Coke-Bottle Glasses

Well, this is my first post, so I thought I'd start my blog with my best, most recent story.

This happened the other day on the way home from school. I had my New York Times and made my way toward the back of the bus.

For those readers who have never been on Utah public buses the back seat is a bench that stretches across the back of the bus and there are two more benches that are perpendicular that face each other for me to put my feet up when I sit by the window.

So I'm sitting in the back, minding my own business reading the Times. A little into the trip these two thugs get on the bus. One with a bowl cut in an over-sized jacket sits where my feet were a second ago (we'll call him Larry), and his friend, a bigger guy with gadges and fatigues sits on my bench opposite me (we'll call him Frank).

I felt very boxed in seeing as they were talking around me while I'm in the corner. So I tried to ignore them. This was very difficult though seeing as they were very loud and I'd gotten all I could out of Google threatening to pull out of China.

They said something that sparked my interest. It sounded like they were talking about a drug hook-up. I glanced up from my paper and caught the eye of Larry. He stops mid-sentence said to me "Hi, how are you," friendly enough but at the same time it felt threatening. His look said, "Stop eves-dropping."

I answered "I'm fine," and then went back to my reading.

So a few minutes later this nerdy-looking kid gets on the bus. Coke-bottle glasses (I've never known the meaning of this until that day), suit and tie, mouth hanging open, hair slicked back.

As he walked up the aisle he spots me. He just stopped, in the middle of the aisle and staring at me.

With the angle of his stare it looks like he is staring at Larry. Larry did not like this. He got in his face saying "What you looking at?!" and stuff like that until he sat down, full body turned facing me.... still staring. Eventually he turned around.

At this point I felt sorry for the guy, "Poor kid, he probably needs someone to be nice to him." Something told me that as soon as these guys get off the bus, he is going to get up and sit next to me. So I decided to be nice if he decided to talk to me, I wouldn't blow him off, I wasn't going to be one of those people.

Sure enough Larry and Frank get off the bus and bam! He is sitting on the other end of the bench. He made no move to make contact so I just kept reading my paper.

My hair was covering my peripherals, but from his direction there came...singing. I mean really loud singing! "I wanna be her best friend, you were my best friend, I'm gonna be your best friend," something like that.

I'm thinking "ok he's got his headphones in and doesn't realize how loud he is, and isn't it great that he enjoys his music enough to sing out loud in a public place." And I dismissed this misfit's odd behavior... until...

I glance up. All feelings of pity, kinship, or any type of outstretched misfit love vanished-to be replaced with complete freaked out terror! He was singing AT ME!!!!! He had a notebook open in his lap with hand written.... something (I'm gonna quess song lyrics)

I was officially creeped out, he must have been staring at me that whole time, singing that song...at me! And it had to have been a good 2-3 minutes.

I started packing up my stuff, we were only a few stops away from mine but that wasn't soon enough. He made a sudden movement and bent down into his backpack, shaking weirdly (didn't want to think why he could possibly be doing that). At this point I had one thought: Get off the bus! I didn't know what that kid was getting out of his bag and I didn't want to know.

I was only a few stops away from my house...maybe I could just get off and walk the rest of the way - no it's too cold, I can hold out for another two minutes.

But I had to stop him from trying to make contact, so I called my friend Jon. "Hey baby what's up?!"

A couple, very long seconds later I was able to pull the cord. I walked to the trying to sound and look as calm as possible. Finally I get off the bus and just started freaking out at Jon.

Thankfully he didn't get off the bus with me, he didn't follow me home, and hopefully he wasn't some creepy wakko and just a regular socially awkward fellow.

I wish him luck, and hope I never see him again!

The End

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