Agorafabulous! by Sara Benincasa Read Free Book Online Page B

Brixton asked.
    “Yesssss,” I said. I stretched out the s because I realized I’d never taken note before of how fun it was to make that sound.
    “Yesssss I ammmmmmm,” I added, delighting in the m sound.
    “Excellent!” Mr. Brixton said, clapping his hands together.
    “You look much better,” Mr. D’Angelo said. “More color in your face. Let’s go back to the hotel and call your mom and dad. And you just take it easy for the rest of the day, okay? No stress.”
    “No stressssss!” I chirped, smiling at the cabinets.
    We left the hospital, with me leading the way. Anxiety felt like a distant memory. I couldn’t believe I’d felt so yucky earlier in the day. What had I been so worried about? Everything was fine. The hospital was fine, the sky was fine, the sun was fine. I was fine, Dr. Sophia was fine, everybody was fine. My pills were fine, and I could tell they were really starting to work for me. I was finally okay! It was so nice to be awake! Look at those clouds! Look at those trees! I was in Sicily! How exciting! I felt so blessed. Back home, Kevin was dead, and that was sad, but I was here and alive and that was just wonderful. I should really go to a church and say thank you to God for this blessing of being alive and in Sicily. Oh my God, was that a bird, singing ? That bird in the tree was singing.
    We got to the bus, and I insisted that Mr. D’Angelo and Mr. Brixton board first. Then, smiling, I hopped up the steps, said hello to the driver, and turned to face the students.
    All told, we’d been gone for about thirty minutes. Ordinarily, that’s not a long time to wait. But inside a tin box on wheels baking in eighty-degree heat, with the engine and air-conditioning off and windows that were not designed to open, surrounded by dozens of sweaty, irritable teenagers, I think the time passed rather more slowly than it did inside the cool, airy hospital. Thirty-nine pairs of eyes stared at me with expressions that ranged from irritated boredom to white-hot hatred (you can guess where the latter gaze came from). In the midst of my sublime new happiness, I recognized that my peers—who were all going to be my dear friends after this trip—needed some inspiration. And I was the only one truly capable of giving it to them. With that in mind, I decided to make a speech.
    “You guyssss,” I began, beaming as I stood in the aisle. “I know it was sssssso hot on this busssss, and I’m sssso sssssorry you’re all hot and sssssweaty and sssstuff. Thank you for waiting for mmme. The great news isssss that I feel sssssso mmmmuch better! I really think the resssst of thissss trip isss gonna be soooo awessssommmmme.” And with that, I dropped into a seat and stared happily at the ceiling.
    “Oh my God,” Amber said. “And she got fuckin’ drugs ? Why the fuck does she get everything and I get bullshit?”
    The driver turned on the engine and the A/C. Most of the students clapped with a mixture of sarcasm and relief. Leann leaned across the aisle and said, “I’m so glad you’re feeling better! I finished all my postcards while we were waiting. I have some extra blank ones if you want any.”
    “Thankssssssss,” I replied happily.
    “Can we get to the goddamned beach now?” Amber demanded.
    “Actually, Amber,” Mr. D’Angelo said, glancing at his watch, “we gotta head back about forty minutes in the other direction and get Sara settled in at the hotel, so we’re not gonna have time for the beach today. But we’re still taking the tour of the Museum of Agricultural Implements at four—not you, Sara, I want you to stay and chill out, just nap or go shopping or whatever you want, that goes for the rest of the week too. Leann, you can stay with her if you want, or you can come with us. No stress!”
    “No ssssstressss!” I said.
    “No stress,” Leann said. She sidled up and put a comforting arm around me.
    A few rows behind me, I heard Amber start to cry in angry, gulping little