Squeak. Cluck. “Time to wake up.” Squeak. Squeak. Cluck. “Time to wake up.”
Max rolled over and snatched the alarm clock off the beside table by its neck. The large plastic chicken flapped its wings and opened its beak. . Squeak. Cluck. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and focused on the clock in its stomach.
Seven-thirty. He dropped the chicken on the bed, threw off the covers and groaned. The museum field trip.
The day hadn’t even started yet and he was already in trouble. His seventh grade teacher, Ms. Higgins, was a stickler for punctuality and handed out more passes to the principal’s office than any other teacher in school.
Max threw on his clothes from the day before, snatched up his backpack and raced out the door. It was quiet, except for the thud of his sneakers on the pavement. He charged up the street. The residents of Pleasant Seas were still asleep, except for one, the caretaker. There was never a good time to come face to face with Mr. Scrine. He was bent over, tending to several flowerbeds at the end of the road. Max took the corner a little too fast and squashed a few of his prized petunias. Mr. Scrine roared with anger and threw up his hands.
“Sorry,” he yelled, over his shoulder He sprinted down the street and turned the corner toward the school, then grunted with frustration. The bus was already there and a line had begun to form. No kid wanted to be last in line on a school field trip. Last meant sitting with Ms. Higgins at the front of the bus or worse, next to Milo Jenkins, whose only interest in life were the mythological creatures in his precious dragon dictionary. His fascination with myth and magic made him a bully magnet.
Max spied a group of kids running across the schoolyard and ran the last few feet to grab his spot in the line, then smiled to himself. One of them would be sitting with Ms. Higgins today and it wouldn’t be him. Laughter rang out from the front of the line. He knew who it was, but leaned over anyway. Tommy Gooch hovered by the door. The class bully and his brainless twin brothers laughed and pointed at the kids waiting to get on the bus. He scooted to the right and hoped the girl in front of him would hide his face with her bushy, red hair. He peered over her shoulder to make sure Tommy and Ms. Higgins hadn’t spotted him.
“I said fifteen minutes before the bus arrives, Mr. Hamby. You’re late,” Ms. Higgins announced. Max jumped with a start and sucked in a mouthful of hair. The red-haired girl whipped around and angrily jerked away from him. Ms. Higgins peered over her glasses and frowned.
“Sorry, Ms. Higgins,” he said, quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was get the Gooch brothers attention, but it was too late.
“Sorry, Ms. Higgins,” said Tommy, in a high-pitched girly voice. His brothers snorted with laughter.
“There will be none of that, gentlemen,” warned Ms. Higgins, checking off a name on her clipboard.
“Yes, ma’am,” snorted Tommy, elbowing his brothers. They grew quiet when she lifted an eyebrow in their direction.
The doors of the bus swung open and the line began to move. “Up you go, Mr. Hamby,” said Ms. Higgins, motioning for him to move forward. “Do not dilly-dally.” The Gooch brothers sneered as they waited for him to pass. Max hesitated. He could tell by the look on their faces, they had something planned. Whether it was to trip him or cover him in spitballs, he wasn’t sure. Thankfully, Ms. Higgins ushered them to the back of the line before they had a chance to do anything. He breathed a sigh of relief and got on the bus. Almost all of the good seats in the middle were taken. He scanned the rows for an empty seat. The back of the bus was empty, but no one dared sit there. Those seats were reserved for Tommy and his brothers. Everyone knew that. It was an unspoken rule. A few kids had tried it in the past, but quickly learned a painful lesson and never tried it again. He spied an empty seat closer to the front, but still in the middle and headed for it. A sudden kick from behind sent him sailing face first onto the bus floor. His cheek and jaw connected with the hard rubber mat and sent shockwaves of pain through his head.
“What is the hold up?” Ms. Higgins called out.
“Maxi-Pad hasn’t learned how to walk,” snorted Tommy. The other kids joined in and laughed with him.
“Mr. Gooch, watch your language,” called Ms. Higgins.
Max felt his face grow hot and wished he’d stayed in bed. He picked himself up and hurried to his seat. He rested his head against the window and waited for the pain in his face to pass. Tommy leaned in and gave him a generous whiff of his rancid breath. “What’s the matter? Maxi-Pad fall down and go boom?” He howled like a hyena and made his way toward the back of the bus. A few seconds later, a shower of spitballs hit the back of his head. He wiped them away and slumped in his seat to get out of the line of fire. Thankfully, the Gooch brothers switched targets. Milo Jenkins made the mistake of choosing a seat in front of them and quickly became a pawn in their game of keep-a-way with his backpack.
Max stared out the window and tried to ignore the growing chaos behind him. His stomach growled painfully. There’d been no time to eat breakfast and lunch was hours away. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it. Before long, the bus stopped with a sudden lurch. His backpack sailed off the seat and he slid forward whacking his bruised cheek. The other kids started to stand up. He grabbed his backpack and pushed his way past. He did not want to be kissing the bus floor again and made sure he was one of the first ones in line to get off.
“Alright children, single file, please. You will remain with the class at all times. There will be no touching, running, or fooling around. If you cannot follow these simple rules, you and your parents will meet with me in the principal’s office after school. Is that clear?”
A collective “Yes, Ms. Higgins” rang through the bus. “Okay then, let’s go. I believe this will be a most interesting day for all.” Max stepped off the bus and looked around. Interesting wouldn’t have been the word he chose.
