Summer on the Short Bus Read Online Free

peppermint into my mouth and chomp down on it. I need to talk to Katie. Her dad is a big-shot lawyer—if anyone will know how to get me out of here it’s him.
    I pull my phone from my bag, only to fall back into the pit of despair when I see there’s absolutely no cell coverage. Freaking perfect.
    Too pissed to cry, I start unloading my stuff before Fantine comes back and puts a cap in my ass. I’ll figure out where AT&T lives later.
    Using the strap of my bag to dust off the top shelf of the makeshift dresser, I lay my shorts, tanks, bras, and undies in neat piles on the wood, promising myself I’ll burn them the second I get home. I swap my YSL tank for one of the standard-issue Hanes T-shirts, and finally trade out my flip-flops for the Asics trainers that have never set foot outside of a gym.
    Looking like a walking yard sale, I return to the front entrance and find Fantine standing alongside Pete the doctor and Sam the gnome chef.
    â€œAll set?” Fantine asks. She’s wearing a smile that I can’t determine is of the sincere or I’m-going-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep variety.
    â€œYeah,” I say cautiously. “Thanks.”
    I fall in line beside her and return a wave to Colin and Quinn, who are standing on the steps of the mess hall. Apparently my Quasimodo faux pas has been forgiven.
    â€œOkay, gang.” Rainbow approaches with a clipboard in hand and sunglasses stationed on her carrot-colored head. “The buses just radioed in. They’re pulling off the highway and will be here in a couple of minutes.”
    â€œFinally,” Fantine says. “I feel like we’ve been waiting forever.”
    â€œI know!” says Rainbow. She’s so excited she’s practically bouncing.
    I’m just about to ask what the big deal is, when I notice Pete and Colin in an all-out hug, giggling like kids on Christmas morning. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m starring on a hidden camera reality show, because an eternity passes before two streaks of yellow finally appear through the thick of trees.
    â€œOh my God!” Fantine says while pressing her hands against her mouth. “They’re here! They’re here!”
    â€œDon’t you just love this?” Rainbow adds, squeezing her hand. “I cannot wait to see Meredith!”
    Several minutes and a ridiculous amount of anticipation later, the buses roll to a stop in front of us. I squint behind my glasses, covering my nose and mouth from the dirt rising from the ground. Then the already too-familiar CAMP I CAN logo comes into view on the side of the bus.
    A short bus.
    I station myself at an equally safe distance from the squatty vehicles, watching as Rainbow waves wildly to the driver of the first bus, who responds with a heavy-handed honk. “I love it when he does that,” she says. The engine goes silent and the dual glass doors at the front groan before squeaking open.
    Fantine, Sam, and Pete have all wandered toward the other bus and are exchanging hellos with the driver, when a loud clangingnoise draws my attention back to bus number one. A square door slowly opens from the side of the bus, creating an open-air lift. Seconds later a pigtailed redhead appears in the world’s tiniest wheelchair.
    â€œHello, Raaaaaaainbow,” the girl calls over in a voice that makes me think her tongue is too big for her mouth. “Did youuu miss meeee?”
    â€œDid I miss you?” Rainbow bellows back. “Nah, never!”
    The little girl answers with a laugh as strange as her voice, before her miniature body begins moving in ways that can’t be good for you. Her hands are fisted, flailing in front of her face, while her neck contorts into an Exorcist move. I’m too freaked out to keep watching, so I turn my attention toward the other bus and find Fantine hugging a boy whose eyes are spaced entirely too far apart. His face is swollen, and I can’t be sure, but it