Vanessa threw on a black hoodie and slipped into a dark pair of jeans. Her fiery orange hair drawn back into a ponytail and tucked away into the depths of her hoodie and the small paw tattoo that wrapped around her ankle coated with a layer of foundation and the dark, navy blue, the fabric of her jeans. She slid a plain grey backpack over her shoulder and pocketed a small bag of beef jerky into its smallest compartment.
She left a small note to her mother on the counter, reminding her to take her medicine, heat the frozen pizza in the fridge if she got hungry, and water the flowers. Ever since her mom had contracted cancer, Vanessa had to leave these little reminders. The treatments left her mother forgetful and tired, bloated and looking sickly. Vanessa scribbled a big heart at the bottom and signed: Love, V.
She could already see the bus pulling up, its faded yellow paint and flaking black stripes. Vanessa gave a second glance at the note and hurried out, waiting to hear the click of the door as she locked it. She met the bus at the bottom of the driveway, paying no heed to the muffled curses of the driver and the jeering calls of the boys. The girls had stayed silent, but she could see them turn to their friends the second she passed their seats. Vanessa found a seat in the back of the bus, next to the main emergency exit of the bus, although, she didn't know if it should be called "main" because in the heat of an emergency you turned to the nearest exit.
Her seat was rough and the surface sticky. Multiple holes were poked into the backrest and the stuffing inside had been carved out. Some holes had been patched, but the needle-work was sloppy and the leather of the seat would fall in as the person who did the patch-job had failed to fill the holes back up.
She stared out of the grimy windows, yearning to let some fresh air in. The bus reeked of sweat and spits that mixed with the overpowering stench of exhaust from engine. Vanessa grimaced as she felt the seat flatten from added weight, a boy, had taken a seat next to her. To her relief, he made no attempt to start a conversation and didn't look like he wanted to be in one either.
He seemed new, different. He also had a hoodie pulled over, white, but not blinding. His eyes were amber colored, covered by light lashes, almost as white as his hoodie. Light blonde hair peeked out of the top of the hood and fell over his pale skin. Earbud wires fell from the side corners of the hoodie and trailed down to pockets closed of by a slender hand, and he too, appeared to have worn dark jeans that were cut ankle- length.
His right foot rotated ever so slightly and Vanessa caught the movement. A slight glimpse of a tattoo. She perked up a bit, straighting ever so slightly and waiting for another movement.
As if he'd noticed her watching, he sucked in his breathe as if he was still severely annoyed and turned away.
The bus halted to a stop. It wasn't supposed to, not here. Gasps fluttered around the crowd and whispers filled the air.
"Alright, shut your dang mouths. The bus just broke down. Y'all are gonna have to either stay here and wait for help to arrive or walk the rest of the way to school." The bus driver spat into the bus' speaker.
Vanessa watched as the boy got up, the only person in the whole group to do so. She was suddenly intrigued.
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YOU ARE READING
FoxTails
RomanceI made this shit years ago....embarrassing ------------------------------------ Vanessa Tails can turn into the fox. She's the only one, or so she believes. That is, until, she sees the new transfer students morph. When Vanessa finally finds a grou...
