prologue
. . .
This is so embarrassing.I thought for sure my parents would stop this tradition after elementary school. Everybody on the bus will give me crap because of the ginormous vase of flowers I’m carrying with me.
I sling my backpack over my shoulder and grab the flowers off my desk. Days like today, I wish my parents picked me up for school. Maybe I’ll ask if we can do that. Besides, we’d get home faster, which means I could do my chores and help with the winery sooner than later. Not that I do much, mostly help move the bottles before they are filled, but still…
My bus pulls in front of the school, and I rush outside from the small corner I’m hiding in. A single file line is in front of the doors. Maybe I should have been waiting outside. At this rate, I’ll have to share a seat with someone.
“Good afternoon, Piper.” The driver nods her head toward me as I step onto the bus. “Those are some beautiful flowers you’ve got there. Any special occasion?”
I can feel my cheeks heat, but I smile. At least our bus driver loves us and knows who we are. “It’s my birthday. My parents give me flowers every year.”
“Well, happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
I glance down the aisle to see if there are any open seats. Just my luck, all the seats at the front are full. I move toward the back, searching. There’s a seat that looks empty. I hurry my steps, only to find it occupied. There’s a boy slumped down in the seat, holding a book.
There are groans coming from behind me, and I know I need to find a place to sit soon. There are a few more seats at the very back, but the kids who sit there don’t like when others take them. I’d rather not have a confrontation on my birthday.
“Can I sit with you?”
The boy doesn’t make a move. Maybe he didn’t hear me. It is kind of loud in here.
“Excuse me,” I tap him on the shoulder. “Can I sit with you?”
He glances up and at the vase in my hands. “Sure, but you sit by the window.”
Fine by me. I prefer that to getting bumped every time a kid gets off the bus. “Thank you.”
I wait for him to move out of the seat so I can scoot in. My parents didn’t think this delivery through very well. How am I supposed to hold my backpack and these flowers in my lap?”
“Here.” The boy holds out his hand once he’s seated next to me. “Let me hold those so you can put your bag down.”
“Thanks.” I slide my bag to the floor between my feet. The last thing I want is for it to go sliding every time we go around a curve. It’s bound to happen since we live on country roads.
He hands me the flowers and I place them on my lap. I study the boy around my flowers. Thank goodness I have them to hide behind.
He’s reading his book again. It looks like a mystery book, but I can’t tell because his hand is covering the title.
I don’t recognize him. He looks like he’s in my grade, but we live in a small town. There are maybe a hundred people in my class. I would have seen him at some point.
He must feel my eyes on him because he turns toward me. “Is there something you need?”
“Oh, no.” I smile. “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before.”
He folds the corner of the page down and closes his book. A tiny part of me winces at the action. Does he not own a bookmark?
“We just moved here last week. Today’s my first day riding the bus.” He points to the flowers I’m holding. “Are you celebrating something?”
“It’s my birthday.” This time the words come out easier. He may have sounded rude when I first sat down, but he did close his book to engage in conversation with me. “I’m Piper, by the way.”
“My name is Beau.” He gives me a little wave.
I’m glad he didn’t try to shake my hand. It’s something I see my dad do all the time, and it feels like something only adults do. Besides, it’s not like I can really let go of this vase without dropping it. The roads on the way home aren’t horrible, but they aren’t great, either.
“Where do you live? It’s probably near me since we’re on the same bus route.”
