"Dunno.
It's late, though." I answered, shivering and trying yet again to unfold my bus pass.
"Like always." Andrew added.
I gave up on trying to open my bus pass with mits on and took off one.
I flipped it open, put on my mit again and stuck my thumb in my pass.
Now it would not be able to close.
"Wait, is that it?" Andrew asked, looking into the distance.
I squinted through the blowing snow - the wind had just picked up - and saw a rag-tag bus at the stop down the street.
"Think so.
The one-thirty-five has better busses usually."
"And the Gators' bus has already gone by." Andrew added.
We all moved towards the curb as the bus stopped at the stop sign the street over.
It slid to a complete stop a few feet from where we stood due to the slippery conditions.
We climbed onto the bus and I located my friend Katie.
I sat in the seat in front of her with a sigh.
"It's cold, eh?" I commented, shrugging out of my bag.
"Tell me about it." She agreed, looking up from her binder.
"My hair's frozen again..." I muttered and settled to trying to make it defrost.
"Science?"
"Nah, Geo." She answered, pointing at the title.
"Hmph, we get too much homework." I grumbled, rubbing at a frozen clump of hair.
"Just be glad we didn't have exams." She reminded me.
"True." I admitted and turned to my bag.
I put my bus pass back in its pocket and pulled out my braces elastics.
I put on the torture items and slipped the others back into the pocket, zipping it closed.
"What do you have today?" She asked.
"Good day." I answered.
"Geo, Science, Gym and... French."
"Ugh, French is so boring." Katie grumbled.
"I know!
I mean, the language isn't that bad but the class is so boring we could sleep!" I agreed.
"The highlight is either her yelling at somebody or Ivan throwing stuff at my back." She commented.
"I wonder what she's gonna do with me if I keep talking." I mused.
She laughed.
"Probably move everyone over to one side of the class and put a ring of empty desks around you."
"Doubt we have that much room in our class.
Besides, I would just start talking louder so the people around me could hear me." I pointed out and we both laughed.
I took out my diskman and opened it.
I took out the cd and balanced it on my stomach while digging in my pocket for batteries.
I placed them in the device, put my cd back and closed the diskman.
"What CD?" Andrew asked, looking over the back of his seat.
"Nickelback." I answered.
"New one."
"Cool." He responded, nodding and turning back to his seat.
"I'm so glad it's Friday." I said happily as we turned onto the highway a few minutes later.
"Same.
I can't wait to sleep in!" Katie agreed.
I sighed loudly.
"Neither can I.
I feel like I haven't slept at all this week."
She laughed and closed her binder.
"Done Geo."
"Can't wait to drop that subject." I grumbled.
"I understand it, but it's boring."
"Don't we have to take either Geo or History in grade eleven?" She asked, looking up.
"Yeah, but I'm taking History." I answered.
"I just can't be made to care about Geography."
We fell into a tired silence as the bus trundled down the highway.
We reached the main street in our school's area and I groaned.
"We're gonna be late again.
Look at the traffic."
And, as usual, we were.
We had a mere two minutes to get our things and go to TAP class.
I got to my locker and wrenched it open after many curses for the combination lock.
I exchanged my current bag contents for those of my morning and slouched down to TAP under the weight of two binders and two textbooks.
"Hey Shailey." My friends - Kevin, Chantal and Hillary - said as I entered.
"Morning." I answered sleepily, smothering a yawn.
The second bell rang as I reached my spot.
Chantal laughed as I dropped my bag on the ground and slid into my seat.
I leaned back in the uncomfortable contraption and yawned again.
Hillary came over to my desk.
"We need to work on our science fair project." She reminded me.
"Sure, pick a day." I responded.
We set a day to work on our project and I wrote it on my hand and in my agenda.
O' Canada began to play and we all lurched to our feet.
When it was over, we all dropped right back down and resumed our conversations.
"Shailey, do we have Geo first?" Kevin asked suddenly.
"Yeah." I answered, smothering another yawn and brushing out my now-defrosted hair.
At twenty-five after nine we all wandered out of our TAP - our school's word for homeroom - and went to our next class.
Kevin, Hillary and I went to the geography classroom.
As we walked, we saw mine and Hillary's friend Katie - not the same one as on the bus - and caught up with Joanna who was singing the Pirates of the Carribean theme song again.
We walked into geography with good time and I sat in my usual spot.
Hillary decided to sit with Joanna at the table in front of me.
"Ditcher." I mock-grumbled.
Joanna made as if to respond and I grinned.
"Moocher!" I teased.
They both mock-glared at me and we all laughed.
I got out my geography and my French homework.
People filed into the class over the next five minutes and sat at their tables.
My friend Ben walked in, looking as tired as usual, and dropped into his seat the next 'column' over.
"Don't even-" He began.
"Escappei!" I cut him off with a grin.
He gurmbled and rolled his eyes.
Alex, a class-mate, grinned as he walked past.
"'Escappei!
Look! Isn't that funny!
It's spelt just like the word 'escape'!'
'You can read?'
'I can read?!'" He quoted from the movie Finding Nemo.
Ben grumbled.
"Now you've done it.
She'll be quoting that all French class."
I smirked innocently.
"No I won't."
"Yes you will." He argued.
"I'll only quote it when I come within hearing range of you." I teased as the teacher walked in.
"Quote what?" He asked.
"Finding Nemo!" I said happily.
"Escappei!" Alex said, re-quoting the entire segment.
