Godspeed Bus #2

Screech. Screech. Screech.

The greyhound bus scraped against the pavement, tracking in the slippery mud and grass. The bus driver, an older woman with coarse brown hair, cursed to herself and pushed the brakes. The bus stopped, with a jilt, the fluids in my stomach mixing. I glanced at my friend, who was consumed by night pouring through the grandiose window. 

"What is going on?" I sputtered, feeling my heart trying to break through my ribs. The cold autumn drizzle taped against the surface of the bus. 

"Not a clue," he murmured with a slight shrug. He turned his attention back to the current movie, Shrek, playing a few seats ahead of us on the minuscule television. Ironically, the CD player on the bus was facing its own issues, causing the movie to be frozen on some random scene. 

I peeked over the tip of the seat in front of me. The band director on my bus, Mr. Timmins, reached for the microphone the bus driver lent to him. He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his heavily gelled hair. 

"Chaperones and students," he announced. "As expected, the bus has broken down. We have called the company, but in the current weather, it's hard to say when someone will get down here."

I pushed the home button on my phone to see the time; it was half-past ten. The other buses were most likely back at the hotel we stayed at for our New York City trip, but the hotel was situated in New Jersey.  Breakfast was planned to be at 8 in the morning, so it was planned to return to the hotel by at least 11 that night. Conveniently, we were deserted on some stray road off of the highway. Mr. Timmins predicted we had about half an hour left back to the hotel, but that did not give me much hope. We arrived in New York that same day. We spent the day exploring Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall, and attending a philharmonic concert instead of directly going to the hotel. After such an eventful day, I was in yearn for a warm shower and a bed. 

"Another bus will be coming to pick us up," he announced. "But before it swings by, you must gather your belongings and your uniform. The uniform, as you should know, is stored right under the bus in a compartment."

Murmurs, laughter, and cries exploded as he slid the microphone back on its hook. Adrenaline began pumping through my veins,  my mind questioning everything. I slung my blanket around my waist and flung my carry-on over my shoulder. I choked back my tears as I waddled off the bus into the piercing rain. I did not think to put on my coat, so I relied on my blanket for warmth. Atticus and I stood towards the rear of the bus, waiting to get our uniforms. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed I began to shake, my eyes glossy as my panic and dread began to kick in. Before he could say anything, he was called to collect his uniform. Those who obtained their uniforms were gathered towards the front. His willowy figure dissipated into the crowd. I was an astray tumbleweed on this deserted road. 

The chaperone distributing uniforms asked the crowd if everybody had received their uniform but noticed me as I approached the bus. She hurried over towards me, snatching my uniform that was enveloped in a sheer black covering. 

"Evelyn, what's going on? Why were you tucked away in that corner? Did you get off of the bus just now?"

I shook my head. "N-no, Mindy. I was one of the last people off, but I guess I froze up. I'm quite scared about what's going on... I'm not able to process all of this in..."

 She placed a hand behind my back and gestured me towards the others. My feet swamped through the mud, my shoes and socks damp. She rubbed my back as we waited for the other bus to rescue us from this unfortunate event. 

"This trip was set to be as smooth as possible," she smirked. "Obviously, that wasn't the case. Though we've meticulously outlined every detail imaginable, sometimes they are overridden, and things get intermixed. Evelyn, you're in the Big Apple-- the root of American culture! The hopefully functional bus will arrive soon.  There's so much to look forward to! Don't let some stupid malfunction ruin your experience. All of this is temporary, so focus on the positive sides of things." 

"You're not wrong," I snickered, rubbing away some stray tears on my red cheeks. "What I find funny is how of all the movies we've played, it was Shrek that decided to malfunction. It's iconic."

After a few more minutes of us laughing over Shrek and claiming it the be the assailant of this whole situation, two orbs of lights grew bigger and bigger as they drew closer. I crossed my fingers, hoping that this was the other bus instead of some incompetent car; my prayer has been answered! 

Thankfully, this bus was a savior. As soon as it stopped at the hotel's entrance, all of us gathered our belongings and swarmed out of the bus. We crowded the lobby, chattering from adrenaline, and rushing to our rooms to finally get some much-needed shuteye. My roomies, Karla and Claudia, and I hauled ourselves into the elevator. The moment we accessed our room, we shoved our stuff into a random corner and ran to our beds. We drifted into a deep sleep, hoping that we don't relive that recent nightmare.  

Without Mindy's words of encouragement, my anxiety would've caused me to be superstitious each time I set foot on a bus during the trip. Luckily, the bus 2 gang didn't meet with any other dilemmas. As I let that incident subside, I was able to embrace my time in the Big Apple.