Susan catches the bus into town at ten-thirty a.m. she sits on the seat. she looks at The man in front's head and thinks how his fat wrinkled neck is like a large Sticking out from the collar of his shirt. she adds up the on her bus ticket to See if they make twenty-one, but they don't. she shouldn't bother going to school at All, then. her friends will be in the yard with their folded on their chests, Shielding their breasts to try and them look bigger, whilst the boys will be too busy Playing football to notice. the bus is waiting on the street when suddenly it begins To rain torrentially and it sounds like someone has emptied about a packets of Dried peas on top of the of the bus. 'what if it just keeps raining,' she Thinks to herself, 'and it was just being in an aquarium except it was all the Shoppers and office-workers that floating passed the window instead of fish? ' She's still thinking about this when the bus goes passed caroline house where there Was a party last week. there were some german exchange students there who were Mature; they all ended up jumping out of the bedroom window. one of tried to get her To kiss him on the stairs, so she kicked him. later she was sick she drunk too Much cider. caroline was drunk as well; she was pretending she was married to a boy In glasses, and she had to a polo-neck for three days afterwards to cover up the Love-bite on her neck. by now the bus is going passed the market. is a man who Spends all day forcing felt-tip pens into people's hands and then trying to make pay For them. she used to work in the pet shop, but she got sacked for talking to when She was supposed to be working. she wasn't too though, she hated the smell of the Rabbits anyway. 'maybe this bus stop,' she thinks, 'and I'll stay on It until I'm old enough to go into pubs on my own. or it could drive me to a town People with hair drink special brew and I can make lots of money by charging fat old Men five pounds a time to up my skirt. oh, they'll be queuing up to take me out to Dinner...' I suppose you she's just a silly girl with stupid ideas, but i Remember her in those days. they talk about with a fire within and all that stuff, Well, she had that alright. it's just that no-one dared to jump into her fire; they Have been consumed. instead, they put her in a and let her heat up the room, Warming their hands and backsides in front of her, and then slagging her off town. No-one ever really got inside susan, and, and, she always up getting off the bus at The terminus and walking home.