A young man stands in his bedroom. It just so happens that today, the 20th of June is the first day of summer. Though it was 14 years ago he was given life and one year ago he was given a name, it is only today that he will be doing the one thing that he's wanted to do all his life, attend summer camp with his friends. Well most of his friends at least, one of them described her guardian as "unresponsive" when she brought the proposition up to him. Nonetheless she gave them her blessing to attend without her. Honestly with all the planning and money this took it would be a waste to not go despite the lack of one person. And as far as the camps website showed there was an internet connection there, so they could keep her posted on all the latest happenings at camp.

At this moment, John was taking inventory of his things. His clothes all in order, his toothbrush, his emergency snacks, his emergency pranking supplies. Yep that's everything. All that was left now was to wait. Well it's gonna be a little while until the bus gets here, no harm in messaging his good buddy to see what's up.

EB: hey man, what's up?

TG: not much man

TG: this bus ride is long as hell

TG: you realize this is longer than a 24 hour trip for me right?

EB: yeah sorry about that haha.

EB: i mean not that it's strictly my fault, other than being the one who wanted to do this in the first place.

EB: but i wasn't the one who decided to make texas so far away from oregon.

TG: yeah its cool the ride is actually kinda sick tbh

TG: lotsa cool sights

TG: plus the seats recline and theres a surprising amount of leg room so im able to catch a few zs if need be

TG: stupid zs wont even know what hit em

TG: snatchin those little fuckers outta the sky like a goddamn ninja

TG: anyway its rose you should be on your knees begging for forgiveness from

TG: poor girls gotta do it cross country

EB: no way dude, she's totally excited, she told me herself.

EB: her mom actually offered to get a plane ticket and she said no, i think she's cool with the whole cross country thing.

EB: honestly the one i feel like i need to be apologizing to is jade.

TG: oh right

EB: she was super insistent that she was ok with us going without her but it's still hard not to feel bad about leaving her behind.

TG: hang on man my bus buddy is buggin me about something

TG: gotta go

Bus buddy? Now that sounded like a sweet deal. A whole new buddy just for riding the bus? John would have been a little hurt that Dave had so quickly dropped him just as he started to talk about something rather emotional, were it not for the existence of "bus buddies" weaseling its way into his mind. But soon his mind drifted back to the thought of his friend Jade. He lifted his bedroom window opened and leaned out of it, looking down the street, no sign of the bus, he supposed he had time to get a quick conversation in with her before he left.

EB: hey.

GG: hey! did you leave for camp yet?

EB: no not yet, still waiting on the bus.

EB: how are you holding up?

GG: what do you mean?

EB: with the whole us going to camp without you thing, i know you've been insisting that it's ok, but i still feel really bad about it.

GG: john i told you its fine ^_^

EB: yeah i know

EB: so do you have any plans?

GG: whatdo you mean?

EB: you know like stuff to do instead of camp.

GG: oh

GG: nope! :)

EB: that doesn't really sound like something to smile about but hey if you're happy don't let me bring you down i guess.

GG: john dont worry, it would make me feel bad to know you cant have fun because youre thinking about me the whole time.

EB: oh! ok, consider you out of my mind.

EB: not actually though, i'll be sure to keep you updated.

GG: thanks lol.

EB: gotta go now, bus coming in about 5 minutes.

GG: see ya!

EB: i'll be sure to text you when i get there.

John ran to his window and leaned out of it again. This time saw the bus down the road. He haphazardly shoveled a few things from around his room into his bag and bolted down the stairs. "Byedadloveyou" he shouted as he sped out the door. He bounced excitedly on his feet at the curb as he watched the bus slowly trundle down the street. The bus, that had the word "school" crossed out with "Camp Paradox" hand painted underneath it, screeched to a loud and slow halt. As John boarded his father watched through the window, beaming with fatherly pride. Why exactly was he so proud of his son going to summer camp? Fatherly secret. John's face dropped as he looked at the rows of empty seats. "There's no one else?" he asked the bus driver, who only grunted in response.

John sat in the back row alone. He was pretty disappointed at his lack of a bus buddy. He tried to cheer himself up though. He was gonna meet 2 of his best friends, who cares if he didn't get a bus buddy. About a half an hour later the bus came to another stop. John's face lit up, but quickly dropped again as he watched a kid who could be no older than 9 waddle up the large stairs and take a seat in the front row. He put his head against the glass, it was gonna be a long ride. Minutes turned to hours and John slowly drifted to sleep hoping that Dave and Rose wouldn't have replaced him with their bus buddies by the time they got to camp.

Eventually John was suddenly awoken by a blunt object hitting the side of his skull. "Oh, ah, um, s-sorry about that." A nervous voice stammered. John opened his eyes as his vision focused on the boy with grey skin and large bull-like horns sitting next to him.

"Woah..." John said mesmerized. "You're a troll." He reached to touch his horn.

"Uh, yeah." The boy said moving John's hand away. "You woke up just in time too, I think we're getting close.

John looked around. "Woah is everyone on this bus a troll?" He stood up on the bar of the sat in front of him to get a better look. The boy pulled him back down by his shirt.

"Hey stop that, you're gonna get hurt." He said.

John's attention went back to him. Oh jeez, he has a bus buddy and the first thing he did was mention his race, or species? That had to have been insensitive. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, my name is John Egbert." He put out his hand for the boy to shake it.

"Hm?" He looked at him puzzled for a moment. "OH, I'm Tavros." He hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand.

John racked his brain for something to ask. "So are you excited?"

"For what?" Tavros asked

"You know, for camp and everything."

"Oh, um, I guess so."

The air filled with a deafening quiet. Well it wasn't quiet, the shouts of the trolls, and a human or two, rang throughout the bus. But the silence between John and Tavros was louder, to John at least' than any of their voices. It was the sound of two people who have never met realizing neither of them knew how to socialize with new people, but more importantly it was the sound of John's chance at a bus buddy slipping away. He tried to think of something, anything to say, but the anxiety of the moment overwhelmed him and blocked out any thoughts he could possibly have had that would lead to a substantial conversation. If only he had sat next to someone more cool and confident. He'd even take someone pushy and obnoxious if it opened the flood gates of conversatio-

"TAAAAAAAAVROS." A voice from in front of them sang. And along with it a face rose from the seat ahead of theirs. Tavros looked instantly uncomfortable.

"W-what do you want Vriska?" He squeaked.

"Hey the other kid's awake." Vriska said shifting her attention immediately. "You're a human right? That's hilarious! Do you have any snacks? I think Tavros here is running low."

"Oh I'm Ju- Joh- I mea- SNACKS! I have snacks!" Well he didn't ask for his prayers to be answered so quickly.

He rummaged through his bag and pulled out 3 cake pops. "Here you go." He said handing Vriska one. "My dad made them, but I'm kinda tired of cake-like pastries." He turned to Tavros "Want any?" He asked. Tavros slowly took one and when it was in his hands he shoved it in his mouth as quickly as possible. John looked at the row Vriska was sitting in and saw someone sitting next to her. 2 bus buddies and Dave would raise an eyebrow, 3 and he'd blush. John leaned forward and across Tavros to reach him, he poked the back of his head. "Hey, want a cake pop?" He whispered.

"Eugh, no." He replied without taking his eyes off the book he was reading. "Givve mine to VVriska."

Vriska smacked him in the back of the head and he turned to scowl at her. "Eridan, I told you to stop talking like that if you were gonna sit next to me. I will take that other cake pop though, human." She said as she snatched it out of John's hand.

"My name is John Egbert by the way." John said.

"Vriska Serket at your service!" Vriska proudly proclaimed. "Not literally though, don't ask me to do you any favors. Unless I like you, which I don't yet. Or if you do me one first, which you did with the cake pops, so actually yo do have one favor in the bank, congratulations you are moving up fast on the Vriska social scale."

"Um, yay me?" John shouted half heartedly.

"Slow down there pal don't get too excited." Vriska said sarcastically.

The bus stopped short. Vriska fell backwards, her cake pops flying into the air. John quickly rummaged for another one in is bag. He got up and ran around the seats to lift her up and give her the replacement snack, she smiled at him. He noticed that Eridan's book had fallen under the seat in front of him and he was having trouble reaching it. He bent down and grabbed the book and handed it to Eridan. "Thanks." Eridan spat insincerely.

John furrowed his eyebrows. But before he could make up his mind on what to think a loud yell came from the bus driver. "SIT DOWN!" John complied returning to his seat so fast the human eye could barely register it. "Ok now get up we're here."

Everyone stood up and shuffled off the bus.