Lap 3

BEEP BEEP BEEP

“What the hell…?”

I groaned as I reached over to my phone to turn off the alarm. I tapped the screen to put it on snooze mode but couldn’t find the damn bottom which agitated me to the point where I was just slapping it. Eventually, I managed to stop the alarm and sighed as my eyes opened, but just barely. It was still kinda dark in my apartment and I had to remind myself why I set my alarm so damn early. It’s been a few days since I arrived in Canterlot and today was Sunday. I had to stop by the local high school so I could apply to be the new bus driver. It wasn’t exactly the job I saw myself doing here as a cover up job, but hey, it was better than nothing. I sluggishly picked myself up from my bed and stood in the middle of my room for a moment. My body then leaned forward and I fell to the floor but caught myself with my hands and began doing rapid fire push ups.

Another little piece of advice my old man taught me is to always stay in shape. A healthy mind helps keep your perception sharp and to keep your wits about you. Dad always had me exercising, working on cars, or studying homeschool work whenever I wasn’t racing. I sometimes wish he was still here with me instead of rotting in a cell, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I soon finished my last set of push ups and slipped over on my back to do sit ups. My body started to strain from the workout but it was a good kind of strain. About another 15 minutes later, I finished my sit ups and stood back up. I checked the clock to see that it was about 7:30 in the morning. I soon hopped in the shower, washed the sweat off my body, and got dressed for the day. My outfit consisted of blue jeans, black shoes, white t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket. I combed my short light brown hair up to style it and grabbed my keys and wallet. With everything set, I left my apartment and made my way down to my car. Harley didn’t seem to be awake yet since she wasn’t at her desk. It was unfortunate that she couldn’t see me off but I guess not everyone was a morning person.

“Hey John!”

I turned around to the front door to see the woman in question walk in. The sight of her was sure easy on the eyes since she looked like she came back from a run. She wore black skin tight yoga pants, a white sports bra, white tennis shoes, and she had one of those arm straps you can strap your phone in. She looked a little out of breath as she walked up to me with a welcoming smile.

“Morning Harley,” I greeted her.

“You headed to apply to be the new bus driver?” She asked.

“Sure am, I didn’t know you did morning runs.”

“It’s just a hobby I do to stay in shape,” Harley shrugged. “Do you run, John?”

“Sometimes, I’m more of a physical exerciser rather than cardio,” I said.

“Maybe we can go for a run together?” Harley offered.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but that sounded like you were asking me on a date,” I said playfully, making her laugh and slug my arm.

“Ha ha, very funny,” she said sarcastically, making me chuckle. “It’s just a normal outing between friends.”

“I know, I was just messing with you. Sure, we can go running sometime,” I nodded. “I’ll let you know when I’m free.”

“Great! I won’t hold up any more of your time so you should get going to the school,” Harley said.

“I’ll do that, see you later,” I said as I waved her goodbye.

I left the building and walked straight to my car. The sun was just starting to rise in the sky and the cool air was a nice and comforting feeling on my skin. Once I got in my car, I reached in my glove box and pulled out a pair of sunglasses to put on for the morning sun and began my drive to the high school. As I drove, I wondered what it would’ve been like if I stayed in Canterlot. Canterlot High School would’ve been my old stomping grounds and I’d be one of those people who would give the students some helpful advice. Then again, high school wasn’t really my thing anyway and homeschool taught me more than enough.

I finally made it to the high school and was impressed by its size and impressive structure. If I was a man from the medieval times, I’d mistaken this place as some kind of castle. As I pulled into the parking lot, there were a few teens here and there walking up to the building, most likely freshmen enrolling for the new year. It was amusing to see the looks on each of their faces when they saw my car pull up, all slack jawed and in awe which made me chuckle. I parked my car and tucked my phone and wallet in my pocket after shutting the car off and looked in the mirror.

“Well, here goes everything,” I said to myself.

I stepped out of my car and closed the door and locked it. As soon as I stepped away from the car, all eyes that were on the car were now directed towards me. The young teen boys looked at me like I was some kind of famous celebrity and the girls all had that dreamy look like I was some kind of magazine model. I ignored their stares, but couldn’t help but hear what they said as I approached the main entrance of the school.

“Holy crap, that car is so wicked!”

“Who is that guy? How is he rich enough to afford a car like that?”

“Oh my god, he’s so hot~!”

“I know right?! Those sunglasses make him look so cool.”

“Is he a new teacher? Oh please tell me we get to have him as a new teacher!”

“Maybe I can ask him to let me take that car out for a spin?”

“Dude, are you crazy? He’d never let you anywhere near that sweet ride.”

“He’s so dreamy~, should I ask him for his number?”

“Pfft, kids these days,” I chuckled to myself.

I opened the main doors of the school and walked through the halls and took off my sunglasses. There seemed to be more students walking around and stole a few glances my way, to which I just ignored them all the same. Harley told me that I needed to speak with the Principle of the school in order to be interviewed for the bus driver job so I decided to make my way there. Thankfully, the office wasn’t that hard to find after a few turns here and there. I approached the door and gave it a few knocks and waited. The door soon opened to reveal the one person I didn’t expect to meet so soon.

“Mr. Doe?”

“Luna?”

Lo and behold, Luna stood right in front of me wearing more formal attire than when I first met her. She wore a nice light purple button up, dark blue slacks, and white heels. On the collar of her shirt was a small pin that looked like a crescent moon.

“Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Doe,” Luna smiled at me.

“Likewise, and more surprising as well,” I added. “I assume you work at this school?”

“Indeed I do, I am the Vice-Principle of Canterlot High School,” Luna said proudly.

“Well I’ll be damned, Vice-Principal? Never expected that to be your profession,” I said.

Luna giggled and stepped to the side. “Please come in, Mr. Doe, let us discuss this inside the office.”

“Sure, and you can call me just John,” I said as I walked past her. The office was pretty average sized as Luna led me to a room that had her name on the door, presumably her office. She opened the door for me again, to which I thanked her, and she shut the door behind her and sat at her desk as I took my seat.

“So tell me, John, to what do I owe your sudden visit to Canterlot High?” Luna asked as she folded her hands on her desk.

“Well I had heard that the school was in search of a new bus driver and the staff has had to settle with taking turns driving the students to school. I thought I’d fill that position and save you all the trouble of dealing with whiny teenage kids in the morning,” I explained.

“You wish to be our new bus driver?” Luna asked, a little surprised. “How unexpected, I assumed you would have liked to join the staff as a new teacher.”

“As interesting as that might have been, I was home schooled by my old man so I wouldn’t know the first thing about teaching in a classroom,” I said.

“It is like peeling an onion with you, John, I would not have guessed you were homeschooled.”

“Well, if you get to know me more as time goes on, you’re bound to peel more layers,” I joked.

“I agree,” Luna giggled. “However, you do realize that being a bus driver is not something I can just give to you. When you are driving, the lives of the students are quite literally your responsibility. It is in your best interest to ensure that they arrive to and from our school safe and sound. Not to mention that you must also be sure to not make any of the students late to class.”

“Safe driving is what I’m all about, Luna,” I said, hiding my belligerent lie. “If you give me a chance, I can prove I’m the right man for the job.”

“So you say,” Luna said.

“So I know,” I countered confidently.

“Do you even know how to drive a large vehicle such as a bus?”

“My old man also made it a bit of a hobby for me to learn how to drive many forms of motorized vehicles in my spare time. I drove a bus on weekends for a few years.”

“Very well John, I am one to believe in people with good intentions such as yours so I shall offer you a deal,” Luna reached into a drawer in her desk and pulled out some paperwork. “This is the job application for the bus driver position. You will fill this out now and I shall present it to the Principal in two weeks. During these two weeks, if you can prove that you are a careful and mindful driver to safely transport our students, then we shall make your employment here at Canterlot High School official. Do you agree?”

“Sounds easy enough, you got yourself a deal,” I nodded and shook her hand.

“Terrific, here are the keys to the bus that is parked in the back of the school,” Luna said as she reached in the drawer again and pulled out a set of keys. “The school starts its classes around 8:00am on weekdays. The bus route is in the bus so I recommend you memorize it for future reference.”

“Got it,” I said as I reached for the keys but Luna pulled it away.

“I hope I am making the right decision with you, John, I was not kidding when I said the lives of the students are in your hands.”

“I promise not to let you down, Luna, coming back to Canterlot is a bit of a fresh start for me than what I was doing back in Rockport. Even if it’s just a simple bus driver job, I plan to do my best.”

“I am happy to hear that John, and there is something else I feel as though I should share with you,” Luna said as she handed me the keys. “Recently, Canterlot City has had a few strings of street racer cases popping up.”

“What? Street racers? Here?” I was surprised and she nodded.

“For about a month now, the authorities have always tried and pursued them but their vehicles seem to be too fast before they can even begin the chase. They usually operate mostly during the night when there are less people driving about, but there have been times when some of them dare to race in broad daylight. I am telling you this because you should always be aware of your surroundings when operating a bus full of students,” Luna explains.

Guess that confirms what I’ve been hearing for the past few nights now. I thought to myself. Damn, and here I thought I’d be able to get away from street racing for good.

“I appreciate the concern, Luna, and I promise you that I won’t let anything happen to anyone as long as I’m behind the wheel,” I said, reassuringly.

“Then that is all I need to hear,” Luna stood up and I followed and we shook hands. “I welcome you to Canterlot High School and as our new bus driver, John Doe.”

“Happy to be part of the staff, Vice-Principal Luna,” I said with a smile.

Elsewhere In The City
3rd POV

In one of the abandoned buildings, in the outskirts of town to the south, the sounds of engines revving could be heard from outside and made the very gravel shiver and shake. Within the building sat dozens of cars, all of which were custom made and painted. In the back of the building were a gang of young adults, all wearing street clothing and looking like they hadn’t a care in the world as they revved some of the car’s engines just for fun. One of the gang members got a notification on his phone and pulled it out to see it. Only once he saw what was sent to him, his eyes widened as he scrambled from his spot to see the leader.

“Bro! Bro check this out!”

On an open couch sat a large man wearing torn jeans, black jacket, and brown boots. His hair was styled in a green mohawk and there were a couple of girls sitting next to him. He lazily opened his eye to see one of his underlings standing next to him with a shocked expression.

“This better be good,” the leader growled. “I’m trying to listen to some tunes.”

“Sorry, bro, but my little shit of a brother took this photo of a sweet ride!” The underling said as he showed the photo. Said photo showed a picture of an expensive looking purple tinted Aston Martin sports car. Any nearby gang members crowded in to look at the photo.

“Holy shit, look at that thing!”

“Is that a real Aston Martin? Those things are a bit rare around these parts.”

“Look at that tint! And the body on that thing!”

“How fast do you think it can go?”

“SHUT IT, THE LOT OF YOU!” The leader barked as he quickly stood up. He glared at the underling who still held his phone up to him. “Where was this taken?”

“Uh…I think my brother took this in front of that high school across town,” the underling said nervously.

“That place? Why would it be parked all the way over there?”

“Did some student’s parents buy it for them?”

“Doubt it, I mean there are plenty of rich big wigs in Canterlot, but I doubt even they would go out of their way to buy a freaking Aston Martin.”

“I SAID SHUT IT! OR I’LL PINSTRIPE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR RIDES!” The leader threatened, shutting everyone up. “This asshole thinks he can just waltz up in my town and flaunt his shiny car like it’s nothing? Ha! He’s lucky I like shiny cars like this one.” The leader then turned to his gang. “Stripes! Screech! Ramps!” Three gang members walked up to the leader. “Head over to that part of the city and find out who owns this ride and how he got it! If he’s some kind of new racer, I wanna know about it! Got it?!”

“Yes bro!” They all said and ran off to get in their rides.

“There’s only one street race gang around these parts, and that’s us,” the leader chuckled to himself with an evil looking smirk. “It certainly doesn’t need anymore upstarts to take all the fun out!”