ᴍʏ ʙᴜꜱ ʙᴜᴅᴅʏ. [ᴍɪᴄʜᴀᴇʟ ᴊᴀᴄᴋꜱᴏɴ ꜰꜰ]

Ch.1-They Meet.

[I'd like to say that Michael is referred to as Darryl, as that's the name of the character he played in the short film Bad.]

Ophelia dashed out of the door, her skirt getting tangled in the wind as her legs sprinted forwards, then backward, one at a time. -Late! I'm gonna be late!- She panicked in her mind, gripping her bag tighter. Though her legs burned from exhaustion, she forced herself to move faster. The bus stop came into her view, people already loading themselves onto it. The doors slid closed as it began to drive forward.

"STOP! WAIT, PLEASE!" She ran and waved her arms at the bus like a lunatic. It drove right past her, either not noticing or ignoring her pleas. Her arms slowly came to her sides as she panted, out of breath. Ophelia sighed and went towards the bus stop, plopping down on a seat.

"Guess I'll have to catch the next bus..." She sat her bag on the empty seat next to her. "That last bus was the closest stop to Winston. Now I have to walk even more. I'll be lucky if I even make it to class on time," she complained.

As she waited, she occupied her time by observing the scenery around her. The city of Chicago seemed lively today, more than usual. Words buzzed around from mouth-to-mouth, ear-to-ear. A couple walked with their baby in a stroller, and a man with a briefcase spoke loudly to his colleague on the payphone. A woman whined about her cheating husband to her best friend as they walked alongside each other. Everyone's conversations overlapped with each other's, a sentence or two being heard by Ophelia.

Another bus began to pull up. The woman immediately stood up and grabbed her bag, putting it securely over her shoulder. It stopped in front of her, the doors taking a minute to open. She entered the bus, paying with a couple of quarters. While there were many people on the bus, no one spoke a word. Everyone sat in silence, with the exception of music playing lowly on the radio station. Ophelia eyed the bus, looking for a place to sit.

Instead, she locked eyes with a boy. He had light, brownish skin. His hair was short, black, and curly. He gave her a friendly, yet shy smile. He gently waved her over. Hesitantly, she strode over to him and sat down, resting her bag on her lap. "Uh...thanks," she said. "No problem," he replied. He had a light and calm voice. "You looked lost, and I know it's pretty crowded. It's hard to find a seat with all the people pushed together in here. I'd say you're very lucky this wasn't taken," he spoke, referring to the seat she now claimed. She nodded, agreeing with him. "I'd say so, too. I missed the first bus earlier, so this is a relief."

She turned her head his way, instantly taking a liking to him. At first, she felt a little nervous to talk to him, but he made her feel comfortable so easily. "What's your name? I'm Ophelia, Ophelia Graham."

"Nice to meet you, Ophelia. I'm Darryl, Darryl Collins," he introduced himself. "You have a beautiful name." She blushed, not used to compliments. She accepted it. "Thank you."

Everything was cut short as she recognized a familiar scene she often saw on her way to school. She stood and pulled the pull cord. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Darryl." She smiled at him as she held her bag. "It's ok. It was nice meeting you, too. I hope I see you again."

The bus came to a halt. "Maybe we could be bus buddies," she suggested, half-joking. He grinned. "I'd like that." They bade each other goodbye, and Ophelia made her exit.

She peered at the window where her new bus buddy sat. He waved calmly, yet happily at her. She waved back and kept doing so until the bus left and was out of her view.