Karen leapt from the booth, her kids scrambling to follow, faces sticky with melted ice cream. She burst through the door, her voice rising to a panicked shriek. “Wait! Stop!” she yelled, waving wildly. But the driver, unaware of her plight, had already started pulling away.
She watched in horror as the bus rounded the corner, leaving her stranded. Her face flushed, her expression twisting from anger to disbelief. Panic flashed in her eyes, and she fumbled for her phone, dialing her boyfriend with frantic fingers. “Babe, you need to come get us,” she sputtered. “The bus left!”