4:44

“Mommy, why don’t you ever pick Joe and I up from school?” Eric asked. “I hate riding the bus!”
“Eric, you know I work every day until five o’clock and you get out of school at four thirty. Sorry Eric maybe on Friday I can get your Dad to pick you and Joe up from school.”
Eric headed upstairs where the bathroom was located and began to get ready for bed. “Mom, I can’t find my toothbrush.” “It’s not in my drawer.” He said.
“Check in my bathroom, you came and brushed your teeth with me this morning, remember?”
“I found it, thanks Mom.” Eric continued to get ready and the last thing he did was put his pajamas on.
Lying in bed he couldn't imagine the clock being able to move any slower. Every time he opened his eyes it had only moved one minute. He couldn't go to sleep. His mind wandered in every which way. Thinking about school, the bus ride, then to the song that was stuck in his head all day from music class. There was too much to think about and not enough time in the night to think about it. He knew he had to go to bed though, he had a big math test in the morning and he wanted to do well.
Eric finally drifted off to sleep, his eyes to weak and too tired to open up once more. The hours raced by like two little kids racing each other when a pair of eyes weren't set on the alarm clock. The sun came up, and before he knew it his alarm clock would go off and it would be time to start his daily schedule again. He got up with the sun and began to get ready. Getting dressed, brushing his hair, brushing his teeth, and eating breakfast, he was soon ready to get in the car to drive to school. His mom followed behind him, they got in the car and headed to school.
Arriving at the familiar building where the color of green, purple, and gold served as the trim and a cream brick layered the walls he was glad to be back with his friends. His mom pulled around to the drop off line and let him out.
“I love you Eric!” “Have a great day and I will see you when I get home.”
“Ok mom.” “I love you too!”
He walked along the sidewalk where little pieces of forgotten grass were trying to come up and grow again. He finally reached the school doors and headed to the fifth grade hallway where his locker stood outside his classroom.
He unpacked his backpack and went inside the classroom.
Sitting at his desk, he waited anxiously for the teacher to start the day so he could get his test over with. The bell soon rang and every one was in their seats.
“Good Morning” she said in a bright and happy tone. Some kids who were
interested in school replied back, the others sat there in misery. She handed the tests out and she told the kids they could begin. Eric couldn’t wait to get his test over with. After a half-an-hour the test was done and Eric could finally breathe again. Before he knew it the school day was almost over and it was time to go home. He went out to gather his belongings from his locker and he went back inside the classroom. He packed all of his stuff and then the bell rang. He couldn’t wait to go home and watch TV with Morgan. He headed to the bus when a kid a year older than him stuck his foot out and tripped him. He fell to the floor and his Velcro on his lunch box unfastened and his leftovers from lunch spilled everywhere. He quickly got up and tried very hard not to cry. He hated how no one was ever around when he got bullied. How could he ever have proof to tell someone about it. Only the kids that were to shy to stand up for someone else or the kids that liked to watch kids get bullied were ever around. He wasn’t physically hurt but he was mentally hurt. He went to go pick up his remainders of lunch when a girl in his class stopped to help him.
“Are you okay?” she said.
“Ya, just a little embarrassed,” he answered. Together they finished picking up all of his stuff. He said thank you again and scurried to the bus. The bus finally reached his house and he quickly and happily got off the bus.
He ran inside and was glad he wasn't in public anymore. He hated to be the one that got picked on at school. Why didn't anybody like him?, he would ask repeatedly in his head.


He walked into the family room where his babysitter always sat watching TV while she was waiting for Eric to come home. Joe would be home in ten minutes and together they would eat a snack before it was homework time.
“Hey Eric, do you want to watch some TV with me before your brother gets home?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”
“What channel do you want to watch?”
“Um, it doesn't matter to me.”
She found a channel that she thought he would like and together they sat watching television until 4:45. A minute before Joe would arrive, at 4:44, Morgan and Eric headed out to the end of the driveway to wait for Joe. They could nearly see the bus coming around the corner the way it always did every afternoon. Eric jumping up and down waving to Joe in the second seat, the bus never stopped. The bus driver was different this time though. Now a man with an unshaven beard seemed to appear familiar but untold where from. He remained a straight face and kept driving.
“Joe!” Eric shouted. “Morgan, where is the bus driver taking him?”
“I don’t know but get in the car and let me lock up the house and get the keys.” “We will find Joe.” Morgan said. “I promise.”

Opening the door to the new white Tahoe Morgan got for her birthday; I was excited to be riding in it for the first time. It had a fresh scent of new carpet and material. She opened the door and jumped in.

“Is your seatbelt on?”

“Yup!”

She soon fastened her own and we were on our way.


Together they kept a close eye on where the bus was headed. If he wasn’t taking the kids to their homes, where was he taking them? Eric was very nervous. He kept hoping that the bus would stop and he would let off the kids, but it never happened. Eric loved his little brother and would never want to lose him.


“Morgan, I don’t think the bus is ever going to stop.” “We will never get Joe back,” Eric said almost about to cry.


After chasing the bus around for twenty minutes, it finally came to a sudden stop. The old and familiar man got off the bus. He looked at the car and ran the other way into the woods and out of sight. Together they got out of the car and observed to see if the man was anywhere nearby. Morgan was confused but yet she didn’t want to say anything out loud because she didn’t want to worry Eric any more than he already was. You could see all of the kids with confused looks on their faces. Their little heads peeping out of the window to see where unknown bus driver had disappeared to. Joe who realized we were following them came to the back of the bus where the emergency exit was.


“Morgan, he locked the door when he ran away, we can’t get off.”


“Don’t worry Joe, we will get you all off and take you to your homes.”


Brainstorming, Morgan was trying to think of the best way to get all of the kids off.


“I got it.” Eric said. “We can find a big rock and then I will tell all of the kids to go in the front and to crouch behind the seats and then you can throw it and then the door will break without the sound going off.” “That way the man won’t hear the alarm going off and come back to see what was happening.”
Running around every patch of land that was there, I was trying to find a rock. I couldn’t believe all that had happened in the last twenty minutes. Where’d this man even disappear to? Was he watching us from behind a tree trunk? I wanted to be home with Joe and Eric eating a snack. I couldn’t manage to find one big enough to be able to break a window but I wouldn’t give up, just for Eric. I knew how much he loved his brother and I promised him we would get Joe back. My skirt flying in the air, maintaining my hope to find a rock, I still kept looking. I didn’t feel safe here. I knew we were being watched but I didn’t say anything.

“I found one!” Eric said

“You did?” “Let me see!” “Who-hooooo, Eric found a rock” “Good job Eric lets head on over to the bus.” “Ok now stand back!” Playing softball all through my middle and high school years I had a pretty good throw and a pretty exact aim. Flying threw the air it landed and hit the window right in the middle and the whole window on the door shattered. I yelled to the kids the avoid steeping on any glass as possible. One by one Eric and I helped the kids down and soon they were all out safe and sound. I knew the kids were hot from the bus with no air on so I told them we would walk to find a big shady tree to sit on. I led them the opposite way of the woods to get out of there and so that they could feel safer.
Morgan asked any of the kids if they knew their parents phone number so she could call them. A couple of kids knew and she called them and told them the whole situation and the parents came and took a couple of kids home each. After waiting for ten minutes there were only three kids left. Joe, Joe’s friend, and a girl in Joe’s class. Morgan called the other kids parents and asked if it was okay if she brought them home. They all were ok with it and she took the other kids home and then headed to Eric and Joe’s home.
In the car ride home it was quiet. Everyone was so tired and hot. But then I spoke to soon because then I heard Eric whispering.
“What did you say Eric?”
“I said that I was super glad that I got to help someone today. I found a rock that helped the kids escape from the bus.
“Yes you did Eric! You saved everyone from what could have been a huge disaster.”
“Thanks Eric, for saving me! You’re my hero,” said Joe.
Morgan got the kids settled and called the school to let them know that there was a different man driving the bus and he went on a long adventure that let to woods and he got off and disappeared leaving the kids stranded and locked up on the bus. The school was very grateful that she called them and they said that they would call the police to send someone out looking for the guy who disappeared. After that phone call, Morgan called Eric and Joe’s parents in case there was any confusion when the boys told the story later.
“Hi Mrs. Chapman”
“Hi Morgan, is everything ok?”
“Yes, I just wanted to tell you that today when we were waiting for Joe out at the bus stop, the bus never stopped at the driveway and it kept going. The bus driver was also a different person than usual. When we saw that it didn’t stop me and Eric got in the car and chased the bus. We followed it for about twenty minutes and he led us into a place with nothing around but woods. Then he got off and ran into the woods and disappeared. He locked the kids on the bus and so we got them all off safely and I called the kids parents to come take them home. I took a couple kids home myself and then I took your kids back to the house to get settled. I then called the school and they handled the situation from there.”
“Oh my gosh!” “That’s horrible.” “Do they know who the guy driving the bus was?”
“No, they don’t know yet but they said they were going to call the police to send out to discover who the man was.”
“Well thank you for calling me, and taking the situation so well!” “I will see you when I get home!”
“Ok!”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
The next day the school called the house before the kids got home and told her that the police had found the guy driving the bus. They had discovered that the man lived three houses down from Eric and Joe’s house and that he escaped from a mental institution the night before.


“Thank you so, so much for calling me, I have been worrying about it all night.”
During the phone call Eric arrived home and sat there patiently wondering who Morgan was talking to. She hurriedly got off the phone and told Eric the good news that the old guy was found and she told him that he looked so familiar because he lived three houses down from them. Eric was super glad that they caught him. It was soon ready to go wait for Joe again at the bus stop. They headed out to the end of the drive way. They could see the bus coming around the curve. Smiling and waving the old bus driver was back and she stopped and Joe ran off the bus with a big smile. He was glad the same thing hadn’t repeated today. They went inside and had a snack together, and then Eric and Joe started their homework.