"You said you wouldn't do that anymore. Act all serious when you're not."
"I said I'm working on it. I'm not there yet. It's like a twenty step program and I'm on step two, maybe three. Depends on the day."
"So I don't have to take the job. Good, because I'm pretty sure it would've made me throw up."
"You've never had a dog you had to clean up after?"
"No, my sister's allergic to dogs."
"You have a sister?"
"Yeah, she's older. Works in Texas."
"Brothers?"
"No, just a sister." I pause, looking at her yellow and orange hair, her orange eye shadow, and the skull necklace around her neck. I never in a million years would've imagined being friends with someone like her. She's the complete opposite of how all my other friends look with their designer clothes and perfect hair. But I get the feeling Eve will be a better friend than all those friends combined. I think she'll also drive me crazy, but I'll probably do the same to her.
"I really need a job," she says, looking back at the board.
"Me too, but I've never had one. I don't have any experience and all these jobs say you need it."
"Not the dog shit one."
I smile. "I guess that's my only option." My phone alarm goes off. "Shit! I have to go!"
"Where?" Eve asks as I run off.
"The bus! I'm gonna miss it!"
I take off, running out of the school, through the parking lot and down the street to the bus stop. I take the city bus, not the school bus. It's faster, and I'm not stuck riding with people from school.
The bus is about to take off when I reach it. I bang on the door, begging the driver to let me on. She reluctantly opens the door.
"Thanks," I tell her, out of breath from running. I look for a seat but they're all taken. I stand in the aisle and hold on to to the metal rail as the bus moves. It stops at the next block and a guy gets off. I rush over to take his seat.
"Could you move over a little?" I ask the guy sitting beside me. I avoid looking at him, a tip from my mom who warned me not to make eye contact with strangers on the bus.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he mutters.
I turn to look at the guy. His baseball cap is pulled down, covering his eyes, but I know his face and it's definitely him. The guy I can't seem to get away from.
"Now you're stalking me?" he says.
"What? No!" I rear back. "How was I supposed to know you rode the bus? I thought you had a car."
"I do."
"Then why are you on the bus?"
"Why are YOU? Your rich daddy wouldn't buy you a car?"
"I HAD a car, but then—never mind. I don't want to talk about it." I stare straight ahead, clutching my backpack on my lap, my heart thundering from the anger I'm feeling after he accused me of stalking him. Why would I stalk him? I can't stand him!
The bus makes a sharp turn and I almost fall off the seat. I'm only half on it because Dean refuses to move over.
The bus turns again and I have to grab hold of the seat in front of me so I don't topple to the floor.
"Any chance you could move over?" I ask, knowing he'll say no but asking anyway.
