I paused leaving the group of my friends and walked over to my normal perch on top of the wall watching the busses and the few people who were actually lucky enough to be able to drive and spoilt enough to get a car.

"You know I can take you home. It's not really a big deal," Richard said walking over to me as he waited for the rest of his friends to emerge. I couldn't help smiling I liked Richard sure the rest of his friends were jerks but he was okay. Nice even.

"It's fine." I said grinning, "I'm used to waiting, besides your car's cramped." I paused not wanting to get into the real reason.

"If you're sure," he was looking past me and I knew without turning that his friends had just left the building I could hear the shouts. For a second I felt like shooing him away.

Sure Richard was all right but he wasn't worth the bother. I didn't like them, his friends. I didn't like the way they eyed me as if I was some whore up for it or the mocking note in their voices when they said, "you live in Vange," the incredulous tone.

Luckily Richard caught some of my mood so though one of them gave me the eye over in what was suppose to be a cool manor instead it was creepy. Richard gave me a wave as he drove the over filling car out to whatever destination was first off today.

I liked being alone, I mean sure there were the people who had missed the first busses or who had enough sense to chose waiting over being suffocated. None of them had anything to do with me though. They stood by the bus stop glaring at every car that went passed and I sat perched on the wall, just thinking.

That was the only time of the day I allowed myself to imagine, what if things had turned out differently.

I was interrupted by the hooting of a car, I turned trying to eye up the cars speculatively. If Darren was picking me up than I knew exactly what car it was, a wreck that looked kind of silver grey. If he'd somehow blackmailed Mike into doing it, I eyed up the cars once again but without being able to see inside (and I wasn't about to go and peer into every car). Well, put simply it was hopeless!

A car door opened and the horn blared again. I turned to see Mike's head half peering out as he leaned across the passenger seat and I left my perch eyeing up the car as I walked, very slowly just to show I didn't do the hurry up theme.

"New car?" I asked, trying to contain my grin and put on a disapproving face. Mike didn't bother answering just glared at me as the music started blaring again. I could understand if it was good but it was some loud metal thing where all you heard was someone screaming. A cat yowling sounded better than that!

Still as soon as I moved my hand Mike's was on it pulling it away from the radio. I'd learnt a long time ago what I could and couldn't get away with. It had also resulted in Mike learning quite a bit about my music tastes.

"Don't even consider it! No way am I listening to some guy sing some rubbish about love."

I could feel my anger mounting at that, "there not all about love. They do sing about other stuff. The difference is you actually know what their saying." I remarked shooting a pointed glance at the stereo where someone was still supposedly singing.

"Yea they sing about sex, put nicely." I didn't have a response to that and I didn't feel like getting into yet another argument.

"So where did this car come from?" I considered opening the glove compartmentbut reconsidered. It was one thing to know where Mike got the cars from it was another to see it. It was like Darren's logic, don't ask where or how he got it.

"The tooth fairy left it for me!" Mike said glaring at me and I couldn't help grinning. That was the worst thing about Mike, that and his ability to talk himself out of trouble and me into. A smirk started up at that.

The rest of the journey was pretty quiet. I knew hardly anything about Mike he didn't know much about me and Mike unlike most people didn't bother with the 'hi, how are you' civilities normal people bothered with.

He pulled to a stop outside the house, "you might as well go on in. I'll be a couple of minutes." I nodded watching Mike drive off, this time to ditch this car. It was a regular occurrence. Occasionally he left it where he found it, other times he just deserted it and the few burnt remains signified his beginnings at the wheel.