The Eight Year Ledger novel · Chapter 32 of 32
Chapter 32: Field Trip
"Under the dome," I said. "In Cincinnati."
"Yes," said Dottie.
"Not before."
"Not one second before," said Gabe. "We'll know."
They went to bed holding their backpacks.
At six-thirty on Thursday morning, two real buses idled in the Brookside loop.
Twenty-four kids stood on the sidewalk in orange shirts that said BROOKSIDE RUNS FOR CINCINNATI.
Parents stood around them in pajama pants and coats, holding coffee and taking pictures.
The new 3B teacher had her clipboard and a whistle she promised not to use.
The room parent was already crying.
Todd's mother had come in the Buick, in her church coat over a sweatshirt.
She hugged Gabe and fixed his collar.
Then she hugged me, which she had never once done in nine years.
"Bring him back with a rock," she said.
At six-fifty-eight, the teacher read the roll from the bus steps.
I checked off every name in the red book.
At seven, the bus doors folded shut.
Beau sat in the seat behind the driver, because it had the most legroom, which wasn't saying much.
His knees were up by his chin.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–16 of The Eight Year Ledger are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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