Is This Seat Taken? (Lumity AU)

Chapter 3 - Luz's Spot

(3rd person pov)

It had been a week since school started and the weekend had passed. It had been the same for the past week. She enjoyed her time with Willow and Gus, which were her favorite parts of the day, and she hated every class she had with the rude cheerleader which she still doesn't know the name of.

What she hated worst of all about school was the bus. She hated it, she was always made fun of the whole way to and from school. No matter where she sat, she couldn't get away from getting made fun of.

Luz boarded the bus when it arrived at her stop. She looked around the bus for a seat but all the spots were next to students that made fun of her. She continued to eye the seats until she found one. It was right behind the bus driver and had a crate in it, which was full of cleaning supplies. Luz took her seat and set her backpack onto the crate and sighed in relief.

"So you like that spot?" said a voice, ''no one usually sits in that seat." Luz jumped at the voice. She looked around her. No one was looking at her. She then heard laughter. "Up here." Luz then looked at the bus driver. She looked to be in her early sixties and she had long grey hair. "Yea I do," Luz responded, "and who are you?" "I'm Eda, your bus driver and your Luz I suppose." " How did you know?" "You have been the talk of the bus." Luz looked down at the bus floor. "I didn't mean that in a bad way!I just meant that I have heard many students talking about you last week. Why's that?"

Luz explained her first day and her encounters with the cheerleader. Eda nodded and listened to everything while she drove. "I see. So you are being made fun of by a popular kid and now everyone is joining in?" Luz nodded. "Wow. That's harsh and that's coming from someone who attended this school back when people could say things that can't be said in today's age."

"I know how you feel," said Luz. The rest of the drive was silent until they reached the school. Luz said goodbye to Eda and walked off the bus. Eda watched her go and watched the other kids walk off in her direction. "Poor kid," she whispered. Then a staff member walked onto the bus. "Assigned seating in the busses is now being required. Please inform your students this afternoon." Eda nodded and the staff member walked away.

Eda began to think while she was driving some middle school students to school. "What am I going to do about Luz?" "Who's Luz?" asked a voice. Eda jumped and looked beside her. A small boy with a white hat on looked at her. "She is someone who gets picked on King. She is a high schooler you know." "Ah, high schoolers. Those mindless teens won't see me coming when I rule over them next year!"

"You know they will make fun of your size and then start calling you cute," Eda teased. King squealed in rage. Eda could only laugh. "But in all seriousness Eda, what are you going to do about Luz?" "Good question." Sh ethne remembered what the staff member had told her. "Wait, that's it!" "What's it?" "The assigned seating!" but before she could finish, she stopped in front of the school. "Good bye Eda!" "See ya King!"

Eda was soon alone. She was driving her bus to the bus depo when she stopped in an empty parking lot. She grabbed her roll of clear duck tape, an expo marker, and a note card. She wrote Luz's name on the card and duck taped it above the seat behind her.

That afternoon, Luz walked over to her bus. She walked aboard and Eda stopped her. "Hey kid," she said, "look right there." She pointed over to the seat behind her. Luz's jaw dropped and squealed in excitement. "Thank you thank you thank you Eda!" she said and hugged her. "What is this? I don't like it." "Thank you Eda." "Your welcome kid, now you can let go of me." Luz let go of Eda and sat down in her new seat. She sat her backpack in the crate next to her and began to relax. She watched as her other bus mates walked aboard. Most of them gave her nasty looks, especially the cheerleader.

"Just a heads up kiddos that assign seating will be in place after today's ride so make sure you're sitting where you want to." Luz then heard shuffling as students began to move around until they were satisfied with their spots. Eda then came around and did what she did with her seat. She wrote their name on a note card and tapped it to the top of the window above their seat.

Soon the bus was off and Luz had the time of her life. She loved the peace and quiet in her new seat. No one disterbed her and no one made fun of her, she loved it. "I'm going to love this new seat," she whispered to herself.