"Stop!" screamed half the people in the bus.

"Run!" screamed the other, half.

And the bus driver laid on his horn.

The boys charged. The train whistle blasted. The last boy's long legs hurdled the gleaming steel tracks only seconds before the diesel monster devoured the air where his lithe figure had just crossed.

A sigh, like a cool wind passed through the bus. People fell back in their seats. Some laughed, some swore to themselves. Lisa's heart dropped back into her chest, and she was aware of it thudding her breastbone. She was also aware that she was sweating, and that her muscles had stiffened. She rubbed her hands, resting her forehead against the bus window while she recovered from the sudden shock. Though the incident bad spanned no more than seconds, it had seemed to Lisa like minutes.

Lisa watched the pack of nearly naked boys disappear up the street behind the bus. They appeared to glide effortlessly over the cushion of fallen yellow leaves, their bare feet as light as the leaves themselves. Their long backs were straight, and willowy as saplings. Their asscheeks flexed like globes of bronze. Lisa was amazed that the boys of Sutton could run the streets with their bare asses flexing in the sunshine. She'd never even imagined such a thing. But before she could take full advantage of the situation, before she had overcome her initial shock and could gaze upon the young athletes with lust, the near-naked boys were out of sight.

The train passed, the bus moved forward again, and Lisa sat back in her seat. She glanced up at Mrs. Turner, who was muttering, "Young fools! Not a brain in their heads." The entire bus was mumbling now. The boys had caused quite a stir.

Lisa smiled to herself, suddenly feeling like a sister to the daring youths. After all, those boys were undoubtedly her future classmates at Sutton High School, toughest school in the state.