The School of Flirting (3 page)

Chapter 7

Doubts

…

After exchanging cell numbers and nailing down a time and meeting place, Sachi and I broke apart immediately. We didn’t do any elaborate planning, and we certainly didn’t hang around to chit chat. Sachi double checked that I had written down the date correctly, then slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out a backward glance. Everyone else was still busy talking with their partners. I could have gone home solo but that I wanted to wait for Leann, so I helped put the chairs away and pack up the snack table. I went down to the bathroom to tip out the hot water thermos and by the time I got back Jane had gone and Leann demolishing the last muffin while she waited for me. She was grinning from ear to ear.

“What amazing luck!” She effervesced. “I cannot believe I got paired with Jane. She looks like ginger spice but without all the trashy eye shadow. And what was with you and her roommate? How did you meet her already?”

“This is the worst day of my life.” I moaned while dragging my feet up the stairs.

“Huh?”

“Leann! That’s Sachiko. Don’t you recognize her?”

Leann stopped in her tracks and blinked like a confused fruit bat. “From…middle school? No way…”

I nodded despondently.

“Oh, ugh, she was such a pain during the school play. And in marching band.... And on field day.”  Then Leann started to laugh. “But you aren’t holding that old stuff against her, are you? So what if she was a bossy little kid. It’s been years. I’m sure she’s changed.”

“You don’t understand how awful this is! You moved away but I was stuck with her!”

“For what? Two more years?”

“Three.” I groused.

“You might want to reevaluate this situation. Did you even notice how gorgeous she is?”

“Pshh” I waived her off. “Sachi has always been beautiful.”

“Oh yeah?” Leann said in a sly tone and wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“What is that? What are you doing with your eyebrows?”

“That’s my silly eye contact message that says ‘so you’ve always thought she was hot!’”

“Ugh Leann! You are not taking me seriously!”

“Fine. Fine. Let’s be serious. But only for a minute. Then I get to go back to dancing around and fantasizing about Jane. So being paired with Sachi is the worst thing ever. Now what? Are you going to skip doing your field assignment?”

“No. She would never let that happen. She would blow up my phone? Is that the saying?”

Leann nodded. “Ok. So then you just have to bite the bullet and get the field assignment done.”

“I could quit.” I already knew I wouldn’t but I was feeling morose and needed that extra push from Leann.

“What??? You drag me out to this thing every Thursday for a month and just when I meet someone hot, that I can’t date until we pass the final exams, you go and bail on me?? I don’t think so! Meet with Sachi, finish the assignment and be done with it!” She paused to catch her breath and put a reassuring arm around my shoulders. “Even if it’s horrible, it will be a couple of hours max and then you can come home and cry to me. Okay?”

There was that extra push. I could always count on Leann. Smiling softly I nodded, “ok.”

Chapter 8

Field Assignment

…

Sachi and I had agreed to meet on Saturday at the campus bookstore. It opened at eleven o’clock and since I was early, I hung out awkwardly on a bench across the street. I should have gotten coffee or brought a book. Instead, I fussed with my phone and tried not to get nervous. After a few minutes, a slim blonde joined me on the bench. I wondered if she was waiting for the bookstore but I didn’t ask her. Sachi should be here any minute. I checked my phone again. When I looked up, Sachi was standing across the street. She was smiling softly and flipped her in a move that was somewhere between shy and excited. I felt my face begin to heat and I looked down at my feet. Why was she suddenly so attractive? Was Leann right? Subconsciously had I always thought she was hot? And why was Sachi looking at me so sweetly now? Where was her usual fierce glare?

The blonde next to me stood up, straightened her skit, and then crossed the street. She walked straight over to Sachi. My jaw dropped. Oh. That soft smile wasn’t for me. I watched them talking and my face felt hotter than ever. How ridiculously embarrassing! Mad at myself, I finally broke free of the spell and jumped up from the bench. I had to wait for a few cars to pass and then I crossed to the pair.

“…here’s my friend now. I have to go but it was really nice meeting you.”

“Same here. Call me okay?”

“Ok.”

As soon as the blonde walked away, Sachi’s smile evaporated and she greeted me with a slight frown. Come on Mina, just get through this. I thought to myself.

“Hi, Sachi. Was that a friend of yours?”

“No. I just completed the assignment.”

“What?!” I whipped around to watch the slim woman walking away. “But..I…”

“Come on. The store is open. Let’s get your half of the assignment wrapped up.”

Stunned I followed Sachi into the campus bookstore. She walked away from me as soon as we entered and I checked out the team sweatshirts while scanning the store for someone to make eye contact with. My heart was pounding and my stomach felt sour as if I was planning on robbing the place. It was pretty empty but then I spotted a curvy woman with tons of freckles. Cute. Her red polo was a bit unflattering but who dresses up to go text book shopping?

I stared at her willing her to look up. But she seemed very focused on what she was doing. I tried rattling the sweater rack a little bit. That did it. She was looking at me! I smiled. Freckles looked away. Now what? Maybe I should have tried that hair flip that Sachi did. Her long fingers sliding through the black ribbons of her hair… that was very entrancing. Sexy.

Moving closer to the freckled woman in red, I tried to get her attention again. I sighed dramatically and then, when she looked up again, I went for the hair flip. It felt a bit more like my hair fluffed up rather than slipped through my fingers like a sexy waterfall. But she was coming over to me!! It worked I thought excitedly.

“Hi.”

“Hi!”

“Do you need help finding something?”

Oh no…red polo shirt. She worked here.

“No..I uh..um…” I stuttered panicking at this monumental fail.

“Are you sure? You looked a little lost…?”

That was even worse! Suddenly Sachi rescued me.

“She was just waiting for me.” She said waving her little bag of newly purchased highlighters. Sachi flashed me a broad smile and scooted me out of the store. Outside, I collapsed against the wall.

“That was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me!!”

“Yes, that was complete disaster.  We are obviously going to have to find somewhere easier for you.”

“…Really? You are going to help me?”

“Of course I am! This is a pair assignment. I’m not done until you are.” Sachi grabbed me by the wrist and hauled me off down the street.

“Where are we going?”

“The student lounge. It’s almost lunch time and I’m hungry. Besides there are bound to be a ton of people in the outdoor café.”

She was right about the crowds. It was an unusually hot spring day and the student body was out in droves. Everywhere I turned there were groups of guys and girls talking and sharing lunch. I desperately hoped my next attempt didn’t go as badly as my first try. Sachi and I got in line and we both picked club sandwiches but she smacked my hand and told me to put it back.

“Work first, food second! How are you supposed to pick up girls with your mouth full of bread??” She pushed a mango smoothie and a straw into my hands instead. “Drinking is sexy. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Let me see you do it.”

It felt strange having her watch me so intensely but I slowly put the straw to my lips. We locked eyes as I took a small sip.
Mmm pretty good.
I licked my lips. Was Sachi blushing?

“That’s fine” she said, turning away swiftly.

“Where are you going?”

“To sit alone and enjoy my lunch! No one is going to make eyes at you if you are sitting with me.”

I think she had a point but that had to be the most insulting way to say it. Sachi had to be the most confusing person I’d ever met. She was still just as bossy as she had been as a kid but now… well, it seemed like she was doing it for me. If she wasn’t so pushy maybe I would have given up already. I took my smoothie over to a small table in the sun. Who would make a good target? A blonde with curly hair was reading nearby but she looked too engrossed in the book. I’d never be able to get her attention nonverbally.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Sachi was texting me? “
Girl in the green tank top
.” I looked around and sure enough there was a girl in a bright green tank top and she was looking right at me. I smiled. She smiled back. I felt my heart lift in my chest. Could it really be working? She nudged her glasses up on her nose and smiled a little wider.
Yes, yes!
I was thinking. I looked over at her, then at the empty chair at my table and then back at her again. I raised my eyebrows like I wanted to ask the question: Do you want to sit with me? And yes! Oh. My Gosh. She came over!

Her name is Ruth. We actually share one of our classes but I’d never noticed because I’m always up to my eyeballs in notes. She’s in my history intensive with Mr. Foster; also known as ‘Failing Foster’. We laughed over the nickname and shared horror stories about him terrorizing students. Ruth asked if we could study together sometime. Suddenly I remembered Sachi. She was waiting for me! I promised Ruth I’d catch up with her next class and said goodbye.

Rushing over to Sachi I started to apologize for taking so long, but Sachi interrupted me. “Congratulations! You did it!”

I have to admit her enthusiasm completely took me by surprise. I checked her face for some sign of sarcasm but I didn’t see any.

“Um. Yes. Thank you…Thank you for being my partner.”

We hung there silently for a bit. How strange, I thought. She seems so approachable right now; not at all bossy or mean. Does she want to hang out longer? Ugh no way! What was I thinking?

I said “otsukaresama”. It’s just the polite way of ending a work task. But the Japanese snapped us back to our old selves. Sachi said goodbye with a cool distance and I walked away.

Chapter 9

Missing You

…

On my walk back to the dorms, I thought about Sachi. Was Leann right? Had Sachi actually changed from mean girl to…well, I still wouldn’t say she was one hundred percent nice. I was going to talk the whole situation through with Leann. In fact, I almost started composing a letter in my head. Old habits die hard. But when I walked in and found her asleep on the couch, I got totally sidetracked.

“Leann! What are you doing? It is way past noon!”

“So what?” She grumbled and tried to pull a cushion over her head.

I pried up the corner of her pillow. “It’s beautiful out.”

“Yeah. And it will be beautiful another day too.” She said and rolled over on to her side, burying her face in the sofa.

“Don’t you have homework to do?”

“I’m done! Let me sleep.”

“But what about the field assignment for flirt school?” Kneeling next to the sofa I shook her shoulder until she tried to swat me away.

“Did it on Thursday night!”

“Do you mean Friday?” Leann groaned and threw her pillow at me. “No. Thursday. I went out again after you went to sleep. Sleeeeep beautiful sleep.” Laughing, I climbed on to the sofa with her and bounced her up and down, “No more sleep!” I cried. “You have to tell me what happened!”

“Arrgh! You are evil! Ok! I’m awake. Stop shaking me.” I let her up and she sluggishly got to her feet. Then suddenly, she scooped up her pillow and tried to make a break for her bedroom. “Oh? You want pillows? I will give you pillows!” I said as I launched a rainbow shaped throw pillow at her head. She ducked it smoothly and returned fire. In five minutes we had the whole room torn up and we were laughing so hard that we could hardly breathe. Clutching my side, I tried to wave a truce but Leann took one more swing at me with a giant beanbag. I squeaked in horror and hit the floor. The awkward swing of the beanbag unbalanced Leann and she toppled over. It was my chance! Quickly I climbed on top of her. She struggled but I had weaponry. I held a prickly sequin pillow just out of reach. “Surrender or I hit you with the pokey pillow!”

Laughing and wheezing she admitted defeat and agreed to tell me the story of her field assignment….for the price of one extra extra large coffee. I put the coffee pot on while Leann started her saga. She is such a great story teller it was like reading one of her letters, only ten times better because I could see her. Even lying back in the pillows scattered across the floor, she still talked with her hands. They swooped and dove and wiggled as she started up her tale.

She and Jane had decided to go out late the night of our last class because there was some sort of reception at the observatory. It didn’t seem to matter to them that this was a private event or that they weren’t invited. I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile. I would have bet anything that there was free food. I don’t know about Jane, but in Leann’s world free food is sufficient motivation for just about anything.  Pouring the coffee into the biggest mug I could find, brought it and a box of cookies down to her on the floor.

While Leann continued her story, a strange feeling started in my chest. It was a soft ache; as if I were missing her while she was still right in front of me. With more than half of my time in America was gone, maybe it was time to get used to that feeling. Once I was on my flight back home, it could very well be that we would never see each other again. We would still write letters of course. But the odds were high that I’d never experience one of her stories like this again. I wanted to soak it all up. I wanted to be in as many of her stories as possible and I envied Jane her role in this tale.

When flirt school was over would Jane take over the starring role in more of Leann’s stories, in her life? Would I be thousands of miles away and reading of Jane this and Jane that? Would I be jealous? Would I regret…would I regret never being intimate with Leann?