Choiceless

- 3 - Brian

There was a girl at the bus stop. Strange, since I've been catching the bus from this stop myself the whole year.

An anomaly.

You see, a normal day includes me going to school and coming back, with everything interesting happening in between. I wasn't used to social encounters outside of school.

As soon as I spot the bus heading towards us, I calm down. Just get on the bus. Nothing will happen.

Unfortunately, it looks like the girl has gotten stuck in her happy place. She's mesmerised by something on her screen.

Do something or she'll miss it.

I tap the girl lightly on the shoulder. She didn't seem to notice, as she was reading something on her phone and had earphones on. I tap her gently twice more.

She twists around, ferociously snarling at whatever had dared interrupt her. Her expression changes and she stares at me.

My heart starts beating faster. I somehow manage to nod in the direction of the bus, which has almost reached us.

"Is this the bus you're getting on?"

She nods shyly.

I wave to the driver, signalling him to stop. I pull out my Opal card and board the bus.

I head to the back like I always do. The girl follows me and sits on the seat in front of me, her earphones dangling from her ear.

"Thanks. I kinda missed the earlier one, so I had to catch this one," she explains.

"It's alright," I reply dumbly.

-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-

Shit. This is the last thing I need right now. Fingers crossed.

Words fly across the bus, words only I can see. Twirling, darting left and right, forming unintelligible sentences. They finally slow down, coming to a rest on the window next to me. I look out, pretending to enjoy our town's lack of scenery.

. . .
1. Talk to her. You MUST use at least 3 pickup lines.
2. Unbutton your school shirt and ask her whether it'd be a suitable replacement for the national flag.
. . .

This is bad. Really, really bad.
And the worst part? I can't even choose.

"So, uh, I don't think I caught your name..."

The girl turns around, surprised at the sound of my voice.

"Kate. I go to Skyline Girls," she says, hints of pink lighting up her cheeks.

I give her what I think is a reassuring smile. I try to say something, but my mind pulls a blank.

Struggling to find something to say, I repeat the first thing that jumps into my mind.

"I go to Silver Creek Boys. My name's Brian." I say. "But you can call me..."

"...tonight."