[ti]Ep 2.5[/ti]Field Trip (Dart, Closed)
Dec 3, 2017 13:23:09 GMT -5
Post by Raf Esquivel on Dec 3, 2017 13:23:09 GMT -5
(Morning, Week 2, Day 5)
It was only 8 am in the morning, and already it promised to be a hot day. The school bus had every window down as the sun blazed out of the sky, letting in fresh cooler air for the students inside. The volume within the bus was staggering, the large number of children all laughing and yelling back and forth to each other, excited to be going on a field trip, no matter where it was. If it wasn’t the stuffy old classroom, they were happy and excited!
The bus rolled to a stop in the parking lot, and the teacher inside the bus stood up. In the second bus, not that far away from the first, another teacher was doing likewise, both of them starting to talk to their students.
“Ok kids. We’re going to leave the bus calmly and quietly. I want you all to stay in a group near the bus doors – don’t go running off! I’m going to do a head count and then we’ll make our way to the visitor’s center. There everyone will be given name tags with your names, class and teacher’s name. After that we’ll start the tours. You must be in one of the groups at all times! Do not go wandering around on your own! If you join another group from the one you’ve been put in, let that teacher know so we know where you are at all times! Failure to do this and you may not be allowed to come on another field trip again. Does everyone understand?”
The chorus of “Yes’s” filled the bus, and exploded out through the open windows. They were eager to get going.
The students from the two grades piled out, and followed their teachers into the visitor’s center.
The Valley Of Fire State Park was an educational place in Nevada that saw many school trips. With it’s fascinating geology and history, it saw a lot of tourists every year. Some people came back time and time again, and the place was often filled with curious people. At this early hour, it was already starting to fill.
After the visit to the information center was over, the students wearing their brightly colored name tags, the tours began. Some children chatted loudly to their friends. Some were bored, not in the least interested in what was going on, just enjoying a day outside not in class.
One, however, was eagerly looking forward to the tour, even carrying a brightly colored brochure he got at the visitor’s center, with detailed information on all the stops the tour would take.
Rafael Esquivel had been looking forward to this trip for a week.
He had always wanted to go, but it had never been something his parents could easily do. There never seemed time, even on the weekends, with his sisters needing to be carried here and there for lessons and training for this and that, tutoring and the like. Rafael knew that this year his class would be attending, and had been saving up for it, even making sure his cellphone had plenty of space for the pictures he’d be taking. He was especially looking forward to the petroglyphs. He had seen pictures of them, of course, but he wanted to see them up close.
Raf planned on taking a lot of pictures. He wanted to share them back at the base with Bee and anyone else who might be interested. He figured Bluestreak probably would, maybe even Optimus. Maybe. If he had time. Ratchet might too, although the medic never really seemed all that interested in things humans did. But he knew he could count on Bee to take an interest. Bumblebee was smart and interested in things he liked too!
The tour had started well enough. The teacher had been reading from her Teacher’s Guide, pointing out facts and the like to the children. Some were listening. Most weren’t.
Raf was pretty much the only one actually listening and taking pictures. The age of the rocks was astounding. It was hard to imagine something that old....and then he would remember who was back at the base. It felt weird to think that his best friend was older than his entire species.
The teacher had moved on, while Raf lingered taking a few more photos. Some of the rock formations looked like animals! And it was all naturally occurring, that was pretty cool!
He had just been taking another picture when a voice interrupted him.
“What are you doing, nerd?”
Raf tensed faintly. He knew that voice, and knew what was likely coming. Quickly glancing towards where the rest of the students had been, Raf was dismayed to see that the teacher had moved on, and his class was now rounding a corner, moving deeper into a series of canyons, still talking about the geology of the site.
Steeling himself, Raf turned, and faced the speaker.
Chaz.
As usual, the larger, older boy was shadowed by Brody and Blaine, the three of them almost always in each other’s company. The local bullies, the three of them tried to rule the school ground as much as possible (being careful not to overstep themselves in front of actual high school students), and they seemed to take great enjoyment in giving the smaller, younger students grief. Raf still remembered when they had thrown his satchel up into the branch of a tree, and it had taken forever to get it back. Optimus had been the one to get them from school that day....
Looking back at it now, Raf almost squirmed with embarrassment.
Usually able to avoid being caught alone with them – especially now that he was picked up after school by Bumblebee or one of the others if Bee wasn’t available - Raf now found himself in a bad situation.
“Oh. Hi guys. I’m just...you know...taking pictures.”
Raf cast another glance at the corner where he had seen his teacher disappear with the class. Why didn’t she come back? Didn’t she see he was missing?
A mental sigh. No. No one ever really noticed Raf. He was used to it.
“I’m taking pictures,” Chaz mimicked Raf, making his voice higher and sounding stupid. Brody and Blaine sniggered as if this was utter genius in hilarity.
“You’re such a nerd, Raf SPAZivel. I’ll bet even your parents are embarrassed of you. You have cool sisters, but what happened to you?”
Raf bit his tongue, and just looked at his sneakers. It was better to just let Chaz mouth off. He usually ended up feeling important and then just leaving. He had been trying to fight back, but it hadn’t really gone well. Any sign in the slightest that he was going to try and put up some defense just made Chaz worse.
Just hurry up and get it over with, Raf thought.
Today, however, things were a little worse. Either because they were more bored than usual, or something had set them off, they wanted more than just to verbally bully Rafael.
With a quick flash of a hand, Chaz reached out and snagged Raf’s cellphone from his hand.
“Hey!”
Raf stepped forward, reaching for the phone, but Chaz snickered again. Holding it well out of Raf’s reach, he planted a hand on Raf’s forehead, holding him at bay, as he used a thumb to start going through the cellphone’s images. The brochure drifted to the ground.
“He really is taking pictures of this shit! Oh my God, you’re so useless!”
“I’m not useless!” Rafael yelled, anger starting to form in his middle, “Give me back my phone!”
“Take it from me, then! Useless! Gonna cry? Little crybaby gonna cry over his phone? Whaaaa! Cry!”
“Give it back!”
“Go get it!”
Chaz cast back his arm, and threw the phone with everything he had. It sailed up into the air, and over a rock embankment, vanishing on the other side with a clatter. Laughing, Chaz, his hand still on Raf’s forehead, gave the child a hard shove.
Rafael stumbled over his sneakers and went down hard, landing roughly on a knee. He yelped in pain, but his mind was on his cellphone. Was it broken?! He had it in a rubber case, but still! Chaz had thrown it over rocks!
Laughing, the three older boys turned, and started off, following in the wake of where their teacher had last been seen, giving each other high fives and snickering.
Raf remained kneeling on one knee, his hand clamped over his other one, pain lancing through it. It was probably skinned.
Anger and humiliation burned inside him. Why did they always do that? Why did they pick on him? Just because he was small? Just because he was smart?
Sometimes Raf despised being smart. All it did was single you out for being laughed at, poked at, and made fun of.
He felt angry, furious tears pricked at his eyes, but he pushed them away. He refused to cry. Oh, but sometimes he wanted to say things to them. Things about who his friends were. How amazing they were, how strong, how awesome. That his best friend was the fastest car ever, the best scout in the universe! That he had faced one of the most dangerous people in the universe and now couldn’t talk because of it. That maybe they were even alive because of his friends!
“Stupid Sparkling,” Raf mumbled miserably under his breath, sniffling slightly.
With a sigh, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, and after taking a tentative step, started to walk back to where he thought his cellphone might have landed. He hoped desperately it wasn’t broken. He paused long enough to pick up his brochure again, and kept walking.
It was only 8 am in the morning, and already it promised to be a hot day. The school bus had every window down as the sun blazed out of the sky, letting in fresh cooler air for the students inside. The volume within the bus was staggering, the large number of children all laughing and yelling back and forth to each other, excited to be going on a field trip, no matter where it was. If it wasn’t the stuffy old classroom, they were happy and excited!
The bus rolled to a stop in the parking lot, and the teacher inside the bus stood up. In the second bus, not that far away from the first, another teacher was doing likewise, both of them starting to talk to their students.
“Ok kids. We’re going to leave the bus calmly and quietly. I want you all to stay in a group near the bus doors – don’t go running off! I’m going to do a head count and then we’ll make our way to the visitor’s center. There everyone will be given name tags with your names, class and teacher’s name. After that we’ll start the tours. You must be in one of the groups at all times! Do not go wandering around on your own! If you join another group from the one you’ve been put in, let that teacher know so we know where you are at all times! Failure to do this and you may not be allowed to come on another field trip again. Does everyone understand?”
The chorus of “Yes’s” filled the bus, and exploded out through the open windows. They were eager to get going.
The students from the two grades piled out, and followed their teachers into the visitor’s center.
The Valley Of Fire State Park was an educational place in Nevada that saw many school trips. With it’s fascinating geology and history, it saw a lot of tourists every year. Some people came back time and time again, and the place was often filled with curious people. At this early hour, it was already starting to fill.
After the visit to the information center was over, the students wearing their brightly colored name tags, the tours began. Some children chatted loudly to their friends. Some were bored, not in the least interested in what was going on, just enjoying a day outside not in class.
One, however, was eagerly looking forward to the tour, even carrying a brightly colored brochure he got at the visitor’s center, with detailed information on all the stops the tour would take.
Rafael Esquivel had been looking forward to this trip for a week.
He had always wanted to go, but it had never been something his parents could easily do. There never seemed time, even on the weekends, with his sisters needing to be carried here and there for lessons and training for this and that, tutoring and the like. Rafael knew that this year his class would be attending, and had been saving up for it, even making sure his cellphone had plenty of space for the pictures he’d be taking. He was especially looking forward to the petroglyphs. He had seen pictures of them, of course, but he wanted to see them up close.
Raf planned on taking a lot of pictures. He wanted to share them back at the base with Bee and anyone else who might be interested. He figured Bluestreak probably would, maybe even Optimus. Maybe. If he had time. Ratchet might too, although the medic never really seemed all that interested in things humans did. But he knew he could count on Bee to take an interest. Bumblebee was smart and interested in things he liked too!
The tour had started well enough. The teacher had been reading from her Teacher’s Guide, pointing out facts and the like to the children. Some were listening. Most weren’t.
Raf was pretty much the only one actually listening and taking pictures. The age of the rocks was astounding. It was hard to imagine something that old....and then he would remember who was back at the base. It felt weird to think that his best friend was older than his entire species.
The teacher had moved on, while Raf lingered taking a few more photos. Some of the rock formations looked like animals! And it was all naturally occurring, that was pretty cool!
He had just been taking another picture when a voice interrupted him.
“What are you doing, nerd?”
Raf tensed faintly. He knew that voice, and knew what was likely coming. Quickly glancing towards where the rest of the students had been, Raf was dismayed to see that the teacher had moved on, and his class was now rounding a corner, moving deeper into a series of canyons, still talking about the geology of the site.
Steeling himself, Raf turned, and faced the speaker.
Chaz.
As usual, the larger, older boy was shadowed by Brody and Blaine, the three of them almost always in each other’s company. The local bullies, the three of them tried to rule the school ground as much as possible (being careful not to overstep themselves in front of actual high school students), and they seemed to take great enjoyment in giving the smaller, younger students grief. Raf still remembered when they had thrown his satchel up into the branch of a tree, and it had taken forever to get it back. Optimus had been the one to get them from school that day....
Looking back at it now, Raf almost squirmed with embarrassment.
Usually able to avoid being caught alone with them – especially now that he was picked up after school by Bumblebee or one of the others if Bee wasn’t available - Raf now found himself in a bad situation.
“Oh. Hi guys. I’m just...you know...taking pictures.”
Raf cast another glance at the corner where he had seen his teacher disappear with the class. Why didn’t she come back? Didn’t she see he was missing?
A mental sigh. No. No one ever really noticed Raf. He was used to it.
“I’m taking pictures,” Chaz mimicked Raf, making his voice higher and sounding stupid. Brody and Blaine sniggered as if this was utter genius in hilarity.
“You’re such a nerd, Raf SPAZivel. I’ll bet even your parents are embarrassed of you. You have cool sisters, but what happened to you?”
Raf bit his tongue, and just looked at his sneakers. It was better to just let Chaz mouth off. He usually ended up feeling important and then just leaving. He had been trying to fight back, but it hadn’t really gone well. Any sign in the slightest that he was going to try and put up some defense just made Chaz worse.
Just hurry up and get it over with, Raf thought.
Today, however, things were a little worse. Either because they were more bored than usual, or something had set them off, they wanted more than just to verbally bully Rafael.
With a quick flash of a hand, Chaz reached out and snagged Raf’s cellphone from his hand.
“Hey!”
Raf stepped forward, reaching for the phone, but Chaz snickered again. Holding it well out of Raf’s reach, he planted a hand on Raf’s forehead, holding him at bay, as he used a thumb to start going through the cellphone’s images. The brochure drifted to the ground.
“He really is taking pictures of this shit! Oh my God, you’re so useless!”
“I’m not useless!” Rafael yelled, anger starting to form in his middle, “Give me back my phone!”
“Take it from me, then! Useless! Gonna cry? Little crybaby gonna cry over his phone? Whaaaa! Cry!”
“Give it back!”
“Go get it!”
Chaz cast back his arm, and threw the phone with everything he had. It sailed up into the air, and over a rock embankment, vanishing on the other side with a clatter. Laughing, Chaz, his hand still on Raf’s forehead, gave the child a hard shove.
Rafael stumbled over his sneakers and went down hard, landing roughly on a knee. He yelped in pain, but his mind was on his cellphone. Was it broken?! He had it in a rubber case, but still! Chaz had thrown it over rocks!
Laughing, the three older boys turned, and started off, following in the wake of where their teacher had last been seen, giving each other high fives and snickering.
Raf remained kneeling on one knee, his hand clamped over his other one, pain lancing through it. It was probably skinned.
Anger and humiliation burned inside him. Why did they always do that? Why did they pick on him? Just because he was small? Just because he was smart?
Sometimes Raf despised being smart. All it did was single you out for being laughed at, poked at, and made fun of.
He felt angry, furious tears pricked at his eyes, but he pushed them away. He refused to cry. Oh, but sometimes he wanted to say things to them. Things about who his friends were. How amazing they were, how strong, how awesome. That his best friend was the fastest car ever, the best scout in the universe! That he had faced one of the most dangerous people in the universe and now couldn’t talk because of it. That maybe they were even alive because of his friends!
“Stupid Sparkling,” Raf mumbled miserably under his breath, sniffling slightly.
With a sigh, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, and after taking a tentative step, started to walk back to where he thought his cellphone might have landed. He hoped desperately it wasn’t broken. He paused long enough to pick up his brochure again, and kept walking.