Neil took one glance at the new girl and knew that she was lost and that she was pretty. He also knew that if he let her sit next to him, he’d be crushed by Brandon, Jordan and Sasha, the cool kids who sat at the back of the bus, and if he just left her there, she’d be the one getting crushed. You know what choice to make! shouted the voice inside his head. Neil looked at her once more, sighed quietly and signaled to her to quickly take the seat next to him before the ‘cool’ kids saw her. What are you getting yourself into? his voice hissed as he squished against the seat to let her pass through.
Robin looked at Neil for the hundredth time in 5 minutes. Gosh, what has gotten into you lately? her conscience said. I don’t know she admitted. Instead of looking back up at him she looked at the window and sighed, watching as her breath fogged up the glass.
Meanwhile, Neil had been busy pulling out his science book. If I could just maybe convince her that I’m smart, maybe she might like me? That would definitely boost my street cred if only Brandon and Jordan could see her the way I do he thought to himself.
Just talk to him already! Robin was getting annoyed at herself for trying to fight against her shyness, and apparently, she was winning. Look, all you have to do is talk to him. Can you manage that? Or are you too scared? What have you got to lose? Does this mean you can’t take a dare anymore? Robin was breathing faster and faster and her heart leapt in her chest, once, twice and adrenaline was pulsing through her veins. Then she stopped and thought to herself, this is what I need every day she thought to herself. Confidence and bravery. She smiled. Robin lived in the moment for a second or two, forgetting about her worries before being torn away from that small moment by a violent bump which made her knock the side of her head against the window. Thud. Did I attract his attention by doing that? He probably thinks I’m a total klutz. The pleasant thought seemed to melt away while Neil’s friends teased him.
Neil tried to block out the horrible sound of people laughing at him. He scrunched his eyes shut and when he heard Jordan shouting. “Since when does Neil do homework on the bus?” He dug his nails so hard into his palms that four tiny crescents formed and would probably stay there for a good half an hour.
“Yeah. Isn’t he supposed to be a bad boy or something? I heard that the teachers were getting sick of his attitude towards his classes.” chuckled Brandon.
“THAT WASN’T ME! I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG TO YOU SO YOU CAN JUST SHUT UP AND CONCENTRATE ON YOUR OWN PROBLEMS!” shouted Neil. Only, it was in his mind and that whole shouting scene had just given him a headache.
“Wait, who’s that girl sitting next to him? Since when did Neil give up his ‘personal area’ seat?” squinted Sasha as she leaned forward and snickered at Robin. He closed his eyes, hoping that they would just be quiet but of course, they just continued.
Robin was suddenly awake. Her ‘super senses’ as she called them, had been breached and started to listen in to the conversations around her. “... stupid... weirdo... no friends…” Robin didn’t care who they were or whether they were talking to her or not, but she would give them a piece of her mind. As soon as she stood up, she was sat down again by one swift movement made by, Neil.
Neil didn’t know what went through his mind when he saw Robin standing up. Go girl! What do you think you’re doing? Such courage! Someone you should look up to! Whatever Neil was thinking, support or not, he just reached towards her shirt tail that wasn’t tucked in and pulled her down. She looked a little surprised, as if she didn’t expect someone like him to come and swoop in, just in time. She probably didn’t because Neil was in his own fantastical world, and nothing would stop him from being in it.
Dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Those were the things going through Robin’s head right now. She glanced again at Neil but he seemed to zone out to really be responsive like a normal human being, kind of like the zombies in her brother’s video game. Of course, they weren’t exactly ‘normal’ human beings, they were teenagers, but they definitely weren’t unique kind either. Maybe she should be the ‘unique’ one for a change. Robin was sick and tired of other people surprising her and just doing what was expected of them, that she decided that she would take a big risk for her, and a small change in the community around her. Actually, maybe a tiny change, or maybe just a small risk for her and that’s it. But she was going to do it. “Hi there” the girl whispers, her voice almost not being heard.
Suddenly Neil drops his book on the floor with a loud thud. All his worksheets fall out and his face turns to a bright shade of pink. Like a ripe strawberry. Everyone starts laughing again. Brandon is doubled up, Jordan is wheezing and Sasha is giggling like a maniac. Maybe he should have just had faith in her. What would have happened then?
Robin immediately bent down to help Neil. Not because she was just a genuinely nice person but because she was pink like a ripe strawberry. She had to hide her embarrassment someway. After All, she had caused his friends to laugh, him to drop his book and papers. So the least she could do was help him, right?
All of a sudden the bus took a sharp turn to the right. Robin toppled straight into Neil’s lap as he picked up his worksheets from the ground. For once, everything on the bus was completely silent. All you could hear were hearts beating.
“Nice of you to drop in,” Neil said and laughed and immediately stopped, embarrassed by what he said.
“My pleasure,” Robin replied, smiling while squinting because of the sun. There was a pause.
“Soooo...aren’t you my science partner?”
“Haha, you just noticed?”
“Yeah sorry, science isn’t really one of my favorite subjects,” Neil sighs and looks away.
“Same,” Robin said. “You have a very warm lap,” she said, frowning slightly. Duh, it was because he was sitting in a hot bus.
“Sorry,” Neil replied. Another pause.
“Gosh, I’m making this so awkward, sorry,” Robin said, sitting upright and stroking the creases out of her shirt.
“No it’s ok,” Neil said and immediately shut his mouth.
“So, do you, at least, know my name?” asks Robin.
“Uh…”Neil paused, thought for a while and then continued “Robin, right?”
“Yup,” Robin said, “and you are Neil?”
“My pleasure,” Robin replied, smiling while squinting because of the sun. There was a pause.
“Soooo...aren’t you my science partner?”
“Haha, you just noticed?”
“Yeah sorry, science isn’t really one of my favorite subjects,” Neil sighs and looks away.
“Same,” Robin said. “You have a very warm lap,” she said, frowning slightly. Duh, it was because he was sitting in a hot bus.
“Sorry,” Neil replied. Another pause.
“Gosh, I’m making this so awkward, sorry,” Robin said, sitting upright and stroking the creases out of her shirt.
“No it’s ok,” Neil said and immediately shut his mouth.
“So, do you, at least, know my name?” asks Robin.
“Uh…”Neil paused, thought for a while and then continued “Robin, right?”
“Yup,” Robin said, “and you are Neil?”
“The one and only,” Neil smiled a tight smile and stopped there. He didn’t mind talking to Robin but he was revealing more than he could have bargained for in the first place. She really did get people talking.
“Look at them, they’re already best of friends!” cries Brandon, hysterically laughing.
“Aren’t they so sweet, just look at them, falling into each others laps so to speak,” says Jordan, laughing at his own joke.
Neil was scrunching up his eyes again but Robin didn’t look at him. She was looking at Sasha and saw a strange emotion across her face. Sort of like a scowl but she was trying to hide it with an obviously huge fake smile. Like an unwanted friend. Robin shook her head and looked away, already she was processing the events that happened a few minutes ago but she wanted to let that load into her brain without reliving them. Instead of looking out of the window she looked at Neil. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Robin asked, quizzically.
“As if you wouldn’t know,” said Neil, annoyed at the flat tone in his voice but unable to change it.
“Well, maybe you just have your own story to back up onto.”
“I suppose you would be right but it really isn’t a lot to lean onto.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, they’re just plain old-”
“bullies,” finished Robin.
“Exactly.”
“So why do they bother you?”
“I don’t know, sometimes they don’t and sometimes they do, the only thing is they pick the bad days to pick on me and the good days to be nice so it doesn’t really make sense,” explained Neil.
“Look at them, they’re already best of friends!” cries Brandon, hysterically laughing.
“Aren’t they so sweet, just look at them, falling into each others laps so to speak,” says Jordan, laughing at his own joke.
Neil was scrunching up his eyes again but Robin didn’t look at him. She was looking at Sasha and saw a strange emotion across her face. Sort of like a scowl but she was trying to hide it with an obviously huge fake smile. Like an unwanted friend. Robin shook her head and looked away, already she was processing the events that happened a few minutes ago but she wanted to let that load into her brain without reliving them. Instead of looking out of the window she looked at Neil. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Robin asked, quizzically.
“As if you wouldn’t know,” said Neil, annoyed at the flat tone in his voice but unable to change it.
“Well, maybe you just have your own story to back up onto.”
“I suppose you would be right but it really isn’t a lot to lean onto.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, they’re just plain old-”
“bullies,” finished Robin.
“Exactly.”
“So why do they bother you?”
“I don’t know, sometimes they don’t and sometimes they do, the only thing is they pick the bad days to pick on me and the good days to be nice so it doesn’t really make sense,” explained Neil.
“You get it?”
“Sort of...anyways, you want to know my trick?”
“Sure...although I’m not sure it will help.”
“Just ignore them, it’ll drive them crazy,” Robin smiled.
Neil thought about this for a while and smiled back at Robin and they were silent for a couple of seconds until Robin asked, “Do you know what stop I have to get off at to get to Willow Lane?”
“Are you kidding me? That’s the same street I live in! What number?” Neil couldn’t help keeping the excitement out of his voice. He was jumping up and down.
“Um, I think 47, you?” Robin asked, completely unaware of Neil’s antics but was also buzzing with excitement.
“48! We’re neighbours!” Neil said triumphantly.
“Aren’t the odd numbers on the other side of the evens?” Robin was happy that they were close, but her entire body just crippled.
“Not at all,” Neil couldn’t stop himself grinning.
“Why?” Robin always liked a little mystery.
“Because there’s a forest on the other side.”
Robin squealed in delight. She could have hugged Neil. She loved the outdoors and as the bus slowed to a halt, they were already chatting about what they would do and out the door before Neil realised he had forgotten his science book on the bus.
- Margaud Nguyen
“Sure...although I’m not sure it will help.”
“Just ignore them, it’ll drive them crazy,” Robin smiled.
Neil thought about this for a while and smiled back at Robin and they were silent for a couple of seconds until Robin asked, “Do you know what stop I have to get off at to get to Willow Lane?”
“Are you kidding me? That’s the same street I live in! What number?” Neil couldn’t help keeping the excitement out of his voice. He was jumping up and down.
“Um, I think 47, you?” Robin asked, completely unaware of Neil’s antics but was also buzzing with excitement.
“48! We’re neighbours!” Neil said triumphantly.
“Aren’t the odd numbers on the other side of the evens?” Robin was happy that they were close, but her entire body just crippled.
“Not at all,” Neil couldn’t stop himself grinning.
“Why?” Robin always liked a little mystery.
“Because there’s a forest on the other side.”
Robin squealed in delight. She could have hugged Neil. She loved the outdoors and as the bus slowed to a halt, they were already chatting about what they would do and out the door before Neil realised he had forgotten his science book on the bus.
- Margaud Nguyen
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