Meera grips her mother's hand as the bus hisses away from the curb, rain streaking the windows. Her knuckles whiten, and she stares at her scuffed shoes bouncing with each jolt.
She slides into a seat, the empty space beside her suddenly vast. Meera picks at the edge of a crumpled sticker in her palm and stares out at the rain-blurred street. She thinks this ride will never end.
Two seats down, a boy holds out a crumpled sticker—a dragon with glittery wings. Meera hesitates, then takes it. The paper is slightly sticky and smells like crayons. She traces the dragon's edges gently.
The boy whispers, 'It's from my first day here.' Meera tucks it into her pocket and pulls out her own faded star sticker. She holds it up, and the boy laughs quietly. 'I'm saving this one,' she thinks, 'for something important.'
They trade stories about bus stops, counting each one like a game. The boy names every stop on the route, and Meera adds her own guesses. The bus splashes through a deep puddle, sending a spray against the windows. They both jump, then giggle.
The bus hisses to a stop at the new school, and Meera's feet feel glued to the floor. She clutches the dragon sticker in her pocket and remembers the boy's shy smile. Her seat scrapes against the floor as she stands.
She walks toward the door, the boy following a step behind. The bus hisses and the doors close behind them. Meera steps onto the wet pavement, the dragon sticker held high like a flag. The school bell rings. Children's laughter echoes from the doorway.
Meera smiles and tucks the sticker into her pocket. She takes a breath and walks toward the school doorway, her steps light against the puddles. The bell rings again, louder now, and she doesn't look back.
Inside the school hallway, the dragon sticker rests safe in her pocket. Meera walks past lockers and posters, her footsteps echoing on the tile floor. She thinks about all the bus stops they counted together and the dragon with glittery wings.
Meera reaches her classroom door and pauses. She pulls the dragon sticker from her pocket one more time and traces its glittery wings. Then she pushes the door open and walks inside.
Meera finds an empty seat by the window and sets her sticker on the desk. The teacher calls roll, and a girl with curly hair turns and waves. Meera waves back, and this time her fingers don't feel tight.
The dragon sticker catches the morning light, and Meera thinks this new place might not be so scary after all. She smiles at the sticker, then at the window, then at the girl who waved. The bell rings, but this time it sounds like music.