A Merry Chris-Bus and A Happy New Year

(This is a really long chapter, btw.)

Christmas came and went. In between then and New Year's, Tired's plans consisted of curling up in a hefty lot of blankets and sleep the years away. She didn't feel like doing anything extra. It was odd. She thought that after she broke things off with Bus, she would be satisfied. However, she somehow felt…what was the right word? Hollow? Empty? Any way you slice it, Tired was not happy. She stayed inside for days, only planning to come out to spend time with her family on Christmas and New Year's Day.

Her friends sensed this, too. Often, she would hang around at least one of them, but since she was inside the entire time, her friends started to get concerned. One of them in particular- named Leanne- was not going to let that slide.

Tired was face down on her bed when she felt her phone buzz. Rolling over to her side, she picked it up to see a text from Leanne, reading:

"Hey! My friend was going to host a New Year's Eve party at her place tomorrow night. You're welcome to come if you'd like! The place is HUGE!!!"

Tired sighed and was about to leave it on read. She really didn't feel like going anywhere, especially in this deep funk she's been in lately. It wasn't soon after the first text that Leanne texted again.

"I know you don't feel like going, but a party like this might cheer you up a bit! You need to get outside and freshen yourself up!"

Tired hated to admit it, but Leanne was right. She wasn't going to get any better if she just stayed inside all day. After careful consideration, she finally decided that she was going to the party.

Although, if she would've known what awaited her there and what was going to happen, she probably never would have gone.

"Is she coming?"

"She should be! I sent her a text last night."

"Well, she better hurry! The line is getting longer!"

As Tired arrived at the sent address, her jaw dropped to the floor. Leanne wasn't kidding about the place being huge! It was practically a mansion, the white paint practically glowing, despite it being at night. She could already see fancy flowers surrounding the place and a pool in the backyard.

Who did Leanne know to pick up such a place???

Tired parked her car and got out admiring the mansion in all of its glory. It wasn't long before she felt her hands being grabbed. She shot her head down immediately, her heart skipping a beat. It was only Roberta.

"Hey, Tired!! Finally, you're here!! Hurry up! We've gotta get in line!"

"Get in line to go where?"

Roberta flashed a cheesy grin.

"You'll see!~"

Tired decided to not question anymore. She knew she wasn't going to get any answers. Besides, she was trying to determine what has happened with her. When Tired looked at Roberta, she felt something that could only be described as disappointment. Disappointed about what, though? That was what she couldn't figure out. She was obviously happy to see Roberta, but something felt oddly familiar and…comfortable when she felt her hand grabbed. Then, the feeling disappeared when she saw who was grabbing it.

Maybe, she was just expecting someone or something…but what or whom?

As she was trying to get her thoughts in order, Roberta dragged her in line with her friend group. All of them were delighted to see her, including Jace.

"Hey, Tired! We're glad you could make it!"

"Are you alright? You've seemed down in the dumps lately."

Tired looked at them, snapping back to reality and gathering herself to wave and respond.

"Hi, y'all! Yeah, I'm fine. I think it's just the weather."

"Ugh, don't even get me started on the weather! It's been so grey and depressing here in the past week!"

"Yeah." Tired rubbed her eyes and pretended to yawn, trying to keep the act up. "It's been making me feel a bit groggy."

"You don't say...It's almost like that's why we call you Tired." Jace chimed in sarcastically.

"Well, you're not going to be 'Tired' for long when you start singing!"

Tired looked at Kawaii, her eyes wide.

"S…Singing!?"

Kawaii gasped and covered her mouth.

"Shoot! I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

Dammit, Kawaii.

Tired looked ahead of the line. She saw a karaoke machine with a giant smart board displaying the lyrics to each song. Tired shook her head and backed up slightly.

"Ohhh, no, no, no. I'm not gonna sing. You guys go ahead."

Libra tried to plead with her.

"Ohh, come on, Tired!! We're all going to sing together anyways! You can sing quieter if you really don't want anyone to hear your voice!"

"Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. I'll stay out of it."

In a last-chance effort to get her to stay, Kawaii put her arms behind her back and looked up at Tired with puppy dog eyes. She had a sad pout on her face.

"Please?"

Tired looked at her with a poker face, trying to resist the urge to smile or melt at her gaze…

It didn't work.

"Ugh, fine!! One song, okay?"

The others whooped and cheered as the line moved. They got there early, so the line cleared up, and they were next. They were about to go up on the stage when a man running the machine stopped them.

"How many people do you have?" He asked.

"Six." Leanne responded.

"There are only up to three mics on stage. Some of you will have to be left behind."

"What!?"

Tired smiled. This was her chance to get out of singing anything. She just had to say she was going to let them have all the fun and stay behind to watch. However, Leanne had other plans.

"Alright. We can make that work. Jace and Kawaii, you go with Tired. Libra, Roberta, and I will go first. Simple!"

Dang it. So close.

"Sounds like a good plan!" Kawaii exclaimed.

Jace looked out at the crowd of people. His interest peaked when he saw…no, it couldn't be…

It was Bus. Jace had another chance. His smile began to grow.

"Yeah." He nodded and crossed his arms. "It is."

"IIIII WANT IT THAAAAT WAY!!!"

Leanne, Roberta, and Libra shout-sang in their mics, having the time of their lives. As the song ended, the crowd of people watching cheered. The only one who didn't was Bus. He was very bored. He thought visiting his friends at this party would help bring a smile to his face, but it just made him more depressed. He didn't want to be at this party. He didn't want to be anywhere if Tired wasn't there. He regretted not knowing about the rumors earlier. He would've put a stop to it, but it was all too late now. Tired was gone…or so he thought.

Jace tugged on Kawaii's arm and whispered in her ear. Kawaii's resting face slowly turned into an uncontrollable smile as she glanced occasionally at Bus and nodded. She game a thumbs up and winked at Jace, signalling that she understood his plan. They both held Tired's hands as they all went on stage.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tired whispered.

"You'll be okay; trust me!" Kawaii reassured her. "We'll be here with you, and your voice is really pretty anyways!"

Tired couldn't help but smile and blush a bit at the compliment.

"Thank you, Kawaii."

Jace picked up two of the mics and handed one to Tired, making sure she was in the center.

Bus glanced at the stage wide-eyed and awestruck as all of them began singing. However, it wasn't long before both Jace and Kawaii faded their singing out so that only Tired's voice was heard.

The song Jace chose was intentional.

This is what she sang.

https/drive./file/d/1eY0q7dNjRfdWGOXidEBLWw7B18oCRrd6/view?usp=drivesdk

Bus started at her, his breath taken away. He had no idea she had such a set of pipes! More importantly, he had no idea Tired was here. As he moved closer to the stage, he knew what he needed to do. He knew all along.

He had to get Tired back.

Tired opened her eyes after the song and realized that her friends weren't next to her. They were right behind her, and they didn't sing very loud. Jace and Kawaii high-fived each other. She looked down at the cheering set of people. They all seemed to be looking at her…

Including Bus.

Once she realized the setup, she put away the mic and stormed off. She was very clearly upset. How could they do this to her? She felt angry, but somehow…less passionate than she thought she'd be. She brushed it off as her "depression". She ignored anyone calling her name as she felt her face turning red, crouching and covering it with her hand as she creeped by Bus. Due to the staggering height difference, Bus didn't see her pass by. Nonetheless, that didn't stop him from trying to look for her in the sea of little people. At this point, he was desperate.

He needed to find her.

He loved her.

Tired had her hands crossed on the balcony, looking up at the night sky. She so desperately wanted to see the fireworks blast to brighten up her situation, but it was of no use. She couldn't control time. It was five minutes until midnight, and she felt isolated…alone…until a deep voice sounded behind her.

"You know, a voice like yours could be useful in a choir."

She didn't respond to him, completely blowing him off. Bus's smile slowly faded. Usually, she'd make some sarcastic remark or at least give him a glance and an eye roll, but she didn't do either of those. She pretended to not hear him, giving him the cold shoulder. He stood beside her and tried again, leaning forward on the railing like her.

"Look; I get that things have been awkward, but we're not gonna get anywhere if we don't talk it out."

Tired didn't want to talk to him. In fact, he was the last person she wanted to talk to. Getting involved in whatever he was doing was clearly trouble. Even them standing next to each other was pushing it a little bit. Bus looked at her and then looked down from the balcony.

"Tired, listen. I…I'm sorry, okay? I know you hate me because of the rumors about you. It must be hard living with tha-"

Tired snapped.

"Ugh, don't you get it, you idiot!? I'm not mad at you! I can't be mad at you!!"

"...You sure you're not mad? You seem pretty ma-"

"I'm mad at myself!!"

Bus was surprised by what she said, but at the same time, he didn't quite understand. He decided to pry just a little bit more.

"What do you mean?"

"Look; you're able to fix my reputation at the flick of your wrist, and at the same time, you also risk yours! I don't know why you do that, but I can only be angry at myself for associating with you in the first place! Why do you…"

She looked away from him, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

"Why do you do this? I've already shown you why I'm not worth it. Why do you stand up for all the wrong people?"

Bus's heart broke at that sentence. He's never heard her so genuinely upset. He held her hand in his as he spoke, which made Tired tense up. That feeling of disappointment didn't appear this time. In fact, after she tensed up, she felt a sense of…relief. It was almost like holding Bus:s hand was…different…

"Because I care about you, Tired, and by the looks of it, you care about me, too."

Tired scoffed and was about to say something. Bus looked at her with a poker face and raised an eyebrow. There was no way she could get out of this one. She clamped her mouth shut, huffed, and looked away.

"Yeah, so what if I do? What's the point you're trying to make?"

Bus's smirk appeared, cocky as usual.

"I was hoping you'd ask that~"

Tired looked back at him, her heart jumping in her chest. She had no idea what was in store for her. Bus knelt down to her size to speak to her eye to eye.

"I've been thinking about this for a while, but the more I have, the more I thought that when I'm around you, what spawned was more than feelings."

Tired's eyes widened, her heart pounding in her chest.

"What do you mean?"

"You still don't understand?"

Just then, someone yelled from inside.

"The countdown is about to start!!"

Bus didn't even look back. He just stared directly at Tired. His smile was genuine and soft, and his gaze was the same.

"Tired…"

10…

"I love you."

9…

Tired could hardly believe what she had just heard. Love? Her??? Something about that made her freeze. She couldn't muster up any words but she knew that she had to be quick.

8…

7…

Tired finally tried to speak, but she couldn't get much out.

"I…"

6…

5…

Finally, with a deep breath, she managed to find the words she needed.

"I love you, too."

4…

Bus's smile grew bigger as he let out a little chuckle.

"I know!"

3…

They both stared at each other with a sparkle in their eyes. Bus wrapped an arm around her and managed to hold her closer.

2…

This time, despite having plenty of time to escape, Tired didn't fight back. She let it happen, her eyes half closed as she tilted her head to the side. Bus did the same.

1…

As they both closed their eyes, Tired cupped Bus's face gently with her hands. There was no excusing what she was about to do…

0…

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"

The fireworks shined a radiant display in the background.

Tired and Bus shared their first kiss.