>>> Are We There Yet? -The Bus Ride-

[Daphne Hayes]

Daphne brought out her now empty Starbucks cup. Daphne nodded with Anne's logic of the axe murder, "Yeah, all we need is to wear some white wife-beater to complete the 'heroine' look. That way when it rains or we fall in water, our tits show," she said. Which was true. Daphne had always been a fan of being scared and she caught on about a year ago that all the major heroines in horror movies wore wifebeaters and jeans. In Wrong Turn Eliza Dushku took on the roll of the wife-beater. During House Of Wax Elisha Cuthbert changed into her brothers' (which Daphne found werid), and who could forget Jessica Biel in Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Yes, all those younf women wore wife-beaters. Funny how Hollywood did that. Not thinking people wouldn't catch on.

Kids littered the lot as Daphne entered the gas station. She went to the beverages first and grabbed out some Dasani Lemoned flavored water. Her favorite of course. Then she started walking past the food section. The hotdogs looked like they were twirling on that wheeling thing for the past six months, and the pizza looked like one big grease ball on rubber.
Ew.
Daphne decided that maybe the packaged brands would be the safest way to go, so she grabbed some sour skittles and chex mix and went to go pay to the owner.

The owner. Ew. Looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks and he must have been asleep when they decided that 'plaid' was so out. She quickly paid as he just stared goofily at her and all the other people. Behold...their axe murderer. She grabbed her stuff before hurrying out of the station to meet back up with Anne who was heading back to the bus. "I hope I never have to expeirence that again. Even Valkyrie's is nicer than that," she told Anne remembering the small diner/gas station located on the way out of town, towards Los Angeles.

She climbed back on the bus, her refreshments in hand.

[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[skyehanson]

Lance laughed about Riley's comparing Valkyrie to Los Angeles. Then the announcement came on for a pitstop. He jumped up quickly. "Finally!" He ran out of the bus and stretched himself out before running to a bench and laying down. Then he realized that leaving Riley like that was rude, but he knew he could apologize later. He didn't want to get back on the God-forsaken bus until he absolutely had to. And for him, that time was when the bus engine was getting revved up and the doors were about to close.

***

Jake got out of the bus and looked for Nikki. Where could she have possibly gotten to? He spotted her with her sister and a smile came across his face. He ran to her and grabbed her hand. "Did you miss me?" He smiled down at her, then looked at her sister curiously. "And I think you need to start the introductions. I don't know who your sister is." He was excited to meet some of Nikki's family, especially now that he got to be with her out of Valkyrie for four days. And best of all, they were going to Vegas! He couldn't wait to arrive in the town where neon lights are the midnight sun.

***

Skye walked out of the bus and yawned. She couldn't believe she had just slept for so long. She looked around and decided that this definitely wasn't Vegas. She had never been there, and she had no idea what it was like. However, people had said it was filled with bright lights, and was large and very crowded. This place only fit into the last category. Valkyrie students were crawling all over, but it was small and dark. She went into the gas station and looked around at the stuff. She felt like barfing the moment she entered, but she resisted the temptation. Instead, she went and got herself a water bottle and threw a five dollar bill at the owner. "Keep the change." That was all she said and walked right out. She was hoping to catch one of her friends here, but it didn't seem likely. There were so many Valkyrie students, that it was impossible for her to tell who was where.

[Jason Lévesque]

Jason Lévesque was no god damn dream therapist, nor did spend one ounce of his teenage life contemplating the world's interesting facts. But as he stamped his cigarette in the ground and chewed on the Dorito to cover up his breath from the chaperons, he couldn't help but think about Anne & Daphne. Why were they in his dreams? Sure, he had dreams of hott girls, but he never, and he meant this, ever would he consider his sister anything of the kind - no matter what the guys said in the lockeroom. As for Daphne, well, yeah she was, but he'd never even had a conversation with her. Why was she crying in his dream? It seemed like Ms. Hayes was almost invading his private dream space. Now if she was wearing a bikini, or nothing at all, well then maybe his dream would be back to normal.

"Since when do I like fucking Doritos?" Jason asked himself, as he simply threw the bag away in the dumpster he was standing next to. From this far of a distance, he could still see his sister stalking away with Daphne, probably gossiping about god knows what. Why these girls? There were other hott girls on the bus as well; Ashley, although that sounded weird for she was almost like a second sister, Amanda, Charlie, Bridget, Haley, Kelsey - the list could go on. He just had to have a dream with his sister and her best friend?! And sadly, it wasn't as dirty as it sounded. He was grumpy, once again as he made his way over to the bus, now only smelling a little less of his cigarette smoke, but having an excuse on the dumpster smell and the Doritos. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked back to his seat, keeping the most absurd no eye contact from his sister and Daphne as he could, whom were sitting together.

"Vegas. Vegas." Jason told himself, as he took a long, lingering sip of his Monster, making sure he would NOT be sleeping for the next two days.

[/color][/blockquote]

[leslie]

Ben jumped as Laura tapped on his head, having been in a light doze and not noticed the bus stopping. Raking a hand through his hair, he yawned and looked up to see Laura looking at him. He stretched his arms out to the side and yawned, looking out the window at the gas station before answering. “I am now.” He said with a small chuckle, standing up and waiting for both Faden and Laura before getting off the bus to go get something to eat.

A few minutes later, he was back on the bus, Dr Pepper and a box of Nerds in his hand. He’d pondered getting Skittles, just to taunt Laura a little, but decided against it. To him, things were already a little weird between them.

Sitting back in his seat, Ben stretched his legs out sideways, as no one was sitting next to him and he figured Laura would want to sit next to Faden on the way there. After all, she had slept on his shoulder. Cracking open his drink, he took a sip and settled back.[/color]

[faden]

Laura and Faden followed Ben off the bus. they separated for a few moments. Laura, not a premadonna at all, would not sit on a public toilet, gross. Men were lucky they got to stand. So as Faden went to the bathroom she bought two drinks, a grape soda for Faden and a simple bottled water for her, she was kind of tired, sleeping on the bus would be nice. But until she fell asleep she did want something to snack on. She went right to the Candy and got some Skittles when Faden joined her.

"Taste the rainbow?" He asked plainly.

Laura nodded, "Yeah, you want anything?" She offered.

"Yes, but i'll buy my stuff. You already force paid my ticket." He said grabbing a mini pack of oreo's and getting in line to buy the stuff.

Laura shrugged with a little grin, handing him his soda and getting in line right behind him. "Well, my dad's an Ass with money that I can take freely. You on the other hand work your ass off, you deserve a treat everyonce and a while. Even Arthur needed help sometimes." She said as they both finsihed purchasing their things. They both headed back for the bus.

"Help yes, money no" Faden replied as they climbed the steps of the bus.

Laura followed, "Faden, that's not fair, he was King, what do you expect?" Faden just rolled his eyes and smiled, sliding into the window seat. As Laura walked by she saw Ben was eating Nerds. She held up her Skittles, "Well well well aren't we habitual." She said with a smirk referring to the fact they both had gotton the candies they had mentioned in the theatre.

[Reed Turner]

"I can't see you getting married," he told her with a smirk as she reopened her eyes. "But, wouldn't that be wild if someone in this bus got married?" he looked around as if to try and spot someone. "Maybe my brother will end up getting hitched or something. I can see him getting married to like a showgirl or something. He would do something drastic like that. And we couldn't say anything since he's older. But, I wonder how we would react if we knew someone who was getting married."

They passed Riley he stopped and said, "Oh Ry, this is Ashley Adams." Reed had been telling Riley so much about her that he never got to introduce the two. "Ash, this is my brother Riley."
Riley looked up from his book to see his brother and Ashley looking at him. His face broke into a warm smile, "Ashley. So good to finally meet you," Riley said, extending his hand to the girl. "So, did you want anything?" Reed asked him. "Naw," Riley replied, "I'm good but thanks."

"Ok, what do you want?" Reed asked her as they entered the gas station together. He wasn't very hungry but he was thristy so he got some pop, and waited for Ashley to get what she wanted. While he waited, he added cigarettes to the mix. Who knew if the prices were going to be higher in Vegas. Might as well get a pack here now.

[[I can't believe this sucks this much. >.<
Let me die of humilty now.... -.-]]

[/color][/blockquote]

[xmindfreak]

<sub>Why had he even signed up for this stupid trip anyways? Spending day after day in Las Vegas, Nevada usually meant interest and excitement for other high school students. But, no, not for Blake. It just gave him an excuse to get out of the house for a few days and explore a city he’d never been to before. That, and some time to spend by himself to think about things. This had been consuming his mind for the past few days. Oh, the irony…why was he thinking about why he was thinking so much? Now, that’s just confusing. Damn it.

His pale cheek melted against the window of the bus, his lithe frame curled up in a seat near the back of the bus. He hadn’t even bothered to get off the vehicle at the rest stop; what was the point? His legs were asleep, his hands ached from being on his lap for so long, and his face was probably welded against the glass pane he had been leaning against for the past few hours. The denim covering his long legs wrinkled and damp from sweat, Blake still kept his knees leaning against the back of the seat in front of him, his posture slumped low in the chair. Black ear buds secured loosely in his ears, he absentmindedly let his left thumb scroll the wheelie thing on his iPod to another song. Ah, the joys of being a spoiled, rich kid. Letting his hand grip the smooth surface of the nano’s black surface, he traced the “8 GB” logo on the back. Again, why was he even here?

He didn’t belong here. He didn’t like it here. Everyone else seemed so secure and happy, to a point. They seemed so confident and sure of their places in the twisted world of the Academy. He, on the other hand, did not. He felt the cruel glares from the walls of the school, and even this bus. The unwelcoming feeling of the fabric under his body. The self-conscious way his white and maroon Pumas tapped occasionally against the ground.

Turning the volume way up, probably so the people around him could clearly hear the music, the English magician shifted his position, continuing to stare at the crowded gas station. Some sort of loud rap music in German blaring in his ears, he continued to stare into space. Why was he even here?

|ooc| Yeah, the king of bad and short intros. I was lost >_<.</sub>

[faith]

"I could see myself getting married. Not in Vegas though. Never. Thats just not me. Its not...classy, I guess" Ashley responded. "Oh. I would just love if somebody on here got married. Once I found out, I could see myself sitting on my bed, rocking back and forth, laughing hysterically." Ashley said with a giggle. "Well, if hes anything like you, then, theres a chance he might get married in Vegas" Ashley teased. "But. I'm guessing that if anyone got married, it would be Amanda and Josh. I mean, I know she likes my brother, but dude, she's a wild cat, I could see her pulling of some shit like that" ashley laughed. She could picture the out burst if something like that happened. Joey would probably end up slamming Josh's head in. Which. Quite frankly, wouldnt be to good, but it would make for a great hunk of drama. And. A great story to tell everyone who hadent gone to Vegas. "It depends on who got married. If you did, Id flip out, if Anne did, Id be completely shocked, if Amanda did, Id be cracking up laughing. It all depends. Im sure you feel the same"

Ashley smiled. So. This was the brother that Reed was so fond of. She caught herself thinking about how hott Riley was, but, one glance at Reed took those thoughts away. Ashley placed her hand in his. "Its a pleasure to meet Reeds 'perfect brother', he talks about you often," Ashley whispered. She didnt like to talk to load in front of groups of people, expesially when first meeting someone. As Reed and Riley finished their short little chat. Ashley nodded towards Riley. "Again. It was a pleasure" And with that Ashley ran after Reed, and grabbed onto his arm, following him off the bus.

"I want..." Ashey said, her voice trailing off as she began to look around the gas station a little bit. The first thing she grabbed was a bottle of 50 cent Arizonia Iced Tea, with Raspberry Flavor. And then she grabbed a bag of Potato Chips. She ran up next to Reed. "Im getting Iced Tea, and chips. The perfect snack, ever" Ashley laughed. As they approched the counter Ashley took out a 5 dollar bill, and two ones. WHich, would definatly be enough to cover the cost of everything. Before Reed could protest, she laid the money on the table. As she did, she looked up at him with a little smirk. "Its on me"

[Anne Lévesque]

Anne turned over her shoulder to see if any of her friends were also getting back on the bus, having seen Bridget already get on a couple moments ago, and saw Daphne catch up with her. Anne slowed her pace and stood in front of the bus, waiting for her friend whom was holding candy and a Dasani water. Anne had lost her love for Dasani a while back when she read that in the ingredients there was salt. Damn cocoa-cola company. She nodded as she started up the steps into now what seemed ten times better than what every student had to experience. The gas station was a nightmare. As Anne fiddled with her muffin, 'Saab' blanket and Tab energy drink, she nodded when she finally reached the top step.

"I promise you. If we ever do that again, I'm protesting to the board of administrations. I wouldn't be surprised if there were diseases on that check out counter." Anne said not so sarcastically, pretty serious actually, as she made her way to her and Daphne's seats. Except this time Anne stole Daphne's chair next to the window. She was tired and needed her beauty sleep if they were planning on going clubbing tonight. And the energy drink? As unhealthy as it sounded, it was for when she was to wake up and have her energy totally restored by taking a simple sip. It couldn't be sane, but it was the only way to make it work. And now, thankfully, she had her blue blanket. Which, was kind of creepy, she saw that her brother had the same one. No wonder why the store employee chuckled. Like brother like sister. Except Jason wasn't wearing shorts, so what was his problem?

"So, going candy crazy, are we?" Anne asked, not mentioning that she had not so sneakily switched seats with Daphne and started tearing off the plastic of the blanket. She then set down the tray and lay her Tab energy drink & muffin on top of it. No cup holders though. First no cup holders, and now they made them go into a disease infested place they called a gas station? Anne was serious when she said she'd complain. And her complaint, if any, would be a nasty one. But, at the moment, the site of the setting sun over the desert, as cliche as it sounded, really was beautiful. Not like Anne would ever move out here or anything. Hah, over her dead body.

[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[chloe]

Chloe closed her eyes tight shortly after opening them, trying to lure the sleep back. As she soon found out, her attempt failed and she was just as awake as she was when she boarded the bus. Which sucked, seeing as when she was awake with nothing to do, Chloe tended to think. That might not seem so bad, but when you have nothing to think about but things you don't want to think about, it doesn't put anyone in a very good mood. Chloe shook her head. She wasn't in the mood for thinking, she was in the mood for getting to Las Vegas and to finally unwind.

Chloe laid her head against the window, listening to the chatter of others. Moments ago, she was glad to be in the USA, but she suddenly felt a pang of homesickness. At least back in England, she had things to keep her busy. She twirled a piece of blonde hair around her finger absentmindedly, and turned again to stare out the window. How much longer? She had to have slept through the pit stop, seeing as her leg was asleep and her neck was getting a cramp, a sure sign that they had been on the bus a long time. Or maybe she didn't miss it, seeing as some people were getting off the bus. Was she losing her mind?

It wouldn't be so bad if she had someone to talk to. But right then, all she had were her thoughts to console her...which weren't very consoling at all. And what was that? Was someone speaking German? Chloe groaned softly to herself. She really was going crazy.

[[Ugh, horr-i-ble!]]

[kelseylewington]

Hearing the announcement that the bus was leaving, Kelsey followed Luke and the girl she presumed to be Emilia onto the bus. She knew vaguely of Luke’s plan to transform the homely sophomore into one of the popular kids. It was like that movie she loved so much, except she had yet to realize she was playing the role of the bitchy girlfriend. However this weekend, that was not the role Kelsey wanted to play. No, all she wanted was to get wasted and spend time with her boyfriend. She sat down next to the window seat, taking off her jacket and placing it overtop of her bag which lay by her feet. She nodded at Luke’s drunk comment, signalling that she most definitely wanted to do the same. ”All I can think about now is how bad my head’s gunna hurt in the morning, and well on Monday cause of how effing wasted I’m gunna be the whole time,” she replied, moving around in her seat in an effort to get comfortable. All she planned to do was drink and then shop off her hangovers, she was technically on vacation after all, what do you expect.

She nodded politely in Emilia’s direction and smiled. “Nice to finally meet you, Kelsey. I’ve heard a lot about you.” ”Oh, well it’s nice to meet you too,”

[/color] Kelsey knew very little of Emilia and was just meeting her for the first time, she did however know that she was Luke’s friend and that he was planning to help her out in Vegas. Fine, whatever, Kelsey could deal with sharing… for a little while at least, but there was no way she was going to sit on the sidelines while the two went for make-overs and drinking lessons. Nuh-uh, over her dead body.

She glanced Emilia over from across the aisle, and didn’t know what to think of her . She was cute, sure, and pretty. She also looked so… innocent. Like every girl did before they entered the drama of high school with all their new found freedom, however she was much older then that, not by much, but still, that Kelsey could tell. Sitting back in her seat, she decided to forget about it, how could Luke spend all his time with someone like Emilia when he had someone like Kelsey more then willing? She leaned back and stared at the passing scenery out the window and pushed the thoughts from her mind. No sense in thinking something into a bad idea when nothing had yet to happen. Vegas was going to be a good time, Kelsey was going to make sure of that.

AT THE STOP

Kelsey had faded in and out of conversation with the two, even falling asleep at one point and was extremely grateful when she felt the large bus come to a halt and opened her eyes to see a gas station. Oh, god, did she have to pee. Gas station bathrooms were never clean, but right now she hardly even cared.

”Oh, thank god,”[/color] she breathed out loud, moving in her seat as if to get up. ”This bus is killing me. Fresh air would be really good about now,”[/color] she stood up as best she could without hitting her head off the roof, and stretched her arms. She shimmied her way past Luke and stood in the aisle way, turning to both of them. ”You guys coming?”[/color] And with that she turned around and walked towards the exit of the bus, hardly waiting for the two of them to catch up, because, well, the girl has to pee.[/size][/color][/blockquote]

[xmindfreak]

<sub>Well, there was something to do other than stare mindlessly out the window at some never-moving gas station. He could people watch. You see, the English male found these Americans to be rather amusing at times. With their non-stop gossip and strange obsession with appearances, it was similar to London, yes, but not quite. At least the girls in London screeched at each other over more interesting topics than whether Sarah was pregnant or why Jackie was wearing such a short skirt. Not much more interesting, but more so than this.

Letting one of his long, thin fingers extend from his left hand and tap lightly on his knee to the beat of his loud, angry music, Blake turned his bi-colored eyes to look at the people on the bus. It was more exciting than a gas station anyways. Hmm, well, he could already tell someone was crushing on someone else…this could be amusing. Smirking quietly to himself, he pushed his long, thin body up from his far-back seat and stood at the side of Jason's seat. Pulling one of the ear buds from his ear, gently tugging on the 'Mindfreak' "A" stud on his lobe, Blake fell to his knees. "So, does she know yet?" Raising his peirced eyebrow at the stranger, he felt a strange sense of adrenaline steaming inside of his body. Why the hell did he do that? WHY?! Blake Lucas NEVER talks to people he doesn't know. It's just not done...yet, he had done this? Maybe because the thought of not even being near California would help. Yes, that must be it.</sub>

[elliotdavis]

As the bus rolled along Elliot felt himself falling into place more and more with Claire. They seemed to click so well with their similar attitudes and interests. They talked about random things, branching off to create several inside jokes and moments were neither could catch their breath due to laughing. It was sweet really how great they got along, and Elliot couldn’t help but feel grateful he had come along. And hell, it was only a couple hours into the bus ride. Eventually however they had calmed down and Claire had fallen asleep. He had tried to follow suit but found it hard, and dug out his iPod. Claire’s head fell onto his shoulder and he did nothing to try and relocate it.

Sighing, he laid his head on hers for a little bit, closing his eyes, hoping sleep would come, but it didn’t and he lay there awake, thinking about how much he wanted things to be this way always. Glancing out the window he watched as the bus turned off into a rest station and breathed a sigh of relief. Long bus rides were hell, and his legs were feeling it. He took the headphones out of his ears, and nudged Claire, a smile on his face.

”Hey, we’ve stopped,” he was trying to wake her gently and kept his voice somewhat low. ”Time for a pee break. And I really want some smarties,”

[/color] he added, waiting for her to awake so they could leave the bus together. [/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Daphne Hayes]

He nodded at the reasoning. "And I think if you got married, I would have to be pissed too," he told her. He laughed at the comment of Amanda and Josh. "You know, that would be funny. I've known Amanda for awhile, and actually I couldn't determine if if I could see her getting married in Vegas or not."

"Oh," Riley said, "I've probably heard more about you than you have of me. But, yes, what a pleasure to finally meet you," Riley said, and Reed glared at him. God, he was acting so...parent-ish. As is he was meeting a girlfriend for the very first time. Which would end in asking her what political party she was, or something totally random like that. So, to avoid a conversation like that, he directed Ashley out of the bus.

Reed saw Ashley put some money down but before the grubby cashier could get his meaty paws on them he grabbed it quickly and laid a twenty on the table and gave back Ashley her bills, "I guess I am a sucker for chivalry," he said with a shrug as he saw the cashier scoff and him. All Reed could do was give a glare before stuffing the change back in his wallet. He took the things they bought and gave what Ashley got to her. "This will get us through to Vegas," Reed said as he slung an arm around her shoulder, looking for any Joey spottings. Not that the action would change his mind. Just to have a little innocent fun before they entered the City of Sin.

---

Daphne listened to Anne's complaint as they boarded the bus again and sat down in their seat (which they had switch). "That entire place was a disease-infested place, did you see the cashier. Ew," was all she could use to describe the cashier who was probably still goofily looking at all the other students, "I'm sure he got his jollies for the night." she looked around the bus to see more kids coming back in, reminding her of earlier that afternoon when they all were entering the bus for the first time.

She opened up her skittles. "Yeah. Something has got to keep me on a sugar high for the next several hours. I say the moment we hit Las Vegas, the party will begin. Vegas, here we come," she said and popped some skittles in her mouth, the sourness seeping through the smal candy and onto her tastebuds. "Can you imagine," she continued, "that we are only a few hours away from the time of your lives?" she looked off out the window, like Anne was at the setting sun, quickly setting. She never actually appreciated the sun sets. Not that much man people did in Valkyrie, to busy with their own lives. The again, she was never much of a fan for sun rises either since her and Josh first confessed their infatuation with each other one morning when the sun was rising.

---

"Ok, ladies and gentleman, we should probably start heading back over here. We'll be taking off in a few moments. Our next stop: Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las, Vegas!!

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Jason Lévesque]

As Jason looked out the window, the last of the students clambering onto the bus, still a lot more lingering, he stared at the sunset. It was turning an orange, yellow and a hint of blue. A normal person would find it an 'amazing' site. But no. Jason liked rain. He hated the sunlight. It was almost like he was a vampire most of the time. Reason being why he wanted to piss his parents off and go to Oxford in England when he graduated. He shook his head as he turned back to his Monster, which was sitting upright on his tray and opened it with the tap. It fizzed a little, as Jason started to drink it immediately. Not many people knew this, but Jason was a fan of the fizz, foam and spraying kind of things. He never knew why, but it always gave more 'zang' to the beverage. As he swallowed the pure energy drink, which could probably give him cancer in years to come, he saw a stranger crouch next to him.

Who the hell are you? Jason thought as he listened closely to what the guy said. Might as well, seeing as though he was boring himself to death. But, in all honesty, it sounded like this guy was mistaking Jason for someone else. What? No way. No one could mistake me. I'm fucking original. Jason told himself, giving himself some self esteem and then trying to figure it out. Did she know yet? Wait a second. Which two girls had he been staring at? Anne and Daphne? Oh hell no. That was sick. Would people think he was actually in love with Daphne? Or the worst, his own sister, Anne? Fuck. He got himself into this mess, might as well get out of it. He readjusted his position.

"Well unless you mean my sister, I god hope that she doesn't know I'm picturing her best friend naked." Jason said, obviously lying through his teeth with a hunk of rude sarcasm. He planned on scaring this guy away before he got nasty. He took another hallow sip. He didn't have time for wack jobs like these, who thought they could read people's faces. Hadn't he already thought about this before? Yes. Chase Stillings had 'read Jason's face' before they left. Did Jason really have that good of emotional expressions. He prayed to god he didn't. That would cause pre mature wrinkles.

[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]