Runaway Twin Read Online Free Page B

people with the same first name! I wondered if Starr loved Twinkies.
    When the bus stopped at the next town, my seatmate got out. After that I had the space to myself, so I didn’t have to pretend to sleep anymore. I watched out the window, each mile taking me closer to Starr.
    I arrived at my destination at two o’clock, wishing I could go farther. It seemed too early in the day to quit traveling. The bus stopped at a small diner, which served as the depot, and the driver announced that there would be a half hour lunch break.
    I sat on a bench outside the diner, eating an ice-cream bar and looking at my map. It was thirty miles to the next stop and eight miles to the one after that. I had figured if I bought a ticket to one destination, stayed there overnight, and then bought a new ticket to continue, it would make it harder for anyone to track me. But did it matter if the second ticket was purchased tomorrow or right away? Probably not. Maybe I should buy another ticket now, get back on the same bus, and keep going.
    As I was trying to decide what to do, an orange school bus pulled into the parking area and a group of girls my age swarmed out and went into the diner. A harried-looking chaperone trailed after them, followed by the driver. The side of the bus said SCHOOL DISTRICT 432.
    I looked at the empty school bus. I looked at the diner. All of the bus riders were inside.
    I boarded the school bus, walked to the last row of seats, and slid in next to the window. I checked the floor, to be sure nobody had left a sweater or anything that would make them want this particular seat. There was nothing, so I slumped into the seat and closed my eyes. I was good at pretending to be asleep.
    About fifteen minutes later, the girls began returning, two or three at a time. An older woman called out, “Get on board, girls. We’re leaving in five minutes.”
    I heard talking and shuffling as everyone boarded the bus. I didn’t dare open my eyes. I hoped there were enough seats that mine wasn’t needed, which turned out to be the case.
    â€œSit down, girls,” the woman said. “Clear the aisles so we can leave.”
    The engine started. If anyone had noticed me, they apparently decided not to wake me up.
    The bus made a beep beep sound as it backed up, then it headed out of the parking area.
    It wasn’t until we were rolling down the road that it occurred to me that this bus might be going in the wrong direction. I had no idea where these girls were from or where they were headed. What if I ended up right back where I had started from this morning?

5
    I t’s a good thing I didn’t really want to sleep, because someone started singing, “Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall,” and each verse got louder. By the time they got down to one bottle of beer, the noise level was equal to that of a rock concert.
    Next the girls began yelling school cheers. “We won! Sis boom bun! Sunrise School is number one!”
    After much screaming, clapping, and whistling, they shouted, “No joke! No jest! Sunrise School is the best!”
    I had never been on a team, had never even played a sport. As I listened to the girls cheering for themselves, I wondered what it would feel like to be a part of such a group. Clearly they had won some sort of tournament. Did they have medals, or a trophy? Would they be written up in the local newspaper tomorrow?
    I wondered if Starr was an athlete. I had always thought if I could learn a sport, I’d like to do gymnastics or volleyball.
    After another hour or so of raucous singing and cheering, the girls quieted down, and by the time the bus pulled into the parking lot of Sunrise School, at least half of them were asleep.
    â€œWake up, girls!” called the chaperone. “Time to get off the bus. Be sure you take all your personal items with you, and don’t leave the parking lot until your parents have arrived to take you home. I’ll be