“I’m sorry I was late, sir,” I said. “It won’t happen again.” I started to continue my path to Rachel, but before I could, Dr. Klaxton’s voice ripped through the lecture hall.
“What is your name, please?” He’d been writing with a marker on the white board, and now he capped it and turned around. He moved to his lectern and ate a jellybean from his cup.
“Lindsay Cramer.” My throat was completely dry, and I could feel everyone in the class staring at me, their eyes pricking at my skin.
“Ms. Cramer, did you read the syllabus I handed to you during our first class?”
“Yes.”
“And do you remember my policy when it comes to tardiness?”
“I… I don’t remember seeing anything about that.”
Dr. Klaxton began moving up the steps that led from the front of the room to the back where the door was. He was in the aisle that went through the middle of the room, and I was standing in the aisle by the wall, frozen. “I would hope, Ms. Cramer that when you start taking a class, you would take the time to read the syllabus. If you had, you would know that I do not accept anyone coming into my class late.”
It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I didn’t know what to say. I had never been in trouble in school before. I mean, ever. Not a detention, not a write-up, nothing. I’d never even forgotten my gym clothes.
“I’m sorry,” I said again. “But if you just –“
“Miss Cramer,” Dr. Klaxton said. He was at the back of the room now, and he opened the door. “Please leave.”
What else could I do? My face burning, I walked out of the classroom and into the hallway as everyone watched the show.
I felt like I was going to cry. How could this have happened? I wasn’t sure what to do. Suddenly, I felt completely claustrophobic. I needed to get out of the building.
I was almost outside when my cell phone started vibrating.
My mom.
In that moment, I missed her so much I could hardly stand it.
“Hello?” I asked, my voice a little wobbly. I plopped down on the front steps of the science building, not even caring that there were probably millions of disgusting germs on the concrete. I didn’t have the energy to talk and walk at the same time.
“Linds?” my mom asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything,” I said. As if to prove my point, my purse slouched over and my lip-gloss slid out and went rolling down the steps. A boy stepped on it, and then kept walking.. “Including the fact that some random just wrecked my favorite lip gloss.”
My mom laughed. Not in a mean way, but in the kind of way that let me know she thought that whatever I was about to tell her could be fixed. I could picture her, sitting on the sun porch of our house, curled up in her favorite yellow upholstered chair, a cup of French vanilla coffee in her hand. I missed her so bad it hurt.
“What else?” she asked.
I hesitated. My mom and I were close. But I couldn’t tell her about Justin. What would I say? I met a guy at college who doesn’t go to school with me, but he’s a fighter and I met him while he was getting stitched up and then we went swimming in our underwear, but don’t worry he hasn’t kissed me? No way. But I could tell her, at least, about getting kicked out of class.
“I was two minutes late for a class,” I said. “And the professor kicked me out.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. But that sounds like it was just a misunderstanding.”
“Not really.” I kicked at a rock that was sitting on the steps. “It said on the syllabus that he doesn’t let anyone in late. And I didn’t read it.”
“Well, honey, go and talk to him. I’m sure he’s a reasonable person.” I could hear her sipping her coffee and I wished so badly I was home.
I felt my eyes fill with tears. “I miss you, Mom.”
“Oh, I miss you, too, baby,” she said.
“I’m sorry I’m being so down. I actually really like the city, and my classes are really interesting.”
“That’s great. How’s your roommate?”
I told her about Rachel, and about Adam and the story of how he cut his leg, while conveniently leaving out anything that had to do with Justin.
“Mom,” I said, as I saw Rachel coming down the stairs. “The class is over, can I call you back? I’m going to take your advice and go see the professor.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Good luck.”
I slipped my phone back into my purse and walked up the stairs toward Rachel.
“Oh my God, Lindsay,” she said when she saw me. “I’m so sorry that happened to you! I tried to wait for you outside before class, but he came out and ushered me in.”
“That’s okay. I would have felt even worse if I’d gotten you in trouble.”
She held my paper out to me. “He wouldn’t let me hand it in.”
I took it from her. “Yeah, I figured.” I sighed. “Anyway, I’m going to go and try to talk to him. I’ll see you back at the room?”
She squeezed my shoulder. “Good luck.”
I was going to need it.