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Many people saw Junie as too pure for this world.
They saw the way she always had a smile on her face and was always bringing other people up, and the thought of her living in a world with such horrible people and actions just seemed so wrong.
She was like a big ball of sun illuminating a bright light over the Earth every day. She was the sun and her friends were the Earth. Which made sense because she thought of them as her world.
"Why do we have to sneak out of the house if we're not doing anything wrong until we sneak onto the train?" Riley asked the question, directed towards Maya, the more rebellious of the three as Junie picked the pink nail polish off her nails so she wouldn't focus on how worried she was.
"Are you ready to walk past your parents?" Came Maya's response. Junie shook her head 'no' immediately, while Riley had a different, less truthful answer.
"I think I'm ready."
"I've never snuck out before." Junie said at the same time as the brunette, as her eyes were still focused on her nails, only now she was trying to push back her cuticles.
"Let me see your face as you walk by your parents." Maya told the brunette, doubtful that she was actually prepared to walk in front of her parents while knowing what she was about to do.
Riley reacted quickly by moving her mouth into an odd, guilty-looking face. Her lips hadn't even touched each other. They were fully separated, putting her teeth on display.
"Why are you looking at us like that?" Maya mimicked what was expected of her parents to ask.
"Because I'm sneaking onto the subway." Riley replied without missing a beat.
"We're guilty." Junie stated, now having pushed back all of her cuticles and being stuck just fiddling with her hands.
"Out the window." Riley confirmed for the three.
"Let's go." Maya agreed. Riley climbed out first, then Maya, then finally, a terrified Junie.
They didn't get far at all due to being stopped by Riley's father, and their teacher, Cory Matthews.
"Daddy, why are you here?" Riley asked before quickly answering her own question. "Because you're smarter than me. Why are you always smarter than me?"
Three of them began crawling backwards back into the room, while Riley's father crawled forwards.
"Here's what I'm thinking," Cory's speech began as the three girls stood up and walked over to stand by Riley's bed. "It's not your world yet. It's still my world. Because if it was your world, Maya would have you on the subway already thinking you pulled something on me. But you didn't. Know how I know? Look at ya. You're right here."
"I'm really sorry we tried to sneak out, Mr Matthews. I take full responsibility for the action. I made Riley sneak out, please don't punish her."
