“Good, Dad’s here,” I say as I spot the van parked in the turnaround. “I’ll call you later about the math assignment, Sophie.”
“Bye, Elena,” Sophie replies as she heads toward her bus.
I hurry to the van, pull open the back door, and climb in. Dad’s not in the driver’s seat, so I assume he went to help Reynaldo carry his science project.
As I settle into my seat, I notice the snacks sitting on my brother’s seat.
“Hey,” I say, grabbing the box, “my favorite granola bars!” Dad says the other brand has less sugar, so we hardly ever have them. “And my favorite sports drink,” I add. The kind Pop only buys when he has a coupon, but he hardly ever has a coupon.
And then, as I rip open a granola bar, I notice the book tucked into the seat pocket in front of me. I recognize the cover, so I pull the book from the pocket. Yes! It’s the next installment in my favorite series, and it’s not a library book. I actually get to add it to my collection.
I don’t care if Dad and Reynaldo take forever to get here, I decide, as I sink into my seat, bite into the granola bar, and turn to page one. This is an excellent way to end the school day.
I munch, sip, and read. I’m so involved in the story that I don’t even notice Dad getting back to the van. Suddenly I hear the driver’s door open and the rustle of Dad on the seat.
“Thanks for the book and the awesome snacks, Dad,” I say, finally looking up.
To see a woman facing me from the driver’s seat.
“Hello,” she says, smiling.
“Oh!” I react, bolting upright in my seat, confused. Why is this woman in our van?
Before I can ask, the back door opens, and there’s my classmate Mariko, staring at me.
“Elena!” she exclaims. “Why are you in our van?”
“Oh,” I echo myself as I glance around. Now that I really look, this van does seem different. Where are Rey’s soccer cleats? And Dad’s coffee cup?
“This isn’t my van,” I conclude. “Is it?”
Mariko shakes her head.
“Or my snacks,” I realize, looking down at the half-eaten granola bar, “or my book.”
“No,” Mariko replies. “They’re mine.”
Mariko’s mom keeps smiling and Mariko keeps staring while I swivel around to look out the back window. To find my van, same model, same color, parked right behind this one. And to see Dad standing outside of it, looking for me.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologize. “I can’t believe I got into the wrong van. I can’t believe I ate your snack.”
I start to hand the half-eaten granola bar to Mariko, then realize she probably wouldn’t want it. I’m so embarrassed, I wish I could just disappear.
But Mariko’s mom says, “It’s fine, don’t worry.”
And Mariko says, “I didn’t know you liked those books, Elena.”
“I love them!” I tell Mariko. I don’t know Mariko well because she’s pretty new in our class, and I’m pretty quiet in class, so we haven’t actually spent much time together. But now I know we like the same books. And the same snacks, I have to add.
“I have the whole series at home,” Mariko says. She pauses, then adds, “Would you like to come over today?”
“Sure,” I answer. “I’d have to ask Dad. He’s right behind us.”
“You stay here,” Mariko’s mom says. “I’ll go ask him.”
I know Dad will say yes, so I scoot over to Reynaldo’s, um, I mean, the other seat, as Mariko climbs in and sits in my, I mean, her seat.
“I’m totally embarrassed about getting into your van, Mariko,” I confess. “But it’s turning out okay. We have stuff in common; we like the same snacks and books.”
“That’s not all we have in common,” Mariko says.
“What do you mean?”
“A few minutes ago,” Mariko starts, “I actually got into the van behind us. But when I saw a pair of soccer cleats on the floor, I knew it had to be the wrong van, so I jumped out.”
As I stare at Mariko, she smiles at me. Then we both burst out laughing, and we can’t stop, even when Mariko’s mom gets back and the van pulls out of the turnaround, heading toward Mariko’s house, and what looks like the beginning of a new friendship.
