You Scared?

Chapter 3

The day of the museum field trip rolls around. The trip was scheduled for early in the morning due to the long drive to the city. I am not a morning person what-so-ever so to me this is absolutely torture. I am probably going to take a nap on the bus.

I get into my silver Chevy Cruze and crank the heat. I pair my Bluetooth to my phone for music and sit for just a minute to regroup. I didn't pack much for the trip since Autumn told us she had everything covered for us. She loves bringing her tote bag everywhere with her. I readjust my rearview mirror because the last time I was in my car I bumped my head on it causing it to move out of place. As I do, I could've sworn I saw the same reflection we saw at McDonalds in my back window. I whip around to look but nothing is there. I turn back around and take a long breath. I put the car in drive and sped off to the school.

At the school, I ran up to my friends who were standing around Lincoln's car in the parking lot. Everyone is bundled up in sweaters and coats with their hands in their pockets. The sun is still not up yet due to how early this trip is, causing it to be extra cold right now.

"Can it get any colder?" Cami says as she zips her coat up closer to her chin.

"I can warm you up, you know?" Jarret replies with a smirk.

"Haha, very funny Jarret. Why don't you go ask the girl you were with last night if she wants you to warm HER up. We all know where you were yesterday, it isn't a secret at all," she shoots back. Her tone had playfulness to it but I could still sense a bit of hurt in it.

"Quiet. She might be around here and I don't want her hearing that. I'm not going to hangout with her again, so I don't want her coming over and talking to me. Understood?" Jarret rudely says to Cami. Her eyes widen and begin to water. She turns around and rests her arms on the hood of Lincoln's car.

"Look what you did now Jarret," Thomas accuses.

"What's the problem? I'm just saying I don't want to see her again," He shrugs.

"You better fix this before we get to the museum or else this is going to be an even more hell of a trip and you know it," I whisper into his ear. I don't want Cami hearing that because she would be mad at me too. I'd be shunned too for the rest of the day, maybe even the week depending how she feels.

"How are you today, Sydney?" Autumn asks me.

"Real tired. You know I am absolutely not a morning person," I say as I rub my eyes. My nose is so cold that it is starting to run. "Do you have a Kleenex by chance?"

"Absolutely I do. One second I gotta find them in this mess," She replies as she ruffles through her tote bag. "Here you go."

She hands me the Kleenex and I wipe my nose. I realize that I didn't tell them about what I saw this morning, but I realize it might be better if I don't. I don't want to ruin the day for everyone before it has even started.

"What art project are you working on now, Thomas?" Autumn asks.

"Just a simple drawing. I am going to work on it as we drive to the museum. It was the easiest thing to bring that wasn't crochet. I am already over that."

"Any ideas on what to draw?" Lincoln questions.

"Not yet, just going to see where the pencil takes me." Thomas replies.

The bus pulls up to the school and we all meet by the teacher. It was of course the history teacher that was taking us on this trip. He is a pretty cool guy. He takes attendance and lets us all get on as soon as he marks us present. As we get on, Lincoln sits down with Jarret to talk about baseball, Thomas sits with Cami to hopefully calm her down, and Quinn goes to sit with Autumn. She does a small smile but I notice her smile fade as she turns to look out the window. I sit across the aisle from Cami and Thomas and behind Lincoln and Jarret. Autumn and Quinn are seated behind me. The rest of the students find spots to sit and the teacher does a headcount. He nods to the bus driver and the bus takes off.