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Chapter Fifteen
3 a.m. came too early the next morning. Julia squinted at the streetlight accosting her through the window–one sliver of light deliberately blinding her eyes. She had just an hour to get to the school, get the folders ready to hand out to the chaperones, and emphasize the importance of the check in locations. No big deal. One hour was a lot of time, right?
She threw on a dark pair of jeans and a navy blouse with a black blazer. That would be comfortable enough for the four-and-a-half-hour bus ride shoulder-to-shoulder with dozens of grumpy teenagers, half of which would most likely forget their phone chargers and complain about it the entire time.
When she got to the school, she opened the trunk of her car and pulled out the trolley full of emergency bandages, snacks, and paperwork for the faculty. With Julia, you knew you were always prepared. She always had a plan B, and then a plan C in case that didn’t work out, and then there was always plan D for emergencies. No surprises.
The frigid morning air wrapped around her, prickling her cheeks with every movement as if her skin was the desert. The parking lot was empty; the school exactly as she left it hours earlier.
“You don’t pack light,” a voice sounded in the darkness.
Even though that voice was familiar, she jumped. She turned and faced Erin, her eyes understandably puffy at that hour.
“And you’re here early,” Julia said, smiling at the surprise.
“I figured you’d be a little stressed sorting everything out this morning,” she closed the trunk for her, “and I wanted to help.”
They walked towards the school with full arms and got to work immediately. Erin helped Julia pull out a folding table in the front of the gymnasium to station their sign-in sheet. A short half hour later, students and teachers began to file in with coffee in hand and emergency contacts on speed dial.
Erin was stationed by the door handing out chaperone packs while Julia organized students into their groups. She waved off nervous parents and checked to make sure the appropriate students had their EpiPens and inhalers. Between the two of them and Keegan corralling late participants in the parking lot, each group was sorted and on the buses in record time. They were right on schedule. No plan B needed.
“And we’re off, Steve!” Julia patted the bus driver’s shoulder as she made her way to a seat. He honked his horn to the other drivers, a smoke signal in the night light.
The bus lurched into motion and the students cheered with excitement, their previous sleepy conversations now overwhelming chatter. A fleet of eight buses trailed out of the school’s parking lot, beeping at the waving parents still standing on the sidewalk.
The front seat was taken by extra folders, allergy kits, and miscellaneous snacks and drinks. Julia walked past it, resting on the outside edge of Erin’s seat as she did a final count of heads.
“Are you excited?” Erin asked, reviewing her own chaperone folder one more time.
“Very much so, actually,” she confessed. “I actually saw this same play as a child. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I can’t wait to see it then.” Erin smiled at her and then turned her attention back to the window, the edges frosted from the night’s chill.
Four other chaperones were on the same bus, separated throughout its length. Students with headphones and fists full of granola bars hopped seats across aisles as they laughed with expectation. Sure, they were probably excited not to be in school for the day, but Julia pretended their giddiness was in part for the art they were about to witness.
As they approached an hour of sitting on those stiff leather benches, tired students began to sink deeper into their seats, napping on each other’s shoulders. Chaperones closed their eyes themselves, savoring any last bit of calm before the chaos. Erin inched just slightly closer to Julia, their legs brushing when the bus hopped from bumps in the road.
“Ms. Jenner?” a voice from behind her called.
“Ah, Mrs. Perot. Yes, what can I do for you?” Julia smiled as she turned into the aisle towards the French teacher. Her cropped brown hair was pulled behind her ears and her signature red beret sat on her head.
“A couple of students asked when we would be stopping for a bathroom break,” she said, gripping a seat for stability. “You know how they gulp those disgusting energy drinks.”
Julia checked her watch and saw it was closely approaching two hours of their trip. They’d be coming up on their halfway stop–a travel station where students could stretch their legs or get a bite to eat.
“We’ll be stopping in about twenty minutes, right Steve?” Julia stood and leaned closer towards the driver.
“Fifteen, actually!” he said enthusiastically, his scraggly gray beard wiggling as he spoke.
“Thank you, Ms. Jenner. I’ll start to wake the students.”
Julia smiled and sat back down next to Erin. Drinking three cups of espresso before getting on the bus probably wasn’t the best idea for her bladder, either.
“Ms. Jenner?” Erin asked.
Julia looked at her, not understanding that she was asking about the name and not attempting to get her attention. She looked at her puzzlingly, her eyebrows furrowed into a line, and then it clicked.
“Yes,” Julia acknowledged.
