As Pippin walked to the bus with his backpack slung over his shoulder, he couldn't help but wondder when they were going to be getting lockers. A lot of the other grades already had their lockers now, and he wanted to have the convienience of one just as he had last year, in middle school. The sun burned down on his neck as he walked across th black asphalt, Merry was probablly already on the bus along with everybody else because foreign language was on the other side of the school. Oh well, at least it would prove to be good excercise running to the main hall to go to his locker and running back. He saw his bus with the buses up front, and he climbed up the steps and began to walk to his seat. For whatever reason, Legolas was already on the bus even though he had to take the exact same route. Pippin's luck for ya, people. He sighed, and sat down next to Frodo. Frodo was, of course, texting as always. At least oe thing in his unsteady life remained constant. Frodo's earbuds were slammed into his ears, and he seemed to be listening to rap by the way that he was murmuring words to some song that Pippin had to assume was by Flo Rida. He saw Aragorn talking to the grumpy elven senior, whom he had decided to call Scary. Scary turned and looked at him, a scowl firmly on his face. Pippin flinched, but said nothing. Haldir was talking to Legolas about some soccer team that h had never even heard of, and Merry was tlking to Sam. Pippin began to get out a book to read when Frodo elbowed him hard in the side.

"What the heck was that for?!", he asked, putting his hands halfway in the air. It was not being elbowed that made him take on this tone, it was more of surprise that Frodo had unplugged his earbuds, taken off his jacket hood, and STOPPED TEXTING. Pippin was shocked that he wasn't flopping around on the bus floor right now, having a 'seejah' (seizure) as Mr. Sauron would pronounce it like a fish out of water. The others were obviously mystified, too, because almost every kid on the bus was staring at Frodo. Frodo just shrugged, and got back to what he was doing.

Thank god!, Pippin thought, as that scenario was beginning to remind him of the part in a scary movie where nobody on the screen talks because something horrifying just happened...so yeah.

"I heard you made the soccer team, Pippin.", Haldir said, his eyes occasionally moving to Pippin's nosebrace from time to time.

"Yeah, I did. I'm the new goalie.", he said proudly, as it was a high compliment in the culture of the bus to congratulate somebody for making the team. And it was Haldir, too, who was probablly the single coolest senior he had ever known in his life. Then again, he had only known three seniors in his life but that was beyond the point.

"Congratulations!", Haldir said, "I used to be a defense player when I was a freshman." The elf smiled at the memory. By now, all of the freshmans on the bus pretty much were leaning forward into the aisle so that they could hear his story., "I was picked from gym, like you two were. I'll tell you what, though, I was scared as hell. I thought I had done something to get sent to the office. But hey, as it turns out, soccer coach asked me if I'd be interested in playing for the school. I said yes."

"Wow.", Legolas said as he listened, "You got called up there too? I remember, we thought that we were in trouble because I accidentally broke his nose."

This was the first time that pippin had ever heard Legolas talk so openly about it, and one of the only times he had spoken at that volume on the bus, seeing as he was normally shy and quiet. Ah well for shy and quiet.

"Yep, I did. So, what did you two have for connections today?", he asked.

"Keyboarding.", Legolas sighed. Now his stance was that of an exhausted, depressed person, and his eyes began to wander.

"I feel for ya,buddy!", Sam said. They all stared at him.

"Keyboarding isn't that bad since I was a freshman, is it?", Haldir asked, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

"Oh yes it is.", they both said at the exact same time, "Oh, yes it is."

"What about you, Pippin?", the elf asked him curiously.

"I've got Elvish with Mr.Sauron.", he told Haldir. He saw Gimli and Legolas laugh a bit as they remembered what had happened earlier.

"Ah, Mr. Sauron is no laughing matter, you two.", Haldir said, "He HATED me more than you could possibly imagine. He was evil, I tell you, evil!"

Pippin felt a flicker of fear rising in his chest as the bus went to a stop and a few kids got off. He started to prepare to get off of the bus, grabbing his bookbag and putting it on his shoulder.

"Just heed my warning!", Haldir called as Pippin got off of the bus and walked to his mom's car.

"How was school today, honey?"

"Good.", he muttered, as it was best not to go into detail of all of today's events.