New Kid on the Block *h.s [completed]

Chapter 97

The day I've been dreading the most has finally arrived. The beach day is here, and I've never wished the ground would just open up and swallow me more than I do right now.

The entire junior class has been split into 2 buses on the way here, mainly so that we only had to sit 2 to a seat, but also so that everyone's bags would fit as well. Otherwise we would have only taken one bus, because yes, the grade is that small.

As predicted, I'm squished in next to Harry in the farthest back seat, our hips pressed together so our backpacks don't fall into the aisle.

Jack and Amber are together in the seat in front of us, and while directly disobeying orders from the teachers, keep turning around to talk to us. The chatter throughout the entire bus is loud enough to give a headache, and it almost makes me think that these 17 year olds have never been to a beach before.

The 2 supervising adults who found their way onto our bus, Coach and an un-named english teacher, try to hush the out-of-control teenagers, but to no avail. Their excited shouts remain the same volume, if not higher.

I sit quietly in my back corner, staring out the window. Since the bus motor roared to life, I've been trying to keep my breaths calm and composed. My heart races erratically and when I look down, I'm surprised that I can't see my chest thumping up and down with it.

The highway seems endless, and I wish that was true. But I know eventually it's going to end and the parking lot by the beach is going to come into view and my fear is going to materialize.

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The highway comes to a stop, turning into a narrow gravel path and a square area for vehicles to park.

The buses pull in one by one and stop one in front of the other, both engines idle noisily while kids climb out and run off in groups together towards the beach. The teachers do their best to corral them, but eventually give up and just yell for them not to sneak off anywhere.

The 4 of us are the last to get off, coming from the rear seats of the bus. Jack and Amber fly down the steps in front of me, but when my turn arises, I stop midway. My mind tries to run back into the bus, and my body begins to follow, but Harry's stops me. My backpack collides with his chest, and for the first time in a long time, I wish he wasn't always standing so close to me. Maybe then I could sneak under a seat and be chauffeured back to school by the unsuspecting bus driver.

"Are you okay, Pipe?" The curly haired boy asks, placing a strong hand on my shoulder as I gulp.

I nod and give him a reassuring smile, turning back around and sucking fresh air into my lungs. I force my feet to carry me forward on the small pebbles, but my mind is somewhere else completely.

I follow Jack and Amber down the trail to the beach, choosing to stay high up by the rocks. I help Jack spread out the towels from our bags, laying them side by side.

As we do so, Amber and Harry begin playfully teasing each other over who can run the fastest to the water.

"You're not even on the track team." Amber scoffs, placing her hands on her slim hips as she stares Harry down while he kicks off his shoes.

"You got kicked off." He retorts, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it onto his backpack.

"I twisted my ankle!" She protests, pulling her khaki shorts down her legs to reveal green bikini bottoms to match with her top.

"So did I!" Harry mocks, widening his eyes and letting a boyish grin come over his cheeks as he too, yanks his bottoms over his feet.

He already has swimming trunks on under his skinny jeans, which seems near impossible to me given how tight they are, but odds are he was highly uncomfortable the entire ride here.