Chapter 2 Parties, Dates, (or Lack of) and Letters
Fall semester was well underway. Sarah sat at her desk in her dorm room and tried to study. Through the walls, she could hear the loud music coming from the dorm's common room. She put her hands over her ears and tried to concentrate on the math book in front of her. The figures swam in front of her eyes and her head pounded in time to the music. Sarah pushed her book away from her in frustration. She opened her desk drawer and took out some aspirin. She got a glass of water from the room's sink and washed them down. The loud music continued. Sarah got an idea. She grabbed her dirty laundry that was starting to pile up and threw it into a laundry bag. She put her books into her book bag. She picked up the bags, her purse, and the laundry detergent and headed downstairs for the laundry room. After sorting and starting the wash, she sat down at one of the tables in the laundry room. "Ahhhhh, peace and quiet at last!" Sarah said. She decided to dash off a quick note home before returning to her books.
Dear Kris:
Sorry I haven't written sooner. Life at college has been really busy. I'm taking a lot of hard classes this semester. I'm trying to get my general ed credits out of the way, and I am starting on my major of forensic sciences so that I can be an Angel someday. I know it can be a dangerous job, but you, Jill, and all of the others have handled it well, and I know I can too. I've already had some on the job training by living with you and Jill.
It can be fun here. You met my roommate Lisa. She's been teaching me some Japanese. Her parents are from Japan, and she learned it from them. She's interested in some forensic sciences and technology. She's also interested in police work. People are starting to use computers more. Maybe even someday soon they will have them in their houses. Lisa thinks technology will be a very profitable field. Can you imagine a phone that you can carry with you where ever you go? Or a computer right in your house? That would be great to have in the PI field.
What else is cool, is that new machines are on the market and they tape tv shows as you watch them and you can play them back later. You can rent movies and watch them at home.
There are lots of cute guys here. You can't go very far without tripping over one. I still miss Mark, but since he decided to go to law school in Boston, and I'm here, it's probably better that we've called it off for now. We're still too young to settle down anyway. I heard from my friend Liz. She's having a good time at UCBerkley. She says they have a lot of cute guys there too.
It's almost dinner time, and I have some laundry and studying to do, (in fact, I'm doing both in the laundry room right now) so I will sign off for now. I'll try to call this weekend.
Love,
Sarah
Kris read the letter from Sarah with some amusement. Her younger sister had never cared much for studying and regarded it as a chore. She remembered her own college days and the partying that had gone on then. She was glad Sarah had a level head on her shoulders and had made studying a top priority.
Sarah finished her last class of the day and with a sigh of relief, headed for her dorm room. She set her book bag down on her bed and kicked off her shoes. She decided to get into something more comfortable, and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a tshirt. Sarah's roommate Lisa came into the room.
"Hi, " said Lisa.
"Hi," Sarah replied. "How was your day?"
"A real bugger."
"Mine too." Sarah looked in her purse and pulled out some change. "I was just about to go get a soda. Do you want one? My treat."
"Sure, " Lisa replied. The two girls headed down the hall to the common area. They had only lived together for a few weeks and were still getting acquainted. They chatted about the party that had occured in the dorm's common room the night before. There was still a little bit of evidence from it. As they approached the soda machine, they noticed a guy from the men's side in front of the machine. He stepped aside when he saw them coming.
"Well, hel-LO, lovely ladies. May I buy you a soda?"
"No, thanks. We've got it covered," Sarah told him.
"Aw, come on!"
"No, thank you,." Sarah was firm, and held him in her stern gaze.
He sighed in dissappointment and left.
"Why didn't you let him buy us a soda?" Lisa hissed.
"He kind of seemed like a jerk. You know, the type who thinks he's God's gift to women."
Lisa looked at the retreating back. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
The guy showed up in Sarah's PE class the next morning. He came over to Sarah. "Baby, you must be a broom, cause you just swept me off my feet," he said as he tried to put an arm around Sarah. She ducked out from under it and tried to get away. "I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?"
"Go away. I'm not interested." Sarah said firmly.
"I'd really like to take you out sometime." He tried to put his arm around Sarah. She had tried to be patient with the guy, but he wasn't listening. Sarah grabbed his arm and judo flipped him.
"I said, I wasn't interested. Leave me alone. Is that clear?"
The guy lay on the ground, dazed. After that, he never bothered Sarah again. The other guys learned to approach her with caution.
Dear Jill,
I'm having a good time at school. My roommate and I went to a floor party the other night. Don't worry. I only drank soda. Man, those kids can get drunk, crazy, and LOUD! The dorm monitor had to come and tell them to knock it off. One of the girls tried to run naked through the boys' side, but she was caught before she could get very far.
A girl in the dorm learned the hard way that you should never eat the fruit in the bottom of the punch bowl. That's where all the alchohol goes. She was staying away from the booze and thought she'd eat only the fruit. Well, she got into a car accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt. She got a DUI on her record, though.
I'm kicking some serious butt in my PE class, thanks to you, and Kris, and the Angels giving me some training. There was a guy in there the other day who thought he was some hot stuff. He kept coming on to me. I kept telling him I wasn't interested. He wouldn't leave me alone. His big mistake was when he put his arm around me and I judo flipped him. He hasn't bothered me since.
The science classes are really hard. I'm taking Biology and Chemistry. So far, I haven't blown anything up. After those, I will take some more advanced classes, and then start on Forensics. Soon I will be as smart as Quincy!
Speaking of being smarter, I need to get back to the books. There's supposed to be another party in my dorm tonight, but I am not going. I really need to study. I hope I can with all of that loud music. I think I will go to the drug store and get some earplugs.
Love,
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
I miss you. Way to kick some butt! It's always a good idea for a girl to know how to defend herself. I'm glad we taught you useful skills. The race car circuit has been pretty busy lately. I've done a few races this week. I also get to meet some interesting people. Models, show business people, singers and musicians, royalty, politicians....you name it. I met Harrison Ford last week. I had our picture taken together. I will send you a copy. I also got his autograph for you. I am sending it along with the picture. I hope you enjoy it.
Love,
Jill
Dear Jill:
You are COOL!!!!! All of my friends think so, and so do I.
Love,
Sarah
When the picture arrived, Sarah framed it and put it on her night table.
Dear Grandma and Grandpa:
I just wanted to write you a note and tell you thank you for all you did for me. I may not have seemed appreciative at the time, but I was. I loved living with you, and I am grateful that you took me in after my parents' deaths.
I am enjoying college. The classes can be hard, but I have friends who help me study, and I do a lot of it. I will get up to see you soon.
Love, Sarah..
Dear Sarah,
We know you're busy. We are very proud of you. Have a good time at school and write when you can. We love you.
Grandma and Grandpa
Sarah enjoyed a few quiet moments after dinner one evening. She thought about home, and the people she loved. She realized she hadn't written to Bosley lately and decided to remedy that.
Dear Bosley,
College is a lot of fun. I am studying hard. I had several tests this week, and I think I passed all of them. Some were pretty easy, and some were very hard. I'm taking some classes in the Police Academy Magnet Program, which is for young people interested in law enforcement. I get dual credit for them, Right now, I have to go to the police academy when I am done with my classes here. Eventually, they may implement the program in high schools. Next year I will volunteer with the police department. I have to do so many hours of community service. I have a full schedule right now, so it will wait a little while. I will help mentor at-risk kids. It's not as bad as it sounds. These kids might have problems, but they can also be alot of fun. If I can get a broad enough background, I can go into just about any field I want. There are lots of possibilities, but PI work is at the top of the list. Homework calls, so I need to sign off for now. I'll write again soon.
Love,
Sarah
Dear Sarah,
Keep up the good work. I don't think I will be working by the time you become an Angel, but I will visit from time to time. The Police Academy Magnet Program, and the mentoring, both sound very interesting. It sounds like they will keep you busy. Kris tells me you are planning on coming home for Christmas. I will see you then.
Love,
Bosley.
Sarah smiled as she read the letters. She was feeling a little homesick and Christmas seemed far away. She put the letters away and pulled out her school books. She had lots of work to keep her mind busy.
Lisa burst into the room. "Sarah, come on!"
"What is it? A fire drill?"
"No, they're showing an outdoor movie on the lawn. You've been studying really hard and need some fun. Now come on!"
":What's playing?"
"Star Wars."
"I saw that five times last summer."
"Come anyway. Almost everyone in the dorm is going, and it will be something to do. And you can look at Harrison Ford."
"Alright, you've convinced me." Sarah grabbed a jacket and her room key and followed Lisa out the door. Even though she had seen Star Wars several times, she didn't pass up on a chance to see Harrison Ford in action. And it was a nice break from studying. She and Lisa sat with some of the kids from their dorm and had a good time.