October, 1972  

It wasn't about the day, or the date really, nothing big, auspicious or special at all. Everyday new people climbed up the bus, busy in their own minds, busy with their own lives. Some made small talk to strangers - "killing the time" they said. Others minded their own business, never in the mood for something different, after all, the bus was simply a public transport. 

Occasionally would step in some bastard from a really small god-knows-where awestruck as the marveled at the contraption they were in, questioning other humans not interested to talk to them about everything they could think of - 'how does the bus work?' 'It's huge, ain't it?' 'Ohmygosh, my first time in this bus!' - and mostly everyone just ignored because, well, life was advancing at a really really fast pace and if one needed to keep to the top of it, they needed to hurry and every moment was precious. Though again at times would come some clever dick - a fool with way too much time at hand - and be a braggart, condescending the others who didn't know much about things, and making the wise ones roll eyes at them. 

And of course, somedays you'd have kids climbing onto the bus with parents either too tired and exhausted to the bone to deal with them or others who could barely care about them as they were busy with their own lives. Now, most children on the bus were fucking brats; they threw tantrums and screamed and kicked around in the stuffy bus just because they could and honestly, that was the most annoying part about the bus. And at other times, they were mesmerized. Staring out the open windows and pointing out things to their siblings - if they had any - and unfortunate was the part if they had no company around and they take things to their guardians but the guardians are too exhausted and simply nod 'yes' to everything or can't care in the least, and those were the kind of people that really annoyed the hell out of Junior Heather Ciara, the third. 

Her logic was simple. Why get children if you don't want them? Why give birth if you're not going to take care of them? People called her weird, for her thoughts and beliefs and that she knew. But to the world, what's different is 'weird' even if it was the people who were weirder than her.

But she couldn't give a flying fuck anymore. To the opinion of people she didn't know. In fact, she was so sick of people, she had vowed to never give a fuck to the opinion of people, period. Unless it was her boss and her job was at stake, of course. 

So, even though she really didn't like it when the old woman who sat a few seats away from hers screamed at the little girl who just wanted to point out a flying kite shaped in the silhouette of a princess, all she did was make on odd expression - that she claimed was her "disgusted" look - and looked at her pile of books instead. She really regretted taking the bus that Monday evening. Maybe going back home just when the week had started wasn't such a good idea, but she really didn't have a choice. Marylin hadn't seen her in months and that little gremlin who she was so so proud to call her niece had wished to have her favourite aunt over as a birthday gift. Who was she to say no to such an adorable face? And homewards she traveled after all. 

Pretty blue eyes, she looked at the people around. Faces she didn't really recognize but she couldn't really be blamed. She only ever took the Sunday bus that wasn't the bus she was riding on and even if she did take this bus she really doubted if she'd remember these people. Women brought out gossip and men all alike talked about why it was a man's world and she knew deep down, she didn't fit in either of the categories allotted and so, she kept mum instead. Head down, eyes trained on the pages that she read and hands firmly gripping her Starbuck's in one hand and the other her book. 

And the bus lurched to a screeching stop and in came a couple. Under normal conditions, Heather wouldn't so much as to raise her head or pay attention to the people climbing into the bus but today was unlike old days, she just splashed half of her Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappucino and she was a bit annoyed really. 

The girl who stepped in was indeed very beautiful. With a smile so charming and eyes so honest, she could've been in the movies was what Heather concluded but what was the most interesting part of it all was that in her hand, she held the fingers of another person very loosely and then came in view a second person. A man this time, freckled cheeks and rosy lips, red hair that flamed under the sunlight and a grin that mirrored the girl, he wore loose plaid clothes that looked really old and worn out but suited him. 

The driver cursed something loudly in an accent not well understood as it wasn't from there. Scottish, maybe, Heather had deduced. And for a split moment, the male looked around and locked eyes with blue-eyed girl and held her gaze - it was as though he knew that she was watching her and was waiting for her - but she got jittery and looked away. She never really had learned what to do when someone stared at her; maybe she had flunked that lesson of life. 

And her thoughts went "uh oh" and she hoped - with her fingers crossed internally in her heart- that the pair of them weren't headed towards her but of course, was there a time her wishes were really honored or upheld? Nah, rarely ever happens. She didn't understand why she even tries. 

The boy with the auburn hair came right next to her and with an accent of a classical American he asked her, "Is this seat taken?"

Heather very hesitantly pulled the books she had placed on the seat beside her onto her laps and pulled her leather bag to the other side of the seat and refusing to look up to him, she replied, "Yeah, no, it's not taken."

She had half-expected him to give the seat up for the girl whose hand he held up he didn't. Instead, he took a seat next to her and let the girl stand next to him which surprised both of the girls. The girl with the beautiful golden curls, she chuckled airily, "Uh, William, where will I sit?"

Her blue eyes shone with excitement as she asked him, hands still intertwined, "Oh, do I sit in your lap, Wil?"

"No!" came an answer a bit too hurried and Heather watched her face drop but the seat behind got cleared at that very moment and the boy looked relieved. 

Sighing calmly, he told her with a charming smile, "Why don't you sit behind us, Juniper?" 

"But I-"

"Oh quick, take that seat before someone else takes that instead!" said Heather rather hurriedly. She really didn't understand why she had done that. In fact, she very much thought that the man was spineless, it was clear from the exchange that he didn't like the other girl the way she did and she was just lending out a hand. 

As Juniper took a seat and adjusted the burgundy skirt she wore, William whispered to her, "Thank you."

"Well, don't expect it time and again," Heather replied with her classic London accent that she rarely ever used, not looking up from her book, "Won't be there to save you all the time." 

"But good enough to save me now, innit?" William grinned as he whispered, "I'm William - William Sheeran."

She looked hesitantly at the hand he extended towards her with the next words Wil spoke she questioned if she had her "disgusted" face on, "It's a hand? You shake it and introduce yourself?"

She bit on her bottom lip lightly and asked herself internally, 'what really was the worst that could happen?' 

And she introduced herself to the man, "I'm Junior Heather Ciara, the third; it's a pleasure."

"Nah, the pleasure is all mine," he replied and on noticing the girl behind their seat staring at him expectantly he quickly added, "Oh, and this is Juniper Willows, my long time bestfriend."

'OH' was her first thought but her really close second thought was 'here goes down shit' when she noticed the girl called Juniper flinch slightly at the mention of 'bestfriend'. Why did she have an idea of how this was about to go down? She, for once hoped, that her assumption would've been wrong. 

She smiled at the girl and in all honesty, Heather had to admit, Juniper was indeed more beautiful up close than she was from a distance. With blue eyes that were similar to hers but different altogether and a really innocent disposition, she thought the other girl was really really pretty but of course, it was way too early to admit that. But oh, there was something everyone kept forgetting. Maybe early for the rest of the world but not for Heather. 

"You're pretty," she said with a small smile. 

"I know," was her response as her rosy lips twitched into a smirk that Heather would soon get accustomed to. "What are you doing on the bus today? Haven't seen you around before."

"Oh," Heather replied quietly as she placed her book down on her lap without marking the page she was reading, "I usually take the Sunday evening bus every week because, uh- didn't really have a reason to go back home every day-"

"So, the introvert type!" the boy grinned and when Heather nodded in affirmation, he pumped a fist in the air, 'yes!'  and both the girls chuckled lightly. 

"Well, I hope you'll now find a reason to take the bus everyday," William was to the point as he gave a charming smile and for a moment, Heather's face was the replica of what one would describe as 'flabbergasted'. 

She blinked as she shook her head, "I don't really know, wouldn't have a reason to; and besides, you and your girlfriend might-"

"Oh, she isn't my girlfriend," he replied with a grin.

Heather replied, "sorry, fiancé?"  

"Oh no no," William was shocked at the assumption as he looked with stars in his eyes to Juniper, "Just my bestfriend."

Heather was beet-red by then. She had assumed the wrong thing, not once but twice. She mumbled an apology in a tone that was octaves higher than her usual voice, "I didn't realize that! I'm so sorry to have assumed that, I just thought that since the pair of you were so close and tightly knit that you were an item of some sort! Didn't cross my mind for once that you weren't-"

"Hey," a hand engulfed her hand that waved around wildly as she ranted, "It's alright." 

It was William's hand that was over hers and she realized that her hand was so much smaller than his and was so much warmer than her own. She looked up to face him and he gently pulled his hand away as he started ranting instead - a light blush dusting his freckled cheek. "I don't know why people assume that so much, I mean, June and I? We've been friends forever, bestfriends since forever, but just because a male and a female are friends doesn't mean they are in love!"

The girl called Juniper nodded her head even though she had a hint of sadness in those twinkling blue eyes of hers but no one else seemed to have realized her inner turmoil that she had to go through every time Wil called her his 'bestfriend'. 

But you can't change how people thought and June knew that. Hated that fact but she could do nothing to change that. However, something in her gut - a feeling deep down - told her that things were about to change, didn't know how but they would, she knew for a fact. 

"Do you like reading?" William asked the girl called Heather once more. 

"Oh Wil, she has a bag full of books and you ask her that?" chortled Juniper and off they went, talking about books and god-knew-what for the rest of the ride. 

And maybe for once, Heather found a place where the world had become a little less weirder than it was. And maybe for once, going back home just when the week had started was a good idea, after all.