The Bus.

Normally I am quite a fan of public transportation. I know, that's lunacy. I should be dragged to the nuthouse. (With all the nuts and the squirrels, thank you very much, Carol Burnett.) But I really do. It's not like I am waiting to be raped or anything. I just think it is nice to sit and take the long way sometimes. It makes my heart grow fonder for my Truckie (whom, unbeknownst to him, may possibly be replaced with a copper muscle car named Travis.) and for deodorant.

The catch is this: I do not, not, NOT enjoy in any miniscule way any experience with the common schoolbus; namely, the so-called "Activity Bus."

The story starts at my humble abode, where, as I prepared my lunch of brown rice and cinnamon sugar, a momentary lapse caused me to forget my cell phone. Mistake one. Cut to Paige's house, where we decided that she would drive. Mistake number two.

Now here is what you must realize about my best friend. We are completely loyal to one another. We love each others. We're practically conjoined twins, for Christ's sake. But when Paige has to make a desicion that directly involves both of us, she will ultimately choose whatever is easiest and most beneficial to her. Case in point: Rehearsal and the ride home.

Today we have plans to go out to dinner with our friend, Alexis. The planning for this dinner is to begin as of immediately upon return from rehearsal. Paige allows this data to leak through her gray matter and seep down into her bowels somewhere, and makes ::other:: plans to meet her boyfriend after rehearsal. This, of course, must involve leaving rehearsal early so she can spend as much time with him as possible before going out to eat.

I'm not dumb. I know that it is a lot faster from the school to Steve's house than it is from her house. However, she has duties as ride-of-the-day. She informs me of her plans to leave, to which I sigh and proceed to scan the cast of our show for other denizens of my fine suburb. One. I ask the question which I hear so often, "Hey, could you give me a ride after rehearsal today?"

"ummm... let me ask my dad."

So Pet Freshman Connor (from posts past) types away at his iPhone. I let Paige know I asked, rehearsal proceeds. Halfway through a scene, Connor gets a reply from Daddy that they're going out so they're not going back to the 'burb. Damn. I turn to tell Paige, who was last seen sitting idly on her rock, channeling her inner snake. The rest of her three-part body informs me that she has already left. Double Damn.

My two options are as follows: Call someone to pick me up, or take... The Activity Bus.

No one in my family is ever home before 5, so I find myself stuck on a full-sized bus with a total of about 6 other kids, of ages ranging from 11 to 18. These kids also live in every township my school is comprised of. Here I am, with one other friend (whose stop is first, so I'm still fucked), amongst the following:

• Various "scene kids" and ravers from the Anime Club.
• Two ::very:: talkative sophomore castmates
• A curious freshman
• An indifferent 8th grader
• A small child (potentially 8 years old) who sits in the back and never speaks; instead he bangs his head and his lunchbox off the seat for the entire ride.

The bus arrives at 4:15. I arrive at Paige's street, where Truckie is waiting, at 5:00. Paige lives at the top of the hill. I am left at the bottom, because a cal-de-sac does not accomodate full-length buses. I climb the hill, out of breath, to the truck, and grumpily drive home.

Now I'm waiting to hear back from Alexis. We are probably still going to dinner. We are probably not telling Paige.