Everyone But Us

Seventeen // Nicole

Nicole (Queen B)

Gabe was in his usual seat on the bus when I stepped on. Like always, he looked like he was on top of the world, with a smirk I tried to ignore and an arrogance I've always found hot.

But he ignored me after we hooked up, so it was my turn to ignore him.

"Good morning, Nicole," the creepy old bus driver said in greeting, with a smile I didn't return. My mother always said when old men smile at you they only want one thing, and if you're not prepared to give it to them you should pretend they don't exist. One of the many fab lessons she had taught me.

I strutted down the aisle and placed myself carefully in my seat so I wouldn't shake my hair out of place. But something felt weird, and this time it had nothing to do with me and Gabe.

I first looked to Gabe whose smirk was just a little wider than usual. It should have been my first clue.

Theo was sitting across the aisle and was avoiding eye contact with everyone. He either had his eyes on his phone or out the window, with headphones in place which everyone knew meant he didn't want to be disturbed. Not that we usually cared.

But then my eyes came to the nerd girl and the lover boy and I knew that's where all this tension was coming from. She had her nose in a book for the first time since she'd started whatever she had with Jarrah, and Jarrah was trying his hardest not to look at her. He was failing.

It's not like I gave two shits about those two and whatever relationship they had, but the tension in the bus was capital A Awkward. I wasn't sure either of the losers were capable of getting into an argument, but that's the only thing I could think of that would cause such a reaction.

I just had to ask, and Theo was my best bet.

"Theo," I called across the aisle, poking him in the leg with my toe. He gave me less than a second of his attention of which he used to scowl at me, before returning to tapping on his phone.

So I kept poking him until he'd had enough, and ripped his earphones out.

"What?" He snapped, turning to me with the most agitated expression I'd ever seen.

"Jesus. What the hell is your problem?"

"Currently? You."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. What is their problem?" I nodded to the two silent nerds in front of us. It got Jarrah's attention.

"Their problem is none of your business, Nicole. Stay out of it." He put his earphones back in and actively turned to face away from me.

So I looked to the next boy for answers. "Jarrah? Care to share?"

"I'm sorry, Nicole, but I have to agree with Theo."

In his own little goodie goodie way he was telling me to fuck off.

I looked to Gabe who just burst laughing, but clearly had no idea.

I huffed. I only had one option left and it was the girl I'd been offending daily for five years. My chances were fan-tastic.

"Harlow?"

She must have had earphones in.

I tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned around, looking half curious half scared. I was about to laugh but I was sure it wouldn't help my case.

"Want to explain why I'm suffocating under all this tension? I don't even think I could cut it with my nail scissors, and they're major sharp."

She stared at me like I was from another planet, but while she did I had the chance to actually look at her. It annoyed me to realize that she was actually pretty, in a "cute but mute" kind of way. I guess I could see why Jarrah was after her, but he could have done way better.

The moment I stopped expecting an answer was the moment it came, and I swear I nearly fell off my seat.

"Some people need to mind their own business." She could have been talking about me but she wasn't, and we all knew it. Gabe lost it with laughter, Theo just about choked, and Jarrah let his eyes fall shut as he breathed out a sigh.

"Maybe some people need to learn to trust others," Jarrah murmured, but the bus was silent. We all heard it.

Harlow's sharp eyes moved to glare at him, a glare I definitely wouldn't want to be on the flip side of.

"Maybe some people need to learn that their friends aren't obligated to tell them every detail of their personal life."

"Just one detail would do."

He sounded like he was begging, for her to trust him or something, and it sounded like she was keeping things from him. From what I'd heard from Theo about her childhood I wouldn't blame the girl for wanting to keep it a secret. Especially if she liked the guy.

I don't think she could come up with a response. She put her earphones back in and slid the volume up to full, so that her music was so loud I could hear the faint beat from where I sat. Jarrah groaned and sunk further into his chair, running hands through his hair in frustration that reminded me a bit of Gabe, the boy of whom was yet to realize I was ignoring him.

I'd have to try harder.

Jarrah continued to look at the girl who had totally just given herself some serious status on the bus, but she was completely oblivious. It looked like she was, like, proud of herself or something by the way she held her head high the rest of the trip to school.

It got awkward when it was their turn to get off the bus. Harlow stayed sitting in her seat, obviously waiting for Jarrah to go, but Jarrah was being a gentleman and waiting for her to go. But neither knew what the other was doing because they were looking away.

"For fucks sake," Gabe huffed, stomping down the aisle to turn to them. "Even I think you guys are being pathetic. Grow. The fuck. Up. And get off the damn bus."

He left the two at a loss for words, but at least it worked. They looked at each other and Jarrah motioned for her to go first.

She wasn't her usual, insufferably polite self but she left anyway, followed by Jarrah and Theo and the rest of us.

"Was it about her family?" I whispered to Theo as we got off the bus and started to go to our lockers.

He paused under the shelter of the bus waiting bays, so I had to as well. He was frowning, obviously thinking pretty hard about something.

After a minute he sighed, nodded, and walked away.

"That's it?!" I called after him, but he was already gone.

What a loser.