His Gold ✓

3| Bus rides

When the final school bell rings, signaling the end of my first day, I accidentally get lost in the crowd. It's two minutes and the students piling every which direction out of every which class is more than enough to disorient me.

I follow the stream of teens, looking with fright for the blond head of my brother, Ace.

   Odds are, he's already found the bus. A voice in my head says. It's me that needs help.

At the front of the school, I see the buses lining the parking lot. I see the students habitually climbing inside.

Where is my bus? It occurs to me that I have no clue where it parks. Just great. I sigh in annoyance and decide to try and find it in the hustle and bustle.

I fold my arms as I journey out into the maze of buses. I scan each one for the right number, but my number is nowhere in sight.

Another moment passes, and a few buses start to drive away. Already? I feel my heart rocking against my chest. They're not just going to drive off without the new girl?!

    But this is highschool, and by senior year I'm smart enough to know that if I don't locate my bus soon...

Oh no. Oh no. I bite my lip. Where's my bus?! I need to find my bus! I need to-

I turn on one heel, colliding with another student.

    Bryce.

    "Woah-!" He grips his canes to steady himself as I bounce backward on impact. The moment knocks me into a stupor. Above me, his dark gaze is skeptical. He shakes his head so that a stray strand of his hair falls back into place.

"Lost, Goldilocks?" He remembers the nickname from this morning.

I sigh in frustration. "What do you think, Sherlock?"

His chuckles are deep and hearty as he steps past me. I'm impressed by his mobility, as he walks away, but I forget my surprise in a moment.

"You ride my bus, care to lead me there?" I call to him as he walks. I don't care if he hopes to ignore me because I'm a new kid- or because I accidentally almost crushed his leg this morning.

   I've got to get home.

He raises a brow, glancing back at me from over his shoulder. "Are you always so incompetent? I'm the one with two canes, you know."

I catch up to him. "For someone I've just met, you certainly talk a lot about your problems."

    I internally cringe at my comment. I don't want to upset him. Then again, what's he gonna do, ignore me?

"Who said this is a problem?" He stops, lifting his canes.

     I open my mouth to say something, but he beats me to it.

    "Here's the bus. A whopping fifty feet from where you almost crashed into me."

     You've got to be kidding. A sigh of relief lifts from my lungs when I see my bus still parked and waiting for me to board.

Bryce watches me experience that flood of relief. I would say something, but I don't want to seem ungrateful.

He follows me up to the bus stairs, however, not holding back his jab. "Don't worry, this bus will be parked in this same spot for the rest of the year. That is, if you make it that long."

     Ha ha.

Inside the bus, I see the same faces from this morning. I pass Derek quickly with a shudder, going back to the very back. On the way, I also spot Ace. Of course he made it back. I don't even know why I worry about that kid. I keep going.