They sat next to each other as if they were strangers. They were anything but. They had a history longer than some serial killers records. The bus rumbled down a pothole-ridden street. There were four people still on the bus. The old woman at the front was the only one getting off anytime soon though.
They had specific orders not to speak to each other unless absolutely necessary, but Caden never liked being told what to do. He leaned over and bumped Ava’s shoulder, “Hello.” He whispered. Ava was sitting in the row in front of Caden so he had to lean on the chair in front of him to speak to her. “How are you?” Ava ignored Caden, she focused on the back of Mr. Harper’s head, the bus driver, but Caden wasn’t so easily discouraged, “Did you lose your ability to speak or something? Ava the Great lost something? I would have loved to see-“
“Shut up, Caden!” Ava hissed cutting him off, “We aren’t suppose to talk.”
“She speaks!” Caden said. Ava just rolled her eyes at him. “Someone’s in a good mood.” Caden said in a bored voice. Ava continued to look anywhere but back at Caden. “Oh come on,” Caden coaxed, “This wouldn’t be the first time we broke the rules.” He said with a smile that would make any normal girl’s heart skip a beat, or two, but Ava just rolled her eyes. “Hang on, usually you’re a chatty Cathy, but tonight you’re as tight as a drum-are you… scared?” Caden was shocked.
“Stop being a d-bag Caden, of course I’m scared. This is only the moment I’ve been training for my entire life.” Ava croaked. “ I just want to get this over with.”
“You’re still unable to cuss! That always amazed me.” Caden mocked.
“Shut up Caden!” Ava said, rolling her eyes at him again.
“Is that the best you can do Ava? I think you just made an 8-year old cower.” Caden taunted. Ava turned around and looked at him.
“Don’t you realize they’re watching us Caden? Every nook and cranny of this bus is covered in cameras.” Ava said, practically shrieking. Mr. Harper and the old woman at the front of the bus looked back at Ava and Caden. Ava quickly looked down into her lap and when she looked back at Caden, fear and realization plastered his face. Caden never really got how real this was. “Do you get it now? They’re going to kill us for talking unnecessarily.”
“Well it wouldn’t be the first time they were royally pissed at us.” Caden said still recovering from his earlier realization. “Remember camp?”
The bus pulled to a stop in front of a library. The old woman got off the bus, looking back at Caden and Ava with curiosity splashed across her wrinkled face.
“What are you talking about?” Ava asked as the bus started up again.
“Remember camp? We were 12 and that witch Agatha commanded us to go get her some more raisins? I swear, she had more raisins than a preschool.”
“Oh yeah” Ava said recalling the memory, “And instead of raisins we gave her rabbit turds.”
“She ate the entire bunch before she realized what we had done, she was pissed.” Caden said, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips and a laugh bubbling in his throat.
“She made us sleep outside for a week!” Ava said giggling. Soon they were both laughing uncontrollably.
“Hey, we’re supposed to be heading north right?” Caden asked confused.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because that road sign said to turn left for north and right for south and we turned right.” Caden said.
“What?! What do you mean?” Hysteria invaded Ava’s voice. “Mr. Harper, you made a wrong turn, we’re suppose to be heading north!” She called up to the front of the bus. Ava was shaking. This couldn’t be happening. “Mr. Harper? Did you hear me?” Ava asked standing up. “Why isn’t he responding?” Ava looked back at Caden. He shrugged. He was just as confused as she. They were friends with Mr. Harper; they couldn’t understand why he was doing this. Their friendship was the reason that Mr. Harper was assigned to drive the bus. Ava started to walk to the front.
“Hang on a second Ava…” Caden said grabbing her arm. “Mr. Harper?” The two continued to inch towards the front of the bus. They had made to the front when Mr. Harper finally turned around; they froze in their tracks. The man looking at them wasn’t Mr. Harper. He was wearing a wicked smile.
“Wh- who are you?” Ava stuttered.
“Well I ain’t that dope Mr. Harper.” His booming laugh filled the bus. “Alright boys and girls, buckle up. We’re goin’ for a ride!” The man slammed on the accelerant pedal sending Caden and Ava soaring to the back of the bus.
“You’re going to get us killed!” Caden shouted.
“Well that’s kinda the point!” The man yelled as he made a sharp turn slamming Caden and Ava to the side of the bus. They were swerving around cars that weren’t even going half as fast as them.
“Please stop, sir!” Ava yelled.
“Fat chance!” The man said looking back at them. They were racing toward an intersection with cars going every direction. “Oh goodie! We get to run a red light!” There was glee in the man’s voice.
“No! Please just stop the bus sir!” Ava was trying everything she could think of to get this man to stop driving so chaotically.
“Ava! Ava grab my hand!” Caden was a couple of feet away making his way toward her. They had to find a way off this bus.
“Ready?” The man asked as they neared the intersection. There was a crazy look in his eyes. “Wo-hooooo!” he yelled. The bus flew into the intersection where a semi truck slammed into them, sending them head-over-heels across the intersection.