In The Bus Ride Home, a late-night bus driver named Bill Slovack faces a moral test on what seems like just another shift. When two frightened girls, Sarah and Aaliyah, both escape from the clutches of a serial killer, they each beg for refuge on Bill's bus. Sarah, a young white girl, is reluctantly allowed onboard despite having no fare, while Aaliyah, a Black girl in the same desperate condition, is coldly left behind. As Bill continues his route, his decision haunts him, but it's not until he reaches home and turns on the news that the full weight of his actions come crashing down.
Through this harrowing and racially charged narrative, The Bus Ride Home explores how split-second choices can carry devastating consequences, revealing deep societal biases that can lead to tragic outcomes. Bill's journey forces the reader to confront uncomfortable questions about race, morality, and the price of indifference.
Ella is falling apart trying to live a "perfect" high school life. Then she meets Ren, who can see past her scars. Suddenly perfection isn't her only option.
*****
Ella Volkov is a gifted music student, but she's depressed and starting to crack under the pressure of high school. Her overbearing father won't even let her choose what instrument she plays. Then she finds herself alone at a party with Ren, her best friend's crush. She'd always thought he was rude, but after that night he's all Ella can think about. Now she's trapped. If Ella dates Ren, it will ruin her friendship with Jenny. But if she stays true to Jenny, she's losing the one person who can see past her scars. It's up to Ella to decide if she will forge her own path, or stay in the "perfect" box designed for her...
Content and/or Trigger Warning: depression, anxiety, self-harm, violence, sexual assault.
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