1 The New School

The alien next door. The new kids

THE NEW school. The new KID SAT ALONE IN the back of the bus. He was on his way to his first day at a new school. Once again.

He watched as the other kids fooled around. They giggled and yelled. No one else seemed to be just sitting in their seat. Except him. The new kid. Once again.

Taking this "bus" thing to school with everyone else is really dumb, he thought. Back home we got to school on our own. And much faster than in this clunky yellow hunk of metal. And instead of messing around the whole way like these kids, we had time to think and prepare for learning. But this... The new kid shook his head. No one on the bus seemed to even notice that he was there.

Here we go again, he thought. Will anyone like me? Will I make any friends? Why do my parents have to move so much? The new boy sighed. He knew why they were always moving. They were research scientists. Their work took them from place to place. And every time they moved, he had to start over in a new school. He had to make new friends. He had to learn how things were done in a new place.

"Hey, Charlie!" one kid shouted at his friend. "Did you finish last week's homework?" "I finished it this morning," another kid shouted back. "Right on time!" The bus rocked with laughter. The new kid didn't understand.