sit next to me // foster the people
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mike & el (au)
There was nothing El hated more than riding the bus to school. It was smelly, unsafe, and packed full with kids whose idea of fun was harassing those around them or yelling out random curse words when the noise died down.
Even after a countless number of complaints to her parents about how dreadful it was, she was still left with no choice but to ride it. They both had to go into work pretty early, not giving them enough time to drop her off. They also worked later in the evenings, which meant that she was forced to ride the bus twice in one day.
For the past ten years, El has had to endure riding that bus and all the horrible things that came along with it. Both her mornings and evenings were spent alone, in that worn out seat in the very front row and most days had not been pleasant.
She was a sophomore now though, and that meant that this would be her last year of having to ride the bus. After this year, she could drive herself to school. She could listen to her own music or simply enjoy the drive, without having to worry about someone throwing a wadded up piece of paper at her head or calling her names.
It was no secret that the kids on her bus weren't exactly nice to her, they never have been. They just think she's a freak.
And no, that's not an assumption that she came to out of paranoia or low self esteem. It's what they've all been saying to her for years. Each time, as they walk by her to get to their own seats, they just have to shout that five letter word at her. Sometimes they decide to change it up, swapping out her usual label with weirdo or loser, thinking they're just so creative.
There are some people on the bus who don't partake in any of that, which she greatly appreciates, but most of them do and that kind of outweighs the others.
She never understood why they had chosen to brand her, of all people, as some sort of outcast. She's no different than they are. Sure, she keeps to herself more than most do and isn't exactly the best at making friends, but since when is that enough to make someone a freak?
It hurt her feelings for the longest time, it really did, but she eventually got over it. She figured, why let a bunch of people who spend a majority of their time in detention make her feel less than what she knows she's worth? Clearly, they aren't the best ones to be making judgments about other people.
So, when they would do their typical thing, she would simply look the other way, not wanting them to get the satisfaction of thinking they made her feel bad.
And today was just like any of those days... People began filing onto the bus to go home, the usual ones spatting whatever names they could think of at her and laughing as they did so. She gave the first few an unamused look, then turned the other way, happily ignoring the rest of them.
Eventually, everyone had gotten on and the bus driver took them right out of the school parking lot. The chaotic chatter began to take over as El rested her head against the window, allowing it all to become background noise for her ride home.
It wasn't too long though, before she heard yelling coming from somewhere in the back of the bus. This was nothing out of the ordinary, seeing as all the kids who really love to misbehave sit in the back. It had just been awhile since any of them had made a scene like this.
