him.
"Take your time, everybody," cautioned Mr. Neal. "There
are plenty of seats, and the bus won't leave until everyone is on board."
As soon as Jana climbed on, she saw Randy. He had a pair of
seats midway down the aisle, and he was motioning to her. It wasn't until she
reached him and slid into the seat beside the window that she realized they
were sitting directly behind Laura McCall and Tammy Lucero. Jana frowned. Had
Randy done that on purpose?
Mr. Neal took roll and introduced the chaperons, then made
an announcement. "Okay, everybody, listen up. These old school buses
travel pretty slowly, so it's going to take us awhile to get into the city. In
the meantime, I want everybody to stay seated. No jumping around. You can talk
and sing songs, but keep the noise level to a roar. The chaperons and I are
going to be in the front of the bus, so let us know if you have any problems."
"Like if somebody gets carsick and pukes?"
Clarence yelled from the back of the bus, and then guffawed at his own joke.
Mr. Neal frowned but didn't respond.
"When can we eat our lunches?" asked Heather
Clark.
"We'll have lunch at the Statue of Liberty,"
replied the teacher. "There are outdoor picnic tables, and we should get
there just before noon."
"I'll starve by then," muttered someone toward the
front.
"It's okay if we take a drink out of our thermoses,
though, isn't it?" asked Laura. She grinned at Tammy and winked.
Mr. Neal nodded. "But just be careful. We don't need
any messes to clean up."
A bunch of kids giggled at that, and Jana leaned toward Randy
and said, "This is making me nervous. Do you think those kids will really
do it?"
Randy shrugged. "I hope not, but Clarence and some of
the others think they're pretty big deals. I wouldn't put it past them."
Jana looked around the bus. Almost all the seats were taken.
Shane Arrington and Tony Sanchez were directly behind her and Randy. Clarence
and Joel Murphy were horsing around in the very last seat in the back.
By the time the buses pulled onto the turnpike a few minutes
later, the air was filled with excited chatter. Outside, the sun was turning
the sky a gorgeous shade of pink.
Randy closed Jana's hand in his and gave her a reassuring
smile. "I bet we'll have a blast today, no matter what the other kids do."
Just then someone began singing the Wakeman fight song, and
everyone joined in.
"Hey, this is the last time we'll be able to sing 'Go!
Fight! Win! Wakeman Junior High!'" said Curtis when the singing died down.
"From now on it will be Wakeman Middle School."
"Right!" yelled Derek Travelstead. "Let's
sing it again!"
"Same song, second verse, a little bit louder, and a
little bit worse," chanted Laura and Tammy.
The kids sang it a second time and then a third. That was
followed by chorus after chorus of "On Top of Spaghetti."
By about the twelfth chorus, Jana started to relax. Nobody
really had the nerve to bring booze on this bus, much less drink it, she
decided.
She whispered her feeling to Randy, adding, "Why would
anyone want to spoil such a good time by doing something like that, anyway?"
Before Randy could respond, Jana saw Tammy turn to Melissa
McConnell, who was sitting across the aisle from her. "It's time to bring
out the thermoses," Tammy whispered. "Pass it on."
CHAPTER 11
Jana cringed at Tammy's words. "Did you hear that?"
she whispered to Randy.
Randy nodded, and Jana could see by his expression that he
felt as miserable about it as she did. Together they watched as the word spread
through the bus like wildfire. Some girls put hands over their mouths and
giggled. A few others gasped.
"What are we going to do?" Jana asked Randy.
He shrugged. "There's nothing we can do but stay out of
it."
Jana nodded and slumped back in her seat. She knew Randy was
right, but that didn't help much.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Derek Travelstead inch
out of his seat in the back and waddle up the aisle. When he reached Tony and
Shane, he held his thermos
"Take your time, everybody," cautioned Mr. Neal. "There
are plenty of seats, and the bus won't leave until everyone is on board."
As soon as Jana climbed on, she saw Randy. He had a pair of
seats midway down the aisle, and he was motioning to her. It wasn't until she
reached him and slid into the seat beside the window that she realized they
were sitting directly behind Laura McCall and Tammy Lucero. Jana frowned. Had
Randy done that on purpose?
Mr. Neal took roll and introduced the chaperons, then made
an announcement. "Okay, everybody, listen up. These old school buses
travel pretty slowly, so it's going to take us awhile to get into the city. In
the meantime, I want everybody to stay seated. No jumping around. You can talk
and sing songs, but keep the noise level to a roar. The chaperons and I are
going to be in the front of the bus, so let us know if you have any problems."
"Like if somebody gets carsick and pukes?"
Clarence yelled from the back of the bus, and then guffawed at his own joke.
Mr. Neal frowned but didn't respond.
"When can we eat our lunches?" asked Heather
Clark.
"We'll have lunch at the Statue of Liberty,"
replied the teacher. "There are outdoor picnic tables, and we should get
there just before noon."
"I'll starve by then," muttered someone toward the
front.
"It's okay if we take a drink out of our thermoses,
though, isn't it?" asked Laura. She grinned at Tammy and winked.
Mr. Neal nodded. "But just be careful. We don't need
any messes to clean up."
A bunch of kids giggled at that, and Jana leaned toward Randy
and said, "This is making me nervous. Do you think those kids will really
do it?"
Randy shrugged. "I hope not, but Clarence and some of
the others think they're pretty big deals. I wouldn't put it past them."
Jana looked around the bus. Almost all the seats were taken.
Shane Arrington and Tony Sanchez were directly behind her and Randy. Clarence
and Joel Murphy were horsing around in the very last seat in the back.
By the time the buses pulled onto the turnpike a few minutes
later, the air was filled with excited chatter. Outside, the sun was turning
the sky a gorgeous shade of pink.
Randy closed Jana's hand in his and gave her a reassuring
smile. "I bet we'll have a blast today, no matter what the other kids do."
Just then someone began singing the Wakeman fight song, and
everyone joined in.
"Hey, this is the last time we'll be able to sing 'Go!
Fight! Win! Wakeman Junior High!'" said Curtis when the singing died down.
"From now on it will be Wakeman Middle School."
"Right!" yelled Derek Travelstead. "Let's
sing it again!"
"Same song, second verse, a little bit louder, and a
little bit worse," chanted Laura and Tammy.
The kids sang it a second time and then a third. That was
followed by chorus after chorus of "On Top of Spaghetti."
By about the twelfth chorus, Jana started to relax. Nobody
really had the nerve to bring booze on this bus, much less drink it, she
decided.
She whispered her feeling to Randy, adding, "Why would
anyone want to spoil such a good time by doing something like that, anyway?"
Before Randy could respond, Jana saw Tammy turn to Melissa
McConnell, who was sitting across the aisle from her. "It's time to bring
out the thermoses," Tammy whispered. "Pass it on."
CHAPTER 11
Jana cringed at Tammy's words. "Did you hear that?"
she whispered to Randy.
Randy nodded, and Jana could see by his expression that he
felt as miserable about it as she did. Together they watched as the word spread
through the bus like wildfire. Some girls put hands over their mouths and
giggled. A few others gasped.
"What are we going to do?" Jana asked Randy.
He shrugged. "There's nothing we can do but stay out of
it."
Jana nodded and slumped back in her seat. She knew Randy was
right, but that didn't help much.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Derek Travelstead inch
out of his seat in the back and waddle up the aisle. When he reached Tony and
Shane, he held his thermos
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