Disclaimer: All characters are not my property. The awkward situation? Totally mine.

Chapter 2 - The Deals on the Bus

Step one: Get Ginger alone so that he could talk to her.

Turns out that he didn't even need to try for that one.

Baljeet walked onto the bus to head home. As usual, the students on board were in a ruckus, talking to each other in the loudest voice possible. His assigned seat was second from the back, usually with Buford.

However, the bully was nowhere to be seen. He knew that Buford had attempted to break the world record for hot dogs consumed on Friday, and it had left him with a severe case of indigestion. He had been well enough to make the trip to school today (and wedgie him in the morning), but perhaps his attempt to make it through the entirety of it had been futile.

He strode down the aisle, dodging balls of paper until he got to the middle of the bus. Without thinking, he looked up to see Ginger sitting in her usual seat, her eyes focused on something in her lap.

Now, in normal circumstances, he would just walk to his sit and endure the several minute bus ride home with Buford. However, this was not a normal situation, and since the bully was not currently there, his mouth began to go to quick work, miles ahead of his brain.

"Hi, Ginger."

She snapped her head up from the paper, just noticing the Indian boy's presence. "Oh, hi Baljeet!" Her cheeks darkened as she cast her full attention on him. "Sorry, I didn't notice you had gotten on. How was everything today?"

"Well, Buford only gave me one wedgie today, so I consider that a little victory."

"That's...nice."

"Nice for my bum, if nothing else."

Ginger looked down at her lap, continuing to look sheepishly awkward. Seeing that this conversation was going nowhere, Baljeet turned his attention toward the space normally occupied by her best friend. "Do you not usually sit with Holly?"

"I do, but Holly's on vacation visiting her grandparents in Alabama. She won't be back until tomorrow."

"Ahh." He would have come up with a better response, but the bus driver decided to start his route around the neighborhood, and the bus lurched forward, causing Baljeet to stumble slightly. He looked back at his seat at the back, surmising that it would not be suitable to try to reach it with the bus in motion.

"Do you mind if I..." He motioned to the vacant spot next to Ginger.

"Oh!" She hasn't obviously prepared for that question, but she recovered quickly. "Sure, go right ahead."

"Thank you." He positioned himself next to her, setting his backpack in front of him.

For a moment, Baljeet's mind was still back at how he was going to find a way to talk to Ginger alone. And then he actually started thinking.

"Wow, Baljeet, twice in one day," he whispered to himself. "That has to be some sort of record."

"What?"

"Oh...nothing." He did his best to shy away Ginger's question. "Just talking to myself."

Ginger looked back down at her folder, her cheeks still a little pink. Baljeet couldn't help but glance at the paper that was just inside. It was white, with giant red lettering and what appeared to be an award in the background. "What is that for?"

She peered back up at him. "Oh, this? My mom's going to be honored at some doctor's conference this weekend. They sent me a leaflet at school today. Apparently it couldn't wait until I got home. It's a really big award, from what I've heard."

"Then I guess congratulations are in order?"

Ginger did not respond, silently closing up her folder.

"Sooo...I take it that you are not thrilled?"

"No, I am. I'm glad Mom's hard work is paying off." Ginger leaned back against the seat. "It's just that I'll be stuck at home with the babysitter."

"Your sister won't be there either?"

"She promised Stacy that she could come to the next conference, and I presume she's going to keep that promise to her."

"Sorry to hear that."

Ginger smiled slightly, her blush returning. "It's not your fault. I'll have a chance when I'm older."

Baljeet nodded, his gaze returning to outside the window. They were heading through the neighborhood, and it would be only a few minutes before they would arrive at his house.

"Where's Buford at?"

"Buford? I do not know," Baljeet replied, glancing back behind him at his usual spot. "He had not been feeling well all weekend. Perhaps he left school early in an effort to alleviate his sickness."

"I guess." Ginger put her head in her hand, looking outside. "It's going to be hard to do your project with him if he's sick."

He drummed his fingers on his leg. "Well, that is...actually what I want to talk to you about."

"Hmm?" She turned back to him as he did the same.

"Well..."

Notice how he didn't actually have any sort of script as to what to say to her.

So now we are reduced to babble.

Baljeet looked up and down the aisle. The rest of the kids were still entrenched in their antics, so he and Ginger were probably better off than trying to be alone. He put his attention back to the Asian girl.

"It appears that through some circumstances that the people we would usually have to work with us on group projects are elsewhere."

Ginger cocked her head at the boy. "Yes."

"And since it would be optimal for us to get the project off to a fast start, it would also be sufficient for us to get partners for said project.

"Uh...huh."

Baljeet squirmed in his seat. Here was his opportunity.

"So I was wondering-"

"Yes!"

"What?"

"What?" Ginger echoed his response.

They sat there for a second, staring at each other. He raised his eyebrow at her, not sure how to proceed.

"I was...wondering...if it was possible...if you wanted...that we could be...partners for this project."

Ginger's eyes went wide, and Baljeet thought that they were going to burst if they went any bigger. She opened her mouth, but all he could hear was a slight squeak. Hopefully, this wasn't a bad sign.

"I mean...if you are already planning on doing it with Holly, I would understand-"

"She has another partner."

"What? How does she have one already?"

"Mr. Darwin told her the upcoming work before she left," Ginger explained. "She told me she already had a partner yesterday. Who is it? I don't know. But she said just to pick somebody else."

Baljeet narrowed his eyes, not believing his good luck. "That's...fortunate."

"So I guess I should answer your question now."

"Hm?"

She turned to him, her eyes and cheeks back to her normal size and color. "Yes, I would love to be your partner."

He looked away for a second to gather his thoughts. Hearing a sharp victory squeal from Ginger, he looked back to see her exactly in the same position as before, albeit a little more blush in her face.

"Well, that's settled."

SCREECH!

The bus came to a sudden halt. Baljeet, not being prepared, slammed into the back of the seat ahead of him. He shook the cobwebs out of his head as he saw his house come back into focus. "Ah yes, I never get tired of that."

Ginger only giggled in response.

"Alright, I guess I should be going now." He picked up his backpack and threw it over his shoulder. "I'm...glad we're partners for this."

Again with the not-thinking. He was getting pretty good at this.

Ginger smiled warmly at him. "So am I."

As much as he was enjoying it, he needed to get off of the bus, partially to get away from the now-mushy conversation, and partially to not hold up the bus driver anymore (who was now giving him the stink-eye).

"I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"OK, see you then."

Baljeet took the steps down, landing on the ground with a thump. He strode around the front of the bus, ready to head into his house...

"Baljeet!"

He looked up at the window to see a paper airplane come careening in his direction. He held up his backpack like a shield, and the plane bounced harmlessly off.

"Call me and let me know..." Ginger called as the bus started to pull away, "When you want to start the project!"

Confused, he grabbed the paper that was on the ground. He unfolded it to see Ginger's name...

And her phone number.

He unconsciously raised his eyebrow at the paper. He wasn't really expecting it to say or do anything in response, but it didn't really need to.

So it wasn't the plan that he had thought of.

He folded the paper back up and tucked it into his pocket.

But it was the plan that took place.

And that this rate, he surmised as he walked into his house, he would take what he could get.

Step one...complete.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now we're getting somewhere.

Still a little less action than I thought was going to take place, but at least we now have something to go on. Baljeet has his "plan" into motion, Ginger can barely contain herself, and Buford is none the wiser.

Of course the latter can't stay that way for long. But that will be later.

Chapter 3 has a target date of Friday. Day one of the project will commence, along with lots of awkward conversations. I know I'll enjoy it; hope you do too.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time.