my car." He said. "My stepdad says he's not getting me a new one until my grades look better." Emma laughed. It was almost the exact same story as hers. "What?" He asked.
"You're story's almost the exact same as mine." She explained.
"Yeah." A smiled spread across Killian's face. "It is."
"Maybe we could study together some time." Emma suggested. She didn't know why she did, it just seemed right. The bus pulled up to the school an the students started to get off. Emma turned to Killian. "Why did you stop talking to me?" She asked him again.
Killian shrugged. "I might of had a small crush on you." He confessed and climbed off the bus.
Emma smiled to herself as she gather her stuff. Maybe, just maybe, she could get used to riding the bus.