Everyone boarded the bus quietly, handing their bus ticket to the bus
driver as they walked past. Zippy and Zero sat down at the very back of the
bus, Fidget and Twitch sat down on the opposite side of the aisle at the
back of the bus. Squid and Zigzag sat in the same seat, as did Xray and
Armpit. Static, Lei, and Rogue sat three to a seat, and Magnetic and Magnet
sat in the same seat-to no ones surprise.
Chase sat down by herself, but she didn't mind, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a while. Would she ever get to see Fidget or Rogue or Static again? Would she ever get to laugh along with Twitch or X-Ray or Armpit again? Would she ever be able to confide in Zero again? And even though she had never dreamed of thinking it before Chase wondered if she'd ever hear Magnetic's bossy voice again. And what of Zigzag, Magnet, Lei, or even Squid? Had she completely lost her chance with him now? Chase closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, she was too tired to be troubled by all her musing.
The bus rumbled on in silence, despite Twitch's occasional "Whoop!" Everyone was quiet; just thinking. But Zippy hated silence and soon she jumped to her feet.
"Come on guys!" she cried, staring around at everyone. "This bus ride could be the last time we all see each other and you're all just gonna sit there in silence!? I mean come on! Like Squid said we gotta have a LITTLE fun before we part!"
The bus driver looked back at Zippy in his rear-view mirror and just rolled his eyes.
"You're right Zippy," said Fidget as she slyly moved towards the bathroom at the back of the bus. "Gotta live life to it's fullest." Then before anyone could do anything Fidget ran into the bathroom grabbed a plastic cup that had been placed by the sink, filled it with water and hurled it's contents at Zippy.
Not only was Zippy soaking wet but so was the bus seat and Zero's right arm and leg.
Fidget started cracking up, and the others bit their lip, trying to hold back their laughter.
But Zero jumped to his feet, filled another cup with water and flung it at Fidget. Fidget dodged the cup and instead all the water hit Twitch in the face.
"Oops?" Zero said, with a big grin on his face.
And so the water war began. Twitch had tried to get Zero back but instead he hit Static, Rogue, and Lei. Lei, thinking that it was Zero who had gotten her hair all wet went after him with a cup of water, and Lei and Rogue went after Twitch. Somehow someone had gotten Squid all soaking wet. Zigzag had started cracking up and pointing at Squid-that is until he found himself all drenched in water. Magnetic hadn't felt like getting wet and she had used Magnet as a barrier. But Magnet preferred seeing Magnetic with a see-through shirt so he, himself, had poured water all over her. Magnetic had screamed, but then gradually started enjoying the fight.
But there's always someone against happiness and soon the bus driver was yelling back to them to stop the water fight or he'd kick them off his bus.
"Talk about service," Lei had said, sitting down next to Fidget who had started giggling hysterically.
The seating arrangement had been all jostled about and changed and now Zippy sat next to Chase, Zero still sat at the back of the bus but was now accompanied by Twitch. Fidget and Lei sat across the aisle. Squid and Rogue sat opposite Zigzag and Static, and the others were just standing about- some even sitting on the floor, in the aisle.
Squid leaned out into the aisle so he could talk to Zigzag. Suddenly Zigzag remembered something and asked yet again, "Does anyone have a lighter?"
"Urg!" Magnetic cried. "How many times do you have to ask that before you realize that none of us has a ligh-"
"I have a lighter," Rogue said, pulling it out of her backpack and tossing it over to Zigzag.
"Thanks," Zigzag said. He flipped the lighter open then set off the flame. Moving it slowly back and forth before his face he stared at the fire as it danced it's way from the lighter.
"You're such a pyromaniac," Magnetic said.
Zigzag didn't reply, he was too busy watching the flame. He brought it close to the back of the seat before him; the seat Magnetic and Xray were sitting in.
"Don't burn the seat!" Magnetic cried, pushing Zigzag's arm away. But Magnetic hadn't thought of her long blonde hair, draped over her shoulders, and as she pushed Zigzag away some of her hair fell just above the flame- but it was close enough to catch fire.
"I'M ON FIRE!!!" Magnetic had shrieked as the tips of her hair burned.
Xray grabbed her and race her down to the bathroom where he threw a cup of water over her head. The flame was small enough that it went out in a wisp of smoke.
Magnetic walked back down the aisle to her seat looking thoroughly pissed off, her mascara running down her cheeks, water dripping from her singed hair.
"HEY! No playing with fire on my bus!" the bus driver shouted back.
Zigzag closed the lighter for a few seconds but then shrunk back into his seat and opened it again.
Fidget stood up and walked up to the bus driver. She asked him something the others couldn't hear, then returned with a pen in hand. She grabbed a paper towel from the bathroom, folded it, and walked around from person to person, asking them something.
When she came around to Chase and Zippy she asked, "What's your email addresses?"
Chase furrowed her brow; what was her email address again?
"Mine's GiantPixieStickGirl@aol.com!" Zippy said, smiling as her mind formulated an image the others did not want to hear about. "But I think I'm gonna change it to something like iDugMyFinalHole-or Zippy&Zero-you know, something like that."
"Well email me at ConstantFidgeter@aol.com if you do change it," Fidget said as she wrote Zippy's email address down on the paper towel. Then she turned to Chase.
"I can't think of it right now," Chase said. "I'll tell ya' later when I remember it."
"Hey!" Zippy said excitedly. "Did you get Squid's email address yet?"
"No," Fidget replied. "That was my next stop though."
"Well when you get it can you give it to Chase here?" Zippy asked. Then she added quietly, "She loves him."
"Do not!" Chase said, shoving Zippy. "I don't need Squid's email, Fidget."
Fidget shrugged her shoulders then moved back to Squid's seat.
"I wonder if I'll ever see him again?" Chase said to herself.
"Who?" Zippy asked. "Squid? You are too in love!"
"Shut up!" Chase said. But then she lowered her voices and said, "I'm gonna miss him."
"Well then get his email address Chase!" Zippy cried. "I mean at least you'll still be in touch with him! I'll never see Zero again and he doesn't have an email address-let alone a computer!" Zippy stopped and took a deep breath.
Chase patted Zippy softly on the arm. No words could comfort her more.
"So," Zippy said, changing the subject. "How're we gonna help out Rogue?"
"What'chya gonna do when you get home?" Zigzag asked Static, who was resting her head against his shoulder.
"Hug my little brother and my mom, take a shower, go to sleep," Static replied, yawning. "Then I'll call you."
"Man, it sucks how we all live so far away from each other," Zigzag said.
"Yeah, I know," Squid said, leaning way back into the bus seat. "We'll probably never see any of these girls again."
"Chase?" Zigzag asked.
Squid nodded. "Yeah, Chase," he said. "It just sucks that I never really got anywhere with her."
"What, like sex?" Zigzag asked, a sly smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah, sure man, whatever," Squid said, shaking his head.
"Well you should have made a move!" Zigzag said.
"Man, she doesn't like me," Squid said. "Besides, I promised to leave her alone."
"So break the promise!" Zigzag replied. "Try making another move! Maybe she'll like you now; you just gotta try."
Squid shrugged his shoulders in an unlikely way, but he continued thinking about what Zigzag had said long after their conversation was over.
After arguing with himself about what to do for quite some time Squid stood up and started making his way to where Chase sat. He was almost to her seat when suddenly he was flung forth to his knees as the bus took a huge jolt and skidded across the road. Everyone was rammed forth into the back of the seat before them as the bus abruptly stopped.
"What happened?" Magnetic yelled up to the bus driver.
"I don't know," the old fart snapped. "I think we may have blew a tire."
"Well this is just GREAT!" Magnetic shouted.
"Quit your complainin'!" the bus driver shouted back at her as he got up and opened the bus door. "We've gotta spare tire in the back."
"Good!" Lei cried in relief.
"You may want to come out and stretch your legs while I change the tire," the bus driver called to them as he stepped off the bus. "This is gonna take a while."
So the members of D tent loudly filed off the bus and stood around on the deserted road. Squid and Xray walked back to find the blown tire while the others stood around stretching their arms and legs.
"Hey, I don't see any blown tire-" Squid said to the bus driver.
But the bus driver hadn't heard him as he had hurried back onto the bus and restarted the engine. "What the hell?" Zigzag cried, turning at the sound of the engine.
The bus started to roll off leaving them all behind. Rogue pulled out her big knife and popped the extra tire that clung to the back of the bus just before the bus had left them.
"HEY COME BACK!!!!!" Magnetic screamed.
"COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chase shouted.
As the bus got further and further away Squid picked up a rock and hurled it at the bus. The rock broke through one of the back windows but it didn't do them any good. The bus was gone, and they were left standing there in the middle of nowhere--again.
Chase sat down by herself, but she didn't mind, she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a while. Would she ever get to see Fidget or Rogue or Static again? Would she ever get to laugh along with Twitch or X-Ray or Armpit again? Would she ever be able to confide in Zero again? And even though she had never dreamed of thinking it before Chase wondered if she'd ever hear Magnetic's bossy voice again. And what of Zigzag, Magnet, Lei, or even Squid? Had she completely lost her chance with him now? Chase closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, she was too tired to be troubled by all her musing.
The bus rumbled on in silence, despite Twitch's occasional "Whoop!" Everyone was quiet; just thinking. But Zippy hated silence and soon she jumped to her feet.
"Come on guys!" she cried, staring around at everyone. "This bus ride could be the last time we all see each other and you're all just gonna sit there in silence!? I mean come on! Like Squid said we gotta have a LITTLE fun before we part!"
The bus driver looked back at Zippy in his rear-view mirror and just rolled his eyes.
"You're right Zippy," said Fidget as she slyly moved towards the bathroom at the back of the bus. "Gotta live life to it's fullest." Then before anyone could do anything Fidget ran into the bathroom grabbed a plastic cup that had been placed by the sink, filled it with water and hurled it's contents at Zippy.
Not only was Zippy soaking wet but so was the bus seat and Zero's right arm and leg.
Fidget started cracking up, and the others bit their lip, trying to hold back their laughter.
But Zero jumped to his feet, filled another cup with water and flung it at Fidget. Fidget dodged the cup and instead all the water hit Twitch in the face.
"Oops?" Zero said, with a big grin on his face.
And so the water war began. Twitch had tried to get Zero back but instead he hit Static, Rogue, and Lei. Lei, thinking that it was Zero who had gotten her hair all wet went after him with a cup of water, and Lei and Rogue went after Twitch. Somehow someone had gotten Squid all soaking wet. Zigzag had started cracking up and pointing at Squid-that is until he found himself all drenched in water. Magnetic hadn't felt like getting wet and she had used Magnet as a barrier. But Magnet preferred seeing Magnetic with a see-through shirt so he, himself, had poured water all over her. Magnetic had screamed, but then gradually started enjoying the fight.
But there's always someone against happiness and soon the bus driver was yelling back to them to stop the water fight or he'd kick them off his bus.
"Talk about service," Lei had said, sitting down next to Fidget who had started giggling hysterically.
The seating arrangement had been all jostled about and changed and now Zippy sat next to Chase, Zero still sat at the back of the bus but was now accompanied by Twitch. Fidget and Lei sat across the aisle. Squid and Rogue sat opposite Zigzag and Static, and the others were just standing about- some even sitting on the floor, in the aisle.
Squid leaned out into the aisle so he could talk to Zigzag. Suddenly Zigzag remembered something and asked yet again, "Does anyone have a lighter?"
"Urg!" Magnetic cried. "How many times do you have to ask that before you realize that none of us has a ligh-"
"I have a lighter," Rogue said, pulling it out of her backpack and tossing it over to Zigzag.
"Thanks," Zigzag said. He flipped the lighter open then set off the flame. Moving it slowly back and forth before his face he stared at the fire as it danced it's way from the lighter.
"You're such a pyromaniac," Magnetic said.
Zigzag didn't reply, he was too busy watching the flame. He brought it close to the back of the seat before him; the seat Magnetic and Xray were sitting in.
"Don't burn the seat!" Magnetic cried, pushing Zigzag's arm away. But Magnetic hadn't thought of her long blonde hair, draped over her shoulders, and as she pushed Zigzag away some of her hair fell just above the flame- but it was close enough to catch fire.
"I'M ON FIRE!!!" Magnetic had shrieked as the tips of her hair burned.
Xray grabbed her and race her down to the bathroom where he threw a cup of water over her head. The flame was small enough that it went out in a wisp of smoke.
Magnetic walked back down the aisle to her seat looking thoroughly pissed off, her mascara running down her cheeks, water dripping from her singed hair.
"HEY! No playing with fire on my bus!" the bus driver shouted back.
Zigzag closed the lighter for a few seconds but then shrunk back into his seat and opened it again.
Fidget stood up and walked up to the bus driver. She asked him something the others couldn't hear, then returned with a pen in hand. She grabbed a paper towel from the bathroom, folded it, and walked around from person to person, asking them something.
When she came around to Chase and Zippy she asked, "What's your email addresses?"
Chase furrowed her brow; what was her email address again?
"Mine's GiantPixieStickGirl@aol.com!" Zippy said, smiling as her mind formulated an image the others did not want to hear about. "But I think I'm gonna change it to something like iDugMyFinalHole-or Zippy&Zero-you know, something like that."
"Well email me at ConstantFidgeter@aol.com if you do change it," Fidget said as she wrote Zippy's email address down on the paper towel. Then she turned to Chase.
"I can't think of it right now," Chase said. "I'll tell ya' later when I remember it."
"Hey!" Zippy said excitedly. "Did you get Squid's email address yet?"
"No," Fidget replied. "That was my next stop though."
"Well when you get it can you give it to Chase here?" Zippy asked. Then she added quietly, "She loves him."
"Do not!" Chase said, shoving Zippy. "I don't need Squid's email, Fidget."
Fidget shrugged her shoulders then moved back to Squid's seat.
"I wonder if I'll ever see him again?" Chase said to herself.
"Who?" Zippy asked. "Squid? You are too in love!"
"Shut up!" Chase said. But then she lowered her voices and said, "I'm gonna miss him."
"Well then get his email address Chase!" Zippy cried. "I mean at least you'll still be in touch with him! I'll never see Zero again and he doesn't have an email address-let alone a computer!" Zippy stopped and took a deep breath.
Chase patted Zippy softly on the arm. No words could comfort her more.
"So," Zippy said, changing the subject. "How're we gonna help out Rogue?"
"What'chya gonna do when you get home?" Zigzag asked Static, who was resting her head against his shoulder.
"Hug my little brother and my mom, take a shower, go to sleep," Static replied, yawning. "Then I'll call you."
"Man, it sucks how we all live so far away from each other," Zigzag said.
"Yeah, I know," Squid said, leaning way back into the bus seat. "We'll probably never see any of these girls again."
"Chase?" Zigzag asked.
Squid nodded. "Yeah, Chase," he said. "It just sucks that I never really got anywhere with her."
"What, like sex?" Zigzag asked, a sly smile spreading across his face.
"Yeah, sure man, whatever," Squid said, shaking his head.
"Well you should have made a move!" Zigzag said.
"Man, she doesn't like me," Squid said. "Besides, I promised to leave her alone."
"So break the promise!" Zigzag replied. "Try making another move! Maybe she'll like you now; you just gotta try."
Squid shrugged his shoulders in an unlikely way, but he continued thinking about what Zigzag had said long after their conversation was over.
After arguing with himself about what to do for quite some time Squid stood up and started making his way to where Chase sat. He was almost to her seat when suddenly he was flung forth to his knees as the bus took a huge jolt and skidded across the road. Everyone was rammed forth into the back of the seat before them as the bus abruptly stopped.
"What happened?" Magnetic yelled up to the bus driver.
"I don't know," the old fart snapped. "I think we may have blew a tire."
"Well this is just GREAT!" Magnetic shouted.
"Quit your complainin'!" the bus driver shouted back at her as he got up and opened the bus door. "We've gotta spare tire in the back."
"Good!" Lei cried in relief.
"You may want to come out and stretch your legs while I change the tire," the bus driver called to them as he stepped off the bus. "This is gonna take a while."
So the members of D tent loudly filed off the bus and stood around on the deserted road. Squid and Xray walked back to find the blown tire while the others stood around stretching their arms and legs.
"Hey, I don't see any blown tire-" Squid said to the bus driver.
But the bus driver hadn't heard him as he had hurried back onto the bus and restarted the engine. "What the hell?" Zigzag cried, turning at the sound of the engine.
The bus started to roll off leaving them all behind. Rogue pulled out her big knife and popped the extra tire that clung to the back of the bus just before the bus had left them.
"HEY COME BACK!!!!!" Magnetic screamed.
"COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Chase shouted.
As the bus got further and further away Squid picked up a rock and hurled it at the bus. The rock broke through one of the back windows but it didn't do them any good. The bus was gone, and they were left standing there in the middle of nowhere--again.