Though her ears were swiveled back and she had her head pressed against the back of the big, blue seat, there was little Lyza could do to muffle the noise.
She hadn't ridden the bus since the middle of fourth grade, when her brother started taking her to school. She didn't miss the bouncing. The uncomfortable faux-leather seats. The clickety rattle of the rear-view mirror with every little imperfection in the road.
The chatter.
She sat in the window-seat, with Squeaky Kimberly, and a girl from another class, beside her. They talked non-stop, jumping from topic to topic so quickly even they lost sync with one another.
Despite their teachers' warnings of when they were getting a bit too loud, the commotion on the bus was like a pot of boiling water ready to overflow.
The rabbit began to recognize what she saw through the window. She had opened it partly, to help keep the noise from echoing that much more. The ride to the zoo was not a far one, and soon enough they rolled to a halt.
When she was on solid ground, she still felt the phantom rumbles of the bus in her legs. In front of their bus, another spewed third-graders. Behind them, a third bus burped a mix of both grades.
There was a din of excitement as they scurried about the entrance-plaza the zoo, where there were several bird-poop-covered benches, small shrubs in triangles of dirt, and the safari statue made of tarnished copper that everyone had to climb on at least a little bit.
Meanwhile, the teachers corralled the chaos into order, slowly but surely.
The rabbit almost shared the excitement. She had missed out on this field trip before, because she had too many absences. Were it not for a visit to a museum last year, this would have been her first real field-trip.
Ms. Hupp motioned for her. She trotted over, and was directed to go to a third-grade teacher she faintly recognized. She headed for the teacher, “Mrs. Standlord?” She called.
The skunkette turned her head.
”My teacher,” she pointed, “told me to come see you?”
”What's your name, sweetheart?”
”Lyza,” she replied.
”Oh, yes, Ms. Hupp and I were just talking about you,” the woman smiled. “Is it all right if you are in a smaller group? Most groups are four-and-four, but our two classes don't quite have enough, and Ms. Hupp suggested you might not mind being in a two-and-two group.”
The rabbit looked about for a second. “Um... I don't really care, I guess,” she said with a shrug.
”Okay, just wanted to make sure, come with me,” she offered her hand. When the rabbit took it, she walked the girl toward a bench. “We were going to have a few bigger groups, but your teacher and I thought having a smaller group would be better. She says that you and the other girl are very responsible.”
”Emeral?” The rabbit asked.
”Hm?” The woman responded, as the rabbit took the bench, which was a cleaner one.
”The other girl,” Lyza clarified.
”I think your teacher is getting her right now, I will be right back with your partners from my class, okay?”
Lyza nodded. As she waited for a moment, she felt a nervousness bubble up. Responsible? She felt like she had missed something, like maybe this teacher misunderstood hers.
Speaking of, she saw Ms. Hupp threading her way toward the bench, with Rini in tow.
Her eyes lidded, and she braced herself for what she knew was about to happen.
”There you are,” said the raccoon to the rabbit. “Did Mrs. Standlord talk to you about being in a smaller group?”
The rabbit watched the rat as her teacher spoke, noticing that Rini was looking about as if trying to find people she knew. “Yeah,” she replied to her teacher. “We're the leftovers or something,” she remarked.
”No,” Ms. Hup chuckled, motioning for Rini to sit, but the rat decided to stand outside the other arm-rest of the bench. “Mrs. Standlord and I just don't have enough for another full group, so we thought it would be nicer to have a smaller group instead of two bigger groups.
”Plus,” she added, leaning over in a hushed voice. “The two you're going to be paired with are a little bit in trouble.”
The rabbit's whiskers twitched. “What do you mean?” She asked.
”Well, they haven't been getting along lately. So, when Mrs. Standlord mentioned she might like to have them work together to see if that would improve their behavior, I thought that you two would be good role-models for them.”
The rabbit gritted her teeth.
”Why's that?” Asked Rini.
”Well, I thought of you,” she told the rat, “because you are a good leader. And I thought of you,” she looked to Lyza, “because I hear that, from your flute classes, you're a very good mentor. So,” she lowered down to be eye-level with her students, “I'm hoping the two of you can help them cooperate and demonstrate good behavior.”
The rabbit folded her arms, seeing the rat in her peripheral vision.
”Rini!” Came a squeal.
The rat looked up, just before a blazing red ball latched onto her in an excited hug.
”I get to be your partner! I get to partner! I get to be your partnerrrrr!”
Rini squirmed amidst the squeezing embrace. “Cheri, sheesh!” She chuckled.
Lyza glanced toward where the young vixen had come from, and saw Mrs. Standlord approaching, a dour-looking raccoon boy dragging his feet beside her.
”How've you been?” Asked the vixen. “Your fur looks pretty! Did you just get it treated? I want to treat mine, just like you, but mom won't let me! She says it's not good to put all those chemicals in my coat. But, I want it to be super orange, like I'm a cute little fireball!”
As the raccoon approached, he let out a groan. “Mrs. Standlord! Why do I haf'fa be in a group with a buncha girls!? Why can't I be with the other boys!?”
”Yeah,” the vixen sneered. “This is an all-girls group; no dumb boys allowed.”
”Zachary, Cheri,” their teacher said with an admonishing tone.
The two wrinkled their noses, and looked away from each other.
”Kids,” Ms. Hupp said, her tone calm and encouraging. “Your teacher and I had to put you in a smaller group because we didn't have enough for another full one, and we know that you all can behave without us needing to remind you like the others, right?” She asked to the younger kids.
”You don't have to worry 'bout me,” the vixen said with a flick of her tail. “Just him,” she said, thumbing to the raccoon.
The boy didn't retort, but he was clearly seething.
”Would you rather stay with me here at the entrance?” Mrs. Standlord asked her student. “You don't have to go inside if you don't want to.”
The vixen's tail drifted down. “No,” she said, her flare diminished.
The raccoon's demeanor changed to smug grin as the girl was put in her place.
”Zachary, Cheri,” Ms. Hupp said, “this is Rini, and Lyza—”
”Liz,” the rabbit said, interrupting her teacher as her name was said. In the heartbeat's pause after, she repeated again, “Liz.”
The rat's eyes flicked to the rabbit curiously, before returning to look at the younger kids. “Pretend like you don't know me,” she pretended to whisper to the vixen.
Cheri giggled. She looked at the rabbit. “My name is Cheri Berry, and that's” she thumbed to the raccoon, “Za-cha-ry,” she said, enunciating the syllables.
His mask narrowed in a scowl. “Stop calling me that! It's Ziggy-Zee and you're being a brat.”
She stuck out her tongue.
”Kids,” their teacher said. “I don't want to hear that you two were a handful of trouble. These two offered to be in a smaller group instead of being with their friends, so show them you can be big kids like they are, all right?”
”Yes ma'am,” the kids murmured.
”Rin, Lyza,” Ms. Hupp whispered to them, would you come with me for just a second?” She led them a bit away from the other two. “The other groups are going to be accompanied by teachers and rotate around the different exhibits slowly. But, you guys can sort of go at your own pace, just make sure to stay nearby a teacher, okay?”
The rat nodded. “Sure. You don't have to worry about us, right... Liz?” She asked.
The rabbit shrugged. “Sure.”
”I know, that's why I picked you two for this group,” she reminded them with a smile. “Okay. We're going to enter soon, so just keep your eyes and ears out for where we are if you need us.”
”What are you doing?” Asked the raccoon, as the older girls approached.
”I'm being a flamingo,” the vixen stated, primly, standing on one foot.
The raccoon rolled his eyes, then chuckled.
”Don't laugh.” She huffed.
”I see London, I see France...” The raccoon chanted.
Her eyes pulsed, and she stamped her foot down, her fingers gripping the hem of her skirt.
The raccoon began giggling even more as the vixen's cheeks went red. His fit was interrupted when he doubled over, catching his gut as his breath left him and didn't return.
”Cheri!” Rini growled. “Oh my gosh, ladies don't hit like that!”
”He was being gross!” The vixen said defensively.
Rini folded her arms. “Well, in his defense, it's not like he was trying to. If you're going to wear a skirt without skorts, you shouldn't really do things like that.”
”Well he coulda been less gross about it,” she grumbled, folding her arms and crossing one foot over the other.
Rini sighed. “Fair point,” she admitted, reluctantly.
The raccoon continued to struggle to catch his breath.
”Stop faking,” Cheri said to the raccoon. “I didn't hit you that hard. I thought boys were tougher than that.”
”It's not about how hard you hit him,” the rabbit spoke up.
Rini blinked, looking to her classmate.
”You hit him in the lung, knocked the wind out of him. Even a soft hit can do that.”
The raccoon sucked in a quiet breath through his nose. “Heheheh,” he airily chuckled. “You sounded... little worried.”
”I am so not worried about you,” the vixen said with a turn of her nose. “I'm bored... When're we goin' in?”
”Soon.” The rabbit stated.
Rini looked about, noting that groups were still forming, and teachers were still talking with one another now and again. There were a lot of kids trying to dash around, excited and impatient. “So...” She turned back to her younger friends.
”Hey! Look!”
She returned her attention to Ziggy-Zee, who scurried around the bench that Lyza had been sitting on earlier.
His hand groped about on the ground for a second, before raising it up. “A dime!” He exclaimed.
”Ugh,” Cheri grimaced. “Gross, and you just picked it up out of the dirt?”
The raccoon looked it over, and plucked it in his mouth, making to swish it around.
”Ew! Gross!”
Rini winced. “Ziggy, you're not supposed to put coins in your mouth. They're covered in germs.”
He grinned, and then showed it still in his hand. “Gotcha!” He said with a pointing giggle.
Cheri batted his hand down. “It's rude to point.”
Rini noticed Lyza raise her hand to her muzzle, the corner of her lip twitching up just before it was covered. “So, I was gonna say, what animals are you guys most excited about seeing?” She watched the rabbit out of the corner of her eye.
”The flamingos!” Cheri said, about to do the pose again, before looking at Ziggy, and settling her hands on her skirt again.
Lyza rubbed her muzzle with her hand like she had gotten something on her lips, and when it fell away, she had on a frown.
”I wanna see the wolverines!” Said the raccoon, crossing his arms over his chest and balling his hands into fists, posing like the X-Man.
”I dunno if they have wolverines,” Rini mumbled.
”They d—” Lyza started to say, but cut her voice. When the rat looked her way, she shifted. “Sorry, I thought I saw Ms. Hupp waving at us, or something,” she said, “but I guess not.”
”Hmm...” Rini looked out, and didn't see Ms. Hupp at all. “Well, I...” the rat said, calling attention to her small purple purse by hefting it in one hand and unzipping it with the other. “I brought a camera,” she finished, pulling it out.
Lyza blinked as the sun caught her eye from the screen on the back of the digital camera.
”Ooo, is that yours?” Cheri asked. “Can I see it?”
”Be careful,” the rat cautioned, handing the camera over. “It's my older brother's. He got a new one for his birthday, so he's letting me have this one. So, I'll make sure to take good pictures of the animals for you guys.”
”Cool,” the vixen said, looking at the screen. “It has a zoom,” she looked about, zooming in on things, until she turned and the raccoon opened his mouth and moved in front of the lens.
”Wha—ugh! Gross! I can see your bad breath,” the vixen said with disgust, shaking her head.
Rini saw Lyza's hand cover her muzzle again, but was too nervous about the camera to keep an eye on the gesture. “Can I have it back?” She relaxed when her younger friend handed it over.
”What animal are you excited to see, Rini?” Asked the raccoon.
”Hm... I kinda wanna see the wolves. I hope there's a white one.”
”Oooo, cuzza Goren?” Asked the vixen, with a teasing inflection.
The rat smiled. “Mmmmaybe,” she replied. “But, I kinda wanna see the penguins, too.”
Cheri giggled. “What about you, Liz?”
The rabbit's ears swiveled back. “Um...” She shrugged. “I dunno.”
”You dunno?” The vixen questioned, cocking her head. “Well, what's your favorite animal, then?”
The rabbit looked around, hoping that they were calling them in by now. “They all... kinda smell the same,” she replied.
”Huh?” Cheri's ears flattened in confusion.
”it's horses, isn't it?” Rini asked.
”What?” The rabbit blinked.
”Your favorite animal. It's horses, isn't it?”
She scratched one arm with the other. “Kinda. I guess,” she said, agitatedly. She winced when Mr. Wiggin let out a loud whistle, and the teachers began motioning them to start moving in. “Finally,” she muttered, under her breath.
She walked ahead, since she knew where she was going.
