You're Probably Wondering How I Got Into That Situation

[Namira]

"Have you been a driver for a long time?"

"Nah."

Shauna didn't know how she'd got to sit all the way at the front of the bus, she'd just kind of happened to be the person at the front of the loose congregation of students when the trip started. She supposed that was because she'd wound herself up about potentially being late and got so anxious that she was going to somehow miss the bus that she overshot and was at the assembly point over an hour ahead of when she needed to be. That'd meant a bonus of getting to pick her seat, but Shauna had kind of misjudged things in the heady excitement of having a world of choices in front of her and just sat down at the first possible spot, which was basically like three feet away from the driver and she suspected was actually like a wheelchair access spot? It was only once she was already sitting and others started filtering on that she realised she'd condemned herself to sharing a row with a couple teachers and no one else.

This was why you should never try anything new and different, only misery and misfortune awaited.

Anyway, Coach Oppenheimer was kind of scary and one time he'd nearly made her cry by criticising her over and over when he held training in place of Coach Skinner for a couple weeks. That left her with her reading book, her Notebook, and the bus driver (She was saving her sketchpad for D.C.), and since Shauna apparently hadn't learned her lesson about venturing outside of her comfort zone, she'd periodically been trying to engage the woman at the wheel in conversation.

"What did you do before driving?"

"Do you not have friends?"

"I, um..."

"I'm busy driving, kid...and I have friends."

This, obviously, was going absolutely great. She spent the next half hour reading her book, casting nervous glances at Coach Oppenheimer, and wishing she'd just bitten the bullet and asked to tag along with Cheri or Rhonda and slid in with that group, or heck, Nona! Nona was here too and probably didn't have too many choices for neighbours. Maybe when the buses pulled over for a rest stop Shauna could talk to the teachers, or maybe just sidle on up to the back and see if she could squeeze in with someone else? She was super skinny, she didn't need that much space. Perhaps she could even swap bus—wait shoot, there were rules about doing that. Darn it.

Another ten minutes and the bus halted for the third time in quick succession. The driver muttered something that Shauna didn't quite catch but sounded colorful and none-too-happy. Shauna opened her mouth, hesitated, went back and forth, and then spoke.

"Hey, uh, are you okay?"

The driver stiffened up for a second then slooooowly turned her head back. "Oh yeah. Just great. I am thrilled right now to be driving this dying bus, thanks.”

Shauna slooooowly slid down her chair to escape from that glare.

--

When they stopped officially, Shauna thanked the driver on the way off and then hung around to say sorry for bugging her during the drive to D.C.

Her response was "Sure, whatever,", which Shauna considered to be an absolute win.

--

Boarding to head back home—safely ensconced in a group with Rhonda and Cheri this time—Shauna gave the driver a smile and a little wave as she passed.

The driver did not wave back.