1 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:15,240 Welcome to fast food Horror. In this episode entitled The New Kid by E. 2 00:00:16,120 --> 00:01:04,239 J. Miller, the only thing worse than being the new kid is 3 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:08,480 being the new kid. A few months into the school year, friendships have 4 00:01:08,519 --> 00:01:15,000 already been made, cliques have been formed, the entire social hierarchy has been 5 00:01:15,079 --> 00:01:19,280 established. You have no idea what the drama is and who not to associate 6 00:01:19,359 --> 00:01:26,439 with because of their past or very recent flops. It's a social mindfield where 7 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,079 one false step could make you the new joke, and you have no idea 8 00:01:30,359 --> 00:01:37,879 who is safe and who is not unless unless you just choose not to associate 9 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:44,519 with anyone at all, stay off all radar to escape everyone's attention. Such 10 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,280 was my life two weeks into my junior year and my new home at Washington 11 00:01:49,319 --> 00:01:56,480 Irving High School that November. I had a routine attend my classes, try 12 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,959 not to get anyone's attention, which included the teachers, and just go home. 13 00:02:00,799 --> 00:02:04,519 My grandpa would pick me up at the end of eighth period on his 14 00:02:04,599 --> 00:02:07,520 way back from work in his rust bucket of a work truck, so that 15 00:02:07,719 --> 00:02:14,199 left me to just take the bus into school in the morning that rolling hellscape. 16 00:02:15,439 --> 00:02:17,759 The bus would pick me up at the corner before the sun could even 17 00:02:17,759 --> 00:02:22,800 be bothered to come up. Each morning, I'd make my way past the 18 00:02:22,879 --> 00:02:27,960 driver, who never said anything to me, Thank god, he just sat 19 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,639 there blankly looking straight ahead. I'd make my way down the dark red emergency 20 00:02:32,719 --> 00:02:38,159 lit aisle to a seat towards the back, passing rows upon rows of faces 21 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:44,840 who never looked up to even acknowledge my existence. Ah the way of teenagers. 22 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:49,000 I'd throw my bag into an empty seat and drop in after it and 23 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:53,800 curl up, scrolling through TikTok and Instagram until we got to school. Then 24 00:02:54,360 --> 00:03:00,039 get off the bus and start my day. This was my routine every day 25 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:07,439 for two weeks until that Friday. It was pouring and cold out a dreary 26 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:13,280 November ice shower. Another degree or two lower and it would be snow. 27 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,000 All I wanted was to make it off the bus without getting drenched. As 28 00:03:17,039 --> 00:03:21,639 soon as the bus stopped and the doors opened, I made a mad dash 29 00:03:21,719 --> 00:03:24,080 to the front of the bus, then made a bee line to the front 30 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:29,360 doors of the school. Halfway through my sprint down the walkway towards the school 31 00:03:29,439 --> 00:03:35,319 doors, I realized I left my backpack on the bus. I frantically turned 32 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:38,840 to go back to my bus, almost losing my footing on the wet pavement 33 00:03:38,919 --> 00:03:46,159 as I spun. It wasn't there. The big yellow bus I had just 34 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:52,479 left, not more than ten seconds ago was gone. Not only wasn't the 35 00:03:52,479 --> 00:03:55,800 bus there, none of the other students were behind me. I was the 36 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:00,520 first one off. There should have been forty other students filing into school right 37 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:05,919 after me, but it was just me standing in the rain. The bus 38 00:04:05,919 --> 00:04:11,479 didn't pull away. I looked up and down the road. Nothing. I 39 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:15,000 stood there in the rain, wondering where it could possibly have gone. When 40 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:19,079 I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see the old security 41 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:25,720 guard looking at me with concern. You okay, he said in his graveled 42 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,839 base. I my bus. It was just here. I left my bag 43 00:04:30,879 --> 00:04:35,480 on it, and okay, let me help, he said, happens all 44 00:04:35,519 --> 00:04:40,040 the time. What bus number were you on? And I can call it 45 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:46,639 back? Said seventy two, I croaked out, seventy two. All right? 46 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:51,600 Are you sure it was seventy two? Yeah, I replied, seventy 47 00:04:51,639 --> 00:04:58,040 two. I've been taking it for two weeks. Kid, that's not funny, 48 00:04:58,319 --> 00:05:03,680 he said, What bus number were you on? Seventy two? I'm 49 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:08,800 not sure why that would be funny, he cut me off. Listen, 50 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:13,720 he said, with more speculation than concern. Maybe you got your numbers flipped. 51 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,079 Maybe you're a little confused. It couldn't be seventy two. No, 52 00:05:18,639 --> 00:05:23,480 it was seventy two. Picks me up every morning. I'm not wrong. 53 00:05:24,639 --> 00:05:28,600 Well it couldn't be, he replied, with a little more sternness in his 54 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,879 voice. And why couldn't it be, i asked, with the annoyance of 55 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:36,240 having lost my bag and now standing in the freezing rain. I'll tell you 56 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:43,120 why it couldn't be seventy two, he let out a long sigh. Ten 57 00:05:43,199 --> 00:05:46,839 years ago there was a rollover accident. No one knows what caused it. 58 00:05:47,399 --> 00:05:54,199 Bus full of students. No one survived, not the driver, none of 59 00:05:54,240 --> 00:06:00,480 the passengers either. It was a huge town tragedy. Bus seven twenty two. 60 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:05,240 They've never reassigned the bus number out of respect for those lost. That's 61 00:06:05,399 --> 00:06:12,319 why it couldn't be bus seventy two. Unless you rode in on a ghost 62 00:06:12,399 --> 00:06:17,240 bus. Yeah, that must be it.