"Dammit mom I'm coming!" Mike yelled down the stairs.
"Don't speak to me in that tone or you'll be making your own lunch." She yelled back.
As Mike flew down the stairs hair neat and face shaved he said, "Of course mom, you know I would be lost without you."
"Make sure you take that ride with James or you will be walking home after practice ok?"
"What ever mom, I'll be fine. See you at 7:30."
Mike then grabbed his bag and swung out the door. Running across the front yard, still glistening with the morning dew, he focused on the bus just pulling up to the curb across the road. Swearing at the pain he felt across his shoulder where his backpack dug into a deep gash, he sped up a little. Looking up he grinned at a friend, then out of nowhere a car horn and squealing tires made him look left. A beat up old Chevy van slammed on the breaks right beside him. His adrenaline pumping, he flipped off the driver. The driver looked dead tired, his beard slightly grown in from lack of a shave. His bloodshot eyes locked with Mikes, sending a cold wave of dread across his body and stopping his heart for a beat or two.
"Watch it asshole, you nearly killed me!" Mike yelled with a cold sweat still draining across the underside of his skin.
Without a retort the driver peeled away, continuing to stare at Mike in the mirror until he had rounded the next corner. "Idiot," Mike mumbled. A blare from the bus horn caught his attention and he jogged across the road and into the bus.
"Watch yourself," the driver said.
"No big deal, he just wasn't lookin," Mike said with a grin.
Sitting down next to a pretty girl named Sarah, he put on a heroic far off look. "That was so scary, are you ok?" she asked. Mike replied, "No big deal trust me, the jerk just wasn't paying attention.
Turning away he thought back to the near accident. The look in the drivers eyes, he was… what was it; something was wrong about the driver. Mike hadn't seen him before but something stood out in his memory. The driver's eyes, dark brown eyes, eyes filled with terror. But why was he so scared? Sure he had almost run me over, thought Mike, but I was fine…. I guess he musta been scared pretty bad. If I see him again I'll apologize, Mike resigned.
He chatted up Sarah again and threw a light punch at his friend Kyle over the front of his seat. Being sophomores they were in the middle of the bus because they were too cool to sit up with the freshman, but not cool enough to sit in back with the juniors and seniors. Being one of the lucky sophomores on the varsity team he knew a lot of people and was pretty popular. Mike wasn't really that stuck up and didn't care who was "in" and who was "out." Whoever was nearby was getting pulled into a conversation whether they liked it or not.
Kyle then looked seriously at Mike. "Hey are you feeling better? You were pretty off, ya now last week… And after that night two weeks ago, well you have been acting a little strange."
With a pained grimace Mike replied, "Im dying man, only got one month left to live. Its all your fault, I hope you're happy."
"No really man, I'm serious. What ever, never mind. It was just that I am still a little shaken up too that's all."
"Well I hope you get over it, cause coach has been getting quite pissed off at you for slacking at practice, and I am not in the mood for any extra up downs. Ok?"
"We both know that wasn't my fault Mike, that damn senior Jake was just in my face. I wasn't about to bend over or just let him push me around."
"I was there for you one hundred percent, but he was just messing around. You need to learn to chill a little, ok?"
"What ever." Kyle ended.