Literally. This story wouldn't work in North America because there's nothing romantic about our infrastructure. It would just be get in your parents car or get home as fast as possible because every where is dangerous and stinky.
where do you live cause its not like that were i live in america. the thing about north america is it is unfair to judge it by a single standard as you claim because each state is the size of a country and for all intents and purposes each state IS its own country. as such the laws, living conditions, and culture all differ and in many cases they differ quite drastically from state to state. so calling the entirety of USA, dangerous and stinky, is quite untrue its true that SOME states have high crime and are dangerous at night but other states you can go out for a midnight stroll with nothing to worry about.
i like my montana its nice here and not at all what you described.
unless you are very far away from the school or it was sub-zero temperatures you would walk to school or ride your bike. otherwise you would take the bus or have parents drive you to school.
we got some nice buildings and don't get me started on holiday decorations when christmas comes around people will take strolls down the streets at night and just admire all the light people deck their houses with. we really go all out on it.
the only stink you will find here is in portapotties and public bathrooms cause they usually don't have spray.