I sighed thoughtfully as the bus pulled away from the school and headed for its first stop. It had been a long day, but meeting Ember had made it so much better. It suddenly occurred to me that I had never actually had a friend like her before. I mean, there were some kids that I had known since preschool, but they never asked to come over to my house, or related to my problems, or laughed no matter how dumb the jokes I made were. It felt good to have a friend like Ember, and I somehow knew that we were going to go through a lot together.
Just then, I heard a clatter from the back of the crowded bus. Turning around swiftly, I was just in time to dodge a crudely made paper airplane whizzing past my head. Unfortunately, the girl in front of me, was not.
"Ouch!" She yelped, sending the older boys in the back, who had thrown the airplane at her, to burst in to bullying laughter. The girl in front of me looked as if she was about to cry, but she held her tears back and ignored them as best as she could. When I got a closer look at her face, she looked tired and hungry, so I offered her my extra sandwich that I always kept in my backpack.
"I hope you like jelly and almond butter. My mom's allergic to peanuts."
At first, she looked frightened, then extremely grateful.
"Thank you. My name is Phoenix. What's yours?" Phoenix and I chatted the rest of the way to my bus stop, and I soon felt a deep connection with her because neither one of us had ever met our real parents. Although it had felt good to become friends with Ember, it felt even better to have two real friends.
I know this is short, but I want cookie_Monster to get to decide what happens next. Writing this story with you guys is sooooooooo fun!!!!!!!
