The air felt thin and loose. It also had a very pungent scent to it. So in other words, the air described the clothes I was wearing. Not that the air (or my clothes) bothered me. That's the way it was almost every day. You get used to things like that. The scent of the air, the bus arriving late, the looks of disgust on every girl’s face as you walk by, and the bullies. Lots of bullies.
The bus arrived a few minutes later. The doors opened and I stepped inside, greeted by a chain of disgusted faces. My eyes shot to the back of the bus. There in the back was a tall, dark-haired boy. He waved at me and I walked toward him waving back.
“Hey, Python,” he said grinning.
“Stop calling me that,” I said clasping hands with him.
“Never in a million years.”
“You'll be dead by then.”
“As will you, Colt,” he said raising an eyebrow.
Before I could respond, the bus driver slammed on the gas. I jerked against the seat and fell over. A chorus of laughter followed up after that. My friend Blake extended a hand. I grabbed it and pulled myself into the empty seat next to him.
“It's okay, dude,” he said. “Don't let them get to you.”
“There's my cliché piece of advice today,” I said sardonically.
We arrived at school about ten minutes later. The kids on the bus flooded out the door.
“Welcome to hell!” Blake exclaimed as we got off the bus.
“You'll stop coming here one day,” I said.
“Never in a million years,” I said patting his back.
“You'll be dead by then. Now c’mon let's get to class.”
YOU ARE READING
Fifty Minus One
ActionColt Black grew up in a poor family as a kid. His father left him, his sister died when he was eight, and his mother hardly made enough for them to get by. Then one day, Colt's mother receives a visit from a representative from the company Eclipse E...
