• Middle school students fight back


    Have you ever had those bus drivers that should have retired and stayed retired for the rest of their life? Well I had that bus driver since the beginning of middle school, Mrs. Finkalbottom, and she always hit trash cans, we made bets if she would hit the stop sign that day or not. She also was known to stop at least once a bus ride to go to the bathroom in the place closest with a bathroom and big enough parking spaces.

    One day my school was having this huge, I mean it huge, school party at the near by park. This park is entered by going down a hill that curves down till you reach the bottom, where it runs parallel along the river. It was a big end of the year bash you know? The graduating class, that’s preparing to go to the high school, the class that will be the rulers of the school next year, and of course the kids that are no longer picked on cause they were new.

    Well back to my bus driver, she needed to go to the bathroom of course and we were already running late because of kids who got sick from eating so much candy. She ran to the bathroom and was in there for a while. Since I was so use to this by now, I was going to the high school next year, I just sat there and read. Everyone was talking and eating candy still. There were kids up front vomiting in the trashcan, everyone else was avoiding them like the plague.

    Soon we heard a scream come from outside, and in came a dark figure, he was wearing a black ski mask. Wait before I go on let me say how tacky those things are! Go buy something nicer, really.
    So where were we? Oh yes the scream, it came round about ten minutes later. The park was completely empty now, and it was getting dark, because of all the trees surrounding the park. So it was creepy enough just being there, but what happened next really wasn’t on my top list of 10 billion things to do that day. For a fact I’m sure no one wanted this to happen but it did.

    Mrs. Finkalbottom was dragged into the bus where all of us kids sat. The ski masked figure, once again the mask was lame, had this knife in front of her throat and told her to drive. She started the bus and began to go, being heroic she slammed on the brakes and the guy went flying. He didn’t stay down long enough for anyone to get away. The figure was soon up and cut her throat. I’m glad all the kids that had been vomiting were up front with their buckets, because they needed it. It was a terrible sight that I can’t imagine sharing with you how much blood came from her neck.

    Her body was slumped in the front seat next to poor Rich Michall, he was paler then ever. It made his blazing red hair stand out. He vomited in his bucket as her blood dripped on him.
    I swore right there and then that I would never ever complain about her driving again, she really wasn’t that bad; she gave us candy all the time. She let us do pretty much anything. Now she was gone, I didn’t know I could cry so hard in my life. I was sobbing like a baby in the back seat next to Rex Delly. He was pale but he put his arms around me and gave me a comforting hug. I had been crushing on this guy forever, would have been a better experience if this whole thing wasn’t going on.

    The guy turned off the radio and locked the door, he figured out how to get the big yellow machine moving, and we were on our way. The bus was silent as he drove, he didn’t say anything. I think he knew that we got the rules; be quiet, try to stop me you die, try to escape you die, and so much more. Pretty simple eh? Then why couldn’t I follow them? I pulled myself together and whispered in Rex’s ear.

    “We aren’t letting this happen, it’s him and a knife, and it’s like a hundred to one.” I whispered so softly I was wondering if he was exactly catching everything I was saying. Soon he nodded and broke out a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbled across the blank sheet.
    Ok guys, we can take this guy on. We are young, we are strong, and we are many. Everyone will stand up to this mad man. We will win our bus back and we will live.
    Rex Delly

    You have no idea how glad that make me to have him as my crush, I copied the note and signed my name and soon we had two notes flying about the bus. Since we were students we had some mad note passing skills. The guy never caught us, not even once. The notes were about halfway around the bus when he started to talk.

    “So kids, you think life is good right?” he laughed, it was soul chilling, “Or either that it was hard, with classes, getting good grades, or the girlfriend or boyfriend. You kids have it so simple! I was married, I had beautiful children. Soon that was out my front door just as fast as my money did. My wife took my kids after she found out that I have this itsy bitsy gambling problem. I lost my house, my job, my family, and everything. How does your life look now? HUH! It’s not hard is it, but I’ll make it hard. Why am I the only one to suffer? You will suffer with me, and I won’t be alone. Your bus driver won’t be lonely much longer either,” he ended his heart killing speech and pounded his fist on the wheel.

    I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t waiting for that to happen, so I waited for the notes to make it to the front seats before I stood.
    “What are you going to do to us?” I called from the back of the bus. Which wasn’t a bright idea, it seemed like it but it wasn’t. He slammed on the breaks and I flew forward and he was heading right at me as I was getting up.
    “What did you say?” he demanded.
    “I want to know, what are you going to do to us?” I spat in his face as I stood.
    “First I’m going to kill you, you little brat. Then I’m taking all these kids to my hiding place to have them write final letters to their parents. Finally I will kill every last one of them. The parents will know how it is to loose a child, and you will find out how unfair life is.” He seemed so smug with himself, that it made my stomach churn.

    I did a kick right into his family jewels, thank you lord for the amazing strength and courage you gave me, you have no idea how much it helped. He crumpled over, “What the hell, you – die – now.” His voice broke for breath, as he tried to stand. I did a high kick into his head and another kid pulled the knife from out of his hands.

    All of a sudden I was on his chest holding him down, Rex was sitting on his legs, and the Helmer twins were standing on his wrists.
    “Some one give me a sock!” I called out, this maniac was getting annoying.
    Soon I had my prize in my hand and I shoved it into his mouth. He squirmed under us, but our bodies held still, nothing could make us let go now.
    Rex called from behind me, “Someone get the radio on! Get us help!” Jenny got up to check the radio. She was shaking, pale, and she looked like she was going to vomit anytime soon. She still managed to get the bus manager on and the police on their way.
    Now all we had to do was hold him. It kept getting hard the more he moved and shook. James Bilig, the bully of the 6 graders, prepared a big swinging kick and aimed right at the guys head. Everyone stopped him; we couldn’t kill this guy with brain damage! James was known for his death kicks, just asked Bryan he won’t be able to have kids now, because of that one fateful soccer game.

    Everyone sat in their seats as Rex, the twins and I kept our posts keeping the guy in the ski mask on the ground. If you are wondering we never did take the guys mask off. I was afraid to see his face and have it burn into my memory. It was bad enough that Mrs. Finkalbottom would be in my memory forever as dead as dead could be, covered in the red blood.
    The cops found us somewhere near the warehouse he was taking us, it was near the ocean. It was salty smelling and I still can’t go there to this day. They threw the guy in the back of the cop car and said they would call us all in the morning, but of course after they wrote everyone’s names and numbers down. Irony, they took us home in a bus, and that was the last bus ride for some of my friends.