Fast Forward to us

3- Stuck on the Bus

Jeremy

"You know, you have to get off the bus at some point," pointed out our bus driver. "The bell is going to ring in about ten minutes."

"I know," was my reply. My body sat in the very first seat on the right side of the bus. "My knuckles were trembling at what my eyes were witnessing." Ted was giving wedgies to some freshmen. Part of me wanted to puke at the very thought of what was happening. One could only hope that after graduation, I'd never had to see him again.

"You know, I doubt Ted is going to give you a wedgie. Come on man, look at you. Why are you afraid of that guy? He's what you kids call a fart-knocker."

"Yeah, I know the guy is a fart-knocker, but he's not my only problem." From a distance, my eyes spotted a girl talking to her friends. Ted was minutes away from approaching her.

"Is it a girl?" he asked why digging through the garbage can looking for something important. "Afraid to hurt Emma's feelings I'm guessing?"

"What the heck was this guy talking about? Maybe there was some truth in what he was saying.

"I mean, I guess so, but no, it's just that this morning I was calling that hotline again trying to figure out which school to attend. Only three schools accepted me. I'm just afraid that I'll have some crappy future where I'm a loser living a loser life.

The moment I finished speaking, the garbage went back to its original spot. The bus driver had a plastic cross in the palm of his hands that came directly from the trash. The man stood up and we were less than six feet apart.

"You know, they didn't call me Father Butts for nothing. Believe it or not, I was a dang good priest." He wasted no time in handing me the plastic cross. "But once a priest, always a priest." Once the cross was in my grip, Butts continued speaking. "Why the heck are you calling that hotline? Did you forget about what God says about mediums and fortune-tellers? Is He not in control of the future? Doesn't everything always work out in the end? Stop worrying about which school to go to. It's all going to work out. Trust me on this."

Butts had a pretty good point. Maybe worrying wasn't good for me. Yes, it seemed that I kept forgetting that God was in control. Perhaps I could walk out of this bus and face Ted like the man that I was. But for whatever reason, I couldn't do it. If only I could. If only.

"So why aren't you a priest anymore?" I asked. "And why are you the infamous bus driver Bobby Butts?"

"I went on a few mission trips to some third world countries and got caught stealing some weapons. Our bus almost got attacked by some terrorists in Africa. The church claimed I was too much of a liability."

Stealing? The man was a priest and struggled with theft? This was such a confusing moment. Why was he right, but somehow so wrong?

"So, you're saying that I should stop worrying about the future? Meanwhile, you've been struggling with theft? Did you forget that God doesn't like it when we steal?"

He couldn't help but laugh while going back to his seat. "Yes, I sinned. God hates that I stole. That's why the church kicked me out. Of course, I repented of my ways and I haven't stolen anything since I became a bus driver."

Looking at the plastic cross that came from the trash, my head couldn't help but wonder something. "And you didn't steal this plastic cross?" How did it end up in the trash?"

"It's not stealing if someone throws it away. Why do you think the homeless dig through the dumpsters once Circle K throws out their expired food? Have you ever seen the homeless arrested for doing that?"

Butts had a solid point. Not once had I ever witnessed a homeless person get arrested for digging through a dumpster. Maybe it was acceptable, but not socially acceptable.

Without realizing it, my body was off the seat and moments away from stepping off the bus. Part of me wanted to believe the plastic cross was going to help me off this ride.

"Go get 'em tiger," encouraged Butts. "Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours."

A great day? With my feet trembling and my eyes closed, the first step off the bus was taken. Once off the bus, it was business as usual. With any luck, I'd be able to arrive at my first period without any problems.

"See you later kid," waved Butts as he closed the door of his bus and took off.

Ted was nowhere in sight. Emma was also nowhere in sight. Guess she didn't want to wait for me. Where was she? Why did I expect her to wait for me? It didn't matter as Hailey and a couple of other of her friends were passing by. For a brief second, she spotted me, nodded, and smiled with a wave. A large uncontrollable grin took over my face as I wondered if I was waving back. She was as pretty as ever.

The girl knew how to rock the perfect plaid shirt, decorative skirt, and boots. Her brunette hair was perfect. Who could forget about her teeth? Those years of braces paid off. Somehow her light dark skin and body grew more perfect with each passing day. My feet couldn't help but get closer to her. According to my brain, today was the day I would say hello to her. The laws of physics or whatever you call it had other plans.

"Where the hell do you think you're going Phillips?" asked Ted whom my body bumped into.

"Um," it took a little bit to figure out what I needed to say. "Class?"

The idiot couldn't help but howl. "Looks like you're going to be late. You have a much-needed appointment with the toilet. It'd be a shame if you were late. Wouldn't it?"

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to comment and vote! Stay tuned for the future!

Thoughts on Bobby Butts?

Should Jeremy be afraid of Ted? Should he get the courage to say hello to Hailey?

Is Jeremy going to be late?