The Old Blue Bus

There was nothing friendly about a blizzard. Jason didn't notice how serious it was until the bus stopped moving an hour ago. A simple bus ride that should have usually lasted 20 minutes exceeded an hour and the playlist he set up soon grew too boring for his ears.

He took out his headphones and looked at the windows. They were all damped in water droplets. The only thing he was able to see was the whiteness from the outside that made the trees appear like confetti.

In this blizzard, there was no way to know which directions to go. The usual streets were hidden under a white layer that swirled so densely.

The teenager looked at the driver, who was desperately waiting for a call from someone.

Jason turned his attention to the rest of the bus, namely to what was inside of it. Every blue seat was taken by silent people. They were all tired from the long day and didn't have any energy left to bother anyone. Even the dozen standing stood quietly on the old bus.

There was one girl that leaned on the freezing window with her eyes closed.

It was... Clara?

Lara?

Dilara?

She was definitely that one smart girl from his physics class.

When did she start to ride the Blue Bus?

The Blue Bus was the only one Jason rode to school for the past 4 years. The major decided years ago those old blue buses should be replaced as he gave a speech on the importance of change. The townsmen knew, however, it was because they all grew tired of the same buses driving them across the city for the past 40 years.

Somehow, Bus 87 stayed and was now simply known as 'The Old Blue Bus'. For a while, Jason didn't care he rode the oldest bus there, bus after the first hour, the lower part of his body began to regret his decision. The blue seats were the least comfortable pieces anyone could ever be forced to it on for a long time. And the screaming child didn't make things better.

No one except a group of teenagers from Jason's school and a small child made any form of noise. The smart girl, however, wasn't sitting with them and made no noise.

The teenagers laughed as they watched something on Netflix on a phone.

However, the child was far from happy. It cried loudly in its mother's arms as the small redhead tried her best to hush her child.

"Would you shut it up!" A man screamed from behind. Jason flinched at the unexpected scream and turned to see what was going on. The redheaded woman rocked a child dressed in pink faster. A tall man stood nearby with an annoyed expression painted across his young face.

Another man, a lot older, proceeded to place his hand on the mother's shoulder to reveal a missing finger. "How about you shut up!" The elderly screamed back. "You're not the only one stuck in this!" A cough came after his statement. "So, why don't you stop acting like you're an exception!" A series of coughs followed afterward.

The words seemed to quiet the tall man. He turned around to avoid looking at anyone.

It didn't quiet down the elder man, who couldn't stop coughing. It was followed by a series of pats on the back by random strangers.

An elderly woman, who wore his grey hair as a crown, quickly searched through her giant purse and handed him a bottle of water. "We've been over this, Harold," She said, popped out a couple of pills and handed it to him.

A black-haired man leaned towards another that looked exactly like him, but older, and whispered something in his ear. It was met with a nod. He got up and told Harold something and proceeded to scan his body after the elderly man gave him permission.

"Stop poisoning yourself with toxic chemicals!" Screamed a woman. Her pixie cut blonde hair made Jason cringe at the sight of it. She proceeded to go on about vaccines and was met with laughs from the two black-haired men. At some point, Jason didn't want to listen to her anymore and was ready to put his headphones on.

"I'm sorry, but I did not study tirelessly for 7 years for a Facebook mother to tell me how to do my job," The black-haired doctor said. That interested Jason. He pocketed his phone and proceeded to hope someone would start a conversation.

The woman gasped and opened her mouth to speak, but chose to remain silent, much to Jason's disapproval. He hoped he wouldn't have to listen to the silence any longer, but he definitely didn't have the guts to start a conversation with anyone.

"You're a doctor?" A female voice asked and was met with a nod. "Why are you riding the bus, then?"

The man simply turned to the other one who looked exactly like him, yet 10 years younger at the same time. "You can ask my brother. I'm sure he's got an answer."

His brother simply rolled his eyes. "It wasn't my fault!" He protested. "You just have a shi-"

"I don't want to hear it!"

The bus was filled with the sound of the two brothers bickering. It sounded just like Jason and Jamie whenever they sat beside one another. James sat at the back with his friends, the loud group of teenagers. He didn't get along with his brother that well and most of the time, Jason hoped it was just because they were going through a certain period of change in human life.

Hearing the voices of the doctors made Jason know that his relationship with his brother would possibly never change.

"Where's your finger?" Asked a small voice that echoed in the bus.

It silenced everyone.

"Rebecca!"

"What? He doesn't have a finger!"

"You can't just-"

The old man smiled. "I lost it," He said.

The little girl held up her eyebrows. "Can't you find it?" She asked. "I always lose my stuff and Daddy always loses his keys. That's why we have Mommy. She always finds our stuff. Can't you Mommy find it."

At that point, some people burst with laughter, the old man was indeed the first to smile. "I'll be sure to ask her," He laughed.

But the girl didn't stop there. "You should," She continued. "My Mommy always finds lost stuff, but she does hide ice cream from Daddy. He's getting fat."

"My brother needs to have ice cream hid away from him too," Jason heard the voice of James from the back.

"Dude, your brother is, like, sitting, like, right there." Anna Mason said.

"I know."

"Then why would-"

"Jealousy, maybe?" Jason said and turned around. "I got the better parent."

James stood up. "Well, at least Dad didn't abandon me! When was the last time he answered any one of your calls?" He shouted.

Anna looked at the two. "Is that was this is all about? A divorce that happened, like, forever ago?"

"5 years!" Both said before they stared at each other again.

"Jamie," Another friend of his whispered. "We're in public. Don't do this here," He said as he yanked his friend's arm to sit down.

The bus was still and the only noise that was heard came from the wind that blew part it. Out of nowhere, the old lady began to chuckle.

"You're brothers," She said. "It isn't worth it. This isn't worth it. The endless fights and squabbles,"

"Ma'am, please don't-"

"Shut up, James!"

James went red. "D-Don't call me that!" He shouted. Anna threw her arms in the air. "Oh, come on, guys!"

The old lady placed her hand on his shoulder. "I remember when I was young. I wasn't older than you were," She said. "My parents were also divorced, but back in my day divorce meant something else," She told them as the swung by memory lane.

"My little brother, John. He was... something else. He was always getting himself into trouble."

"Isn't it nice to have someone who knows how I feel," Jason said.

"Anyways, when parents announced their separation, he didn't take it well. Especially since he was closer to mother than father. And to him, she basically threw him to the wolves the moment she left and took me."

"Now, isn't it great to have someone who knows how I feel," James said. "I'm sorry I interrupted," He apologized.

The old woman smiled at him. "We grew apart," She continued. "And the more we talked the more we fought, until one day he decided he wanted to serve," Her eyes got watery as she remembered something. Her voice started to crack as she spoke. "He didn't come back. Every time I think about him, I regret everything I said and..." She took a deep breath. The old man placed a hand on her back and held her tightly.

She smacked her lips. "Don't do this," She said. "You'll regret this once you grow old. Don't let your parents' decisions affect your relationship,"

A cry came from the back and it wasn't made by the baby. Jason saw the smart girl shivering. She wrapped her arms around herself and cried out. The man beside her turned around to see what was going on before his eyes opened at the realization of what had happened to her.

"Sh-She's bleeding!" He shouted. "Her wrist!" He tried to grab one of her arms, but she slapped his hand using her other one. The Doctor quickly burst through the people and got a hold of her left wrist.

"Alex!" He called out to his brother.

She tried to push him away, but he easily overpowered her.

"P-Please. J-J-Just... Just leave me alone!" She cried. "I want this to end. I can't..." She couldn't complete her sentence. The girl looked away as she bit her lower lip. She covered her face using her right hand.

The faint sense of despair was felt across the old bus. Jason stared at her covered face. 

The bus driver passed around a first aid kit to a person that was able to pass it on to the doctors.

He turned to the people. "We will most likely be stuck here for another hour!" He announced.

"But I need to use the bathroom!" One protested.

"Hold it in!"

The old man turned around to have a last look at the bus.

He rode that very bus to school when he was a child. He was stuck on that same bus many times during blizzards.

There was nothing friendly about a blizzard.

But after a while, people begin to show their true selves when their patience runs dry and their time runs out.