The Party Bus (Part 2)

The subtle sound of bass can be heard as Bus approaches the building. He takes in a deep breath and observes the chaos raging outside. He can see his buddies, and they were already partying like it was the end of the world. Spikes pushed Mike in the pool, Phil and Sam were wrestling each other, and Hugh was already stumbling around in drunkenness.

It was a mess.

Despite this, Bus exited the car with a smirk of anticipation. He knew from that point on, all eyes were on him. Ben was the first to approach. He patted him on the back.

"Ayyy, well, isn't it the life of the party? Ya wanna drink, man?"

Bus shrugged and responded nonchalantly.

"I guess I might have some. I don't wanna get drunk, though."

Ben looked at him as if he said the craziest thing in the world.

"What? No way, man! This a partyyyy! Ya gotta get wasted like the rest of us!"

"Eh. I would, but we all have to practice in a couple of days, and you know how I get when I'm actually drunk."

Bus had rarely ever gotten drunk before due to his body weight. However, he knew that doing so- even if it was a few days before- would greatly impact his athletic abilities. If he were to do that before his practice, he'd definitely be screwed.

Ben wasn't going to back down, though, not if he wanted his plan to go through. He had to abide with Bus's wishes for now, but he'll keep pushing later.

"Ughhhh…Fine, ya wuss. Only a couple. You have my word."

Bus nodded, and Ben sat him down at the bar.

"What would ya want?"

"Gin. On the rocks."

Ben nodded and started to make some for him. While he was waiting, he couldn't help but think about how Tired was doing. He felt a tiny pang of guilt for leaving her at the house all alone, even if she said she didn't want to go with him. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.

Tired was sprawled out on the couch dramatically, playing a movie in the background. She was sipping wine and resting her head on her hand, extremely bored. It wouldn't be the first time she spent a night like this, so why wasn't she able to entertain herself like she could before? That still was a mystery to her.

She had Boy in the carrier, so she thought about just playing with him, but not even that could fill the void that she had in her heart. Suddenly, she felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out of her back pocket and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw it was Bus. After breathing in and forcing her anxieties to subside, she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tired. I was calling in to wonder how you're doing. You okay?"

Tired almost wanted to act offended that Bus would suggest she was hopelessly depressed without him, but not feeling like putting that much energy into her act, she just responded calmly.

"I'm fine. In fact, I was just gonna call to ask you the same thing."

"Heheh…Is that so?~"

She could hear his smirk through the screen. It pissed her off.

"Yeah, it is so! What of it?"

"Well, thanks for thinking of me~ Glad to know that you're okay."

Tired rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Why do I even bother answering your number?"

"Maybe, it's because you miss me?~"

"No way!!!" Tired scoffed. "You know what? I regret answering your call. I'm gonna hang up now."

"Tired."

"Ugh, what???"

"I love you."

Tired stopped. She should be used to those words by now, but for some reason, she's not. She said that to him one time, and she never had the ability to say it to him again. She was silent through the phone, collecting herself to muster up a few words back.

"...Thanks. Bye."

She hung up and immediately facepalmed herself.

"I said thanks? THANKS??? Great job, idiot!" She tore herself down in her mind. She couldn't believe that she couldn't say 3 simple words out loud to her own boyfriend! In general, she was just mad at herself that she cared. All this time, she couldn't say what she really felt out of fear for being vulnerable. Now, she was sitting here, bored out of her mind, because in reality…she wanted to go anywhere with Bus, even if it was to a smelly party. Her emotions have built up to this point. She took a sip of her drink…

And another…

And another…

She just wanted to drink the night away.

"Come onnnnn, man! Just one more?"

"I told ya, man. I'm good. I already had a ton."

Ben kept offering Bus drinks, but it was no use. Bus wasn't drunk, but he was exhausted. Ben couldn't believe how hard it was for Bus to get drunk. He went through goodness knows how many shot glasses, and he's still sitting tall like he was taking shots of water.

"One more shouldn't hurt, right?"

"Ben, seriously. I can't do anymore. I have to go."

He got up and was about to leave, but before that, he patted Ben on the back.

"Make sure not to let this night get in the way of your practice, okay?"

He walked out the door and drove off. Ben- after being frozen in place- banged his fist on the table in frustration, and Mike- who was sitting right beside him- decided to pry, like he usually does.

"Why were you trying to get him to drink, anyways?"

Ben looked over, and since he figured that Mike was too wasted to remember any of what he might say, he opened up.

"Obviously, I was trying to throw him off his game! A hungover and recovering Bus means that I get a chance to be in the spotlight!"

"Is that what this is all about?"

"Look at the guy, Mike. He's built like a machine, and he throws actual good players like me that work hard under the…well…bus."

Mike shook his head, almost baffled at what Ben said.

"I don't think he throws anyone under the bus. He's a cool guy…He may annoy me sometimes, but you've got to admit that he gives us as much credit as himself."

Ben scowled and looked off in the distance.

"You're just saying that, because you're drunk."

"Nahhh, man. I'm serious! I think it's also his charisma that pulls in people. If he has enough charm to get friends, a girlfriend, and a fanbase while he's working this big of a job, there might be more to him, besides being built different."

Ben thought about what he said, but he didn't pay attention to any of the "important" points made. He had completely forgotten about his fanbase and…his girlfriend. Perhaps, there was a way to get them both…riled up. His face twirled into a mischievous smirk.

"Hm…girlfriend, you say?"