This is my first story, so any constructive criticism is welcome! (Don't hold back). Let me know if I should continue this drabble. And if you have any prompts you want me to write, hit me up on my tumblr: diceberry. Also, please review! It would be a great help.
(This story may or may not be based on a true story that happened to me in the bus today, oh well).
Beca hates public transportation. Especially buses. Those damn buses.
One time, when she was around 11 years old, the dude she sat next to threw up. Ever since that day, her dad drives her to school. Surprisingly, it wasn't Beca who asked if he could, he proposed it himself. He got a teaching job at Beca's middle school. She was also lucky that the high school she attends now is housed practically next to the middle school, so her dad would drop her off there and she'd just walk over to the other. No biggie, just 5 minutes, so she wasn't complaining.
She is now, though. Apparently, Sheila the stepmonster needed a ride this morning. Granted, she has a sprained ankle, but Beca's still offended. So she has no choice but to enter the pits of hell also known as the school bus.
Luckily, she has her headphones and her music, so the ride is a bit more bearable, or so she thought.
The first 5 to 10 minutes are fine. The bus smells likes sweaty pubescent teenage boys, but she manages to cancel it out, along with the noise. But after said minutes, she can't help but be bothered by something going on right behind her. Most of it is laughter. She doesn't need to open her eyes or take off her headphones to know it's Bumper, who's in Beca's math class. He always squints his eyes and imitates Nelsons "Ha Ha" from the Simpsons, which she hates. Old news. But that isn't what's bothering her. It's this snapping sound she keeps hearing. Eventually, she opens her eyes and sees a tiny elastic flying around the bus. It goes right past a redhead's head sitting a few seats in front of her on the other side of the aisle. She must have noticed it, because her head shoots right up and turns around to scan the back of the bus. Did she mention she was sitting in the back of the bus? That's where all the cool kids sit, yeah, you get the idea.
Bumpers starts giggling, and Beca just lets out a big sigh and stares out of the window, such a little boy. In the reflection of the window she can see the redhead turning her head back and continuing to stare at her shoes, her hair covering her face.
But it doesn't stop there, the snapping sound goes on. Bumper still misses his target by a millimeter or so, Beca traces with her eyes. And the redhead keeps yanking her head away when it happens, but for the rest, she doesn't seem to do all that much about it. Eventually, Bumper starts to sit more forward to get closer to her, and actually hits her with an elastic this time. Red grabs her head and covers the place of impact. After that, it happens again. She turns around and faces Bumper "Stop that!", she says. But a bit shaky, unsure. The grin around Bumpers face grows bigger. Beca tries to ignore, but can't shake the feeling of guilt in her gut. This is bullying, and she knows all too well how that feels. Beca's had enough when Bumper goes on after that. She turns around and looks Bumper straight in the eye, "Dude, knock it off", she says. "You go knock yourself off!", is his response. So childish, suits him perfectly. He shoots and hits again, making Red to turn around again. But she doesn't say anything. She just looks, hurt. And Beca can't take that. That's it. Beca faces Bumper again and sees that he is actually aiming for her now. Bad decision. She yanks the pencil that he uses to shoot out of his hand and snaps it with it while giving him her Beca Death Glare™. She returns the two pieces and Bumper just stares. As pleased as she is, she gets back in her seat and puts her headphones back on. She notices that the redhead is staring at her through the window. A little smile creeps on her face as she mouths "thank you" to Beca. Beca gives her a small smile in return.
"You owe me a new pencil, Mitchell!", Bumper shouts in her ear, or as close as he can get to her ear. These are pretty thick headphones. He walks past and squints his eyes. "You could have blinded me with that elastic, you know", she says. He just scoffs "Whatever" under his breath and walks past her locker.
After a couple of minutes, she feels someone tap her shoulder. It startles her a bit and the girl behind her probably noticed it too, "Sorry", she says with a shy smile on her face. It takes her a moment to continue, "Uh, thanks, for. You know. In the bus." Her hair covers her face as she looks down to her feet. "My pleasure, I've been trying to find the perfect way to kick his ass for years, so I couldn't let this opportunity slide." Beca answers, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit. It works. A set of white and perfectly aligned teeth appear as the redhead smiles, causing Beca to smile also. "I'm Beca by the way", she says as she sticks out her hand. That's stupid, why would she stick out her hand? Way too formal. But it's too late to withdraw. Red shakes the hand and looks at Beca, "Chloe, nice to meet you!"
Both their heads shoot up when the bell interrupts them. Chloe almost immediately jerks her hand back. "Crap!" she exclaims. She starts to walk away, "Gotta go, see you later?" The last part comes out more as a question than a statement. Beca just smiles and nods. She watches her trying to balance 4 books in one arm while grabbing her phone out of her pocket at the same time. Beca can't help but laugh at the sight. She hopes to see her again, too.