"I wish that everybody else understood how we feel," said Lauren.
The stone shone so brightly that Lauren and Gladys were temporarily blinded. Nobody else on the bus - or anywhere in Lake Point noticed the "fat rays" passing through them, causing them all to expand. The bus grew wider to accomodate its passengers' ballooning bodies.
Once the light faded, the two best friends could see that everyone on the bus - and every teen and adult outside - weighed at least two hundred pounds. Yet the students kept chattering away as if nothing had happened. And a few were still laughing, but not at themselves.
"Oh no," said Lauren. She turned to face Gladys. "No! Not you too!"
