The sound of the school bus grabbed the attention of Jennifer's left head. She glanced over at the window, and saw it slowing to a stop outside. Meanwhile, Jennifer's right head picked up her cell phone and stopped recording. As she put the phone in her pocket, she noticed her sock lying on the floor under the table.
She grabbed the sock and quickly put on her shoes. As she did, thoughts raced through her minds:
Do I really want to go to school like this?
He said everyone would accept it. But... I'm still a freak
I should stay home and say I'm sick.
Aww crud I have that test in English. Mrs Mercer said if I missed it, I wouldn't get retake and would fail the semester
Maybe my 2nd head will go away tonight.
I don't want to have to retake English
And if I don't show for cheerleading practice tonight they'll make Sasha captain.
Mere seconds later, Jennifer came to the conclusion that despite not wanting to, she had no choice but to go to school. She strode quickly over to the door, glancing down with her right head to grab her backpack, while her left head kept an eye on the school bus outside.
After slamming the door behind her in frustration, she calmly walked over to the bus. The closer she got to the bus, the more curious faces appeared in the windows, watching Jennifer. Nervously, she looked forward with both heads, not wanting to make eye contact with any of them.
The driver opened the bus door and stepped forward with a hand out, blocking her path. "Hang on a moment. Uh... explain."
Jennifer's right head looked down at the ground in embarrassment. With her left head she tore into the bus driver: "I have a disability, okay?! I had a fucking headache this morning, and now this! Don't you dare make a scene out of this. I'm allowed to ride the bus just like everyone else!"
A sudden spike of pain seared through both of Jennifer's heads, painful enough that she instantly regretted her words, but not painful enough to trigger her hydraform ability. She winced in pain, and held a hand to each head.
Shit...
Oh that fucking asshole Kyle...
Goddamn empathy
Jennifer forced a smile onto her left mouth. "Sorry, I'm having a really bad morning. Really bad headaches. I didn't mean anything."
The bus driver looked back and forth between her faces, as though trying to determine whether to believe her. "What's your name, miss?"
"I'm Jennifer Smith. I uh..."
Kyle said everyone would know
I can't believe I'm saying this...
"... I was born with a disability known as Transient Hydraform." Jennifer looked hopefully at the bus driver.
The bus driver thought for a moment before stepping back up into the bus. "Right, I remember you now. Sorry about that, had to make sure it wasn't something crazy like a contagious disease."
Jennifer climbed up onto the bus. As she as she turned to look for a seat, she saw all students on the bus staring at her. Some in wonder, some in confusion, some in a stupor, and some with maybe even bits of hatred. Normally, Jennifer would be in her element. But not today, and not how she was now. In the hopes of escaping their queries, she took the seat at the front, just behind the bus driver.