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October 31,2006 - The Ride to Chicago

OMG! I can't believe it! It's 4:50 in the morning and I just got out of the shower. I don't usually get up at 4:30 in the morning to take a shower, but today is a special day. Today, the whole freshman class is going on a field trip to Chicago, and it's going to be the best field trip ever! Were going to a museum to see some King Tut thing, but that's not what I'm looking forward to. Honestly, it's the bus ride I'm looking forward to. Four hours of being surrounded by friends! I know, what a weird-o, right?

Once I get out of the shower, I get dressed, choosing my khaki pants and a brown and tan Diatribe tee-shirt. Don't ask me what Diatribe is, I have no idea. I just like the shirt. After getting dressed, I eat breakfast: a blueberry bagel with cream cheese. I wasn't very hungry, so I only ate half of it, fed half of the other half to my dog, and pitched the rest.

I'm not much of a make-up person, but today is a special day, so I put some on. A faint brown color underneath a darker brown color, with gold eyeliner and a lip colored lip gloss. Mom always told me that redheads looked best with brown colors. Ever since then, it's the browns I've been stickin' with. After I'm done with all the make-up stuff, I do what I got up at 4:30 in the morning to do; scrunch my hair. I've never scrunched my hair for school before. This is actually only the third time I've ever scrunched my hair in my life. I just learned how about a week ago. I don't like my hair down when it's scrunched, so I put it halfway up.

After I'm done scrunching my hair, I go upstairs and wake-up my mom. She didn't want to get up at 4:30 in the morning, seeing as all she has to do is drive me to the school. Once she's up, I make sure I have everything I need; MP3 player, chap stick, cell phone, and the forty dollars my dad gave me. After I'm sure I have everything, we leave.

Now, let me tell you, this isn't exactly a warm summer day we're talking about. So, when you go outside with wet hair on a night like this, you're gonna be cold! And let me tell ya, I was cold! Of course all I brought was a sweatshirt, so that didn't really solve my problem. The good news was, it only took about ten minutes for the Jeep to get warm. The bad news was, it only took ten minutes to get to the school. So, but the time the Jeep got warm, it's was back out into the cold outdoors!

I was thankful that my best friend, Emily Baldwin, was already there. Then, I wouldn't have to be the one to find us a bus and make sure no one sits in the seats I would have reserved for my friends. Not to mention making sure they got on the right bus.

"We're on bus 14", she said once she saw I was there. "Oh, and don't forget to tell Mr. Summers you're here, so he can check your name off", she reminded me, getting onto the bus. Mr. Summers was our guidance councilor. He was also my other friend, Landon Summers's, dad. Honestly, to tell you the truth, he kinda scares me. Once I had worked up the courage to let him know I was here, I got on bus 14, and found a seat with Emily. It kinda took a while to find her. It was so dark!

We had just started talking about how much fun we're going to have on this trip, when I felt someone poke me in the back of the neck. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. It was Landon Summers. He had this annoying habit of poking people. His favorite places to poke we're your neck and your side. While he had a habit of poking people, I had a habit of screaming when he poked me. Even when he's standing right in front of me, I still scream. I think it's become a reflex for when he pokes me or yells "boo!" right in my face. There are times when I know he's going to poke me or yell in my face, and I still scream.

So, as you may have guessed, when Landon poked me, I screamed, loud. After my scream, all you could hear was the intercom on the bus, and the bus driver saying "Please stop your screaming! It's 6:00 in the morning and I don't need the headache!" My face suddenly turns red. I was glad it was dark. I'm not exactly the type of person that likes getting in trouble, or being the center of attention. I look forward and say "Sorry!" before turning around to face Landon. "You jerk! What did you do that for!?" He just looked at me and laughed. "You totally screamed! That was awesome!" I roll my eyes. Boys. They never grow up.

"It was not funny! Or awesome! It was humiliating!"

"Oh, come on Jenn, it can't be that bad! No one can see you anyway!"

"Yeah, and it's a good thing too!" I look to left side of Landon's seat, and see Annalisa sitting with him. We just call her Annie for short. "Oh, hey Annie! Are you excited about the trip?" I ask, trying to change the subject. "Oh, yes! It's going to be so cool!" She says, very enthusiastically. "Hey, did you hear her scream!?" Asked Landon, changing the subject back to my scream. "Yes, I think your dad even heard it! And he's outside!" Annie replied.

I look over at the seat next to them. Sitting in it are my other friends, Ethan Davis and Sara Ticen. "Hey!" I say. "Hey" they say back. "Are you tired?" I ask. "Yes" they reply. "OMG!! How can you be tired! We are going to Chicago! CHICAGO!!!!" I say, flabbergasted. I can not believe how anyone could possible be tired! I'm not even tired!

"Excuse me! Can I have your attention up here please?' says a short, round man by the name of Mr. Dillman. He's the one that planned this whole trip for us to go to Chicago. "Alright, now I need you all to sign this paper! I will pass it around. Students on the left, and adults on the right. When everyone has signed the paper, give it to Ms. Dickerson." he finished. Ms. Dickerson was the 8th grade science teacher. Why she came, I have no idea. Mr. Dillman hands the clipboard to the student in the first seat, Jack Marls, and goes off to the other buses. Once the paper comes to me, I sign Jenna Starr, and hand it back to Landon and Annalisa.

Finally everyone has signed the paper, which is now in Ms. Dickerson's hands, and we're off the Chicago! During about the first hour and a half, everyone is silent. I listen to my MP3 player, grooving to the music. Emily looks over and laughs. After about three songs, I get to The Llama Song. I swear if you've never heard the llama song then you need to! I pass my MP3 player back to Landon and Annalisa so they can listen to it. All I can hear is Landon singing "llama ,llama, llama, llama". When really, it goes :

Here's a llama
There's a llama
On a llama
Cheesecake llama
Tablet, brick, potato
llama
llama, llama
Duck

I know you're probably thinking "That doesn't make any since! Well, no, it doesn't. It's not supposed to! Once we get about 2 hours into the bus ride, we stop at a rest stop. Of course, most people go for the vending machines, but I got for the bathrooms. I really had to go! Once everyone is all stocked up on food, we leave.

Finally people are starting to wake up, and the bus no longer looks like it's filled with dead people. I look back and see Landon letting Annalisa borrow his MP3 player, and Sara sleeping on Ethan's shoulder. I never said everyone was awake! "So, what kind of music do you have on that thing?" I ask, trying to start a conversation. "Only the hits, baby!" He says with a grin on his face. I look at him for a while and then slowly turn around and sink into my seat, thoughts running wild in my mind. OMG!! He called me baby! And then grinned! Does he like me?"

''Of course he doesn't like you! That grin didn't mean anything! And neither did the baby thing! He's just your friend, not your boyfriend! He probably never will be!"

"But, there is a chance he might! It could happen! We could be a thing someday!"

"Jesus woman! Get it through your head! HE DOES NOT LIKE YOU!!"

The battle went on like that for about another ten minutes, when Emily interrupted. "Say Hi to the camera, Jenn!" she said, facing the camera on me. I hated being on camera. "No, Emily!" I protest. "Oh, come on Jenn! Just say hi!" she whines. "Ok, Hi!" I say, still not moving my face from it's hiding place.

Once I say hi to the camera, she takes it off me, and turns it in the direction of Landon and Annalisa. "Say hi, guys!" she says. "Hi!", said Annalisa waving to the camera. Landon wasn't paying attention. He was arguing with Ethan about Politics. I swear, they're geniuses! I hate politics! It's so boring! Yet, they would sit there and talk about them all day if you let them! It's amazing! They continued to argue for another hour. We stopped at one more rest stop, and headed off again. It only took about half an hour more to get to Chicago. Once we did, people were suddenly becoming blinded by the flashes of cameras. Of course, I didn't have a camera, so I just took pictures with the cell phone my dad lent to me for this reason.

I got lot's of pictures! I got about 12 of the Sears Tower, and about 500 of Lake Michigan. Just kidding, I didn't get that much. But I did get a lot! After about 3 million flashes later, we arrived at the museum. It looked like the kind of building you would find in Athens. It was gorgeous! So, I got some pictures of that too! Once we arrived we had to sit on the bus for about 15 minutes and wait for the museum to open. While we were waiting, we talked. I moved back to sit with Lindsay Shafer, my other friend. She was the quietest out of all of us. She was one of those people that only speak when spoken to. "So, Gertrude! How's it going?" I ask. Gertrude is the name she got from her dad a while back. It was supposed to be a secret, but I figured it out. For some reason, she hates it. She looked at me like she had just saw a ghost. "Jenna! You aren't supposed to use that name!" she says. "I know, but no one was listening!" Ethan and I are the only ones that know about this name. And I'm pretty sure she wants to keep it that way.

While we're waiting, I take a few pictures of my friends. One of Ethan and Sara snuggling, and one of Annalisa lying on Landon's shoulder. Ethan and Sara hang out all the time. They act like their dating, but they say their not. When they say their not, then someone says "Well, you should! You look cute together!" After that, they both blush and stay away from each other for the next couple of minutes. Then their back to their Normal selves. Cuttling and all. While I skim threw the pictures I've taken so far, Emily films some more video's.

The doors to the bus open, and Mr. Dillman emerges. "It's time to see King Tut!" he announces.

(To be continued...)