Stuck With My Archenemy

CHAPTER ONE I struggled to focus on the loud music playing in my ears and to ignore the intense throbbing in my bladder. I needed to pee, and I needed to do it fast. The bus driver was annoyingly taking his time to drive carefully on the rocky road and every bloody time the bus lurched, the rate at which my behind hit the seat increased the pressure and made a single drop flood my undies. This is insane. I tried hard to listen to the music blasting in my ears but I just couldn’t concentrate, it just wasn’t working. Giving up, I removed the earpiece from my ears and redirected my attention to the outside scenery. Look at those birds singing and the beautiful colours of the imaginary rainbow reflecting in the environment. Oh my, look at that flower blooming and that mighty anthill! I sighed and began to whimper from desperation.  Still no improvement. So I closed my eyes and tried to imagine a future me. Playing with my kids, making love to my husband and calling our dog for—alright this has got to stop. This bus has got to stop. The staff around me seemed oblivious to the fact that I was burning inside. I decided to tease Henry, the man sitting by me, just to get my mind off of my bladder, but he just ignored me and kept on reading his romantic novel. I should’ve known that he wasn’t going to pay me any heed because his whole being was living in the book and almost every time he’d reach a scene where they are about to kiss or make love, he’d pull the book closer to his face as if he didn’t want anyone to know what he was reading and would gasp at each intimate scene the couples would have. Well, at least he’s happy. Still, I scrunched up my nose in annoyance and leaned away from him. Everyone else I could see looked calm except me. And if I didn’t stop this bus soon, I feared that my tiny bladder would explode from the immense pressure building up in it. So in order to save it, I took a deep calming breath, leaned forward, reached out to the seat before me, and tapped my boss on the shoulder. “Jack.” No response. “Jack,” I called louder. Still no response. I took in another deep breath and let it out slowly. I was seething and trying to cool the boiling blood in my veins at the same time. “Mr. Nicoles,” I said carefully. He then turned to face me, his expression blank as usual. “Can I help you?” Bastard. “I need to go,” I replied hurriedly, the battle in my pants was climaxing and my bladder was losing. “Who’s stopping you?” I breathed in and out again, trying to lower my voice so we wouldn’t attract attention. “I need to pee, you imbecile.” “So?” He hadn’t even bothered to lower his voice. “So,” I growled in frustration, “tell the bus driver to stop so we can take another potty break.” “We took one less than twenty minutes ago,” he reminded me, exasperation etched in his features.  “Well,” I threw my arms in the air, “it’s not my fault I have a tiny bladder.” “And it’s not my fault you have a kidney problem.” He turned around in his seat. “Keep it.” My mouth hung open. Why this useless piece of rubbish! “Oh, come on!” I grabbed his shoulder and shook it as gently as I could. “Just five minutes, I promise.” He sighed then shoved five fingers in my face. “Five.” He got up from his seat. “Excuse me,” he muttered to the girl perched beside him as he made his way to the front. “I can count,” I mumbled when he was out of earshot, even though I did owe him thanks. The way he walked even showed made it seem as if he intentionally wanted me to know that he was indeed doing me this favour purely out of annoyance. I sighed and leaned against the window. I knew that the relationship between him and me was weird and totally informal, but I guess I couldn’t help it. He was a prick for doing what he did to me and there was no way that I would ever consider him as anything but a butthole for it. He could just fire me, but he wouldn't. And we both knew that.  I waited for a few seconds before the bus halted. Relief flooded in my system as I grabbed my backpack in case of emergencies, got up, squeezed my way in front of Henry and made my way to the bus door. For once, I was grateful. Glancing at the driver, I grinned when he gave me a knowing look.  “I give you five minutes,” he spoke in his thick Russian accent. “If you not hurry, I leave you.” “I promise I won’t waste your time. I’ll be back before you know it,” I replied a little too enthusiastically. The bus driver just nodded his head in acknowledgement and gave me one last knowing look before gesturing for me to get out of the bus. Complying, I hurried out. Not even sparing Jack a single glance as I manoeuvred through the tall bushes, I tiptoed to a perfect spot behind the bushes and squatted, easing everything inside of me out. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief when I finished freeing my sensitive bladder. Sure, it had been twenty minutes since I last peed and yet I couldn’t help the fact that I wasn’t created for long road trips. Especially in the middle of a crappy mountain with woods that could make me pee for two minutes straight. The fact was when I got nervous, my bladder automatically reached its maximum storage capacity. I pulled up my skirt, picked up my backpack from where I left it and slung it over my shoulder. The woods were creepy. Bushes, tall trees and everything made it seem like a freaking jungle. I shuddered as I made my way back to the bus but a movement under the bushes made me stop in my tracks. I scolded myself for being such a scaredy-cat. Perhaps it’s just a little rabbit or a dolphin or a snake. “No, it’s a little rabbit. Just a baby rabbit. They’re very cute. They don’t bite, not dangerous.” I kept on reassuring myself as I began to walk slowly away from those bushes, avoiding any mishaps as much as possible. Another brush from the bushes made me jump back and the action succeeded in trapping my skirt in thorn bushes. I cursed and began to wrestle with them like a maniac. Its grip on my skirt was tight. I pulled hard but reduced my harsh efforts when the seams on my skirt threatened to tear. “Come on. Come on.” I prayed as I kept on tugging. When I finally pulled it out, I yelped in victory before skipping towards the path that supposedly led to the bus. Uhh… I stopped dead in my tracks. Where the hell am I? I glanced from tree to tree, then bush to bush, then flower to grass. I couldn’t recognize any of them. I began to walk in any direction, desperately wanting to find my way back. “Brenda!” A voice called out from somewhere in the woods. I span around and followed the sound which had begun to sound more and more irritated by the second. Maybe I should just respond? I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, “I’m here!” “Brenda!” It sounded closer this time. I grinned and skipped to where the voice was calling. Almost there. Almost there. I cautiously crossed roots and thorns and halted in my steps when I saw Jack walking through the woods. “Jack! Hey, Jack!” He stopped and spotted me waving my arms frantically and advancing towards him. “Where the hell have you been?” “Releasing the tension off of my bladder?” I replied in a duh tone. “And also kind of getting lost.” He grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the right path. “Do you know how long you’ve spent there?” “Um, five minutes?” I guessed with a cheesy grin. “Eleven.” He glared at me and tugged on my arm. “Let’s just hope the bus driver doesn't—” “Before he could finish, the sound of a roaring engine echoed throughout the trees. And that could only mean one thing. “Dammit, run!” He pulled me harder and we both ran faster. The shoes I was wearing weren’t exactly designed for this kind of punishment, but I forced my legs to take me faster. We reached where the bus had been and from there, we could see that it had already started down another path. “Wait, stop!” I let go of his hand and raced after the bus. He stopped and leaned on a tree to catch his breath. I, on the other hand, was still following the bus tracks. I was panting vigorously and my stomach hurt from all the running. “Wait!” I called out again, reaching out my hand as if it would summon the bus back. I was still running. I heard Jack grumble, push himself away from the tree he was leaning on and jog after me. “Brenda, stop. You can’t get to it!” I still didn’t slow. And it wasn’t like the bus was at arm’s length. The freaking thing was miles away. So what the hell was I doing still running anyway?  Well, not really for any other reason than because I was downright scared of the woods! No way was I staying out here all alone with that demon yelling my name. No. Freaking. Way.