Once Upon A Bus Ride

Chapter 5: You're Not So Bad

5. You're Not So Bad

We sat in a very awkward silence as I drove.

I cleared my throat. "So...um...you know any place we can go?"

He looked at me. "You mean you didn't have anywhere in mind?"

"I just thought you'd prefer some place in particular," I explained.

"I don't care, just make sure it's within my price range," he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. There he goes again.

He noticed my expression and sighed. "Sorry."

"Whatever," I said.

I already regret this.

I drove us to a cute place I knew of.

"Two...strawberry milkshakes?" I asked.

"No strawberry for me," he said. "I'm allergic."

"One strawberry and one banana milkshake it is then," I told the girl behind the counter.

We got our drinks and found seats.

"So..." I began.

"You know, I'm starting to regret this," he said.

"We've barely even talked," I defended.

"Exactly," he chuckled. "Look, it was pretty cool of you to go through all this trouble just to prove a point. Let's just leave things as they are. We're not friends and we don't have to be. Tomorrow you can go back to your pretty little fantasy world and I'll go back to mine. Okay?"

"There you go again," I said, stopping him from leaving. "I don't have a perfect life you know."

He shot me a skeptical look. "Really?"

I sighed. "Well yeah, I am grateful for my parents and what they can give me but it still doesn't take away from everything else that I deal with."

He leaned back into his seat. "Like what?"

I lowered my gaze so as not to meet his. "Like the fact that me seeing my parents three out of seven days a week is a blessing, having to share them with everyone else...the constant pressure to be the perfect daughter when all I ever been is in my sister's shadow..."

"Sister?"

"Jean Hall?" I responded. "You may have heard the name on tv or radio somewhere."

He nodded in realization. "Huh, how did I not put that together?"

"Yeah well quite a number of people do," I continued. "And when they do it's bye-bye-Morgan-I-just-wanted-to-be-your-friend-so-I-could-get-close-to-Jean."

He chuckled softly. "Sorry...about that."

I appreciated the sincerity in his voice. "I'm used to it really."

Just then he got a text. After looking at his phone he got up. "Well Morgan this time I actually have to go. I've got something important to do."

"Need a ride?" I offered.

He shook his head. "No need."

"Oh well um...bye I guess," I said.

He nodded and proceeded to leave. After taking a few steps he turned back. "Oh and...maybe I was wrong...you're not so bad."

I gave him a small smile as he resumed walking out of the shop.

~~~~~

"You went out with him?" Shannon gushed.