dinohigh, no humans allowed!

The bus rattled down the cracked, uneven streets of Trike Town as Marsha settled into her seat. She tossed her patched backpack into the narrow space next to her and glanced around at her fellow passengers. The bus was packed with ceratopsians, most of them students like her, heading to Dino High to start the semester. The atmosphere was a mix of boredom, nervous excitement, and a faint hint of sweat.

Marsha leaned back in her seat, trying to ignore the squeak of the worn-out cushion beneath her. She adjusted her jacket, the zipper catching on one of the many patches she'd sewn onto it—a mix of logos, slogans, and symbols she'd collected over the years.

The bus rolled to a stop at another pickup point, and a pair of young triceratops boys climbed aboard, their horns barely developed. One of them carried a duffel bag stuffed to bursting, the zipper straining to stay closed. The other wore a Dino High letterman jacket, which seemed a little too clean and new for someone from Trike Town. As they shuffled down the aisle, the bus driver, an older ceratopsian with chipped horns, shouted over his shoulder.

"Find a seat quick! We ain't got all day!"

Marsha smirked to herself. The driver's attitude was as rough as the roads they were driving on.

The boys took the only remaining empty seats, just a few rows behind Marsha. She could already hear them chattering excitedly about what they'd do when they got to school. The one with the duffel bag was bragging about how he planned to join the school's DinoBall team, even though he looked like he'd struggle to lift a rock.

"DinoBall, huh?" Marsha muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "Good luck with that, kid."

The bus lurched forward again, groaning as it picked up speed. Outside, Trike Town's crumbling buildings and graffiti-covered walls faded into the background. Marsha watched the familiar sights disappear, her heart a strange mix of relief and unease. She'd lived in Trike Town her whole life, but she was ready to leave it behind—at least for a while.

As the city gave way to stretches of open highway, the ceratopsians around her began to settle into the long ride. Conversations started to spark up, the quiet hum of chatter filling the bus. Marsha, ever the observer, leaned against the window and let the voices drift over her.

"I heard the food at Dino High is, like, actual gourmet stuff. You think they'll have a separate menu for herbivores?"

"I dunno, but I'm gonna eat so much, they'll have to roll me outta there," someone replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, you better hope they got rolling pins big enough for your fat ass," another voice chimed in, earning a round of snickers.

Marsha rolled her eyes. Typical bus banter. But her ears perked up when she heard someone mention dorm assignments.

"I'm stuck in Ceratops Hall. The rooms there are supposed to be tiny. Like, smaller than my bedroom at home."

"Could be worse," another girl said. "You could've ended up in Stego Hall. I heard their showers don't even have hot water."

Marsha turned her attention back to the window, her thoughts wandering. She hadn't even checked where her dorm assignment was. The acceptance letter was still crammed into her bag, creased and smudged from being read so many times. She'd looked at it every night for weeks, rereading the lines that confirmed she'd actually made it into Dino High. She'd gotten in on a scholarship, her grades just barely scraping the cutoff. Fighting in underground MMA rings wasn't exactly a recognized extracurricular, but her essay on surviving in Trike Town must've struck a chord with someone on the admissions board.

"Hey, you."

The voice startled Marsha out of her thoughts. She turned to see a girl sitting across the aisle from her, a pentaceratops with bright pink scales and a gold septum ring. She had a bored expression on her face, her head resting on one hand as she fiddled with the straps of her designer backpack.

"Yeah, you," the girl said, tilting her head toward Marsha. "What's your name?"

"Marsha," she replied cautiously.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Marsha, huh? I'm Tessa. You from Trike Town?"

Marsha nodded. "Born and raised."

Tessa's lips curled into a sly smile. "Figures. You got that scrappy look about you. Lemme guess, you're on a scholarship?"

Marsha stiffened. "What's it to you?"

Tessa shrugged, clearly unfazed. "Just making conversation. No need to get defensive, street girl."

"Street girl?" Marsha repeated, her tone sharp. "You don't know a damn thing about me."

"Oh, relax," Tessa said with a laugh. "I'm just messing with you. You'll need thicker skin if you're gonna survive at Dino High."

Marsha glared at her for a moment before leaning back in her seat. "Yeah, well, I'll be fine. Been surviving just fine up till now."

Tessa's smile widened, and for a moment, Marsha wasn't sure if the girl was mocking her or genuinely impressed. Before she could figure it out, another voice cut in.

"Tessa, leave her alone. Not everyone's used to your..." The boy paused, searching for the right word. "Charm."

Marsha looked up to see a styracosaurus sitting a few rows ahead, his horns tipped with gold paint. He had a polished, put-together look that screamed "rich kid."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, Jarek. I'm just being friendly."

"Friendly, my ass," Jarek shot back, his tone playful but firm. He turned to Marsha with an apologetic smile. "Don't mind her. She's harmless. Annoying, but harmless."

Marsha snorted. "I'll take your word for it."

Tessa huffed, crossing her arms. "You're all so sensitive. It's like you've never been teased before."

"Maybe save the teasing for people who actually like you," Jarek suggested with a smirk.

Tessa stuck her tongue out at him, but the tension seemed to ease. Marsha allowed herself to relax a little, though she kept her guard up.