Melissa stepped out of the house in time to see the school bus approach. She had it measured to the last second, almost. No waiting in the freezing weather for her.
She stepped into the bus with a nod of acknowledgement to the usual driver and shuffled toward the center of the but, where the ride was more stable. She mumbled “hey” to anyone in her class, including the rich kid Sadie, who she knew as popular, but didn’t know personally. In fact, most of the teens at her school came from rich families – well-off, at least – except for teens like Melissa, who had passed a merit examination and had been found highly intelligent, worthy recipients of the school grant. That made them feel a little out of sorts in such a wealthy environment yet living in humble surroundings.