3 A Strange Bus Ride To Sell Lemonade With Robin

Getting on the bus and taking a seat, Erin looked out of the window as he really had nothing better to do while waiting for the bus to get to [Starfish Street].

While looking out of the window and minding his own business, the men and women on the bus seemed to be crowding closer to Erin, some on purpose while others seemed to have been just looking for places to sit or stand.

However, some... Some moved seats to get closer.

The bus left the bus stop and as Erin was looking out of the window he passed by many places he saw as familiar and many he had known to be unfamiliar, shoot, there were a lot of places he had yet to explore, especially around town and even near his own home, the orphanage.

After many minutes and him even taking a short nap while on the bus, he heard a ding and woke up as the bus driver announced that they were at his destination, Starfish Avenue.

Getting up and yawning, Erin saw many people near him and even one sitting next to him, but he paid them no mind as he politely passed them and got into the aisle.

Walking down the aisle a Petite man grabbed Erin by the arm startling him as he had just woken up, and as he looked to the man, the man smirked and said,

"Don't leave just yet, we need some company"

Confused and not understanding what this Petite man had said, Erin scratched the side of his cheek but then stepped away, lightly pulling his arm free from the man as he didn't have time for another bus ride, more or less money for another ticket.

"Sorry, I can't do that mister, I have somewhere to be, maybe next time though," He said innocently

"Maybe next time then cutie"

He said flustering Erin as he had then realized the radiant amount of innocence in this boy, and a vile grin formed on his face as he wanted to see that face, pleading and pushed against the ground, moaning.

Erin hastened himself up the aisle as that weird man just gave him a bad feeling. But as he made his way to the front of the bus, a mousy girl slapped his butt as he passed by her.

"You look ravishing boy!"

She said instantly reddening his face in blush and he quickly made his way off the bus as he was filled with embarrassment as the crowd of people on there even the bus driver burst into laughter as that had happened to him.

"Perverts..."

Making his way off the bus he stepped away from the bus stop encase one of the passengers attempted to tease him like they had just then, and as he had he walked a few minutes to Starfish street.

Making his way to starfish street he felt stressed out because of earlier, but then he shook his head and slapped his cheeks as he remembered that his friend was near there, and if he remembered, they set up shop near the beach.

"Or... Was it on the beach?"

Walking over to the beach, the clouds had driven away the visitors looking for the glorious sun on this hot day, but there were still many people walking around the water's edge.

"Aren't they cold? The ocean breeze gets cold when the sun isn't out?" Erin commented to himself as he wasn't a huge fan of the beach because Bailey once buried him in the sand and left him at the beach during winter for a day and a half before getting him out and taking him back to the orphanage.

Looking away he felt the breeze of the ocean blow against his skin but it wasn't as cold as he thought, it felt rather refreshing.

Despite him still being covered in paint...

Going over to the sands and standing on the oddly warm sand, looking up at the sky he sees the clouds shift, and as they do, he sees the sun coming back from afar on the ocean waters.

"Pretty..."

He admired the ocean glistening in sparkles.

He liked when the water reflected the suns light.

Looking back down to the beach he saw someone familiar working at a stand on the beach sands, noticing her, she noticed him at the same time as their gazes crossed.

"Hey!"

Looking at her the wind blew his hair back and he felt a sense of relief as it was just Robin and not one of the delinquents from his school.

Robin just like Nate was another resident of the orphanage and she had looked after him despite the both of them being about the same age.

Throwing her hand up and startling her last customer, she waved down Erin as she had just finished cleaning a glass pitcher.

She put it down as Erin came over to her and when he did she ran up to him, abandoning her post behind the stand, and bear-hugging him as he came over to her.

Hugging him she basically picked his Tiny self up before realizing how light he was and putting him back down, laughing to herself as she had done this every time.

But putting that fact on hold as her best friend came to see her, she spoke to him.

"Sorry if I made you worry? I got up relatively early today and forgot to put a note on my door telling everyone that I was out, if that's why you're out here because you got worried? Hahaha don't be though, you know me~"

"Anyways, I didn't get to see you this morning and that kinda sucked because I really wanted to show you something, also you've been avoiding me for a week now? I don't know if it's on purpose or not but don't forget that you can always visit me in my room at home anytime you want"

Robin said as if she had something on her mind, and she did, and holding it in built up her excitement levels to where she could hold it back.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to avoid you, oh and thanks by the way"

He said as he had gotten sick last week because of that favor he had done for Nate in which landed him bedridden.

"Anyway! I have something to show you later tonight! I'm so excited I can't wait!!"

She said joyously, but then just as she had and was pacing around, she looked behind Erin to see a customer approaching.

"I've got to get back to work here. You're welcome to stay and help if you want. I'll be heading to the shopping center to pick up the surprise, so either way, I hope to see you later!" She gets back into position behind the stand.

With Robin back at the lemonade stand, he could either undress to his underwear and go for a swim or just head back, but he sorta came here to hang out with Robin, so as he looked over to her working hard, he went back over to her and her stand.And going back over to her she was happy that he had decided that he wanted to stick around.

I'm glad you could stick around, it's been a while since we were last at the beach. Here, I want you to try some of my lemonade~"

She said mixing water, lemon juice, and sugar, making a fresh new pitcher of lemonade and pouring some into a cup, handing it off to Erin.

"It's on the house~"

She says eagerly waiting for him to try it.

And he does.

And when he does he feels a cool refreshing sweetness from it.

"It's sweet?"

"I know~ Good right?"

"Yeah"

"Yey, I'm glad you liked it~"

After drinking the glass of lemonade, Erin waited patiently as another few customers came and received their cups of lemonade, and when they did.

"Robin... You think I could help out for a little?"

He said not used to asking stuff like this, especially after today, it felt a bit weird and off, it was as if he was asking for work and not to help a friend?

But as he asked, and when he asked, she gleamed.

"Of Course you can help!"

She responded back to him in an instant, making him feel all fuzzy on the inside as if he had successfully asked for work on his own. In which in his case it was as he was using this moment as practice for the real thing.

"Robin?... What... Uh, haha, sorry, um... What do you actually need help with?"

Turning around and looking to her stand, she noticed a few things and turned back to him, as he had offered to help, so she wasn't holding anything back on him.

"Well? I'm running low on water. I go through it so quickly and I don't like asking because it's heavy, but could you buy some more?"

"Sure thing!" Erin said joyously to help out.

"Great. You'll need to go to the High Street to get it cheap. They charge too much nearby"

She said running back over to her stand and grabbing some money she had placed in a locked box, coming back over she handed Erin 2 pounds and said.

"That's enough for a large bottle. And thank again for helping, I don't like leaving my stand unattended"

"No problem"

Erin said taking the money and rushing off the beach, but as he does he saw a shop selling large water bottled, " Robin was right, its really expensive" he said looking to the large bottles of water valued at 20 pounds for a small pack.

But just then as he was walking something occurred to him...

Thinking about how far [High Street] was, how heavy a large water bottle is, and then how strong he was... This was going to be a very difficult task for him alone.

Looking to his small arms, there was no way they'd last.

Looking to the expensive water,

He didn't have the funds to just buy it, he needed that money to pay bailey and if he just went to High Street it would just take up the money Robin gave him for water.

But the water was so heavy...

Heavy...

Heavy. . .

"The water is way to heavy to for me to walk back with, I won't make it back to the beach"

Strongly thinking about this and crying innerly that he had to do this, he contemplated, rethinking it over, but then just going over to the nearby store, purchasing the expensive water for Robin.

. . . . .

Buying for large bottles of water, Erin struggled and heaved them back to Robin. The weight of the waters were too heavy for him though, so he had to take many breaks. But it wasn't too far from the beach, so he overworked himself and dragged himself onward to get back to the beach and back to Robin.

Getting back to the beach Robin saw Erin from afar and dropped what she was doing to rush over to him, she saw him desperately holding onto the water bottles like his damn life depended on it, and because he was tiny and weak, he was raining sweat down from his body as this already tired boy power lifted it.

Getting over to him and helping, she was dumbstuck.

"How did you–" she paused... "You can't have carried these all that way" she said stricken with disbelief as they looked really heavy and he carried more than asked by himself.

But as she grabbed half and assisted him, he looked up to her desperately exhausted from doing this.

"I found... Discount... Closer... Shop," Eren said nearly about to pass out at this point.

Brining this back to the stand, she was happy with what Erin had pulled back. So giving him a pat on the back as they laid the water on the side, she praised him.

"You're really good with money. Thank you Erin~"

She said happily right before turning back around to continue working at the stand so that he could take a breather.

But as she did and she started making a new pitcher of lemonade as the last had sold out, Erin came over to the stand and laid 2£ on the side under money box right before taking a few steps and falling into the sand, just laying there.

Hearing him drop to the ground like that, she looked over and giggled.

"You okay?"

"Peachy"

She laughed as he said that back, and then got back go work as he spend a few hours laying there behind her stand.