Learning How to Swim
The Wheels on the Bus
I got on the bus, shifting my backpack on my shoulder so my other one could have a break for a few seconds. Steven looked up over the back seat, waving me over. Some guys hooted and hollered, saying, “Quigg is getting some action!” Steven ignored them entirely, scooting over and making room.
“Did you know that these seats are around twenty-two years old? That’s around the age my grandmother was when she had my mother,” he told me randomly, smiling softly at me. I gave him a weird look.
“So about Beckham...”
“And my mother had me when she was thirty after she got her degree in psychology. I was a total accident, but my sister was planned.”
“Steven?”
“Oh, so about Beckham.” I stared at him blankly. “Isn’t that what you came to talk about? If not I’m sure I can think of something else to stimulate your brain with. Alyssa? You know, we don’t have much time. We’re nearly the first people off this thing.”
“I know that. I was waiting for your rambling to stop,” I muttered, shaking my head.
He laughed. “Stop and smell the roses every once and a while. Oh speaking of roses, my mother was trying to grow some. Do you know anything about roses? Like how far down you dig the hole? Anything? No. That’s okay, too.”
“Now about Beckham?” I begged, watching the world zip by as we drove down the street. The rain was starting to pour down, but I would deal with the walk home when I had to.
“Right. What do you want to know?” he asked, watching the rain pound against the glass.
“How do you know about it?”
“You know my sister, Janice? Well, I know you don’t know her, but I’m sure you’ve heard of her. Everyone has.”
“What do you mean?”
“She went to Beckham. She was bipolar, but it was pretty bad: this thing called rapid cycling. The girl was a loose cannon ready to go off at any moment.”
The bus came to a sudden stop and I groaned, standing up. Steven stood up beside me, following me off of the bus. The rain poured down on us, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Want to come over for a bit? I can make us something to eat. I’ve been dying to try out this new recipe for crab cakes. It involves goulash. Or was it Monterey jack?” He shrugged. “You in? The rain is only getting worse, and you might catch a cold. Though cold and rain doesn’t really give you a cold... That’s scientifically proven.”
My head was spinning. I’d forgotten what he had even asked!
“That’s okay. I should be heading home. I have a lot of homework to get done, and I promised I’d be home right after school,” I told him, heading the opposite direction he was.
“Oh. That’s responsible. Keep up the good grades and all that. Okay, see you later,” he bid me, taking off down the road. I watched as he shook his strip of hair, running his hand through it.
“How odd,” I murmured to myself, darting down the road as the lightning sounded.
How very odd.
“Did you know that these seats are around twenty-two years old? That’s around the age my grandmother was when she had my mother,” he told me randomly, smiling softly at me. I gave him a weird look.
“So about Beckham...”
“And my mother had me when she was thirty after she got her degree in psychology. I was a total accident, but my sister was planned.”
“Steven?”
“Oh, so about Beckham.” I stared at him blankly. “Isn’t that what you came to talk about? If not I’m sure I can think of something else to stimulate your brain with. Alyssa? You know, we don’t have much time. We’re nearly the first people off this thing.”
“I know that. I was waiting for your rambling to stop,” I muttered, shaking my head.
He laughed. “Stop and smell the roses every once and a while. Oh speaking of roses, my mother was trying to grow some. Do you know anything about roses? Like how far down you dig the hole? Anything? No. That’s okay, too.”
“Now about Beckham?” I begged, watching the world zip by as we drove down the street. The rain was starting to pour down, but I would deal with the walk home when I had to.
“Right. What do you want to know?” he asked, watching the rain pound against the glass.
“How do you know about it?”
“You know my sister, Janice? Well, I know you don’t know her, but I’m sure you’ve heard of her. Everyone has.”
“What do you mean?”
“She went to Beckham. She was bipolar, but it was pretty bad: this thing called rapid cycling. The girl was a loose cannon ready to go off at any moment.”
The bus came to a sudden stop and I groaned, standing up. Steven stood up beside me, following me off of the bus. The rain poured down on us, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Want to come over for a bit? I can make us something to eat. I’ve been dying to try out this new recipe for crab cakes. It involves goulash. Or was it Monterey jack?” He shrugged. “You in? The rain is only getting worse, and you might catch a cold. Though cold and rain doesn’t really give you a cold... That’s scientifically proven.”
My head was spinning. I’d forgotten what he had even asked!
“That’s okay. I should be heading home. I have a lot of homework to get done, and I promised I’d be home right after school,” I told him, heading the opposite direction he was.
“Oh. That’s responsible. Keep up the good grades and all that. Okay, see you later,” he bid me, taking off down the road. I watched as he shook his strip of hair, running his hand through it.
“How odd,” I murmured to myself, darting down the road as the lightning sounded.
How very odd.
♠ ♠ ♠
Okay, I absolutely love Steven like the child I never had! I think he's what pulls this story together, and you'll understand what I mean later. Probably. Maybe not, but who knows? =p