[ WP ] After a long and exciting life , Mrs. Frizzle has died . Her long-ago students meet at her funeral - for the first time in a while - to reminisce about their experiences with her and how it 's shaped them .

“ Shit, ” Arnold muttered under his breath as he swerved to miss the red Toyota Corolla that turned in front of him. He ’ d run a red light on Main Street while his mind was set to cruise control, and he was ninety-nine percent sure cameras had been mounted at the intersection. He mouthed a silent sorry at the other driver, who replied with a loud honk as she turned right in front of him. Several blocks later, the red Corolla turned into Walkerville Cemetery, and a mildly surprised Arnold followed until he reached the parking lot. A familiar black-haired girl stepped out of the car, gasped in recognition as she looked at him, then immediately marched right up to him. 
 
 
 “ What the hell was that, Arnold? You nearly got us both killed! ” 
 
 
 Arnold felt himself shrink backwards a little. “ I-it was a mistake. Sorry, Wanda. I was just thinking about... ” 
 
 
 Wanda ’ s glare softened. She closed her eyes and sighed. “ It ’ s all right. I ’ m sorry. This isn ’ t the time for this kind of outburst. ” 
 
 
 Arnold raised his eyebrows, stunned at how quickly she ’ d calmed down. A silence took hold; they hadn ’ t talked in almost a decade, and he didn ’ t quite know what to say. 
 
 
 “ You don ’ t look good in black, ” Wanda finally said. 
 
 
 “ O-oh? ” 
 
 
 “ I mean, it doesn ’ t suit you. Not like orange or white. ” 
 
 
 Arnold choked out a chuckle. “ Yeah, maybe. Red suits you more, too. ” 
 
 
 “ How ’ s Phoebe? She couldn ’ t make it? ” 
 
 
 “ She couldn ’ t get time off. The vet clinic she works at only has three full veterinarians, and one of them is on maternity leave, so they ’ re kinda tied up. ” 
 
 
 “ No kids for you guys yet? ” 
 
 
 “ No, not yet. ” 
 
 
 Arnold scuffed one foot against the other. An awkward silence fell again; the pair stood as though they were waiting for other people to interject. Finally, another car pulled up. 
 
 
 “ Hey guys, what ’ s up? ” called a too-convivial voice. Carlos poked his head out the window and flashed a smile as Dorothy Ann stepped out from the driver ’ s seat. 
 
 
 “ A funeral, ” Wanda flatly replied, eyes narrowing in disapproval of the brightness of Carlos ’ s voice. Carlos visibly deflated, and mumbled an apology. 
 
 
 Dorothy Ann sighed, then walked up to Wanda and Arnold. “ But really. How are you guys doing? I heard you landed a grant to do alpine field work, Arnold? ” 
 
 
 “ Oh, that was a few years ago, ” Arnold replied, then smiled sheepishly. “ I guess that ’ s still pretty recent these days. But yeah, I did. Collected a lot of valuable rock and ice cores. ” 
 
 
 Carlos finally joined them, having adjusted his tie to his satisfaction. “ Never would ’ ve thought you ’ d be the type to apply to the government for field trips, Arn, ” he said with a grin. 
 
 
 “ Yeah, well, I owe that to… ” Arnold couldn ’ t bring himself to finish the sentence. “ Anyways, what about you guys? ”
