Read Me Like A Book

Chapter 2- Making Some Friends

Frank's chest ached as he tried to draw breath, he could feel the fabric of the...thing tight around his ribs. After all the running he'd been doing, he still couldn't run for a freaking bus. Still, he urged his short legs to move faster. He could see his bus coming up the street. Dammit. Faster, faster, almost there, and...thank god! Frank was wheezing and coughing as he scanned his bus pass on the Bus Pass Scanner ThingTM and climbed the stairs to the top deck. He knew it was childish, but he loved sitting on the top deck. Somehow, it made the mundane experience of taking the bus more interesting.

He flopped into the only free window seat on the crowded bus, overrun with excitable Year 7s, and barely had time to put his headphones in before a boy with curly hair sat down beside him. he was quite annoyed at this, considering the boy had not asked before sitting next to him (how rude), but he looked nice, so he figured he wouldn't say anything yet. The guy reached into the pocket of his blazer and produced a bag of Minstrels. They were his favourite sweets, but he felt too awkward to ask the boy to share, so he sat and waited. After a few minutes, the boy noticed him staring, which he hadn't realised he was doing, and held out the bag to him. "Want one?" Frank's brain battled between his love of chocolate and the obvious stranger danger of the situation. He hadn't had chocolate all summer, and as much as he tried to convince himself it was worth it, he missed it so much. Eventually the love of chocolate won, and he gingerly reached out to take a sweet.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ray. Ray Toro. Who the hell are you?" The boy said.

"Erm, hi. I'm Frank" He said hesitantly, adding, "And that seems a little rude"

"Says the boy I've never met who's eating my sweets" Ray replied.

Frank could tell this boy was twisting the facts on purpose, and decided to let him know he wasn't fooled, "You offered me your goddamn sweets!"

To his surprise, Ray immediately backtracked. "Woah, chill. I didn't mean to be rude, I was just saying I'd never seen you on this bus before, and I've been getting this bus for 4 years now, so I know the people on it pretty well, except for the new year 7s, and you're too old to be in Year 7"

"Oh, I transferred from another school. I'm starting Year 10" Frank said.

"Cool," said Ray, who was occupied currently with texting someone named 'Skinny Nerd Boy' Frank assumed this was an affectionate nickname, and this was his best friend. "I'm in Year 11 now. What school did you used to go to?"

"Verity Bridge, in Leeds"

"Oh damn!" said Ray, shocked. "Everyone says that place is well rough. Fights every day. You don't look tough enough for that kind of thing"

"Hey!" he grinned, "I guess I wasn't back then, I was kind of a weakling, but I've been working out and stuff, so I reckon I'd stand a bit more of a chance, and you're right about the fights, there was loads, that's why I left"

Ray looked up from his phone, his attention well and truly fixed on Frank, "What happened? Were you in a fight?"

This was a question Frank did not want to answer. He was trying to forget Verity Bridge and all the people there. "Long story"

"I got the whole bus ride"

"Don't really wanna talk about it right now. I'll tell you another day" Frank murmured. But by this point, Ray was no longer listening. Instead, he was yelling over his shoulder at a very tall, very skinny boy with greasy 2007 emo hair wearing a grey beanie. He sat down on the seat behind him and Ray.

"Hey Raymond. You trying to replace me?" said the boy, gesturing at Frank.

"Don't call me Raymond, you twat" said Ray, scowling.

"Aww, wittle Raymond is an angerwy doggo" said the boy in a fake baby voice. "Come off it, Ray, I'm just winding you up", and turning to Frank, "So what toilet did you crawl out of?"

Frank was about to tell this boy exactly where to go, but Ray jumped in, "Honestly, Mikes, don't you ever know when to keep your mouth shut? He used to go to Verity Bridge, he could probably take you with one hand, you skinny wuss"

At this, the boy looked up from the sleeve of Maryland cookies he was attempting to open, "Woah, seriously? You must be hardcore! You kind of look a bit wimpy, not gonna lie, but I'm impressed." He paused, then continued "How come you don't go there anymore? Were you expelled? Did you kill someone? I heard that happened there one time."

Ray, once again, interjected the boy's quick speech. Frank could barely get a word in edgeways, but he supposed you learnt how to deal with this boy if you knew him. "Frank, this is Mikey. He's a pain in the arse, don't ask why I put up with him. Sorry about that, I've discovered he has no filter between his brain and his mouth."

Mikey smirked at him, and said, through a mouthful of cookie, "Aw, Raymond, you know you love me really!"

Ray folded his arms and turned away, "Yeah, you wanna bet?" But Frank saw him smile as he looked deliberately away from Mikey.