Sam yawned and rubbed her eyes as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the windsheild and straight into her eyes.

She tried to keep one hand on the steering wheel and one hand shading her eyes but that failed as well.

Finally she gave up and just squinted to see the road ahead of her.

"Here." She nearly jumped a mile out of her seat at the sudden voice beside her. She looked in front of her eyes and saw a pair of sunglasses.

"Thanks." She turned to see who the voice belonged to.

She looked to her side and saw a young girl, she looked about 13.

"Hi. I'm Sam. I don't believe I have met you before." Sam stuck one hand out quickly to shake.

"I'm Jessica. So you are the new bus driver?" She asked.

"Um, yeah, me and my best friend Megan." Sam said, sliding on the sunglasses.

"So..um..what are you doing up this early?" Sam asked the companian in the passenger seat beside her.

"Zac is talking in his sleep again, that stupid idiot." Jessica rolled her eyes.

Sam laughed.

"Oh. Has he woken anyone else up?" Sam was worried that he had woke Megan up.

"No. Taylor is rambling in his sleep himself about his girlfriend Swarna." Jessica laughed.

"Oh. Do you know Swarna?" Sam asked, figuring that maybe she could figure out why this girl wounded so familiar.

"Um, well I have met her once or twice. As I understand it, she moved to Tulsa from a foreign country in Europe. Finland I think. Maybe I am wrong. But she seems really cool. She was nice all the times that I met her." Jessica explained.

"What does she look like?" Sam asked.

"Well, she is about your height with shoulder length black hair and dark brown eyes." Jessica described.

Sam knew that the description sounded familiar.

Suddenly she remembered something.

"Hey! Has she ever gone by Sharon?" Sam realised who Taylor's girlfriend was.

"Yeah. Sometimes. She said something about an english name that she picked out when she was in third grade..." Jessica informed her.

"Oh! I know her!! She applied for a job with our company but we had to turn her down because we were full of applications. She is really nice! I didn't know that that is who Taylor was talking about!" Sam said.

"Yeah, thats her. Mom said she may get to come with us for a while because her parents are going on vacation and she will need somewhere to stay." Jessica told her.

"That would be cool." Sam said.

Jessica nodded and then leaned back in her seat. She yawned before closing her eyes and drifting off into sleep.

Sam smiled and pulled the blanket out from under her seat with one hand before placing it over Jessica.

"You're pretty good with the family." a voice observed from behind her.

"AAHH!" Sam softly screamed.

She turned to see Taylor behind her.

"Gosh, what is it with you Hansons always sneaking up on me?" Sam laughed but she was kinda irritated at her lack of time to herself.

"I don't know. Maybe you are just a likeable person." Taylor suggested while laughing.

"Maybe." Sam felt a small pang fo guilt for how obnoxious she had assumed them to be.

He didn't really sound that bad and Meg was right about Isaac being nice and down to earth. And despite the face that Zac had somewhat put her in her place, she still thought that he seemed realistic.

Taylor was sitting behind her and watching her drive.

"So..." he searched for something to talk about. " I heard you and Jessica talking about Swarna. Do you know her?"

"Well, kindof."

Taylor waited for her to continue but when she didn't, he pressed for details.

"What do you mean kindof?"

"Well, she applied for a job with our company once but we were full and already overflowing with applications and so we had to turn her down." Sam explained.

"Ahh..I see. So, you know OF her?"

"Yes, I suppose you could say that."

"Hmm...so would you be able to get along with her if she were to come aboard and travel for a while?" He asked, slightly biting his lower lip.

"I really don't see how that matters as I am only a temporary bus driver." Sam's tone was friendly but was underlined with a slight icey edge to it.

"Well, you are a female peer. She would have to talk to someone." Taylor explained, hoping for a positive reaction.

He tucked his shoulder-length blonde hair behind his ears as he waited for her response.

"Well, I am asleep during the day and if she wakes me then, I will be far less than cheery, but I suppose if she catches me during one of my awake hours, we could actually get along quite well." Sam knew that he wanted to hear a 'we'll be good friends' answer, and so she gave him an answer that was as close to it as she could be without consisting of perkiness and extreme excitedness at this new prospect.

He nodded in satisfaction of the answer and walked back into another room.

She sighed at finally being alone. It was just her, the sleeping passenger beside her and the open road.

She watched as the new sunlight shimmered in the early morning mist that covered the fields and hung lazily over the buildings and in the far distant road.

A tap on the shoulder revealed her best friend Megan standing behind her.

"Pull over at the next stop and we will switch." Megan ordered.

Sam nodded and watched the road, glancing at the passing signs every now and then to look for an exit sign.

She soon spied one.

Pulling into the exit, she heard Diana enter the room.

"Dear, could you swing by a breakfast pace so that we can get something to eat?"

Sam nodded and pulled into a Hardee's parking lot.

Diana went inside and Sam plodded back to her bunk, stopping only at the fridge to grab a banana before climbing up in there.

She realised that she couldn't possibly sleep in her day clothes.

She took advantage of the small break and grabbed her Scrooge boxers and Black t-shirt with Taz on the front crossing his arms.

She headed towards the bathroom and came out 2 minutes later.

She walked back to her bunk and put her dirty clothes in her suitcase before hopping into the bunk and falling fast asleep.

This time, it was to 'Somebody Must Be Prayin' For Me' By Tim McGraw.

'She left Oklahoma for California
Sunglasses on the brim of her hat
Smoke was pouring from that old cadillac
but she wasn't turning back
Just outside of Flagstaff
the motor blew on her Coupe Deville
Just in time she saw the sign
there was a Texaco waiting at the bottom of the hill

and she said
Somebody
must be praying for me
somebody out there must be praying for me
must be angels
that I can't see
Somebody must be praying for me.

A boy about 20 climbed out of the truck
all covered in grease and dirt
she said "Hey Charles"
But he just laughed and said "I'm wearing my daddy's shirt"
he stood there lost in her eyes
and she got lost in his
as the years rolled by
she would sigh
everytime they kissed

and she would say
somebody must be praying for me
somebody out there must be praying for me
must be angels
I can't see
somebody must be praying for me

sometimes she stares out the window
and wonders about her hollywood dreams
but when she tucks her kids in bed
she softly whispers as the fall asleep

somebody must be praying for me
somebody out there must be praying for me
ain't it funny how you always find
just what you need
somebody must be praying for me.
Somebody must be praying for me' ~Somebody must be praying for me, Tim McGraw.

Sam dosed off again. Just as she slipped into slumber, Zac woke up and made the routine pilgrimage to the front of the bus to demand food before he walked back and went back to sleep.