The bus was crowded on this hot summer morning, every seat was filled and students stood huddled together at every inch of the bus. Most sighed as the sun pierced through the dirty windows, some holding up papers or books to shield them from the harsh rays. Some stood holding onto the railing supports or hand grips- others just boiled in their seats.
However, the heat wasn't the only searing force beating down on these students' shoulders. Every person on that bus could see it within the drooping eyes of every other passenger. Every stolen glance reminded each and every one of them of the most arduous, semesterly trials: exam time.
One student in particular was standing, his leg fidgeting in place as he clenched the hand grip tightly in frustration. With his other hand he was vigorously scrolling through his phone, his teeth grit and grinding, eyes wild and frantically scanning notes. He would occasionally suddenly wipe his forehead against his extended arm to prevent sweat from clouding his vision. His eyes were widened in panic, seldom taking the time to blink to protect his corneas from the sweltering, dry, heat. He quietly cursed himself, as he wasn't tall enough to comfortably hold the upper hand grip, but also just short enough that the sun's rays were shooting right into his eyes. He could only turn awkwardly to feebly allow his arm to block the intense light. But he could do nothing about the unusually large amount of sweat pouring over him, his own pale, sticky skin boiling against the hot, dry air. He cursed himself further for not being in shape, for being this portly, fat, slob.
"I know I missed one of these goddamned chapters... one of the topics from the board from yesterday- uh, no, it was last week's class" he quietly rambled on to himself in a low groan. The person standing beside him stole a worried look at him. But the panicking student quickly shot a look back with enlarged eyes of pure insanity, as if he could sense the eyes of the entire world on him. The other student just shrugged, shook her head, and looked away.
The frantic young man opened up the messaging app on his phone and with a single thumb typed out a hasty message:
"Fom last weeek, does it chaaptr 45 or 5 for th topic with poof for closed sets??/???/"
"Come on, answer, you lazy fuck..." Another worried look came from the student beside him. He shot out another wild-eyed counter, except this time, he was at his boiling point.
"Listen-" he started. He stopped, then inhaled through his nose, hard, as if to calm himself. He shut his eyes and scratched his head with his phone. An awkwardly large smile carved itself onto his stress-ridden face. "Alright, I gotta maintain this 4.0 or my dad is gonna kill me... you know how it is." He tried to play it off with a friendly chuckle, but it sounded more like he was clearing his throat, especially as some spit shot out of his mouth.
"Oh god, you're that genius kid," the girl replied with a frown. "That genius weirdo, Thomas, something."
Thomas tried a new chuckle, higher pitched but his voice cracked in the middle. "Guilty as charged, Thomas Penhouser- but you can call me Tom-" The girl quickly shook her head and turned away from this crazed man with a small laugh, whom she thought was foaming at the mouth. He quickly shut himself up, but Thomas grit his teeth in anger. Memories of high school flooded back to Thomas: the incessant teasing of his larger than life backpack filled with the textbooks and extra notebooks that would one day win him his prestigious scholarship to Accel City University, where only the brightest of STEM students will find themselves. Thomas continued to grind his jaw with angered thoughts:
"This dumb, lazy bitch. She has no idea who she's talking to."
The bus stopped abruptly, causing all the passengers to sway. Snickers and gasps can be heard as some tumbling bodies and missteps resounded throughout the bus, but Thomas held himself firm, even as someone's bag slammed him in the thigh. His seething anger solidified his demeanor into a stout, frustrated statue. He wanted to lash out as the bag hit him, but he suddenly caught himself as he started to remember his anger management classes.
Thomas closed his eyes and slowly began to breathe in through his mouth and out through his nose- the exact opposite way you're meant to take deep breaths. This caused him to incorrectly allow the dry air to enter his throat causing him to have to fight off emerging coughing fits. But eventually Thomas found his quiet place. He could only hear his own hoarse breaths. Suddenly the air he was intaking seemed a bit thinner and cooler. Even his skin seemed less sticky and the dense atmosphere around him seemed to lighten. His storm of thoughts slowed down and it even seemed like the bustling of the students around him was quieting down.
The heavy atmosphere of the cramped bus slowly subsided. The tense, still air suddenly seemed more breathable and relaxed. Thomas opened his eyes and looked around- the students around him seemed more fluid, and calm. He heard the bus doors open with their usual pneumatic hiss of air pressure. Thomas could see the students in front of him begin to part like clockwork as someone slowly made their way through the crowd. The students moved like this was all part of some plan, like they were all of one mind. He began to worry and wonder if he was part of some elaborate prank and the students were about to break into dance or something.
But finally, Thomas saw the person that cut through the crowded passengers so easily. Right in front of him was a slim, fit girl, about a half a head shorter than him. Her skin was pale, and her jet black hair was done up in a ponytail. She was wearing a pink sweater over a white sports bra and tight grey, lycra yoga pants that had a soft sheen in the sunlight. Her sweater was zipped down just right, showing off just enough of her cleavage. Her breasts were nice and perky, probably C-cups. Her sweater hung off past her shoulder revealing her bra strap. Her deep black, yet soft eyes looked straight into Thomas'. Her eyes were calm, her eyelids half closed as if she didn't have a single care in the world.
Thomas couldn't blink. He didn't want to as he looked at her. Her thick pink lips pursed, yet she remained expressionless. She moved in front of Thomas. Towards the bus window. There was no seat open, so she grabbed a lower hand grip. As she brushed past Thomas, he could get a whiff of her hair. The hint of lilac scent sent a cold shiver down his spine, yet a warm feeling raised back up through his stomach. She turned towards the window, her back towards him. Thomas looked down. Her hips were nice and wide, and her butt was raised and firm. This woman, to him, was of the utmost perfection. Thomas peered at her figure up and down. He heard the bus doors close. The girl unzipped her sweater and tied it around her waist. Her entire milky backside was like something carved out of a statue of a Greek goddess. Her hourglass figure sent Thomas' mind racing. His mind raced so fast, he could not control what was happening in his pants.
