Aiden x Reader | School Bus Graveyard

>>>< 3 ><<<

>>>< Lunchtime Discussions and Arguments ><<<

We all got our food as the chatter of the lunchroom overloaded all of our senses. Ah, the amazingness that can be found in high school gossip, for those who care to listen. I am not one of those people.

The seven of us sat down, me sitting between Ashlyn and Aiden. I sat there and stared at my food, the motivation to eat it dissipating instantly as the atmosphere in the air thickened.

Tyler broke the silence. "I think we should go back to Savannah." Everyone turned to look at him, our silent table now immersed in a single statement.

Everyone looked half to three quarters dead.

Logan, the worrywart, spoke up, stuttering. "I thought everyone agreed it was too dangerous...?"

Tyler continued backing his statement. "So what? We're just supposed to let things stay like they are?" 

"I'd rather be semi-stuck then permanently stuck." Ashlyn muttered under her breath, but Tyler heard it, and an argument broke out.

"Well maybe if you had told us the truth from the beginning, we wouldn't be stuck at all!"
"I already explained why I didn't-"

"Aren't you one to talk." Aiden interrupted them. "You're the one who brushed it off as a prank and walked off. If she had said anything, would you even have believed her? With your personality, I seriously doubt it."

I smiled at my best friend, and noticed he was building a structure with his food. I chuckled a bit.

Tyler was now infuriated and started to rant. "Whether I would have believed her or not, she should have said something! Now we're stuck in some demonic dimension, running away from flesh-eating deadly creatures, I've lost count how many near-death experiences I've had,  None of us have slept in days, we can't tell our parents or any--!"

He was cut off by Ben slamming his fist on the table and making a quiet down motion.

I just sat there and enjoyed watching the chaos unfold. It was normal, after all. None of us had really expected this, even just two weeks prior.

Tyler calmed himself down a bit before continuing.
"If we don't go back to Savannah where this cycle begun, then what else are we supposed to do?"

Everyone looked down or around, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone else. We each contemplated if it was a risk we should take or not. I on the other hand locked eyes with Aiden, who seemed to have the same thought.

I was overcome with a strange feeling, but quickly brushed it off.

We were going to have to make a choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 Weeks Prior

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The silence of the morning bore over everything else as I tried to silently to prepare for school. My father was sleeping in the other room of the apartment, and  I didn't want to wake him.

I got ready a few minutes earlier in case Ashlyn was late. I would always meet her at the bus stop down the street.

We were kind of friends, in a way. I was the quiet kid, but once you got to know me, I was loud and wild. Not around Ashlyn though. We were basically study partners, we didn't talk much outside of group activities. We each chose to sit together to avoid other people. We both met when we were younger and everyone had to sit next to someone, the two kids who had nobody. We didn't speak for a few months until a group project. Whenever there was a group project that we couldn't work alone on, we would team up. We sat together at lunch too, so no one would come up and bother us. We would study when need be, it made it easier to retain the knowledge.

Anyone else who would try to confront me, I would be very bold to, if they stuck around then they would be able to handle my personality and could be my friend. Very few people had met my expectations thus far.

Since then we had stuck together, somewhat. Two quiet people against everyone else.

I walked to the bus and waited hesitantly outside, watching as Ashlyn rushed out. I saw that new people had moved in next door to her, just a few houses away from myself. I kept the bus from leaving, and we boarded together, and I noticed she had the usual cup of coffee with her.

I had a strange feeling about today.

word count: 720