𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 → the society

→1.01←

June Thompson tilted her head back and took in the first nice weather West Ham had seen in days. She wished she could breathe in a breath of fresh air, but the smell wafting through town almost made her want to vomit. There had been two days of wonderful, smell-free bliss. She found herself wishing she would have cherished those days more; smelled the flowers while she had a chance. She made a mental note to stop and smell every flower she passed while in the mountains, betting on the chance that the smell would still be there when she returned. In other words, she didn't have much faith in the leaders of West Ham.

"Got everything?" Her dad questioned nervously, hands placed on his little girl's shoulders.

"Yes, dad," June replied with an exasperated tone, despite not truly being annoyed by the man. She leaned up on the tip of her toes and planted a kiss on the man's cheek, knowing this would be their final goodbye for the next week. "I love you."

June felt a pit in her stomach that she had been trying to ignore. This was the first time her father and she would be apart for more than a day in the past month. Ever since her mother passed, the two had relied on each other as much as they could. She wondered if her father would be able to handle the week apart, and if she should just stay back with him. She knew if she was ever going to leave and go on this trip, she needed to go now, before she changed her mind.

"I love you, too," Her dad pulled his hands back and stuffed them in his pockets. "Have fun, be safe."

June turned without a second glance, trying her best to be strong. Weakness wasn't something that was commonly accepted in this town. People had some sympathy for her, after her mom, but it was quick to fade. Then, the whispers began. People would whisper about how it happened, how the family could grieve better, anything and everything despite it having nothing to do with them. 

Her next fear came as she wondered who she would sit with on the bus. 5 buses were being used to escort all of West Ham's 16 and older students, and just June's luck, she didn't have any friend's going. She was the oldest girl in the sophomore class, and while some other sophomores had already turned 16 as well, all of her friends were still 15, meaning she was alone in this endeavor. Her heart raced as she boarded one of the buses, eyes scanning for an empty seat. 

"Is anyone sitting ther—" June started to ask a timid blonde girl, one she recognized as Elle Tomkins, but was interrupted.

"Hey," The voice interjected, stepping between June and the seated girl. "I'm Campbell."

The blonde girl looked first at June, then to the boy. Her confusion was riddled on her face, curious as to why not one, but two people had tried to talk with her. She was an outcast in West Ham, and the sudden burst of attention wasn't something she was used to.

"Do you mind if I, uh," The boy feigned being nervous, but June could see through the act. "Sit here?"

Elle looked him up and down before conceding and schooching over in the seat. This left June alone, again. To her dismay, the only open seat she could spot was towards the front of the bus, directly behind the bus driver. With a sigh, she trudged up to the front and took the seat, conceding that she would most likely spend most of this trip alone. She found herself wondering why she even decided to go, considering none of her friends were able to. She knew she thought it would be the perfect opportunity to break out of her shell, but here she was, sitting alone by the bus driver, shell very much intact.

As the bus began to roll out of its stationary position and kids hung out the windows to wave goodbye to their friends and family that were staying behind, June simply rested her head against the window and let her eyes squeeze shut. She figured, perhaps it would look less embarrassing that she was sitting alone if she simply fell asleep and took up a bunch of space? Some part of her knew that she was virtually invisible to most of the people there, and that no one would really care that she was sitting alone, but she couldn't help but feel all eyes were on her. That's how she always felt, ever since losing her mom.