Today was finally the day. It was September 6th, the first day of school. My heart was racing with excitement as I made my way to the bus stop. It didn't quite feel like fall this year. The leaves were still bright green, and the air was warm. This year I'd requested a parking spot, but it hadn't been approved yet. Maybe I'd be able to drive everyone to school this year. That would be nice. Asher got an approved parking spot. He'd offered to drive me, but I declined. I'd see Jack sooner if I took the bus.
Asher and I had grown close over the summer. We had worked together at Scoops, along with Joe, Maya, and Asher's girlfriend, Annie. It was a fun job, and I liked hanging out with Joe and Maya. They were a little too old for me though, so it was a relief when Asher and Annie started working. We worked long shifts scooping ice cream, and we began to spend time together outside of work too. Annie had a pool, and usually we all went to her house to swim after work. Maya always made fun of me for not taking off my necklace when I went in the pool. I hadn't taken it off since I'd received it. Not when I jumped in Annie's pool, or when Joe drove us to the beach and we got destroyed by ocean waves. Not even when I took a weekend trip to Florida with my parents and I went through airport security. Luckily no alarms were set off.
The bus stop wasn't empty this year. A freshman was standing at the curb. I smiled to myself. I wasn't alone this year. I didn't expect anyone to be there, the camp kids had returned home late last night and I was sure they would be getting every ounce of sleep they could. The bus pulled up, and my heart sped up in my chest. The bus smelled like it always did. I sat down, my leg shaking with anticipation. I grabbed the necklace around my neck. I had picked up a habit of rubbing it anxiously as the bus drove to the next stop. The bus slowed to a halt. My heart was practically beating out of my chest as kids began piling on. I stood up, scanning the crowd for a familiar face. Our eyes finally met. He raced towards me, nearly knocking me over as he launched himself into my arms.
"Madison," he said, his voice full of joy.
"Jack," I laughed. The bus lurched forward, and we were thrown into our seat. I kissed him, pulling away quickly and reluctantly because we were in public. I looked at him gasped.
"Your hair!" I choked. Jack's dark brown curls were now a shocking blonde. I ran my fingers through it, dazed.
"I know," he grinned. "On the last day Bill got us hair dye. Jaeden's blonde too! And wait until you see Finn," he giggled. We began talking about summer, giddy with each other's company. We hadn't facetimed or texted nearly as much as we'd hoped, between Jack's activity packed schedule and my job. I learned about the play they'd done, and all of the summer drama. Finn had gotten with a few girls, apparently. And his old band had broken up, but he made a new one.
"I'm just happy to be back here with you," he sighed, kissing my cheek. It felt weird, being with him in person. He'd changed slightly. His freckles were darker, and, obviously, his hair was blonde. We held hands, his fingers covered with rings he'd acquired from Jaeden. Ellie got on at the next stop. We hugged, and her hair had two blonde streaks in the front.
"I like your hair," I complimented her.
"Thanks," she smiled. "Remember last year I yelled at you on the bus because you were laying on Jack? Just look how far we've come," she commented. We caught up for a while. I learned about her new boyfriend who didn't live too far from here. The bus pulled up to the next stop, and on came Finn. With purple hair.
"Nice hair," I laughed, standing up and hugging him.
"Hello to you too, Madison," he said, sitting down next to Ellie. We were all together again, and it felt so good. Asher and Annie also got on this stop, and I waved to them, explaining how close we'd become over the summer.
"Good, you needed more friends," Finn grinned.
"Fuck off," I groaned, but I broke into a smile. I was so happy the old dynamic between us all had returned.
"What classes do you guys have?" Ellie asked. We pulled out our schedules and began comparing. I had a good amount of classes with each of them, thankfully. Before we knew it, we reached the ominous brick building. We stepped off the bus, deep in conversation about our classes. We all had separate first period classes, and parted ways once we entered the building. Jack pulled me aside before we split up.
"I just want you to know that I've missed you a lot. And I love you more than ever." He pulled me in and brought our lips together. I pulled back.
"We're in school. We can't be those people that make out in the hallway," I laughed.
"I know. I just had to do that." We hugged, then stepped back.
"I have to get to class."
"See you at lunch."
"See you at lunch."
"I love you."
"I love you way more."
