Before Laura can come up with a plan, she is ushered onto the waiting school bus. She reluctantly boards, locates an empty seat, and sits down, hoping no one will sit next to her. Laura crosses her fingers, hoping that when they do roll call, they’ll discover her name is not on the list. Her heart sinks, however, when the chaperone at the front of the bus instead asks each child their name as they board, checking them off on a list. She wasn’t asked her name.
The bus pulls away from the restaurant once everyone is on board. Laura watches helplessly as she moves away from her things, still left inside. She looks out the window as they drive, trying to think of what she’ll do once they arrive at their destination. Hopefully, they won’t be going to a school, which would be difficult to sneak away from. If they’re going to a park or museum, she’ll be able to leave without attracting too much attention.
Unfortunately, they eventually come to a stop in front of a Catholic school. Apparently, the field trip happened before they went to McDonald’s. Laura and the other children are brought off the bus and inside. She looks around for an escape opportunity. Her eyes land on a bathroom.
“I have to go potty,” Laura says to a nearby chaperone. She crosses her legs and dances, hoping to sell it.
“All right. You can go use the potty, but right after, you need to come to your classroom, okay?” the chaperone tells her. Laura nods eagerly. She darts into the bathroom and locks herself in a stall. The school day should end soon. All she needs is to wait until the bell rings, then she can sneak out with the crowd of students without drawing attention to herself.