Scene 5

On the first day of school, Thea got on the bus and saw curious, yet somewhat hostile looks from the kids on the bus. She took a deep breath, plastered on the best smile she could muster and looked for a seat. “Can I sit with you?” she asked a pleasant looking girl in the third seat back. “No, I’m saving this for my friend.” Thea moved on to the next seat, and the next, and the next. Everyone was saving a seat for their friends.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute, the bus driver yelled, “Find a seat, people! This bus don’t move til your fanny hits the leather.” Thea looked at the bus driver with tears in her eyes and started to say something. “Come on, y’all scoot over or move! We’re on a schedule here!” Still, no one moved. The bus driver, whose name was Mr. Gooch, let out a strange sound somewhere between a snort and a curse, and said, “Sara, scoot over or sit with someone else. Now.”

Sara gave Mr. Gooch a dirty look, then gazed at the Thea for a long moment. “Your mommy and daddy did a pitiful job dressing you this morning. I ain’t never seen nothing that ugly all on one person before.” Her friends tittered, Mr. Gooch yelled again, and Sara got up and moved into the seat across the aisle. Thea sat down, and the bus lurched forward with a big roar and headed off toward school.

Thea told herself that things could only get better from here. When the bus arrived at school, Thea stood and waited while every one else crowded into line to get off the bus. Each kid glared at her as he or she went by, and refused to let Thea get in line. The last three in line waited in the aisle right in front of Thea’s seat until all the other kids were off the bus. Then they all laughed and ran down the aisle and off the bus, ignoring Mr. Gooch’s bellowed, “Walk, you kids, WALK!”

Thea followed the mass of students into the school, and eventually ended up in the gym. The bleachers on both sides of the gym were pulled out, and on the front row were several signs, each with a grade written in black marker. Seventh, eighth and ninth grades were on one side, while tenth, eleventh, and twelfth were on the other.

Thea trudged to the seventh grade section of the bleachers. Her teacher was talking to a student seated on the second row of the bleachers, so she waited quietly for her to finish. While she waited, she glanced at the children who would be her classmates in the next year. Most of the boys were at the top of the bleachers, laughing and punching each other or throwing paper wads at the girls. Some of the girls were giggling and throwing the paper back at the boys. A few of them were writing notes back and forth in their notebooks. Still others were whispering quietly to each other behind their hands.

But then, a strange thing happened. One by one, the girls stopped what they were doing and glared at Thea. Then she saw her. The girl from the bus, sitting on the second row. The teacher had been talking to her, and Thea had been distracted when she finished. The teacher, with “Mrs. Baumgarten, Seventh Grade Advisor,” written in red marker on her name tag, was standing with her arms crossed, waiting with an expectant look on her face.

“Hello. My name is Mrs. Baumgarten. I assume you are Dorothea Watson since you are my only new student and I do not recognize you. Am I correct in making that deduction, Dorothea?”

“Yes, ma’am, but every one just calls me Thea.”

“That may be, Doro-thea, but the documents your parents filled out listed your full name as,” She checked the green spiral bound grade book clutched in her arms, “Watson, Dorothea Lynne,” she closed it with a satisfied smack and leveled a stare at Thea that brooked no disagreements.

“I detest nicknames, Miss Watson, therefore in my class, you will be referred to as Miss Watson, or Dorothea, depending upon whether or not you are in my good graces. Is that clear, Miss Watson?”

Thea wanted to ask which name meant what, but she had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer to that, and was pushing her luck as it was.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now, Sara Brown has kindly volunteered to be your buddy this year. She tells me that you already met on the bus this morning, is that correct?” Thea’s heart sank another notch.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Very well then, Sara will direct you to your various classes, as you have identical schedules. She will also acquaint you with what is expected of you in my class.”

The principal stepped to the middle of the gym and took a microphone from the stand. Mrs. Baumgarten pointed to a seat on the front row of the bleachers and gave Thea a slight shove in that direction.

Thea went to the spot and sat down. She couldn’t believe her rotten luck in teachers and classmates. She’d thought it was hard enough moving so far away from all of her friends, but this was unbelievable. She hoped that Sara had had a change of heart and had decided to be nice to her, but it was a feeble hope at best. She turned and looked up at where Sara was sitting with her friends. Sara glared at her, mouthed the word ‘freak,’ and elbowed the two girls sitting next to her. The girls turned, mouthed the word ‘freak,’ and giggled.

Thea faced the front and tried to concentrate what Principal Wiggins was saying, but she only heard a few words. Principal Wiggins said something about what a wonderful school year it was going to be, and after that, all Thea could think about was how awful she was afraid it would be for her.