12-36: Riding the Bus

A typical problem experienced by many who live in urban areas, bus overcrowding is a cause of bullying and may lead towards mental health individuals for those "at the last stop."

 She looks at the ground. It's still dark out, but she can see the street through the ice on the sidewalk. Terrified of tripping, she shuffles along. A curse rings from her throat. Her clarinet case flew open, sending size 3 reeds, cloth towels that were about 6" by 6" when unfurled, cork grease, and various shaped brush-like cleaning tools littered the ground. She repeats the curse as she reaches for her horn's barrel, hands trembling from the cold.

 Once everything is back in the case, she saves a note into her free TracPhone to have her case fixed. She looks back at her surroundings to see if she lost anything else before continuing to shuffle along.

 She's headed for her trailer's "park"-two swings now buried in snow. It's uphill, and covered in ice, so it's no easy trek. Her trailer is on the last street, so it's covered in ice from two trailers down to the office. Wind brings tears to her eyes, and she has no gloves on. Her freshly washed hair sticks to head in icy dreadlocks that are usually a nice, straight hairdo when warm. She trudges on, and ends up standing in front of a sign that the snow eliminates eligibility of. She sighs, waiting for bus 36 to come.

 When the bus arrives, she is the last to board. The people she asks to scoot over tell her: "Ain't nobody got room for your fat-" "Ain't no room for you here-" "There was a spot here until-"

 The kids aren't happy. There's nowhere for her to sit, but it feels like it's her fault. She knows it isn't, but that doesn't stop her limbs from aching as the terrible ride begins.

She's a sophomore, but her birthday is late in the year. She turned fifteen after her classmates were mostly sixteen. She can't drive. The bus is her only hope.

 She'd destroy the bus if she could, but that would just change the bus number.

 The worst part of it? The number of incoming freshmen increases every year, and hers is the last stop.

 "Good morning."