Forget Me Not

03| missed the bus

Disappointed but not surprised, the lesson finished without a hitch and Wren made sure that Dale couldn't walk with her when she left, not that he would anyway. Dale was nice to everyone, as she was coming to find.

"They are making us watch the football for school spirit," Georgia said with a sigh, resting her cafeteria pizza slice onto the napkin.

They were sat inside the common room, in the corner by the computers where they had always sat. Georgia nearly cried when she saw Wren, even though she seen her last week. She said something about her back in the uniform.

"That sucks," Wren eyed the pizza slice that Georgia took another bite of, before taking a swig of water from her bottle.

"Are you joking? We get to watch the fittest boys in school chase after a ball for ninety minutes without looking like stalkers, it's the perfect scenario,"

Wren smiled. "Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't go here so he doesn't have to know,"

This made Wren laugh, and she debated whether to tell her about Dale. "I fell over this morning," she said. "In front of Jasmine Taylor and that Dale guy," Georgia was crying with laughter now, bent over clutching her stomach.

"Oh my god Wren!" She cried. "That's so funny," Wren pursed her lips, trying to stop the smile that was threatening to show to no avail. She burst out laughing, something she hadn't done for a long time and at her own expense too.

They simmered down after a few minutes which gave Wren the chance to explain what happened this morning fully. "In all seriousness, Dale has to be the most gorgeous man to walk this earth," Georgia said afterwards, Wren rolled her eyes although didn't disagree.

How could she?

"Too bad he's dating Jasmine," Wren said.

"Yeah and they have been for like a year too," Georgia added before taking the last bite of her pizza slice. There it was again, that sinking feeling.

She didn't understand why she was feeling this way, it was just a crush-it wasn't like she ever had a chance with him in the first place.

They resumed their conversation, changing the subject to a book that Georgia had recently read and thought Wren might like. She said she'd bring it for her tomorrow.

The warning bell rang, signalling five minutes before lessons began-Wren's last lesson of the day. Biology.

-

The lesson finished slowly, as though time was pausing for five minutes every time she looked at the clock-which was a lot. But as the bell rang, Wren had the next mighty task of trying to get the early bus home, otherwise she'd have to wait an hour and get the busy bus full of students at 03:15.

Wren all but shoved a classmate with a black backpack and sprinted down the empty steps and to the outside, surprised to see that during the time she had been stuck facing away from the windows in the classroom more snow had fell and covered the grass and floor in a heavy whiteout.

She barely felt fluffy crystals falling on her hair as she carefully navigated the slippery floors that had defeated her this morning. Cringe sank its claws into her chest and she slowed her pace to a fast walk. She was about a minute away from the bus stop, only having to turn the corner away from her school. Checking her watch, there was three minutes before the bus was due.

Sighing with relief, she pulled out her phone and checked her emails. Excitement made her smile as she found her book order had been delivered. Luck seemed to be on her side.

Turning the corner a few seconds later, the large blue bus was pulling away from the bus stop. "Ugh!" Wren tried to run after it, but stopped quickly as she realised the bus wasn't coming back for her. she checked her watch again. The bus was early. She scowled as the registration plate of the bus for cursing her with this predicament.

The snow was still falling, with no sign of giving up. I'm not waiting for another bus. She thought bitterly. The walk home was about an hour and a half-but at least she'd be moving. With one last glance at the bus stop, wren began her trek home.

The by the time she was about a quarter way through her walk, it was dark. It got dark very quickly in winter, and Wren was struggling to see and her fingers were painful with coldness. Music blasting from her earphones, she could barely hear the beeping of a car behind her somewhere.

Until it sounded like it was right behind her.

Her insides went stiff as every case scenario ran through her head-why am I walking alone in the dark anyway? Pulling her earphones from her ears, she turned her head slowly her eyes flickering across lights of a black car as it pulls up beside her.

The car window rolled down, and her heart stayed lodged in her throat when she saw who it was.

"Hey there," Dale said. "Need a ride?"