Mark grumbled as he headed towards the back of the bus. He was really going to let Anna have it when they got back. This was ridiculous. She was treating him like a little kid! Mark found an empty seat next to another girl who looked to be about his age. He sat down next to her.
"Um, excuse me. Did I say you could sit there?"
Mark turned and saw the girl staring him down.
"It's a free country. I can sit where I want," said Mark glumly.
The other girls took notice, an ominous gasp spreading through the crowd.
"No, this is a not a country. This is a bus, " said the girl. A few of the other girls giggled. "And this is my seat. Get lost!"
The girl gave Mark a hard shove and sent him flying into the aisle. He immediately jumped up, ready to defend himself. The girl stood up, too, pounding her fist into her hands.
"You got something to say to me?"
The bus was eerily quiet.
"Is there a problem, Jill?"
Mark turned to look down the aisle. Anna and her new friend Sandy along with several other counselors were watching them. Jill gave her best innocent smile.
"It's nothing, Sandy. My new friend here just fell out of her seat and I was helping her back up, " said Jill.
"Is that true, Mary?" asked Anna. Mark thought he could see pity in her eyes. Or was it amusement? It almost looked like she was smirking. Was she enjoying his humiliation?
Mark didn't want to be seen as a rat, or look weak in front of Anna. "Yeah, I just fell. It's no big deal."
"Uh, huh. Well, why don't you girls hug and make up anyway?" said Sandy.
Jill squeezed Mark tightly, making it hard for him to breathe. The other girls whispered and giggled at the sight.
"I won't forget this, Mary, " hissed Jill in Mark's ear. "I'll get you. I will make you sorry, I promise."
Jill let go and Mark had to fight hard to keep from gasping for air.
"Would you like to sit with me, Mary?" asked Jill sweetly, patting the seat beside her.
Mark rubbed his sore chest. "Um, no I think I'll sit in the back."
Jill shrugged her shoulders.
"Suit yourself. I really would like you to join me, but I guess it's not really a big deal. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other. All summer, actually. See you around camp, Mary, " said Jill with a wicked smile.
The conflict over, the counselors turned back to each other and resumed their talk. Jill sat back down and began talking with her own friends. Jill was whispering, but Mark got the distinct impression that they were talking about him, based on the many glances they occasionally threw in his direction.
He shuddered as he made his way to the back of the bus. He didn't want to admit it to Anna, but Jill scared him a little. Lucky for him, this was only temporary. As soon as the medallion's time limit had passed, he could change into a counselor and Jill's threats would not be a problem. In fact, he might make camp a little difficult for her.
The thought comforted him as he found an empty seat at the back of the bus, sitting alone next to the bathroom. None of the other girls seemed interested in talking to him, much less becoming his friend, most likely because they also feared Jill.
Mark heard Anna laughing with her friends as he drifted off the sleep in the back of the bus.