The big yellow bus rolls down the crumbly road, screeches as it stops, and flaps its doors open for the little children to board.

     Mama helped Charlie reach the first step before ushering Charlie to go.  

The bus is filled with loud, obnoxious kids and unfamiliar faces. Charlie's nose wrinkles slightly at the smell of crusty children.

 The big yellow bus feels like a slow cooker; the children sweat in the now-humid atmosphere.

Charlie takes one step, then another, and another. The bus jolts forward, causing Charlie to look back before settling next to a girl.

    The bus continues down the road, and it winds occasionally to avoid potholes.

“Hi, I’m Abby,” says the plump girl. She wore black leggings and a pink and white striped dress. She looked tan as if she went outside a lot this summer.

     She had brown wavy hair and a button nose. Her voice was high-pitched. Charlie found it slightly annoying. “What’s your name?” the girl, Abby, asked.

    “My name’s Charlie,” Charlie answered in a small, timid voice.

“I went to the beach this summer. I got sunburn, too. My mom said I had to put on sunscreen every two hours. Does your mom say that, too? My mom also said...” Abby kept going on and on.

    Charlie zoned out, focusing on the material of the seats, the dirty floor, and the other kids’ shoes, while continuing to be heavily invested in Abby's words. 

 “...and then I fell and broke my wrist.” Abby continued talking, and Charlie noticed the purple cast on her right arm. As the talkative girl continued, Charlie saw the bus pull into the school parking lot.

    Charlie made it off the bus and walked slowly to the school entrance. The building was huge—two stories with high ceilings. Charlie’s cheap shoes slipped on the granite material of the hallway floor. A small groan left Charlie’s lips.

 Charlie takes one step. Then another. And another. 

    "Excuse me, sir?" Charlie finally gathered the courage to speak, looking up at the tall man.

    A tall man turns around and faces the small child. He looked about six feet tall. He gave a small smile to match Charlie’s call. He had a shiny bald head and wore a suit and tie. 

    “Hello, how can I help you?” the man replies.

    “I’m Charlie. I’m in kindergarten, and I have Mrs. Roberts.” Charlie starts to explain.

“Do you need help finding your class?” the man asks.

    Charlie nods. “Yes, sir,” Charlie confirms quietly.

    The man clears his voice and looks down at Charlie. Charlie blinked a few times, realizing the whole interaction had been in Charlies head. Charlies face burned red as Charlie looked away in embarrassment, standing in the deafening silence. 

    Abby from the big yellow bus interrupts and takes Charlie’s hand. She was much taller, standing up. “Who’s your teacher, Charlie?” she asks.

    “Mrs. Roberts…” the small, timid voice replied.

“She is an amazing teacher,” Abby says as she leads the way.

“You’re going to have such a good time in her class,” she keeps going.

    Soon, she stops in front of a door decorated with purple paper and flowers. “Here you go, Charlie,” she says. “I have to go find my class, but I hope you have a good first day.”

    Charlie nodded, watching as Abby walked off before Charlie stepped into the classroom. One step. Then another. And another.

“Hello there!” a welcoming voice says. “I’m Mrs. Roberts.” The woman introduces herself. “What’s your name?” she asks.

    “Hello, I’m Charlie,” Charlie says softly.

“Well, hello there, Charlie,” she replies. “It’s nice to meet you,” she says as she looks at a blue clipboard and walks over to a table at the back of the room. “You will sit here with your table mates, Sam and Wesley,” she introduces them.

    Charlie nods and hangs his backpack on the back of his chair before sitting. “Thank you,” Charlie replies quietly.

During class, Charlie struggles to hear the instructions. Charlie has a hard time remembering the names of his new classmates and starts to get sleepy, finding it difficult to focus.