The Ice Queen's Comeback
The driver was inside the facility grabbing invoices, leaving the front interior completely deserted.
I hesitated, looking up at his severe, shadowed face, before the throbbing in my ribs finally broke my stubborn pride. I climbed the steps and sat down on the second row of seats, leaning back with a low, involuntary groan.
He followed me up, suffocating the narrow aisle with his presence. He reached into a small cooler near the driver's seat, pulling out a thick, chemical ice pack. He snapped it, the sharp *pop* echoing in the quiet bus as the gel instantly turned freezing.