Getting the Boot by Peggy Guthart Strauss Read Free Book Online

there. Kelly was going to find herself a new friend, even if it took the entire week.
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Subject: Please send peanut butter
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    Dear Mom and Dad,
    I can’t believe how quickly I’m learning things here—at this rate, I’ll be speaking perfect Italian in no time!
    The kids here are really interesting—the S.A.S.S. girls and the other PIR students are all American, but they’re from every possible background and they come from all over the place. There’s also a bunch of kids taking summer classes who go here during the year. A lot of their parents are diplomats—this neighborhood is full of them.
    Sheela and I are getting along fine. She’s as busy as always and is definitely getting her money’s worth here. She’s also making a real effort to be more outgoing and social. Luckily, she’s not so popular yet that she can’t help me with Italian vocab words—some things never change.
    If you see any at the store, can you please send me a jar of organic peanut butter? I want to give it to my roommate.
    I hope you guys are doing well. I miss you like crazy.
    Â 
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    LOLXXX,
    Kelly
    To: [email protected]
    From: [email protected]
    Subject: Our jet-set daughter
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    Â 
    Dear Kel,
    Mom and I are so proud of you! I must admit, when you first told us about the program, we were pretty dubious. Now I have no doubts that you’re committed, you’re motivated, and you’re going to do great. Who knew that my social butterfly of a daughter was going to turn into a devoted scholar?
    Please don’t forget to write to your old parents. We miss you, but knowing you’re making friends and enjoying your classes makes us very happy.
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    All my love,
    Dad

    Kelly wasn’t a morning person to begin with, and she’d stayed up late again with Joe and overslept, as usual. She was positive she’d never learn to speak Italian at the rate she was going. Communicating in a strange language was hard enough when you weren’t half-asleep. And Marco, while adorable, was a total hard-ass.
    Kelly arrived one measly minute after the clock struck eight. To Marco, she might as well have shown up at eight-thirty.
    â€œMiss Brandt, late again, I see,” he said, singling her out before she could make it to her seat.
    By now she knew the drill. Sighing, she joined him at the front of the room. Marco paced in front of the blackboard, tossing his black locks and waving a piece of chalk. “Okay, quick-quick, let’s conjugate together— avere —‘to have.’ Io ho —‘I have’. . .”
    Kelly stumbled through the conjugations as the rest of the class looked on. Marco put her through three painful rounds before she was finally allowed to sit down. She tried to ignore the whispers she heard behind her and looked over to Joe for support. He was in his own world, wearing his trademark smirk and doodling in his notebook. Everyone else was diligently parroting away on a new verb, following Marco’s chalk like a bouncing ball. It was going to be a major challenge to find anyone friend-worthy in this crew.
    Blab, blab, blab. Such a bunch of sheep. And then, it hit her— the black sheep! Goth Girl, a.k.a. Marina, was slouched at a desk in the back corner, staring out the window and looking for all the world like she wanted to climb out. Marina would be a perfect person to explore the city with; she was so scary-looking, guys wouldn’t dare mess with them. And she had to be cool—it took serious guts to dress like a vampire every day.
    Marco moved on to sapere —“to know.” Kelly actually did know this one. She recited along with Marco, a big smile on her face, watching the bouncing chalk with everybody else. Just when this place was starting to get her down, everything was going to fall right into place.
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    Kelly sat down with Goth Girl at