All Aboard

Part Six

Chloe

Chloe always did her best to avoid idiots like Barney at school but it was going to be quite a challenge to try and ignore him on a bus. He literally had a captive audience and was guaranteed a reaction to every innuendo and insult.

Well, I'm not putting up with any of his bull, thought Chloe, deciding that she would speak up if he got unbearable. Maths wasn't her strongest subject, but she realised that the odds of Barney progressing to the unbearable end of the social behaviour spectrum were incredibly high.

'Barney, do we need to have a conversation in private?' said Lazlo.

Oh, thank goodness, thought Chloe, sighing gratefully. She would definitely call him out if she needed to, but maybe not until she'd settled into the journey a little.

Nav

'Sorry, what?' said Barney, as if someone had tapped him on the shoulder mid-wank.

'I said, do we need to have a conversation in private,' said Lazlo

Barney shook his head. 'No I don't want to have a conversation in private. Why would I want to do anything with you in private?'

'Because apparently you need me to further explain what I meant when I said I didn't want anyone being rude to any of my passenger,' said Lazlo.

'Jesus, I'm not being rude.' Barney opened his arms wide and looked around, then pointed a finger at Mikaela. 'What? You mean her? What I just said? I'm just messing. Besides, she loves it.'

'Loves what, exactly?' asked Lazlo.

'The attention,' clarified Barney.

Nav shook his head and sat back in his chair. What was wrong with Barney?

'No I don't, Barney,' said Mikaela, over her shoulder.

Barney shook his head and slumped back in his chair, gazing at his reflection in the window. 'Whatever you say, sweetheart.'

Nav winced at the word. He'd learned from his older sister (who reminded him of Mikaela) that girls do not like being called pet names, especially by the male of the species. He was about to say something to Barney but Lazlo got there first.

'Be careful, Barney,' he said.

Barney smoothed his hair. 'What now?'

'One day you'll look at your reflection and you won't like what's staring back at you.'

'Whatever you say, Conductor,' said Barney, shaking his head.

Lazlo's words loitered inside Nav's ears, refusing to move on until Nav acknowledged them. He knew exactly what Lazlo was talking about, and couldn't remember the last time he'd looked in the mirror himself.

Not since he'd put his uncle in hospital.

Dan

Dan had heard Mikaela screwed Barney at Ryan's party, but wasn't sure how true it was as he'd overheard it from Barney himself. He looked at Mikaela, thinking about nakeddream69's photos, and decided you couldn't really argue with that kind of evidence. She'd at least gotten off with him, which meant she had terrible taste.

Dan's mind started to wander, his hand twitching as the instinct to pick up his phone and look at the photos again tickled his finger muscles. His mind floated away from the bus and into the privacy of his bedroom where he'd seen the pictures on Instagram. Dan wondered what it would be like to be in Barney's position, to be laying down with Mikaela, kissing her with her legs wrapped around his waist, what her skin would feel like as he moved his hand-