like college, but sometimes I miss things about home, like the dogs.”
“You’re welcome,” Sadie said. “Don’t be shy, come down any time you like. Come on Mr. B, it’s time to go home.”
Sadie shook Tandy’s hand and Betty embraced her, saying quietly, “you looked like you might need a hug. It can be hard being away from your mom.”
“Well that was a bust,” said Sadie on the way home in the car. “She doesn’t even remember Sylvia Jones.”
“Not really a bust,” Betty said. “She got to meet us, and I think having a couple of local women to look out for her might do her some good.
“True,” said Sadie. “And you never know when having a friend who understands chemistry is going to come in handy.”
5
A fter her walk with Mr. B in the park, Sadie called the number the college gave her for Candy Foster, the last girl on the list. She sounded so nice on the phone that Sadie was afraid it was another dead end, but she agreed to meet Candy at her dorm room first thing in the morning before the girl had to go to class.
She departed before Betty arrived the next morning, leaving Mr. Bradshaw asleep in his bed in the office. She locked the front door and climbed in her car, wondering if maybe she should wait and take Betty with her. Then she remembered how warm the girl had sounded on the phone, and very sensible, too. She did a mental eye-roll at her own skittishness and got in her car.
The drive to the college was uneventful, it was early enough that there wasn’t much traffic and she arrived early. So she dropped in at the coffee shop where she’d met one of the other girls, was it Mandy? She had met so many of them they started running together in her mind. She grabbed a coffee, left her car parked on the street and walked through campus to the dorm.
Candy buzzed her into the building and instructed Sadie to take the elevator to the fourth floor. She would have preferred to walk up the stairs but they weren’t immediately obvious. So she rode the elevator and got off on the fourth floor as instructed. She made her way to Room 417 and knocked.
Sadie was welcomed into a one-person dorm room by an unremarkable girl with long brown hair. “Are you Candy Foster?” she asked.
The girl gave her a friendly smile and Sadie was pretty sure she’d struck out again. This was another perfectly normal college student.
“Yes, I’m Candy,” she said, “how can I help you?”
“This is a nice dorm,” Sadie said looking around at the color-coordinated furnishings.
The poufy bed covering matched the bed skirt. Both were the same shade as the towels neatly folded over the back of a chair. In fact, thinking back to her own dorm room, this girl was one of those obsessively neat girls who Sadie had envied. There were times when she couldn’t see her floor for the clothes and shoes covering it.
“I like things to match,” Candy said. “Everything is in my favorite color for interior decoration, Candy pink.” She positively beamed at Sadie.
“I have different favorites for different things,” she explained.
“Sour apple green is my favorite color to wear,” she pointed to her T-shirt. “Red Hots red for outerwear. My car is jelly bean purple.”
“You must have a colorful personality,” Sadie said, and immediately regretted it. Could she be any lamer?
But Candy laughed and said, “Yes I do!” before looking at Sadie with anticipation.
“I’m sorry to barge in on you so early in the morning,” Sadie said, “but I’m looking into the sororities on campus. Did you rush this year?”
Was it Sadie’s imagination, or did Candy’s smile freeze?
“I did rush, yes, but I didn’t get into the sorority I wanted.” Her chin began quivering slightly but she stilled it.
“She wouldn’t even let me participate in the heinous hazing she had planned. She said I wasn’t their kind. Can you imagine the nerve? I even asked other sorority sisters if they agreed with her, and they
“You’re welcome,” Sadie said. “Don’t be shy, come down any time you like. Come on Mr. B, it’s time to go home.”
Sadie shook Tandy’s hand and Betty embraced her, saying quietly, “you looked like you might need a hug. It can be hard being away from your mom.”
“Well that was a bust,” said Sadie on the way home in the car. “She doesn’t even remember Sylvia Jones.”
“Not really a bust,” Betty said. “She got to meet us, and I think having a couple of local women to look out for her might do her some good.
“True,” said Sadie. “And you never know when having a friend who understands chemistry is going to come in handy.”
5
A fter her walk with Mr. B in the park, Sadie called the number the college gave her for Candy Foster, the last girl on the list. She sounded so nice on the phone that Sadie was afraid it was another dead end, but she agreed to meet Candy at her dorm room first thing in the morning before the girl had to go to class.
She departed before Betty arrived the next morning, leaving Mr. Bradshaw asleep in his bed in the office. She locked the front door and climbed in her car, wondering if maybe she should wait and take Betty with her. Then she remembered how warm the girl had sounded on the phone, and very sensible, too. She did a mental eye-roll at her own skittishness and got in her car.
The drive to the college was uneventful, it was early enough that there wasn’t much traffic and she arrived early. So she dropped in at the coffee shop where she’d met one of the other girls, was it Mandy? She had met so many of them they started running together in her mind. She grabbed a coffee, left her car parked on the street and walked through campus to the dorm.
Candy buzzed her into the building and instructed Sadie to take the elevator to the fourth floor. She would have preferred to walk up the stairs but they weren’t immediately obvious. So she rode the elevator and got off on the fourth floor as instructed. She made her way to Room 417 and knocked.
Sadie was welcomed into a one-person dorm room by an unremarkable girl with long brown hair. “Are you Candy Foster?” she asked.
The girl gave her a friendly smile and Sadie was pretty sure she’d struck out again. This was another perfectly normal college student.
“Yes, I’m Candy,” she said, “how can I help you?”
“This is a nice dorm,” Sadie said looking around at the color-coordinated furnishings.
The poufy bed covering matched the bed skirt. Both were the same shade as the towels neatly folded over the back of a chair. In fact, thinking back to her own dorm room, this girl was one of those obsessively neat girls who Sadie had envied. There were times when she couldn’t see her floor for the clothes and shoes covering it.
“I like things to match,” Candy said. “Everything is in my favorite color for interior decoration, Candy pink.” She positively beamed at Sadie.
“I have different favorites for different things,” she explained.
“Sour apple green is my favorite color to wear,” she pointed to her T-shirt. “Red Hots red for outerwear. My car is jelly bean purple.”
“You must have a colorful personality,” Sadie said, and immediately regretted it. Could she be any lamer?
But Candy laughed and said, “Yes I do!” before looking at Sadie with anticipation.
“I’m sorry to barge in on you so early in the morning,” Sadie said, “but I’m looking into the sororities on campus. Did you rush this year?”
Was it Sadie’s imagination, or did Candy’s smile freeze?
“I did rush, yes, but I didn’t get into the sorority I wanted.” Her chin began quivering slightly but she stilled it.
“She wouldn’t even let me participate in the heinous hazing she had planned. She said I wasn’t their kind. Can you imagine the nerve? I even asked other sorority sisters if they agreed with her, and they
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