The End

Tullah rummaged through her bag looking for her go-card, she found it hiding between two of her schoolbooks. She looked up and quickly jumped to her feet as she saw a bus drive towards the bus stop, she hailed down the bus.

The bus indicted left as it started to drive closer before stopping at the bus stop. It opened its doors.

Tullah smiled a little "Morning" She tapped her go-card before squashing in onto the full bus. She held tight onto the small bag rack as the bus closed its doors and began moving again.

She didn't care that she was leaving an hour and something early, she didn't want to be in that house any longer.

Tullah forced herself up against the bag rack of the bus as it stopped again, opening its doors watching as school kids from another school pushed their way out of the bus. She turned her attention to the back of the bus and smiled as she noticed her friend.

Tullah made her way to the back of the bus as it started to move again "Lola" She beamed as she shared the seat with her best friend.

Lola pushed her black curly hair out of her face "God, why is there so many of them?"

Tullah shrugged as she adjusted her bag onto her lap.

"Mum said you can come over this arvo" Lola watched as her friend looked uncertain "if you want."

"Maybe another time, Lola." Tullah forced herself a smile "How'd your IT assignment go?"

Lola shrugged "Mr Greyzan said he'd give me feedback, but we all know that means. he'll wait until it's due than tell me what I did wrong" She rolled her eyes. "I'm going for my p's tomorrow." Lola beamed, she had had her learner's license since the day she turned sixteen and had turned seventeen a month ago, she really couldn't wait to no longer have her parents be her only passenger.

Tullah tried not to feel an ounce of jealously, she really wanted to be the supportive friend, but this was one thing that she wasn't allowed to have her license "I hope you pass."

"Then I get drive to school. You can catch a ride with me."

"Cool" Tullah attempted to sound confident.

"Did you hear that Brad and Cleo were caught in the cinemas last night?"

Tullah shook her head.

"They totally were. Cleo messaged me straight after and oh god" Lola laughed at her own words "She was trying to ring you to get you to join the convo."

Tullah lowered her gaze to her bag, now she realised why her phone had been taken out of her room. It wasn't her fault; it was Cleo's fault.

"Cleo said that Brad used the popcorn trick" Lola shuddered in disgust "Swear if a guy does that to me, I will dig my nails in." she lifted up her manicured nails and looked at them.

Tullah moved her gaze to her friend's brightly painted nails. "Those are new."

Lola nodded "Mum took me to get them done yesterday after school, best part was she paid for them to get done."

Tullah nodded slightly as she tried not to feel the sting of words.

The two girls watched as the bus stopped out the front of a shopping centre.

"We should get your nails done too" Lola noticed Tullah's unpainted, short, and chewed on nails.

Tullah dug her nails into her bag "Maybe one day."

"It's always maybe one day, Tul. Gotta take a chance" Lola spoke as the bus closed its doors and drove again.

Tullah hadn't told anyone about the way her mum and stepdad wanted her to be. "I know, but one day" Tullah faked her laughter.

The two girls spent the remainder of the bus trip laughing while Lola shared the gossip she had heard in the past twelve hours.

Tullah pressed the button to stop, she stood up and adjusted her bag onto her shoulder as the bus started to slow down.

Lola adjusted her handbag strap onto her shoulder as the bus stopped.

The two girls followed a few of the passengers off the bus.

Tullah watched as a train pulled into the train station, she would give anything to just run away from the world she had grown accustomed too.

"Tul ,let's go." Lola pulled Tullah out of her thoughts.

The two girls began to walk down the street.

"I was just going to grab some chips, you want something?" Tullah asked.

"Could do with a drink."

The two girls rushed quickly across the road missing two cars driving on both sides of the road, they walked into the takeaway shop.

Tullah twisted her bag onto her chest to grab her purse out "Can I get four dollars' worth of chips with gravy and uh.." She looked up at the menu "Actually, just the chips and gravy. Thanks" She looked down at the woman behind the counter.

"And two v's please!" Lola called out from one of the drinks fridges that were lined up against the wall with three other fridges filled with drinks.

"Can you grab me a water too please" Tullah asked.

Lola grabbed two green v's and a bottle of pump water before walking over to the counter and placing them both down on the counter.

The woman typed in the price of the drink before looking up at the two girls in front of her "That's $10.50."

Tullah unzipped her purse and pulled out her key card "Just on card."

The woman manually typed the price into the eftpos machine before handing it to Tullah, Tullah swiped her card and touched the greasy number pad.

Pressing savings than entering her four-digit pin 9474.

Tullah watched as it said approved, she put her key card back into her purse and her purse back into her bag.

The woman moved her attention away from the girls and to the deep fryer.

Lola placed one of the v's in her handbag before opening the other one, she grabbed a straw from the straw container before taking a sip from the can. Tullah grabbed the water bottle and pulled off the plastic lid, she popped open the bottle and indulged in the plain water. The two girls moved outside to under a large tree before sitting down.

"Are you coming to Henry's party tomorrow?" Lola asked as she chewed down on her straw.

Tullah shook her head "Can't."

"Tul" Lola groaned.

"I know...I know.."

"Man, your boring." Lola jokingly stated.

Tullah rolled her eyes at her friend's playful remark.

"Chips with gravy!" The woman yelled from the door of the takeaway shop.

Tullah jumped to her feet leaving her bag with Lola, she walked over to the woman holding the small box of chips "Thank you" Tullah spoke as the woman handed it over.

Tullah walked back over to Lola and sat down, she lifted off the lid of the box and pulled off the lid of the small gravy container.

The two girls shared the chips and gravy between them.