The Bus Stop

~Chapter 1~

Almost every kid at Kennedy's College had a pair of Nikes. Not the really old pairs that you bought for 10 bucks from Big W but the colourful pairs that you bought off the internet for $150 free postage around Australia. I am not much of a sporty person but just like every teenager I bought a pair.

I guess you could say I was nervous of being judged for being different.

Nothing exciting happened to me much. Especially the morning bus routine. I really liked my bus routine though as it was something I could relate to and I master it every school morning.

I am sitting on the bench under the huge old oak tree by quarter past 7. The bench was a complimentary gift from the local council to the school children who committed to private education. Except there was only ever me. I had been the only kid at the bus stop now for 9 years and for what I assumed, this would never change.

Every morning without fail, Steven the trusty bus driver would come chugging up the hill in the old faded orange bus with the tacky 771 sign printed in the top corner and the rickety door and pick me up. I remember on my first day I was really nervous. Mum and Dad were both working on the opposite side of town and therefore had to drop me off at the stop, peck me goodbye and leave in a rush. Steven offered me a chocolate and let me sit behind him. We chatted the whole way to school about this and that. He told me about his family and I told him about mine. Before I got off that very first morning her told me that I could sit in the seat 3 to the back on the right and I would never be bothered.

And I have every morning and every afternoon for the past 9 years. And Steven was right. No one ever sat next to me. I had claimed it as my seat. I was the longest member of The Steven Express 771 and everyone knew that.

I got along merry with everyone on the bus. There was Carl who everyone bullied due to his face being slightly strange. He was a lovely guy though and we often chatted about TV shows and homework.

There was Louise and her little brother Jack. They were both very quiet and lovely. They sat next to each other and Louise would often be seen helping Jack with his homework.

Next we had the backseat bandits as they liked to call themselves. The group was made up of leavers, Greg, Peter and Arnie. They threw spitballs on the ceiling and were the number one source for female nudes but they were adorable and funny and made our bus feel like a real family.

We had other kids on the bus as well but we didn't really have that much to do with them. It was normally just us, chatting away about small things on the way to Kennedy College.

This bright Monday morning when I woke up I assumed no different to the usual. As it was Sport Day I was wearing my dark blue leggings with green down the side and my white and green polo shirt, the well known Kennedy colours.

Now I was really proud of my Nike shoes because I customised them myself. They were a lovely light blue and black with the white Nike tick imprinted on both sides. They were relatively new and since I only wore them twice a week to school they were still in pretty good nick.

I are my breakfast of toast and marmalade with a glass of skim milk before proceeding to the bus stop for my usual morning routine.

When I approached the stop I noticed a figure sitting on the bench. And it really threw me off. This figures presence was a little scary. I considered turning around and walking home but just at that moment the figure turned around to look at me.

He was wearing the same white and green polo shirt as me. The legendary Kennedy colours were covering the back of this stranger. And he was sitting on my bench at my bus stop.