“Everybody listen up and pay attention!”

A group of 12 teenagers attempt to move their attention away from their phones and conversations to look at their trip chaperone.

 “I am going to put you all into pairs,” the chaperone says in a voice that could only be used by the coach. “When I call your names, you will walk on the bus together.”

 All of the students groan, trying to convey their disdain for the buddy system. They aren’t children anymore, and they don’t want to be treated as such. The chaperone, Coach House, ignores them and starts calling out pairs:

 Carmen and Max

Mallory and Hakeem

Mona and Carly

Devlin and Silas

Ansel and Alessia

Darnell and Roberta

 The students awkwardly walk onto the bus with their seat buddies. No one was paired with anyone that they would normally hang out with, and they found themselves yearning for their cliques. To compensate, the more social students decide to take the aisle seats, forcing the more docile students against the window.

 Carly and Mona sit next to each other, but they turn their bodies to allow for a proper conversation. The girls chat about nail color and the latest quizzes from their Cosmo magazines. Their squeals drift through the air and into Roberta’s ears, much to her disdain. Carly is her best friend and she hates that her BFF was put in a partnership with such a vapid culture leech. Next to Roberta, Darnell rolls his eyes so intensely at Roberta’s needless jealousy that it seemed like he was trying to reset his brain. He decides to shift himself in his seat towards the aisle and allow the sleep to wash over him.

A couple of rows back, Alessia and Ansel argue about who is the greatest athlete of all time: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan. Alessia, impassioned by the lively debate, knocks Carmen’s cell phone out of her hand as she tries to take the perfect selfie. The phone soars into Max’s crotch. Expletives elegantly leave his mouth in streams and the book he was reading falls to the floor. Both girls apologize while Carmen gives Alessia the stank eye. No one can focus on what they are doing because their attention is swept up in the commotion taking place in the middle of the bus.

 Silas uses the ruckus to try to ignore his seatmate. He is not high enough to deal with that waste of human genetics. He puts both his headphones in while Devlin looks over the seat in front of him in hopes that he can catch a glimpse of Alessia’s boobs. Mallory texts Alessia to clue her in to the pervy stalker behind her. Her hand flies up without a second of hesitation and then gracefully goes back to accentuating her sports conversation. Devlin cries out in pain and shrinks back in his seat holding his nose. Mallory laughs and continues to learn to code on her phone. Hakeem, with both earbuds in his ear, rhythmically thumps his pencils on his textbooks to practice for his next concert. A paper plane soars at him to try to shut him up.

 As the bus fills with the voices of lively students, Coach House starts to boil over with anger; what was once a headache, becomes a migraine. She isn’t getting paid enough to deal with these bratty kids. The meaningless drivel spewing out of the students’ mouths raise her aggravation levels to their breaking point. The coach stands up to address her subordinates but hesitates for a second to regain her composure. In a stern voice, she gathers the attention of the students.

 “Everyone quiet down for a minute. We have a long ride ahead of us and I need everyone to lower their voices so that the driver can stay focused on the road. We want you all to be comfortable and safe on this trip. Distractions will not be tolerated.”

    As soon as the coach finishes her sentence, another paper plane flies up in the air and soars to the front of the bus. Devlin looks proud of himself and tries to goad her on. Not able to contain the anger boiling up inside, the coach finally snaps. She trudges down the aisle towards Devlin. As she passes, the other students avert their eyes and stay quiet, so that they don’t rile up the fuming chaperone any more than she already is. Devlin keeps his eyes on Coach House, never letting his gaze waver

 “Kilmer! Do you have a problem with my request or are you just showing off in front of your little friends?” Coach House puts her face directly in front of his, “Being the class clown is all fun and games now, but if that is all you strive to be, you will amount to nothing.”

    Devlin’s face heats up with embarrassment. The condescending tone and harsh words cause rage to bubble up inside of him. A couple of his peers snicker to themselves, and the drive to redeem himself overpowers his thoughts. In an act of impulse, Devlin reaches over Silas and shoves the coach out of his face. Coach House stumbles back and trips over a backpack, landing with a thud. Some students rush to her side while others upload videos onto the internet. Devlin looks both shocked and proud by how things have unfolded before him. A smug grin saunters across his face.

 “Shit hit the fan and The Coach hit the floor!”

        All the students stifle their laughter as the coach struggles to stand up. Her face is beet red and her breathing could be likened to that a bull. Seeing this causes the smile on Devlin’s face to quickly leave as he fears for his wellbeing.

 Distracted by the altercation behind him, the bus driver fails to see a figure in front of him until the last minute. He doesn’t know what it is, but it is huge and in the road. He slams on the brakes and the coach goes flying to the front of the bus. The vehicle starts to slide around as it is trying to regain traction. The kids let out a scream as fear sets in that a premature death awaits them.

 Suddenly, something grabs the six students in the aisle seats and pulls them towards the back of the bus. The other students grab their seats in fear that they will be thrown around next. The bus hits a guard rail and everything stands still for a few moments. Everyone is too traumatized to move.