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Chapter 1: Corabelle

I had finally arrived at the first day of the rest of my life, and I was late

Clu the sidewalk I hadaround like a lost freshht take to find a parking spot on the first day

The counselor who reviewed my transfer records warned me that some classes dropped no-shows to make room for other students, so I could notI couldn’t screw up now

I turned by the glass library built in honor of Dr Seuss and barreled toward Warren Mall Faces and colors blurred past me I noticed with so couple also ran across the grass, hands grasped between them

My heart , but I was used to that Relationships weren’t anything I let myself have time for, not even in the last year, when I had little else to do but serve coffee and wait until I qualified for in-state benefits at UC San Diego One day, I told myself But not now My refusal to date had earned me the nickname Frozen Latte at work, but I wouldn’t crack, even if the hottest o sauntered up to the counter at Cool Beans and asked for chai with a side of Corabelle

Not worth it I knew that better than anyone

I pushed past several leisurely walkers and burst into the engineering hall The door to the stairwell required a hard yank, but once inside, I took the steps two and three at a time I needed this class to make up some credits I lost when I left New Mexico An expensive loss, now that allI’d squeak by like everyone else, working crap jobs and racking up student loans I was lucky admissions took one look at my status as a National Merit Scholar and asked no questions about my sudden departure from my last school

Or my arrest record

I paused in the hallway to catch s The room was dead ahead I jerked open the door The professor looked up in a smallish lecture hall with about one hundred seats He shuffled the papers on his podiu out names “Study Group Tork with Amy Powers” He pointed at a blond woman in jeans and a UCSD T-shirt “She’ll be your TA for the duration of the course Last nah P will check in with her e break”

I flattened irl I worked with at Cool Beans who had convinced me to take astronomy “The star parties rock!” she said The class was apparently fun and easy I could use a little of that, especially sinceassignments

I spotted her hot-pink ponytail in the center of the back row She waveda backpack from the seat beside her As I moved that way, the professor pointed out another TA, a scrawny boy who looked like a ’90s throwback in lumberjack plaid and ripped jeans

“I was getting worried!” Jenny hissed

“Did they take roll?” I yanked et my heart to slon

“No, the TAs are going to do it” She pointed at the lumberjack “He’s cute, and he’s yours”