The School of Flirting Read Free

muffins to mollify herself and settled into one of the folding chairs.
    “Okay girls! Today’s lesson is on eye contact. If you did your homework, you’ve observed students all over campus using body position to flirt and you might have noticed that eye contact is involved. In fact, it is crucial. Last week we talked about how we can have a nonverbal conversation using body positioning.  Think of eye contact as the phone ringing. Yes, Pauline?”
    “But don’t we use eye contact the whole time we are flirting?”
    “Yes absolutely. But we’re going to break it down into specific intentions:  Connection, Suggestion, Invitation.  We’ll cover that later in the course. Right now, we are starting at the beginning: Eye contact as the call that gets the conversation started. Have you ever felt someone looking at you? It is a call to attention. You look over and bam! The call is picked up and the nonverbal communication begins.  But this isn’t a one way conversation. It’s a call and response. Message sent and message received.”
    Leann and I looked at each other gleefully. That was exactly what we thought! Maybe this wasn’t going to be as hard of a lesson as I had thought. Only, just then the door opened. It was Jane and…
    I jumped out of my seat, shocked to the core. “Sachiko Mimura!?!”
     

Chapter 6
    Sachi
    …
     
    Leann gasped and for half a second Sachiko looked shocked too, but then she smoothed down her sleek black hair and addressed the class.
    “I’m sorry we are late and for the interruption.” Her sharp glance shot to me as if to say you. You are the interruption.” I sat down immediately. My mind reeled with this crazy situation.
    Melanie looked momentarily confused and looked back and forth between the four of us. I dropped my gaze to floor and prayed she wouldn’t ask. Apparently it worked. “Uh, no problem. Sachi, Jane, take a seat. We just got started.”
    I couldn’t concentrate during the rest of the lesson. My mind was absolutely reeling. What was Sachiko –‘Sachi’ doing here?? This girl had been a pain in my butt only my entire life. One of the major perks of starting college was that Sachi was finally out of my daily life. And now that I was on the other side of the globe? I found myself sitting right next to her again? Ugh!
    Sachi is a classic Japanese beauty; willowy and graceful, with porcelain fair skin and long pin straight hair that is so black it shines blue in the sun.  She also seems to wield an iron fisted control over the world. Yes, of course I’m exaggerating but if you’d spent as many years with her as I have, you’d start to feel the same way.  Her clothes are never wrinkled. The wind only blows her hair in a flattering direction. It wouldn’t dare rain on her birthday or any other event she cares about.  Maybe it’s just luck… but I think nature is afraid of her.  I know I am.
    I tuned back in to class just in time to hear Melanie call my name. “Mina and…Sachi. Let’s get you two up here!”
    What?? NO! My brain screamed. I’m not prepared. I don’t want to be unprepared in front of Sachi!
    “Psst!” I whispered frantically at Leann as I bent to put my coffee cup at the foot of our folding chairs. “What are we doing??”
    “Flirting!”
    “Yes but how??”
    “Make eyes at each other!” Leann was grinning from ear to ear. I turned to find Melanie waving me over. “Quick quick, Mina. You stand here and face away from Sachi. Great. Now on the count of three, turn, face each other and begin. One…two…three!”  I turned slowly to face Sachi and sighed deeply. She was glaring at me. I looked down and away quickly, but then forced myself to return her stare. This was an exercise in eye contact and I was not failing flirt school because of her!
    “Umm,” Melanie interrupted. “let’s try to add a bit of body positioning… remember we are trying to send and receive a flirty message. Sachi, maybe uncross your arms? And Mina…”