A/N: Finally, what you've all been waiting for. Then entrance of three other main characters. I had originally intended for it to only be two, but anyways... Read and enjoy!


"IT'S THE GOVERNMENT'S FAULT."

Seeley Booth hated the bus.

He did. He absolutely did. He hated it with the intense, fiery passion of a thousands suns multiplied by – Oh my God, what's that smell?!

Booth groaned and leaned his head against the window, covering his mouth and nose with his hand. The stench that filled the bus made Seeley think they'd run over a skunk, and had girls groaning, moaning, and whipping out perfume bottles. It only made it worse, in his opinion.

He heard someone giggle, and turned to look behind him. A blond girl with big doe eyes who'd 'developed' rather quickly winked at him, then covered her kewpie doll mouth and giggled some more. He turned back to the front, shaking his head.

He knew what girls saw when they looked at him, and according to a number of girls from sixth grade, it wasn't half bad. Messy brown hair that he'd had his mother leave alone and let grow down to where it almost reached his eyes, which were chocolate brown and Missy Higgins had called 'absolutely dreamy.' He was tall, and had nice muscles, even if they weren't totally obvious whenever someone looked at him. His wide chest was currently clothed in a worn gray t-shirt, with a green button-up pulled over it. His long legs had acid-washed blue jeans pulled over them, and his large feet were currently covered with brand new K-Swiss's. Seeley thought of it as his own private joke that his nice, back-to-school attire was paired with a blue sock with frogs on it and a pink sock with skulls. His belt buckle, a gag gift from his brother Jared, was red with COCKY written on it in gold letters.

He smiled at the memory of when his brother got him the gift, then grimaced as another wave of multi perfume stench rolled over him. He groaned once more, leaning his head back against the seat. I hate the bus!

"It's the government's fault."


Jack Hodgins was used to people giving him the weird look that Seeley Booth gave him just then whenever he opened his mouth. He was usually spouting off about government conspiracies, and it happened to freak people out most of the time. He smiled, thinking it was a stroke of luck that had him seating next to this kid on the bus. Jack couldn't recall explaining theories to him before.

"How is it the government's fault?" Seeley asked him, deciding to humor the kid. What harm could it do? It's not like there was anyone else he could talk to.

"Well," Jack responded, turning slightly toward Booth, "if the government hadn't decided that school needed to provide transportation for their prisoners – I mean, students, then we wouldn't be sitting in this hunk of yellow metal and bad green fabric," he finished, gesturing around him to the bus and seats.

"Huh," Seeley responded, surveying the kid. He could vaguely recall that light brown afro and the nice, designer label clothes. He shook his head, trying to remember.

Jack watched for a moment, then took pity, the skin around his blue eyes crinkling in amusement. He extended his hand. "Jack Hodgins."

Seeley Booth suddenly remembered. That's right, the rich kid who hung around with the science crowd. He extended his own hand, shaking Jack's firmly. "Seeley Booth."

The introduction wasn't needed. Everyone knew Seeley Booth, the number one football star. He was famous, by middle school standards. Jack pulled his black cloth jacket a little tighter around him at a sudden wave of frigid air. Now the driver decided to turn on the air conditioner. His white t-shirt, bearing the logo "The truth is out there," had become slightly sticky with sweat. It may have only been seven in the morning, but it was hot.

Shuffling his black converse around on the bus floor, Jack smiled at Seeley. "I know. Nice to meet you."

"You know, that's not actually true," a small kid with mousy, messy brown hair said from the seat in front of them, turning around. His eyes were also brown, and was up there with Seeley's on the adorable scale. His light blue t-shirt under a darker blue, short sleeve button up shirt went nicely with his slightly pale skin. Tan cargo shorts and white sneakers completed the ensemble. "About the government being to blame for our situation, I mean."

Jack laughed and lightly kicked the kid's foot. "Yeah they are, Zack, and you know it."

Zack Addy turned his eyes onto Seeley. "If the government didn't make school supply transportation, then some of us wouldn't be able to come to school at all unless we walked. It's the kids who shout and make the bus ride horrible who're to blame for the misery we suffer," he finished matter-of-factly, as if everything he had said should be obvious.

Jack frowned. "Be quiet, Zack." He turned to Seeley. "He's not even supposed to be on this bus. He's supposed to be in fifth grade, but he's got a high IQ and the teachers got annoyed with him correcting them."

Seeley looked at Zack. Yeah, he could see how this kid could be a genuis. He looked like he regularly forgot things, and his shirt was buttoned wrong. Hadn't it been said that Einstein could discover gravity, but he couldn't tie his own shoes...?

Seeley smiled at Zack as the bus pulled to a stop. "It's nice to meet ya, Zack."

Zack grinned as they all stood, grabbing his black messenger bag. "Likewise, Seeley."

Seeley grimaced at the sound of his name. "Just call me Booth, kay?"


A/N: Okay, don't forget to let me know what you think of Jack, Booth, and Zack.