Tawny had always walked to school, but being this far away now made riding the bus a necessity. The kids on this side of town were unfamiliar, and after last night she had no desire to talk, so she climbed aboard the bus, chose the front seat, and slid all the way to her right, next to the window. Not making eye contact kept anyone from trying to communicate. She stared through the windshield, watching the traffic and held her breath at each stop, hoping no one sat beside her. Unfortunately the bus was crowded and at the second to the last stop, a girl did just that.
Tawny threw her hair over one shoulder and shifted her eyes to the left without moving her head. The girl seated next to her stared straight ahead. She had spiky, black hair, an upturned nose, and wire-rimmed glasses. Her dainty hands lay folded across two schoolbooks in her lap. She glanced over and caught Tawny’s eyes with striking, deep-blue pools surrounded by black eyeliner. She was gorgeous. Tawny glanced away and resumed her vigil of watching traffic.
When the bus pulled to the curb, Tawny remained seated as the other kids pushed and shoved their way out. The girl sitting beside her remained perfectly still, like a stone statue.
When the last of the kids were about to pass, the girl turned to Tawny. “Meet me behind the gym during lunch. I think I can help you.” She stood and walked off the bus.
Tawny sat in the seat, stunned, and then looked around. The girl could only have been talking to her.
“Hey, off the bus,” the driver said.
Tawny sprang from the seat. “Oh – sorry.”
She climbed down the steps then stood on the sidewalk, searching for the girl but she was nowhere to be seen. Looking at her shoes, Tawny stood rooted to the spot. She’d missed a week of school while they had packed up and moved, not that she really had any friends anyway. Oh, there were a few girls who spoke to her once in a while, but no one came to her house, even before she moved. Still looking down, she made her way into the school. When she reached the locker they shared, Mary stood beside it.
“Hey, Tawny. What up?”
Tawny studied Mary’s face. “Nothing really. It’s been a long week and I didn’t sleep very good last night.”
Mary cocked her head. “Don’t you like the new house?”
“It’s all right.”
“Did you get rid of your ghost?”
Tawny shook her head.
“Really? He followed you?”
Tawny opened her locker and stuck her book on the shelf. “It would seem so.”
“Awesome.”
A voice called from down the hall, “Hey, Mary.”
Mary rushed away and joined a more popular bunch of girls. They laughed at something one of the other girls said then headed down the hall.
Turning back to her locker, Tawny grabbed her geography book, a notebook and a pen, and headed to class.
Half of the day crept by as she debated whether to meet the girl from the bus or not. The offer piqued her curiosity. Who was this girl? And how could she possibly help with any of Tawny’s problems?
When the bell rang for lunch, she still hadn’t decided what to do. Stashing her stuff in her locker, she closed the door and spun the lock. Going to lunch was a lonely venture. None of her better acquaintances had the same lunch period. Her brow furrowed. Maybe the girl from the bus didn’t have the same lunch period either. She swept her hand across her face, leaned against the locker, and closed her eyes.
