Now, after The Maher Incident, you would think relations were strained between Dane and I. No, not at all. We had always been friends, and the same holds true, except now he enjoys whispering 'seat stealer' in an impatiently annoying voice whenever we pass each other in the hallway.

Speaking of my dear Dane, a very interesting thing happened on the bus.....

It was pouring rain, as if God had decided to vent his fury by drowning us all, ala Noah's Ark. Because of this oppulent flood of water, all of the windows on the bus were sealed tightly shut, and the combined body heat of about thirty occupants added to the sticky humidity caused all of the glass to fog and the driver barely able to see out the windshield. Suffice to say, the bus was indescribably uncomfortable, and we shifted in our seats with a soft moan. Dane was sitting behind me for the sole purpose of hissing 'seat stealer' into my ear every now and again, and I turned around with a horrific glare. He merely laughed and we began to discuss what we were going to do for summer vacation, and he said he was already lounging by the poolside every afternoon. In fact, he boasted, he had a terrible sun burn from stupidly falling asleep in direct sunlight. Rolling up his shirt, you could see the dangerous shiny redness that was slowly peeling away. It was so raw that it barely had the texture of skin, he said with a touch of pride. I reached out to touch it at his invitation and - KABOOM!!! It was the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard in my life, accompanied by a more than threatening flash of lightning. Right when I was about to touch him.

Coincidence?

I think not.