ChapterTwo

The final bell rang endlessly throughout the school, indicating the closure of the school day. Taylor quickly gathered his bag and books and made his way through the busy hallways. Swarms of teens filled the halls, rushing to get out to the bus or their personal vehicles. As he closed in on the school entrance, he felt a vibration in his left pocket. He reached in and flipped open his phone. It was a text from Mrs. Perez of the United Service Organization (USO) checking in to confirm that he was still going to help later that afternoon. Taylor texted back, confirming that he would be there in about an hour. He stuffed the phone back into his pocket and made his way out of thebuilding.

Taylor walked at a fast pace to the nearest bus stop. He saw there was only one person waiting there. He sat on the bench, down at the far end, not wanting to intrude into the man’s personal space, then leaned over to his right slightly and said, “Excuse me, how long will it be until the next bus comes?”

The man’s neck shot up, Taylor’s words breaking whatever trance he was in. He looked over at Taylor and replied, “Another ten to fifteen minutes, give or take.”

“Thank you,” Taylor said, nodding. He leaned back and immersed himself in histhoughts.

After about eleven minutes, a bus crept its way up the street. When it stopped in front of them, Taylor and his bench companion boarded the bus. Taylor took a middle seat. The bus was abnormally clean for public transport and lacked the usual twenty-day-old jock strap smell and excess graffiti on the walls. Even the windows were clear and not foggy. Taylor leaned his head against the window, prepping himself for a quick nap. As the bus pulled off, he slowly drifted to sleep. Even though the ride was fifteen minutes at most, it felt like five. The bus came to a stop, and Taylor gathered his bag and shuffled off, making his way to the USO entrance. He loved the sight of the building, and just seeing the wordUSO and the six stars outside it in white lettering on a blue backdrop gave him a sense of joy. As he approached the double doors, a soldier exited and held the door open for him. He gave Taylor a quick nod, and Taylor nodded back. “Thank you, sir,” Taylor said with a grin and made his way to the back of the building. He opened the employee door and sat down on a chair in the corner of the room, then made a quick call to his grandmother, letting her know that he had arrived. He pocketed his phone an