Storymania - Busback by Kendall Wilt

Busback
Kendall Wilt

   Our story starts with a short yellow bus with yelling kids and half bald tires. Our hero is Busback and he's on that bus right now. Sitting in a seat by himself, quietly picking his fingers in the air. The little girl in front of him moans softly to herself. The other kids are seemily locked into conversation but to listen in would be to confuse, my dear reader. You don't want to litsen to what they have to say, anyway. Our story is with Busback. I couldn't tell you why someone picked that name for him. My guess would be because...well he had a tattoo of a bus on his back. I'm kidding you reader, don't belive anything I say. Okay okay, I'll try to stop interupting whilst I tell you about our boy. Busback was a smart boy, he was the only one in his class who had ambition. He understood and won most of the games he played. He could count very well. He evan new a little math and he didn't need to use a calculator to get his answer. Busback could find his way around school by himself and he was never late. He was also quite the singer. A real ladies man. Most of the girls in his class would come up to him while he was singing and pull his shirt and run away. They turned thier heads and snickered when he spotted them. Busback knew jokes, he could make you laugh. I'm only telling you this because it's so hard to tell the rest of the story. Relish in the good times with me for a little bit, so sorry again guy. Okay, Busback was riding home on his little yellow bus, on the last day before summer. He had waited all year for his vacation to come. His parents were taking him to see the Grand Canyon and to his grandma's house, who lived in Oregon. Well, Enjoy the summer Busback.

   Two teachers confusingly clammer on about politics while munching on some summer school pizza. Eventually, one of them brings up an interesting political discussion. "Hey, have you heard about that new law the president is putting through congress. He feels no child should be left behind so he's trying to pass this, Forced to Learn bill." The first teacher asked and answered. The other teacher was puzzled, she had done her homework on school related political issues but had yet to hear of this one. The other Teacher went on. "He wants to intergrate special ed students into regular classrooms." "Well whats so different about that" ,the other teacher retorts, "I think it's a good idea. Maybe the students could be more productive in a high energy inviroment rather then being locked away in those portables all day." The first teacher interrupts to add " Well, the'll want us to design special assignments to directly involve them in classtime discussion and activity's". " How much more are we going to have to put up with. Our classrooms are already maxed out and now we have to spend extra time designing special assignments for these kids." The now irrate other teacher pleads. The first teacher agree's but looks for an explaination. "I think it's just a way the government can reduce school spending by getting rid of special ed departments. Special ed cost a lot of money these days. These kids need so much attention." "So why is that responsibility being put on us?" The pissed off teacher commands. "I dont' know Vikki, I dont know" Florence says.

   Busback's summer was an exceptional one. Today is the first day of school, my friend, the first long day of school. Poor Busback was late to class. He strolled in about 10 minutes late. The teacher was almost at the end of her welcome back speech. Silent snickers were heard at the back of the room, only this time they were not the snickers Busback liked. The looks on the normal peoples faces scared him. Since communication was not one of the things Busback did well, he started to hoart loudly. His arms started to tossle. His panic drew more attention in the classroom. Soon almost everyone was laughing, evan the teacher. That damn teacher, what was she thinking? She saw that in a little girls eyes right across from her, you know. The teacher immediatly quieted the kids. "Okay class, okay calm down." she pleads. Busback was still caulking and heghing in the front. Any response from the normal kids to stop was delayed by Busbacks loud, Heh Heh Heh. The teacher rushes over to Busback and sits him in a seat. He started to calm down but the class still chattered among themselve. The teacher patted him on the head and shhhhed him one last time. "Students this is Busback" she introduced. "He will be going to class with us. Some of you might have noticed that you will be in a portable during one of your periods this year. You will be sharing Busbacks home and he repects you so let's please respect him." Some of the older fellows really got a kick out of that one. They hoarted back at her and the teacher felt there was nothing really to say to that.

   School seemed to go on like this everyday. Busback was easily confused, trapped in the dense undergrowth of buzzing yackety students, he found it hard to navigate his way to class on time. Everyday he enters class and has an outburst. This was not becoming of young Busback. It was hard for him to make new friends. The girls no longer thought he was cute. The normal kids laughed at the Beatles sticker on his laptop. No on wanted to hear him sing. Come on, not one person wanted to hear him sing? Okay, Once again I'm sorry. I wasn't going to tell you but there was a girl who liked Busback. A very pretty, very normal girl. That sounds like a good thing, yeah, but the girl who liked him was Aaron Parker's girlfriend. Aaron, could have easily applyed for Commander of the S.S. had it still been an exceptable occupation. I think he's evan German. Good ole Aaron Didn't play football or lift heavy wieghts. He was an actor. A drama student. He was an entertainer, his job was to entertain.

   After school one day Aaron meets up with a few of the guys. They all have a good look at the cheerleaders doing dance routines across the field. It had been their favorite past time the year before. This year however, things had changed. The girls were no competition to the interest these boys had started to have in Busback. Today they waited for him to come walking out to see Erica. She and Busback had made plans to study afterschool. Erica was going to help him with his division. She had a few games lined up to, you know, help him remember what he learned a little better. Oh wait, I said that wrong. That's not what I meant. Their relationship was not at all like that. Busback had been raised with character. He was a proper gentleman. One of Busbacks favorite movies is the beginning of The Graduate. His mom hasn't allowed him to watch all of it. He was seriously just going to Erica's house to study. Busback was about to cross the field to see her, sometime within the next five minutes. The boys who were waiting for him, gathered together in thier perfect positions. They all laughed back and forth at each other. They all knew what was coming. This attack was not at all thought out by the gang. The gang, for all counts and purposes, was acting on the leadership of you know who, the funniest guy in school, Aaron "Eddie Murphey" Parker. Busback closed in on his appearence to them. The boys were giggling under their breathe like they had just heard some old lady fart in church. They almost gave themselves away as he enter the gate to cross the field. Patiently they reared themselves up and waited to pounce like the beasts they were. At the sound of a jackels loud hoot they all closed down on the unexspecting Busback. He gave chase but was forced down to the dirt by the wiley hyena's that tore and ripped at his clothes. Soon he was left naked at the steps of the approaching cheerleaders. Busback wanted to get to his feet but could only lay there. The animals that had attacked him were long gone. They had taken his clothes and left him trembling with fear. The cheerleaders finally made it to him, maybe they would help. They all knew who had done this. So they actually made themselves laugh as hard as they could. They all laughed harder to seem cooler. They had all gotten the joke. They were all cool because the joke was funny to them. Except Erica, she didn't get the joke. She didn't think it was funny but instead took her cheerleading skirt and top and gave it to Busback to cover up with. All the other cheerleaders stopped laughing. He turned his head and looked at Erica in her sweaty sports bra and leggings. Busback liked that.

  "Teachers we need to come up with a solution to all the problems we have been having with the integrated special needs kids. Does anyone have any suggestions?" Principle Banashiu asks questionably. "Parents if you have any input, any comments at this point we would likely be obliged." Banashiu scraches his head as the room stays silent. "Are there any parents of special needs children in here tonight?" No one answers. How could Busbacks parents not speek up? Well, they couldn't answer because they were not there. They didn't know about the meeting. They must have never gotten the E-mail Mrs. Vikki forgot to send out. Banashiu offers the question rephrased one last time and dismisses the issue. He continues on with a few more important subjects like Senior Prom and the basketball pep rally coming up. He raised everyone elses spirit a little and ends the meeting. He then has time to contemplate Busbacks dilema. He wondered what he could do to help. When he got home, his wife greeted him at the door. They kiss and she takes his coat and they both sit down to dinner. Banashiu's wife see's there is something on his mind so shes asks "Honey, are you okay?" Banashiu clears the look on his face and says, "Yes darling, I am okay. It's a young boy I'm worried about."

   Busback got home and his dad the heliarcer was in the garage heliarcing something. Busback went to walk right past, but his dad stops him. "Good day to you, my boy" he says. Busback looked at him with a plain face. "How you doing today? I don't hear you humming. Come on sing with me Busback, and that's the sooound, of silence." Busback was still motionless. At that piont the heliarcer knew something was wrong. He peered into Busbacks eyes. He could have never guessed what had happen earlier in the day. Would have never exspected it. And this, dear reader, is where it gets pretty bad.

   At lunch earlier today, the jackel and hyenas were all gathered together. Heckeling and hooting. Remeniscing over events past. Aaron really got them going when he brought the old Busback stories up. They all laughed together. Then another one would add another Busback story. Then they would all laugh again. Repetitivly until almost the sound of the bell for class. Aaron throws an idea out right before the end of lunch. "You know what we should do." He started to whisper. "We should" He kept interupting himself with laughter. "We should take this wrapper." One of the girls who had been sitting with them earlier pulled the top open of a candybar and slid the bar out. She wanted to offer the suggestion of a condom rolling up and down a hard chocolate penis as a joke. She ended up gobbling away the penis at the end. So of coarse it got a laugh from the guys. Aaron now played with that same used condom in his hand as he spilled out his plan. "We should take this wrapper and put a shit in it. Who wants to do it?" After Aaron saw the others enthusiasm he was enthraghled to do evan more. "Shit nevermind, I'll do it" he says before any of the others could claim it. Then they all rush off to the bathroom. Aaron made one of the other boys think he had a part in it by letting him widdle the shit down into the wrapper.

   It was almost the end of the year and Busback was seriously ready for summer. This year had been a rough one for him. So many new things he had to remember. He learned so much more about everything you could learn about. It has been tough buisness, exspecially with not being able to play many games to help him remember what he was learning about. He had to do it all on his own. Well, a little help help from Erica, but mostly on his own. Aaron really had no reason to care about the study time Erica and Busback had together but he did. It burned him up, it consumed him, it's all he ever really thought about anymore. Aaron still had to be able to make others laugh through his problem. So he always had to up the ante. He had to top all things done previously. He had to remain at the pennicle of all who laugh, the undisputed king of cool. He walked up to Busback with the shitbar in his hand. He draped one of his arms around Busback's back. Like they were long lost best friends. Busback immediately started to feel uneasy. His brain could not contemplate the jackels sudden change in action towards him. Aaron pulls out the bar and hands it to Busback who is surprised by its warmth. He feels the weight of the bar in his hand and that doesn't feel like a candybar either. Busback can see the top is open so he lifts it up to his nose to see if the smell seems right. He takes a big whiff of it and instanly starts to gag. The boys following him crank up the laughter as Busback try's to hack the stench out of his nose. He coughs and chokes and heeves. The boys start to loose thier breathe because they thought it was so funny. Busback finaly explodes vomit out all over the sidewalk. A big portion landing across Aarons fancy Timberland boots. Aaron refused to have the joke be put on him so he pulls Busbacks head down. He pushes his neck to his shins and orders Busback to "Quit wasting food" He commanded that Busback suck the chunks off of the tops of his shoes. Busback licked all he could off, and got up to one knee. He looked up at Aarons face and who was now laughing with the hyenas. The look Busback saw on Aarons face and the taste of the disgust in his mouth made him sick again and he uncontrolably projectiled chunks of puke into Aarons acctuated nutcracker mouth. Really the puke got all over Aaron but he was only pissed about it getting in his mouth. To make things worse Busback fell forward when he heeved. Using the hand he was holding the shitbar with to grab Aaron and catch himself. Busback didn't want the nasty melted chocolate on his hand so he rubbed it down Aarons shirt sleeve and all down Aarons arm. Aaron exploded on Busback and four manics jumped in to beat our poor boy to shreds.

   I forgot to mention one really important thing about Busback at the begining of our story. I guess I'll just let the heliarcer do it for me. Okay, when busback came home, the heliarcer didn't recognize something was wrong with his son. He could tell there was something but the tough leathery skin of Busback wasn't giving any clues to the beating it had taken earlier in the day. It wasn't Busback's pelt that had given him away it was the tear on the back of his shirt that buzzed the heliarcher to ask his son if he had gotten into a fight. Busback nodded. The heliarcer saw trace amounts of vomit on Busbacks shoes. "Has someone at school been fucking with you boy?" Busback told his dad yes. "Well don't you let them do it, damn it. If someones messing with you, do just what I taught you to do. Whip their fuckin ass." Busback didn't recognize all of the words his dad was using but he understood enough of them. He went up to his room and started to work the one hundred pound bag hanging from his celing.

   One time when Busback was a little kid, him and his dad went to a baseball game. They had been having a good time when "Glowing" Al Jackson of the Yankee's got hit with a pitch from Rodrigo "Eppy" Henandez from the Orioles. Glowing Al charged the mound. Eppi was a hard esse, so he responded. They met each other in the middle of the field, but before Glowing Al or Eppy could land a punch on each other, they were attacked by the benchs who had come on the field to protect thier honor. They spit tobacco. They threw punches. Some of them had bats a swinging. Black eyes, bruises, shin dents were all being portioned out to each other by the pulsing mob. As if this were not enough excitment, some one with an Oriales jacket jumps out of the crowd and starts to chuck baseballs at the Yankee brotherhood. Outraged Yank's of old and new storm the field to light this guy up. Oriale fans formed thier army and marched down to the battle. The women and children who were left behind in the stands bombed the mass with chewed up hotdogs, and five dollar cups of beer and burgars. Cheese nachos also made ecellent artillery. So, Busback and his dad were looking at all this nonsence going on around them. Angry fans started headhunting their way back up the stands and Busbacks dad saw there was no way to escape. He mutters, "All I wanted to do was take my damn kid to see a fucking baseball game" . As the swarm came closer Busbacks dad made the move. He kicked a chair until the metal around the bolts twists and melted off into sharp icesickles. He sliced and weilded the chair around at the angry fans. Smashing and bashing Yankees and Orioles alike. Busback admired the way his dad could take a guy out with a chair. His father, solely against the whole mass of assalients. He never tiered or let up until a few smartass's in the crowd realised that this man meant buisness. Small groups drifted away until the clump of heads were just the sick and dying. Busback's dad protected his son with a terrific rage until the last guy was on the ground convulsing and suffering from attack. Busback had never been so excited. He loved the way his dad had dodged and moved. He tried to bounce around a little himself. Then with the gentlness of cottonball's and Snuggle fabric softner, his dad picked him up and they went out for ice cream. His dad saying a couple of times along the way. "Man, they should have just let those two go at it, why did everyone and thier buddies jump in like that." Busback just sat with a permasmile while he was poking and picking cherries out of the air.

   Merrily the children walked to and fro. A singin and a dancin'. A laughing and a playin'. Mr. Banashiu casually walks along the cramped corridors searching for his office. When he finally busts through his door, he takes a much needed load off and decides on some paperwork. Getting board then with his paperwork, he leans back on his chair and has a look out the window. His eyes could be deciving him but he thinks he sees Busback stomping Aarons head into a sitting bench. He runs down stairs to check it out. Sure enough, Busback had badly beaten Aaron and his four buddies. Still alive but they could use some reconstuctive surgey. There were lots of other faculty standing around but they had been too scared to seperate such a beast from these boys. They had never seen the likes of such violence. Mr. Banashiu was also shocked completely stupid by the sight of all the blood and bits laying around. Busback just stood there, still with stained fists clinched. His nose was bleeding and one of the boys had poked his eye but he was looking very much like a hardened serial killer. Mr. Banashiu had wanted to help Busback at one time but was so scared of what the media was going to say about this school disaster, that he grappled Busback down to the ground. The other teachers then joined in to help him subdue Busback. Since it was the end of the day the faculty put Busback on his short bus and decided to deal with the problem tommorrow. Okay, so I aggerated a little about the damage Busback did in his fight. I told you not to listen to what I say. It doesn't matter if it would have been big enough for news stories, anyway. There would just be some revision put on the Forced to Learn bill. Sending Busback and all his friends back to the portables.

   Well, the next day Mr. Banashiu did in fact elect to put the special needs kids back in the portables, anyway. "He was able to convice the parents that evan though a kid at his school is in the Forced to Learn program, they can excel to higher standards in this school because we are able to give the kids the attention and understanding they need." Florence clammors. Vikki was happy to respond, " I'm just glad we don't have to have the burden of them being in our classes anymore". Florence smiles back at her then spills the terrific news. "Oh, some of us will still be teaching." Vikki sits her pizza down and her right eyebrow twitches a little bit. Florence continues." We still have to adhere to Forced to Learn rules. There will be a lottery between the lowest piad teachers to decide which three are going to teach the portables." Vikki panics quietly to herself. Florence steadily gossips, " I guess the school can't hire back the Special Ed department faculty, that would be breaking Forced to Learn rules." Vikki pulls her bangs and bounces her knee. "Florence, I'm am thee lowest paid teacher in the school." Florence just keeps smiling.

   Tina had been fighting with her ex husband about his drinking all night. She was actually afraid to go to sleep. When her husband finally tinkered out at 2:45 in the morning, she went into the medicaine cabinet and found some sleeping pills. She wanted to sleep for what was left of her night. She got as much sleep as she could but 8:30 is a hard start time when your comatose. Tina couldn't seem to pull her eyes open in the morning. They were bear traps and she was a submissive bear, curling up between the teethe, finding a spot to cozy up in. She drifted off over and over but her mind cracked the whip and kept reminding her of work. She needed to call in. She got up to her feet and went to the phone. When Tina lifted the reciever she remembered her husband had pulled the phone out of the wall to show off how he was a true jackass the night before. She couldn't call. Tina was so tired she wanted to go back to bed so bad, too late, already got shoes on, no turning back now, got to go to work.

   Busback and the heliarcer were set to go in and confrence with Mr.Banashiu. The heliarcer didn't really have to talk at all. Mr.Banashiu was all mouth. He started out by telling the heliarcer all about the stories he had heard from student assistants about what the kids were doing to Busback. He apologized about not helping. He said I'm sorry over and over for not being able to get to the root of the problem before it had to come to this. Mr.Banashiu went on with how he was amazed at how Busback handled the situation by himself. He told him about how it was five against one and he couln't believe Busback had beaten them so bad. Mr. Banashiu paused for the heliacers approval then went on again. " I do feel really bad about this though. I guess some of the parents are pretty mad about their sons getting beat up."" The mothers" the heliarcer interupted. "Yes, they called me all night last night at home wanting to know how to contact you" Banashiu said "and there was going to be this and there was going to be that. I just told them that I would handle it. So Busback, your suspended for the final nine days of school. You can finish out today to say goodbye to your teachers but you gotta go. Have a nice summer young man." The heliacher askes why the principle had let them off so loosely. The principle replied. "God make us all with disabilities. Through all the things that are wrong with us though, some of us are still able to find the blessings he has given us." With that the heliarcer and Busback were excused.

   Later that day, Erica finds Busback greeting and grinning in the hallway, on the way to his bus. "Busback...I heard you got suspended for fighting Aaron and them yesterday." Erica says while she rubs him on the sholder. " Well, I don't want to not see you anymore. I like you Busback. Hey let me get my things. Come back to my house with me." Busback followed right behind her and she drove them back to her house. Later that night while all the country folk were gathered round the radio, a news flash beakons out. "Sad news tonight as we are now hearing of a Landard county bus driver fatally injured in a crash on Old Shephards Hill." News news news. Commercial commercial commercial.

   Tina drove the short bus that Busback usually rode on. She was always sharp on the road. Today though, with many of her kids on early vacation and staying after school for end of the year projects her bus was almost empty. When Tina finished dropping off what kids she had, she decided to keep on her route past Busbacks house. She was tiered, man. If she could just make it a little farther she would be home. Tina accelerates the bus up Old Shepards Hill. She made it to the top but when she started going back down the hill she applied brake. The tires on the bus had been passed up by the bus mechanics as they too had lower budgets and had to let a little more than usual slide. The tires that were half bald a year ago had become completly worn down. With brakes applied the already stressed rubber of the tire disentigrates unto the pavement. A powerful boom kickes the bus over the curb, bursting the other tires on the back. The tourque from the jolt pulled the wheel right out of Tina's hand. She flipped. The bus smashed it's way through two trees that were standing side by side. The Bus rolled down the mountian side coming apart at the rivets. Shreds of bus scattered the hillside like industial confetti. The contents of the bus were slung out and battered against rocks jutting out of the ground. When the rolling heap finally came to a stop, nothing was recognizable. All the seats were dug into the ground, rims on the axels still spinning. Tina found the rest she was looking for. Busback was at Ericas house and they had just happened to be singing. "Hello darkness my old friend. Ive come talk with you again. Because a visions soooftly creeping. Left it's seeds while I was sleeeeping.And the vision that was planted in my brain. Still remains.Within the sooooounds of silence."