Susan catches the bus into town at ten-thirty a.m. she sits on the back seat. she at The man in front's head and thinks how his fat wrinkled neck is like a carrot Sticking out from the of his shirt. she adds up the numbers on her bus ticket to See if they make twenty-one, but they don't. maybe she shouldn't bother going to at All, then. her will be in the yard with their arms folded on their chests, Shielding breasts to try and make them look bigger, whilst the boys will be too busy Playing football to notice. the bus is waiting on the high when suddenly it begins To rain and it sounds like someone has emptied about a million packets of peas on top of the roof of the bus. 'what if it just keeps raining,' she Thinks to herself, 'and it was just like in an aquarium except it was all the Shoppers and office-workers that were passed the window instead of fish? ' She's still thinking about this the bus goes passed caroline lee's house where there Was a party last week. there were some german exchange students there who very Mature; they all up jumping out of the bedroom window. one of them tried to get her To kiss him on the stairs, so she kicked him. she was sick because she drunk too cider. caroline was drunk as well; she was pretending she was married to a tall boy In glasses, and she had to wear a polo-neck for three days to cover up the on her neck. by now the bus is going passed the market. outside 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 to boys when She was to be working. she wasn't too bothered though, she hated the smell of the anyway. 'maybe this bus won't stop,' she thinks, 'and I'll stay on It until I'm old enough to go into on my own. or it could drive me to a town where People black hair drink special brew and I can make lots of money by charging fat old Men five pounds a time to look up my skirt. oh, they'll be queuing up to me out to Dinner...' I suppose you think just a silly girl with stupid ideas, but i her in those days. they talk about people with a fire within and all that stuff, Well, she had that alright. it's just that no-one dared to jump her fire; they would Have been consumed. instead, put her in a corner 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 ended up off the bus at The terminus and then home.