Under the Ash

Gatorade

I was unprepared for the sudden jolt through the store doors - but once my face hit the seat back, I realized how much my face hurts from Timmy smashing it with his head. "Okay, Jess?" Peter asks. 

"No." I say, and stand. My wobbly legs barely carry out of the bus, and they collapse as soon as I step off of the bottom step. Peter hauls me up - and I realize that all of the little kids are sitting in the Pizza Shack booth staring at us in shock. 

Ms. Wooly starts ordering them around as soon as she pushes around us and escorts Ellie into a booth. "Miles - get Gatorade and gallons of water." One of the two older-ish kids runs off, sprinting with his long legs. Hey, that kid may be taller than me. "Lizzie, take Jack to get medical supplies. Gauze, hydrogen peroxide, bandaids, Neosporin. Everything! Take a cart!" The other older-ish looking kid and a younger looking kid run off with a cart. 

"Space blankets." I whisper. "They'll keep us from going into shock." Peter, being the only one who heard me, decides to inform Ms. Wooly. 

"Go." She tells him. Peter takes off running, and Timmy grabs an arm - urging me into a booth as well. I cough all over him, and he sits me down in a booth. Finally acting like the big brother that I've always needed him to be. Now? Really? 

He removes my jacket and grabs the package of wipes that one of the children has picked up and given to him. Gabe is sitting with Ellie and Ms. Wooly. Several of the kids are crowded around Jarrod, but the twins are by us. "Cough it out. It's -" He lets out a big cough. "-okay." 

"I am coughing." I tell him, and do a little baby cough. He cracks a grin. 

The older-ish boy comes back with gatorade and water. He only brought three gallons of water back, so Timmy gets one for us to share. He gives it to me, and I start by taking a big gulp. I choke immediately - and spill half of it on myself. "What an idiot." Timmy roasts me, and I glare at him. I start taking small sips, and it feels good on my smoke-burned throat. 

I finally pass it to him and pick up a Gatorade. Red. My favorite. I actually don't know what flavor it is - I just know that it tastes good and that it's red. This feels easier on the throat to drink - and I drink most of the bottle. I'm certainly going to have to pee soon. 

Peter soon returns with space blankets in hand. "Aisle 9." He says, and starts passing them out. Timmy wraps one around me tight, and then goes to make sure that everyone is getting their needs taken care of. 

Peter scoots into the booth next to me, wrapped in a blanket. He starts to drink his own light blue Gatorade and chokes almost immediately. I don't laugh, like Timmy did. I'm above stupid humor like that. 

Of course, I say that, and then I'll nearly pee myself when someone steps in a puddle that they didn't know was there, or when someone trips in the hall. 

That's the way my brain works sometimes. 

"Do you think we'll get a tardy?" Peter asks me, being one-hundred percent serious. I look at him and cock my head to the side. "What about the history test?" 

"Peter. Calm down and drink your stuff. Do some coughing." The twins come bounding over to our booth, and they sit across from us. "Hi, Joshua. Hi, Bella. Are you guys okay?" 

"Why was the hail so big?" Josh asks, hugging his knees. 

"I don't know." I say. "But, we should find somebody who knows." Peter and I look over at Ms. Wooly, who is putting some gauze on Ellie's face. I didn't even know that Lizzie and Jack had returned. Once the gauze is secured, Ellie just sits there - not moving. Almost like she's in shock. Even with a space blanket around her. 

"This girl needs medical attention." She says. 

"I'll go." Timmy wipes his mouth, stands, and puts the lid on his Gatorade bottle.  

"Uh-uh, honey. I'm the adult. I'm going to walk to the hospital. I need you to stay in here and watch all of these kids. Timmy, you're in charge of them. You hear that, kids?" 

"Yes." Some of them chorus back. I notice that there's the twins, a tall girl - maybe a fourth grader, and three boys who look to be in first or second grade. 

"What do we do while you're gone?" I stand and ask her. 

"The school district will reimburse the damages to the store. Luckily the store wasn't open yet. Have the kids each pick out a game to play with or something. If someone doesn't come by in a couple hours, make some lunch if someone can figure out these stupid ovens." She gesticulates wildly to the kitchen. Timmy comes closer. 

"What if you get hurt? What if no one comes?" He asks, crossing his arms and lowering his voice so that none of the kids can here. His brows are tightly knit together to highlight his serious expression. I bite my lip and watch the two of them interact. Peter distracts Josh and Bella by asking them personal questions. 

"Someone's going to come. All of you have parents, right?" The frizzy-haired Ms. Wooly says like it's obvious. Timmy stares directly at her, looking unconvinced. Ms. Wooly breaks away first - and looks out at the gaping hole in the front doors that the bus smashed through twice. 

"I'll be back - you hear me?" She says, slipping out of view. She's doing it steathily, as if she doesn't want the kids to see. Peter, Timmy, and I watch her go. 

And I have a feeling that she won't be coming back. 

--- 

Look at the tumblr thread at the top. It'll be worth it. 

And I guess I have a twitter now?  Ah, the things you do for giveaways. 

All credit goes to Emmy Laybourne. 

I promise, it'll get better. 

And I'm sorry that I keep posting new stories, or that I forget about some of my other ones. It depends on what mood I'm in - and then I write. 

Read, comment, vote, share!

-Kate ^-^