"Emma can be generous when she wants to be. Oh, dear, where's your schoolbag?"
"I forgot it," I said. "Thanks for reminding me."
I ran back upstairs to get it, then hurried back down. She stood at the doorway, waiting.
"Good luck to you, dear. I remember my first day of school like it was yesterday."
"It's not my first day of school: I reminded her. "It's my first day here."
"Oh, yes. Funny," she said, thinking for a moment, "but it's as if you were always here. I must be still dreaming."
She leaned over to give me a kiss. then I opened the door and stepped out. Alanis was in the driveway, waiting, the brim of her hat down nearly over her eyes. She kicked a stone and looked up at me. "That idiot didn't show to hook up the tank. They'll be no time for it now. C'mon," she said, walking ahead down the driveway. She looked at her watch when I caught up. "He'd better be here in five minutes or we'll have to take the bus."
She leaned to look down the road. A car came by and then a bigger truck than Stuart's, but he didn't appear. Alanis looked Yen, annoyed.
"See?" she said. "Boys can't be trusted with anything. Their promises aren't worth a damn," she added when the school bus appeared. It slowed and then stopped in front us. I looked at Alanis, who made no move to board the bus. "C'mon," she said finally and tugged me to walk around and go up the stairway. The bus driver, a round-faced, stout man with just a ribbon of hair above his temples and down over his ears, smiled at us.
"Welcome, girls. Now take your seats and stay in them until the bus comes to a stop at the school. No wandering about in motion." he warned.
Alanis ignored him. She paused and looked down the aisle at the other riders. Everyone looked primped and prepared, especially the other girls. Two older boys sat opposite each other, both taking up the entire seat by putting their legs across them.
I could see that some of the children had their faces pressed to the window, looking up the driveway to catch a glimpse, perhaps. of Great-aunt Frances. Alanis nudged me and nodded at them.
"What are you looking at so hard?" she snapped at them, and they turned away quickly.
The rear seat was empty. Alanis headed for it and dropped herself onto it, folding her arms and glaring out the window. I joined her and the bus started again. She looked back once and then at me. Her face brightened with a thought.
"Hey, did you get your lunch money?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
I showed her and she beamed.
"I told you she had money buried. Did you see where she got it?"
I hesitated just long enough for the smile to fade from her face. "Remember, Sister, no secrets, no lies. Well?"
It seemed to me that there was a time to lie. If I told her what Great-aunt Frances had, she would want to go look for it and might steal it.
"She just gave it to me," I said.
"You didn't see where she took it?" I shook my head.
"You lying, girl," she said. "You're not good at it. You'll have to study me. That's okay. You'll tell me." She smiled with confidence. "Yes, you will. And soon. too. You'll see that I'm the best friend you ever had and ever will have."
She sat back, looked out the window, thought a moment, then leaned forward to take the twenty from me.
"I better hold this for you. Too many thieves in that school." She stuffed the twenty into her jeans and leaned back again.
The bus rolled along, stopping to pick up students along the way. By the time we arrived at the school. I felt nauseous. but I swallowed it back and followed everyone out. This was, after all, the first time I had ever ridden a bus to school. All my school life, my mother had brought me to school on the first day. She'd been there holding my hand and assuring me I was fine and I was going to enjoy the experience. My teachers had been nice and full of smiles. They'd all known who we were.
Because other buses from other directions were unloading at about the same time, a sea of students poured into the entrance. Most were talking loudly, calling to each other and laughing. Everyone seemed to know everyone else. Was I the only new student in the whole school this year? If anyone looked at me, it was just a glance. Everyone was more interested in hearing from students he or she knew. For a while. I felt invisible, even though I was being bumped and pushed along. I reached into my bag to get my diagram of the school. but Alanis seized my elbow before I could get the paper out.
"Forget that. I'll show you where you go, Jordan. Just move or we'll get trampled."
She held on to me firmly and took me around a corner and down another corridor.