Meet Me After Class

Chapter 23: New Friends

I smiled to myself as I nodded approvingly at my reflection in the mirror. White cotton long-sleeve T-shirt underneath my favorite brown insulated jacket, trail pants, and New Balance hiking shoes — I was dressed for Pine Creek State Park.

I moved my head from side to side, admiring how neatly my hair was pulled into braids. I had to admit, Belle did an excellent job.

It was the day of the field trip, and although Ms. Dartwood's choice might have received some backlash from the majority of the seniors, I was actually looking forward to the trip.

After giving myself one final look, I picked up my backpack from the foot of my bed and walked out of my room. Dad was almost done putting together something that I knew for sure was for me when I appeared at the entrance to the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetie—wow. Your hair looks nice." Mom smiled and held up a bag of baby carrots to me.

"One of Belle's hidden talents," I said, nodding at my sister as I shoved the ziplock bag in my backpack.

"You're welcome," Belle said, munching on her bowl of cereals.

"Here's your lunch, sweetie," Dad said, handing me a brown bag and then frowning at Belle. "I made some extra eggs, bacon, and pancakes, Belle. I told you you're not having cereal today."

Smelling the delicious scent from my lunch bag, I thanked Dad and carefully put it in my backpack.

"Did you bring your camera?" Mom asked, putting a plate of crispy bacon on the table, which was soon followed by another plate of sunny-side-up eggs.

"Yup!"

"Sunscreen?"

"I don't think she'll need it today, Mom," Belle answered for me, taking a couple of bacon strips onto her plate. "What she needs to bring is an umbrella or a raincoat."

"If it's going to rain, then Ms. Dartwood would probably take us somewhere indoors. I'm sure she's already thought of Plan B," I said, assuring Mom and Dad.

After our quick breakfast, Mom insisted that I ride with her and Belle to school and used this as an opportunity to fill my thoughts with her stories about Pine Crest State Park and how she and Dad used to go there when they were young.

Belle had tried to ask her if we could camp there sometime. She told us we could, but the tone in her voice was anything but promising. With her hectic schedule at the local care home, I just stayed silent and said, "Cool."

When we arrived at school, Belle and I quickly climbed out of the car.

"Enjoy, sweetie. Don't forget to take lots of pictures," Mom reminded me.

"I will."

Then she turned to Belle. "Are you sure you want to ride the bus home later, sweetie?"

"Yes, mom!"

After Belle and I both said our goodbyes, she walked towards the school building while I made my way to the parking lot, where two buses were already parked. I joined the rest of the class and listened to Ms. Dartwood go through some instructions she thought were necessary but the seniors thought otherwise. Next to her were Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Eckhart. I could only guess they were here as chaperons.

Megan Jones and her mother's resemblance was uncanny. Even their mannerisms weren't that far from each other, like how Mrs. Jones flipped her golden hair to the side.

Mrs. Eckhart, on the other hand, stood at the back, looking like she was forced to be here today. But as the vice president of the school's parent-teacher group, it was evident that she was left with no choice.Her son, Brinson, may be our unofficial class clown, but Mrs. Eckhart's shy demeanor was indicative that Brinson must have gotten his friendly and cheerful behavior from his dad.