“The star parties are what make the class. You knew that going in.”
I swallowed. “I have to get out.”
She pushed a folder aside. “Let me pull up your actual records rather than this printed overview. We can take a good hard look at your transfer history and see if maybe we can wiggle some class over to cover this one.”
I slammed my hand on the desk. “No!”
She looked up, startled.
I forced myself to relax. “I mean, no, it’s fine.”
She turned from the keyboard to study me. “I’m just trying to see where you might switch something around. Maybe there’s an online course.”
My face burned. I’d gone this far without anyone finding out what happened in New Mexico. I couldn’t risk the consequences if that professor had saved any note in the system. “I’ll stay in astronomy.”
The woman nodded. “That’s a good choice. You’ll find the star parties fantastic.” She closed my folder full of official printouts I painstakingly kept, all bearing seals and formal letters, anything I could do to avoid people digging too deeply into my electronic past. So far, I had been able to count on people being busy or lazy.
“Thank you. Sorry for wasting your time.”
She waved me away. “It’s all right. See you at the end of the quarter so we can establish your final coursework.”
I slung the backpack over my shoulder and opened the door, stepping over the line of students sitting along the wall, waiting to get in.
My head buzzed as I stormed through the building. Maybe I could switch TAs. Yes, if I told them I had a permanent conflict with Thursdays, it would make more sense to switch study groups now than to constantly do makeups. Gavin would be in the classroom, but I could avoid him. As long as we were at different star parties, it would be okay.
The day was still bright and colorful outside, making it difficult to stay upset with a world full of birdsong and eucalyptus. I was back on track, in school again, and the last thing I needed was to let Gavin Mays derail my life a second time.
Jenny caught up with me at the quad, her pink ponytail as vivid as a blossom. “You ran out of class. And that hunkalicious man-meat followed you. What was that all about?”
“Someone I used to know.”
“Ahhhh! Someone you used to bang!” She grabbed my arm and stopped me from walking. “Is this the boy who chilled off Frozen Latte? Tell! Tell! Tell!”
“He’s from my hometown.”
“And…”
“We dated.”
“And…”
“I just can’t be in his study group.”
Jenny plunked down in the grass, setting her messenger bag beside her. “I can get that. I don’t have a single ex I want to see again unless it’s in a body bag.”
I sat next to her. “I tried to drop just now, but the counselor couldn’t get me anything but interpretive dance.”
“Really?” Jenny jumped back up and held out her arms in a ballet pose, spinning neatly in a circle. Just as I wondered what the heck she was doing, she dramatically dropped her head and shoulders, like a puppet whose strings had just broken.
“What are you doing?”
She peered up at me. “What, you don’t like my interpretation of a flower in the rain?”
“Seriously? You took dance?”
She plopped back into the grass, lying down with her head on her bag and her black leggings crossed at the knee. “The teacher was so freaking hot.”
I had an idea. “Hey, you wanted lumberjack boy, right? The other TA?”
“Yeah, sure.” She tugged on her orange miniskirt and straightened the crop top, like she was arranging herself for display. Jenny always looked like she had stepped out of the shop window of a trendy store.
“Why don’t we switch? Then you could do the star parties with lumberjack boy, and I wouldn’t have to be in the same group as Gavin.”
She lifted her sunglasses to peer at me. “Gavin. Is that hunk boy?”
Surely she wouldn’t go for him. The thought of her fawning on Gavin made me feel sick.
“Don’t look all distressed.” She took my hand and crossed an “x” on my palm. “Girlfriends don’t date girlfriends’ exes. Period.”
I swallowed, pushing against the pain of picturing Gavin with any other girl. He’d been my first and only, and I had been his. But no telling how many he’d been with since then.
“Hey! Cora! I’m serious!” Jenny sat up and waved her hand in front of my face. “I can see how upset you are. Girl, you’ve got to learn to keep that face in check.”
I looked at her, all color and tight clothes, vivid lipstick, big shades, and colored hair. She was cute and fun. Gavin just might eat her up.
“I’m saving myself for Lumberjack,” Jenny said. “Don’t worry about it. And sure. Their e-mails are on our paper whatsits. We can get them to switch. Say we have to work.”
My shoulders relaxed a bit. “Thank you, Jenny. You’re saving me here.”
She waved at some guy who was checking her out as he walked by. “Oh, no, you’re saving me. I’ll be rolling logs with Lumberjack in no time.”
Chapter 6: Gavin
The last damn tire was in the bin.
Mario had already taken off, telling me to call him later if I wanted to shoot some pool. Bud was still inside, closing up.
My back was screaming, and I stretched my arms high in the air, trying to head off a cramp. I wouldn’t need to work out tonight, and I’d be hurting tomorrow. But it felt good.