Allie climbed up the bus stairs behind Cami. The bus was always so crowded in the afternoons, Cami couldn’t understand why Allie went out of her way to go home with her in the afternoons. Allie handed the bus driver her note.

“Look babe, you’re my best friend, so I feel bad for questioning your sanity. But why do you do this? Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we went to your house, on a bus that actually has a little bit of breathing room?” Cami asked in an annoyed tone.

“You know why.”

“Oh, right, Ian.” Ian was Allie’s best guy friend, and Allie was more than a little in love with him. He rode Cami’s bus when he didn’t have football practice, and that was where he and Allie had first met. Because it was so rare that he was on the bus in the afternoons, on the occasion he did ride, Allie made sure to go. He was a year older than the girls, so this was the only time Allie could see him unless she went to one of his games, which she hardly could.

The two maneuvered their way towards the back of the bus, but because there were so many people on, they had to sit in seats about three away from each other. Allie went ahead and plugged in her iPod earbuds, losing herself in the music. When the bus pulled into the high school parking lot, Allie took out one side so she could hear what everyone else was saying.

Ian was the very first person to get onto the bus, so Allie didn’t have to wait long to see him. He sat in the seat behind her. As more people got on the bus, the seats began to fill up. Allie ended up in the middle of two people.

She texted Ian, I’m so uncomfortable!(:

Me too, he replied.

You didn’t sit here =(

My bad =(

Can you move up here when we get to the school?

I’ll try…

They continued to text back and forth while the bus made its various stops. Ian’s seat cleared out when the bus stopped at the elementary school, so he sent Come back here! Allie moved back a seat to sit with him. “I’m gonna text you back anyway, you know,” she said. Ian laughed. Allie loved being the one to make him laugh. She just sat there and stared at him for a moment.

“What?” he asked, puzzled.

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

“Are you two dating?” People were always asking this, but every time she rode this bus, the same guy always asked. Usually, she just said no.

“No, we’re just friends. I’m not his type.”

It was quiet for a moment, then Ian whispered, “You’re my type.”

“Then why are we just friends?”