Free The School of Flirting by S. B. Sheeran Page B

down our hair and catch our breath. I hate being late but an extra 30 seconds wouldn’t change anything. There is no point in crashing into a class all red in the face without even enough air to apologize.
    “Ready?”
    “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
    Hearts still pounding from the exertion and nerves, we walked through the lobby and took a sharp left and found the stairs to the basement. Our footsteps echoed loudly as we descended.
    “This is creepy. Why did they have to hold the meeting down here? It’s way too quiet.” Leann complained.
    “It is one of the only buildings that is unlocked all day on each day of the week.”
    “That sounds weird. Just say ‘twenty four seven’.”
    “It is unlocked twenty four seven?”
    “Much easier, right?”
    “Yes!”
    Opening the stairwell door we came to a short hallway with doors on either side. We could hear women talking animatedly, but Leann pulled the wrinkled flyer from her pocket and double checked the room number anyway. We nodded to each other and walked in to flirt school.
    The class was smallish with folding chairs arranged in a half circle facing the whiteboard. No one was sitting down though. Eight or nine women were all pressed around a small side table which was piled high with muffins, mugs, and thermal pitchers. The whole room smelled like coffee and banana bread.  As the door clicked shut behind us, all the women turned to look.
    It was very intimidating, also a little exciting. I felt a shiver run down my spine. The blonde in the blue sweater, was she looking at me in a sexy way or just in a ‘hey who let the cold draft in?’ kind of way? I certainly hoped they would teach us how to figure that out. And soon.
    A tall black woman in the back raised her hand in greeting, “Hi! Welcome to Flirt School! You look shell shocked… which means you are probably in the right place. Come on in! I’m Melanie.” We edged in closer and then Leann couldn’t resist the smell of baked goods anymore. She dove right into the middle and snagged a blueberry muffin. I, of course, am a little more obsessed with manners. “Hi, I am Mina Kitamura. I am an exchange student and Leann Day is my host roommate. We are pleased to meet you.” I elbowed Leann, hoping she would hold off eating long enough to be polite. “Hi.” She said and bit in to the muffin. Melanie took it in stride and introduced us around. Our fellow students were: Pauline, Susie, Yaz, Gemma, Bridget, Tamika, Jane and her roommate who was sick today but hopefully would make it back for next week’s class. Melanie clapped her hands, “Alright ladies, finish doctoring your coffees, let’s take a seat and get started.” We took our seats and I pulled a notebook and pen out of my bag. Leann silently shook her head at me and gestured at everyone else. Yes, I realized that no one else was taking notes. But I shook my head back at her fiercely. I don’t mind Leann correcting my conversational English but you don’t mess with a double major’s study habits.
    Melanie began with, “Since we have two new students with us today. I’m going to quickly go over our rules. They are pretty basic. This is an eight week program. Show up or you aren’t learning anything! And the biggie, that everyone complains about: No dating other Flirt School students!” There was a chorus of playful boo hisses and Leann almost choked on her blueberry muffin. She shot me an evil glare but I pretended I didn’t see it. Melanie held up her hand for quiet. “I know. I know. But it’s for your own good! Make it through the eight weeks, pass your final exam and then you can date whoever you like. In the meantime, we can’t concentrate or learn anything if we treat Flirt School like a meat market. Got it girls?” Everyone nodded agreement. “Great! Moving on. This is week two, so we are continuing our lesson on body positioning. Mina, Leann, you are a week behind but we’ll catch you up to speed as we go