AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My stomach lurches.
My skin crawls.
I jump up. “I have to get off!”
I lock eyes with the bus driver through the mirror.
“Sit down,” she says with a firm voice.
I grip the seat in front of me, hoping that holding onto something solid will settle my stomach. It doesn’t. My head shakes vigorously. “Please. I—I forgot something.”
With my free hand, I clutch my side.
Don’t throw up.
“Once you get on the bus, you have to stay on until we get to school,” she says.
Shaking, I sit back down.
I let my head fall forward, pressing into the seat in front of me.
Don’t throw up.
Maybe she’ll look back here and see just how pathetic I am and change her mind.
She doesn’t.
The bus continues barreling down the road as if nothing happened. We’re headed toward a group of kids clustered together for their ride.
“Are you okay?” the kid across from me asks. I know he isn’t Ethan, but for some reason, my mind is playing tricks on me. It’s Ethan’s face staring back at me—clear as day. I whip my head around taking in everyone around me. Everywhere I look, I see him.
A shiver runs through me and my hands go cold. Still, the bus is getting smaller.
We slow, and the bus door hisses again, opening.
I watch my tapping foot, contemplating how to get off. Lincoln St. is only two roads up, and I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it.
I’m going to throw up.
The obvious exit plan would be the front door, but I doubt I’ll be able to get out with all of the other kids getting on.
That leaves only one other option—the emergency door at the back of the bus.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I bolt. I wrap my hand around the handle and twist it. The door flies open.
“Hey!” the driver yells at me. She’ll never let me back on her bus again after this.
My brain hurts from the explosion of anxiety consuming every one of my thoughts.
My feet hit the ground, and I take off. I don’t stop to look behind me. I can hear the bus driver yelling after me, but her voice is just a faint sound overrun by my intrusive thoughts. Ethan is still vivid in my mind. He’s everywhere. He won’t leave me alone.
Once I’m far enough away, I buckle to my knees, letting my tears fall.
CHAPTERFIVE
I’m cold,and my shoes have become popsicles. This is it. This is where I die because I’m too stubborn to call my parents and tell them what I just did. If I do, I’ll never hear the end of it. Mom will try harder than ever to probe into my emotions, and Dad—well, I don’t know what Dad would do. He’s been so distant lately. He’d either laugh it off while having a breakdown or ground me until I’m old and gray.
Why does finding a way to school have to be so hard?
