30
Several weeks had passed and things were back to normal, or, as normal as things could be at Cactus State University. The drama with Lily was behind them - in fact, Lily ended up dropping out and going back home to Ohio. The shame she felt in Dr. Armando Fontaine’s classroom was too much for her, plus, Melanie’s star continued to rise on campus.
It perhaps wasn’t shame which forced Lily to drop out. In thinking about it, it was jealousy which caused her to quit. She had told her parents that she needed some time to think, and that she wanted to transfer schools - perhaps even change the nature of her studies entirely, and pursue another education and career path.
Lily’s father was thrilled. He hated the whole “creative writing and poetry” game that Lily had been playing for the past
