The whole bus reeked of burnt plastic. “Ick,” Jewel Chu called out, wrinkling her nose. Valerie slid open a window to let in some fresh air.
Georgie and Pierre had used their lighters to melt the plastic bell cord. Part of the plastic had melted right off. In a couple of spots, you could see right down to the wire.
The bus driver coughed so hard I thought he might let go of the wheel.
Burning the cord was Georgie’s idea. I think he came up with it because he and Kelly were in a fight—something about him forgetting to phone her—and he wanted to take his mind off of her.
In the meantime, Kelly was cozying up to Jake.
“Hey,” we heard her ask him, “did you get a haircut?”
“Uh-huh. Actually, I got them all cut.”
That cracked Kelly up. “You look really good,” she told Jake.
From the way Jake laughed, you could tell he was embarrassed.
“My back’s killing me from gymnastics. D’you think you could rub it for me?”
Jake shot a look at Georgie, but Georgie was busy with the bell cord, burning another spot. There wasn’t any orange flame, but you could see more of the plastic starting to blister.
It was kind of like a science project. Until now, I’d never thought about what was inside one of those cords. Of course, it made sense. Wire was stronger than plastic and something that got pulled so often had to be strong.
Jewel’s voice brought me back to what was happening on the bus. “That is so disgusting,” she said. First I thought she meant the smell of the burnt plastic, but then I realized she was pointing at Kelly and Jake. I peered between the seats in front of me for a better look. All I could see were the tops of their heads, but I was pretty sure the two of them were making out.
Lucky Jake, I thought.
And poor Georgie.
Georgie was coughing now too.
Someone—I didn’t see who—threw an apple toward the back of the bus. When Georgie caught it, his face relaxed for a second. He looked at the apple as if he was deciding whether he wanted to bite into it.
Maybe Georgie wasn’t hungry. Maybe the apple had too many brown spots, or maybe Georgie felt bad about Kelly and Jake, and he just felt like throwing something. I wasn’t surprised when he leaned over to open a window and got ready to hurl the apple out the window.
“Hey, Georgie!” someone called out. “Watch out for that little old lady on the curb!”
Jewel Chu cleared her throat. “Excuse me, Kelly,” she shouted, “but are you and Jake going out now?”
That’s when Georgie threw the apple out the window—hard. I could tell from his eyes he was aiming for the old lady. I bit my lip as I watched the apple sail through the air. I didn’t want the old lady to get hurt, but I have to admit I felt excited at the same time. A guy never knew what could happen next on the 121 Express.
The apple grazed the side of the old lady’s head. Her lips made an O before she went clattering down to the ground.
Jewel’s face was pressed up against the glass. “Oh my God!” she shrieked. “That poor old lady! I think she fainted—or worse!”
Georgie wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. I guess he hadn’t expected his aim to be so good. “It was just a little apple,” he said, watching as a small crowd formed a circle around the lady.
“The size of the apple doesn’t matter,” Sandeep said in a loud voice. “What matters is the velocity the apple achieved when it was flying in the air. Velocity is a function of—”
Sandeep must have realized he sounded like a loser, because he stopped himself in mid-sentence.
At least Jake and Kelly had quit making out. Kelly turned and gave Georgie a look that said he deserved to suffer.
A couple of people were helping the old lady up from the sidewalk. One woman took hold of her elbow; someone else picked up her purse. The apple rolled off the curb and landed at the side of the road.
“See, she’s fine!” Georgie said. “I told you. It was just a little apple.”
The old lady pointed at the apple, and a man standing nearby picked it up and handed it to her. I watched as she slipped it into her purse. Evidence, I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t want to upset Georgie.
But Georgie was busy clicking his lighter. I started clicking mine too. I remembered how I’d felt when that guy whose car I’d splattered with yogurt got on the bus. I figured Georgie could use a little support.
“We should check to see that the woman is all right,” Sandeep said. His voice cracked a bit.
“What are you? A paramedic or something?” Pierre shouted.
“I told you she’s fine. It was just a little apple,” said Georgie.
The way Georgie kept saying that made me think he was more upset than he was letting on.
A couple of the people who’d been milling around the old lady looked up at the bus. An old man stamped his cane on the sidewalk.
Pierre stuck his head out the window. “You senile or what?”
The bus driver muttered to himself. Though I couldn’t hear what he was saying, I was pretty sure he was cursing us out. But today he didn’t seem to have the energy to yell or make us walk home. He just kept driving and muttering away like a madman.
Sometimes I wondered what the guy had done to get assigned to the 121 Express. It wasn’t like he was young and just starting out. Maybe his supervisor wanted to punish him. If that was the case, the plan seemed to be working.
When we reached the metro station, Georgie made sure to let Jake and Kelly get off the bus before him.
“You okay, man?” I asked him.
“Course I am. It was just a little apple.”
Later, when it was almost my stop, I bumped into Valerie. “Oh, it’s you,” she said, drawing away from me as if I was contagious. “Your friends are total jerks.”
Sandeep looked up from his book. “Yeah,” he said. “Total jerks.”
I looked at both of them. “At least I’ve got friends.”
Valerie glared. Sandeep sucked in his breath.
But I didn’t care. I didn’t want anything to do with those two losers.