A First Time for Everything

The girls sit outside the bus admiring all the cute boys in Switzerland. Mrs. Bjork approaches Dan, who is drawing a sketch of a mountain. She checks in to make sure that Dan is doing okay and reminds him that although it’s great to always follow the rules and please others, he should also “live a little” and fully enjoy the trip (132). Mrs. Bjork reminds Dan that he might never return to Europe, so he should make the most of it. When Dan softly replies “okay,” Mrs. Bjork encourages him to speak louder (to boost his confidence).

On the bus, Kelly stops Dan to apologize for waking him up when she was sleepwalking. Amy asks Dan if he plans to ignore her for the rest of the trip, and he becomes immediately flustered. During the four-hour bus ride, Dan hears that Amy was talking about him, and Shelley overhears the conversation. She urges Dan to talk to Amy, but Dan is scared because of the last time he tried to tell a girl how he felt. Three years earlier, his friends told him that he should ask a girl out whom he was friends with, and Dan thought it was a great idea.