This wasn't quite that critical, but it would be embarrassing if someone had to make an emergency run up from Flagstaff in the morning, so she was try...ng to check everything. Understandably, she didn't notice a few details that didn't matter much. She knew Michelle was running around being helpful, and she hoped to find a few minutes to wish her luck and find out what her reaction was, but there just hadn't been time for it.Scooter was really thinking about something else when she heard. Without thinking about it, Michelle found herself curled up against Samantha."Can I ask you something?" she said after a little while."Of course, honey" Samantha answered."Do all guys stay the assholes they seem to be when they are teens or do they get better?" Well there's a loaded question," Samantha laughed. "And not one with an easy answer. But I guess I'd have to say that like with everything in life, you sometimes have to sort through a lot of crap to get to the prize. There are some. We needed more. And I should say, I wanted much more. My family agreed I would abandon my liberal arts studies at Jinan University. I resisted the idea at first because I enjoyed school and was seeing a boy. Not a boyfriend exactly, but not just a friend either. But it really was not a choice for me to make. I was in no position to refuse my family and there was something exciting about what was being proposed. It was frightening also, of course, but I tried to push my imagination to good. It’s a bummer.”“I guess we have an open chair already then,” Micah said.“Try to let others talk this time,” Eliza said. “After all, you were such the motormouth last time.”“Hey, I hadn’t read the chapter, you guys had. Besides, you handled it swimmingly.”“Thanks,” Lindsay said. “Such a meaningful response.”The clock hit eleven on the dot and Mr. O’Connor moved to start class, reaching the small wooden podium as the door creaked open. In the doorway, Eliza saw Leah Bardot, only the usually.