Do-Overs by Christine Jarmola Read Free Book Online Page B

don’t often get spoken to in very cultured tones. This should be interesting. “I’m Geoffrey Hale.” He reached over to shake my hand. I guess his mother had raised him right.
    “Lottie Lambert,” I croaked out.
    “Are you new here? I don’t seem to have made your acquaintance. I know practically everyone on campus.”
    “I’m a transfer, that’s why I’m taking a freshman level class. Are you a freshman?” I asked.
    You’d have thought I had asked if he tortured puppies. I thought for a moment he wasn’t going to dignify my question with an answer when he said, “I’m a senior. I simply didn’t have time in my schedule in years past.” He said schedule all run together and slurry like a British person. It made me feel like asking for some Grey Poupon mustard.
    The more we talked the snootier he became. I wondered if the class would ever begin. Then the most awkward thing of all happened.
    “My schedule is rather packed, but perchance I might squeeze in some time and we might go out this weekend?” he asked.
    Okay, I’m all for live for the day and seize the moment and all that. But in a three-minute conversation, now that was too fast. Yep, let’s try that little eraser trick again.
    Once again I was sliding into class with five minutes to spare. The seat was still empty next to Mr. Geoffrey Hale. And it could stay that way. I found myself a spot at the front. Oh how I loved that pink eraser. Life was good.

 
     
     
     
     
     
    -11-
    Dorm Life - Love It or Don’t
     
    Life had become so much easier with the ability to rewind. I must have used that wonderful, fabulous magic eraser daily for the first week or so. Like the day I forgot to bring my homework to Señora Aburrida ’s Spanish class. Okay it was really Albert, but she was boring. No homework, no problem. One wave of Super Eraser and I remembered to bring it with me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a magical Spanish-speaking eraser and I still got a D on the assignment. Maybe I would have been better off trying to talk my professor into letting me turn it in late and getting some help from someone better at Spanish than Olivia.
    But, try as I might, the eraser would only ever give one chance to make a change. I learned rule number two one frantic morning a few weeks later from Olivia and her diamond earrings.
    It wasn’t my fault. It was a normal frantic morning in our suite. Everyone had put off getting up until the last possible moment and then we were all frantic to get ready on time. Rachel was sitting on the floor by our full-length mirror drying her hair. Stina was bent over the sink brushing her teeth, while Olivia was leaned over her looking into the mirror putting on her third coat of mascara. I was hunting for a clean cami that matched my shirt. Maybe a slightly dirty one would have to do. So digging through my dirty clothesbasket, I heard the shriek of a banshee and the rapid flow of Spanish cuss words. Well honestly, I really didn’t know what the words meant. We hadn’t gotten to the swear words chapter in Señora Aburrida’s class yet. The words could have meant peanut butter and jelly, but with the force they were coming out of Olivia’s mouth it didn’t take a Ph.D. in linguistics to hypothesize that they weren’t nice.
    “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Stina was responding at just a slightly lower decibel. “I didn’t know they were there.”
    “Those are DIAMONDS!” Olivia responded as if that made a difference in the situation.
    “Well, what were DIAMONDS doing sitting on the side of the sink next to the toilet?”
    Time for Rachel the peacemaker to intercede. I don’t think we would have ever lived through the year without blood being drawn if it wasn’t for Rachel’s never failing reason and patience. “It’s okay, guys. Look someone just has to reach in the toilet and get them out. Oh gross, who didn’t flush?” Then again in some situations even Rachel wasn’t the best diplomat in the world.
    I rapidly