Mistaken appreciation

Once, while I was in my 10th, I guess, I had to travel home alone by private bus. I was not used to travelling alone and that too in private buses as I had always traveled by our school bus. If ever I had to go by private bus, I always went with my family or friends. But this time I had to go alone. I had to take a bus from Tripunitra to Vytilla and another from Vytilla to my home. As I got into the bus from Tripunitra, I was a little scared to take an ST as I had heard how "nicely" the conductors treat students who take an ST. I didn't want to get that, at least not alone so I decided to pay the full charge. That was when a chechi, a college-goer, came and sat beside me. And the best part was that she took an ST. I didn't notice it first. But I noticed it when I heard the conductor praising me. He was telling the chechi "Are you not ashamed? Look at this girl. She is still in school and she pays full charge while you people who go to college take an ST. Hmmm...." That chechi listened with half ear and after he left, she eyed me in a way that I thought she would murder me at any moment. And for the conductor? He behaved as if I was some celebrity. Whenever he came near my seat, he would give me a broad smile as if I had given him a map to find a treasure. I myself felt that I had done something really great even though I had no intentions to do something like that. All along my way home I kept thinking of this incident.