phil
the bus chassis looked congested, as my eyes raked across the multiple seats, spotting a pair of worn out foam chairs on the left hand side. i sigh with relief, wafting my way through the many bags thrown in the middle aisle, and i quickly slide into the mildly uncomfortable chair, watching as dan slumps next to me, giving me an annoyed look.
"what?" i snap at him and he just rolls his eyes, grabbing both of our duffles to pop them into the overhead compartments, and i just cross my arms across my chest, looking out the window to look at both of our mums, their arms linked together in a friendly gesture as they give us excited smiles, waving at us when the bus begins to move.
i just pout and wave back hesitantly, while dan leans closer to me to look outside the window, shooting his mother a look of pure frustration and embarrassment.
"get away from me," i nudge his side harshly at the close proximity and he just raises his middle finger in defence, a permanent scowl printed on his face.
"fuck off lester, no one wants to touch you anyway," he huffs, pulling out his phone from his skin tight jeans pocket, and pushing his earbuds in to block out my response to his childish insult. i just roll my eyes, pulling out a book that i've been reading recently, leaning back into my seat, my eyes scanning the pages to pick up the lines where i left.
once i find it, i just sigh in relief, slumping my shoulders and pushing the hair away from my forehead before i begin to read.
dan and his family live across from mine, and his mother is unfortunately my mum's best friend which forces us to spend time with each other more that we would like to.
he is not that unpleasant to be with, he is quite cool and i hate to admit that we share the same interests but he and i just don't gel. he is rude and cocky and overconfident and i can't hold a conversation with him for more that five minutes because either it'll just get too awkward or he'll start cussing at me out of nowhere.
my mum is the kind of person who gets influenced easily and when she got to know that going for a two week summer camp last year, made mrs.wales' son, jim, much more independent and disciplined, there was no way that she wouldn't sign me up for it as well.
and of course, being her best friend, dan's mother wasn't any different. as soon as she heard that i was going for this camp, dan was packing his bags too, and i still remember the harsh look dan gave me at school when i asked him if he's excited for it.
and maybe we could part ways as soon as we got into this cramped vehicle but neither of us are very good at holding conversations and we both like familiarity too much, to go and bother making friends with someone new. we already decided that even though it's gonna be absolutely ridiculous staying with each other at this camp, it would be better than awkward communication and fake laughter with strangers.
at least we could completely ignore each other and be comfortable in our own skin.
half an hour later, a yawn escapes my lips and i divert my attention away from the book to what's happening around the bus. there is a noisy couple sitting next to dan and i, and they are aiming to show their relationship to the whole world as the girl leans in to kiss her boyfriend. i just look away, slightly uncomfortable and shift my gaze to the barely open window.
i would be lying if i didn't expect green hills and forests to be in view right now, but i know that the camp is at least six hours away and it will take a long time to get past the concrete highways and tall buildings.
"do you have something to eat?" dan nudges me, and i snap out of my thoughts, looking back at him with a slightly irritated expression. we just left, how can he be hungry already?
"did you not have breakfast?" i raise my eyebrows in disapproval and he just groans, pulling out one of his ear buds, to have a proper conversation.
"yeah i did, but i'm hungry, do you have something to eat or not?"he asks me again, his voice a lot less patient than it was a few seconds ago and i frown at him.
"yes i do, but i'm not giving it to you," i cross my arms across my chest and he just looks at me with hooded eyelids before smirking.
"oh come on, maybe this will be a start to our eternal friendship?" his eyes glint and i roll my eyes at his dumb statement, digging into my bag and pulling out a semi-crushed packet of doritos, chucking it at the brunette boy who thanks me half heartedly, ripping it open and grabbing a handful of chips, stuffing them into his mouth.
i look away from his annoying way of eating, back outside the window, when i feel his hand dragging up my thigh, and i turn my head to look at him, only to find a trail of dorito dust all over my black jeans. he just gives me a sheepish smile, tilting the packet towards me as if he's offering me some as well and i just glare at him before dusting off my clothes, huffing in annoyance.
this is going to be, one hell of a bus ride.
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I HOPE THIS ISN'T TOO BAD DO YOU FEEL LIKE CLAWING YOU EYES OUT YET
