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Episode 18: Sarah Goes to College
It's a big day in Sarah Beloit's life. Today is the day she leaves home to go to college! Follow along as she moves in, meets her new roommate, and has a fun evening with some new friends - and some new hiccups! --The Author
The Beloit home was buzzing with activity. Sarah was going through the drawers in her room one last time, making sure there was nothing important that she had left behind, because today she was going off to college! Granted, it wasn't a very long trip; she was enrolled at a small university only an hour's drive or so from her family's home. But she would be living in the dormitory, and with all that she had accumulated in her relatively spacious bedroom, there had been some major downsizing to do. There had also been a bit of shopping involved, as she had to acquire items that she had always taken for granted at home: things like dishes, a microwave oven, and cleaning supplies. She had also bought the kinds of items that are necessary for a successful school experience: paper, notebooks, and the like. But now everything was ready. The family van and Sarah's car were both tightly packed. Mom was already worrying about whether everything would fit into a small dorm room!
Sarah was a bit anxious herself, not about space for her belongings, but about returning to the school atmosphere. After graduating from high school, she had spent the past year working and saving up for college. Having not attended a class or cracked a textbook in over a year, how difficult would the transition back to school life be? On top of that, Sarah had never lived away from home. She was pretty sure she would enjoy the dormitory experience, but still she worried about how well she would adjust. In addition, the girl she had planned to room with, a friend who had already been in college for a year, had been forced to leave school due to financial troubles, and at such late notice Sarah had been unable to arrange to room with any of her other friends. She could only hope that her roommate would be a nice girl, someone that she would quickly become good friends with.
Despite her fears, though, Sarah was excited about the new experience that awaited her. "College will be some of the best years of your life," her father had promised her. "Do well in your studies, but enjoy your time there, too."
Finally, everything was ready. The whole family was going down to help her move in, so they all got in the van, and Sarah alone got into her little Toyota. Chris or Amanda might have joined her in her car, except that it was packed too full for anyone else to fit!
As soon as she started the car and got on the road, Sarah turned the air conditioner on full blast. Even thought it was the final days of August, the weather was quite hot, and Sarah's car seemed to have absorbed all the heat that had been beating down on it from the sun above. Even though she was only wearing a pair of jean shorts and a cool, thin t-shirt top, Sarah was already a bit sweaty from the work of packing the cars. The cool air felt good on her warm skin. She had brought along a bottle of ice water as well, and she drank deeply from it as she guided her car onto the southbound highway.
As the car cooled down to a reasonable temperature, Sarah's thoughts returned to pondering the life changes ahead of her. She was filled with a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, and excitement. Though she had always been a pretty good student, she wondered what her classes would be like. At least she knew what she was going to major in! She had chosen to major in accounting. Having so much experience helping her dad with his own small business had certainly helped with that decision, but beyond that, even though she didn't at all fit the fussy, socially-inept stereotype of an accountant, it was really something she thought she would do well at, and be able to enjoy.
Not long after the drive began, Sarah got a phone call from Hannah. She and Juliana were both on the line, wishing Sarah the best of luck in college. "I hope it goes well for you, Sarah; I know you'll do great!" Hannah said. Juliana also offered her encouragement. They chatted for a good part of the drive, before Hannah and Juliana finally had to go.
"That was so nice of them to call," Sarah thought as she put her phone back into her purse. "They're such sweet girls." Reaching for her water bottle, she took another gulp of the cold liquid.
This time, the cold water was apparently too much for her body to take silently. She shivered slightly as it coursed down her throat, and before she could even put the bottle back down, she hiccupped sharply. Sarah laughed as she realized that the cold water had given her the hiccups. It wasn't actually that surprising - it had been several days since her last case - but it was definitely unexpected. "Well, *hic* this should make the first d-*huck* day at school a little more *huck* entertaining!" she said aloud, chuckling at herself.
Thirty minutes later, as Sarah took the exit off the highway for the university, the hiccups were still definitely entertaining her. Although they weren't as fast or loud as they often got, these were very strong hiccups. Hiccups always had a very visible effect on her body, jerking her head back slightly, sharply sucking in her stomach, and making her chest bounce noticeably. These effects were normally clear at any time, but were significantly more pronounced if she closed her mouth to keep the hiccups quiet. At those times, it was as if her body wanted to make up for the fact that the sound of its hiccups was being stifled.
But today, even though she was doing nothing to silence them - indeed, every hiccup produced a sharp *hic* or *huck* from her slightly-open mouth - they were jerking her body around with the kind of force usually reserved for those stifled cases. Though she generally had to keep her eyes on the road ahead of her, Sarah had occasionally stolen a look down at the hiccups' exaggerated effects on her body. With each hiccup, her flat stomach punched out vigorously and then sucked in. Each motion seemed to quickly roll from the lowest part of her stomach to the top. In addition, her breasts, slightly small but very cute, jumped forcefully each time she hiccupped. And of course, her thin, tight t-shirt - her favorite thing to wear, with or without the hiccups - accentuated her attractive form, and did nothing to hide the involuntary activity. Sarah giggled at herself each time she watched a hiccup rock her body.
As she approached the school, Sarah's mom called to discuss where would be best to park the cars. As the sound of Sarah's hiccups quickly gave away her condition, her mom asked, in a somewhat exasperated tone, "Are we going to have to listen to those hiccups all afternoon, Sarah?"
Sarah just laughed. "I don't know, they'll *hic* last as long as they want *hic* to, I guess."
"Your obsession with hiccups can be so embarrassing," her mom complained. "What are the people at the school going to think of you?"
"I didn't *huck* try to get them!" Sarah objected. "They just came *huck* when I drank my water!"
Mrs. Beloit seemed unconvinced. "Whatever," she said in an annoyed tone. "It's ridiculous; your sister has them too."
Sarah giggled, "Aww really? *huck* At least people will know we be-*huck* belong together!"
Mrs. Beloit had to laugh in spite of herself. "Yeah, I guess they will," she chuckled, with a bit less irritation in her voice. "Anyway, do you think we should park in the front of the dorm?"
"Yeah, let's *hic* do that," Sarah decided. "We can always *hic* move if we have to."
Before too long, Sarah was at the door of her dorm room. The rest of her family was still outside, moving the van to a more convenient side of the building. Since the dean had informed her that her new roommate was already living in the room, Sarah had thought it best that she go to the room alone to introduce herself, before the whole family - and all of Sarah's belongings - invaded the room. She had been given a key, but Sarah knocked on the door anyway. After a few moments, the door opened, and a short, cute, very young-looking girl came to the door. At least six inches shorter than Sarah, who was herself only an average five foot six, the girl barely looked old enough to be in high school, no less college. Wondering if this girl might be a visitor and not her roommate, Sarah introduced herself, "Hey, my name's Sarah. Are *hic* you, um..." she struggled to remember the name that the dean had told her.
The small blonde quickly answered Sarah's question. "Yeah, I'm Melissa; nice to meet you, Sarah!"
Sarah smiled warmly. "Awesome, nice to *huck* meet you too! I guess I'm your *huck* new roommate!"
The two shared a quick hug in the doorway, somewhat broken by another one of Sarah's vigorous hiccups. "Sorry, I've *huck* got some serious hiccups right *huck* now!" Sarah laughed.
Melissa giggled. "Aww, that sucks! I get hiccups all the time, so I know how you feel!" she said sympathetically. "Do you need some water or something?"
Sarah shook her head and smiled. "Nah, I really don't *hic* mind them," she said. "I get them *huck* a lot, too. Thanks though!"
"Ok, if you're sure," Melissa said. "Oh, by the way, I know I look like I'm in eighth grade, but really, I'm eighteen, I promise!" she explained a little sheepishly.
"Well, I was *huck* wondering if you might be my roommate's y-*hic* younger sister," Sarah admitted with a giggle.
Melissa shrugged. "Everyone thinks that," she admitted. "Actually, I have a younger sister; she's thirteen, and people ask us all the time if we're twins."
"Well, someday it will be *huck* an advantage to l-*huck* look young," Sarah pointed out. "And speaking of *hic* sisters, my family is down in the park-*huck* in the parking lot with my *hic* stuff; is it ok if they come up *hic* and help me get moved in?"
"Oh, yeah definitely!" Melissa agreed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Tell me *huck* where to put all my *hic* stuff?" Sarah joked. "But no, it's ok, *huck* don't worry about it."
"It's fine, I'd be happy to help," Melissa pressed. "Plus, I don't have anything better to do!"
"Well, if you're su-*huck*-re, don't feel like *hic* you have to!"
"I'd love to! Just let me get my shoes."
A minute or two later, the two girls emerged at the Beloits' van and Sarah's car. Sarah happily introduced Melissa to her family. Melissa greeted them, and without much further ado, the unpacking of the vehicles began.
On the first trip up the stairs to the room, Melissa ended up walking next to Amanda, who still had her own case of hiccups, less forceful than Sarah's, but just as persistent. "Hiccups really must run in the family," she commented after Amanda apologized for an unusually loud hiccup.
Amanda nodded and made wry a face. "You can *hmk* say that again. It's not *hmk* so bad when we both ha-*hic* have them, though. At l-*hmk* least I'm not the only one!"
"Do you want me to get you something for them?" Melissa offered again.
Amanda also declined the offer, although for a different reason. "I already drank *hmk* like a whole water bottle in the c-*huck* car. They just don't wanna *hmk* stop."
"Oh, I'm sorry! I already told your sister, I get the hiccups all the time, so I know what it's like," Melissa said.
"Yeah, I'm *huck* not a big fan of it," Amanda laughed. "But it is *hmk* funny when Sarah and me b-*hmk* both have them!"
Melissa laughed too. By this time, they were in the room, and so each got busy unpacking the boxes they had been carrying.
After a short time unpacking, Mrs. Beloit suggested that she and Sarah go get started with the paperwork and registration that would need to be done, while the others continued to unload the vehicles. As the arrived at the administration building, the length of the lines for the various registration activities convinced them of the wisdom of coming as soon as they did.
Mother and daughter chatted cheerfully as they waited at the various offices they needed to visit. Each time, as they introduced themselves to finance officers, advisors, and cashiers, Mrs. Beloit apologized for her daughter's seemingly endless hiccups, since of course Sarah always acted as if hiccups were a perfectly typical, everyday activity. Most of the people they spoke to gave Sarah's hiccups little more than a chuckle or a sympathetic look. However, after about thirty minutes in the administration building, Mrs. Beloit and Sarah both noticed a small group of guys in a line parallel to theirs rather obviously staring at Sarah.
"Sarah, enough with the hiccups! People are staring at you," her mom admonished, overlooking the fact that the hiccups weren't the only reason a group of college guys might stare at her attractive daughter.
Sarah was undeterred. "Let them stare; it's not a crime," she answered nonchalantly. Looking at the group of boys, she gave them a little smile, immediately followed by a loud hiccup. She giggled and briefly covered her mouth. The guys laughed too.
Just then, the financial advisor Sarah and Mrs. Beloit had been waiting to see was finally ready for them. "Come on Sarah, he's ready," Mrs. Beloit said, taking her daughter's arm as if to pull her into the advisor's office.
Sarah followed her mom into the office, but not without one more glance at the ogling young men in the hallway. She gave them another smile - and another hiccup - before disappearing into the office.
Finally their business was finished, and Sarah and Mrs. Beloit returned to the dorm room. It was not a moment too soon for Mrs. Beloit; five more minutes of standing in lines listening to her daughters exasperating hiccups might have completely put her over the edge! Rejoining the others in the room, they found that Dad, Chris, and Amanda, with help from Melissa, had gotten all Sarah's belongings into the room. However, without Sarah there to decide what to do with it all, they had simply piled most of it on the floor, waiting for her return.
There were several things that Sarah needed help arranging, but it wasn't long before they were down to the many random items that Sarah would have to organize on her own. Rather than make her family wait while she worked through all her stuff, Sarah decided to leave the organizing for later, and spend more time with her family before they headed home. They walked around together for a bit, getting familiar with the campus, and then went out to eat.
The family decided to eat at a popular Italian restaurant, about fifteen minutes from campus. Sarah had continued hiccupping through the ride to the restaurant, but the hiccups abruptly stopped as she got out of the car to go inside. Though she always enjoyed her hiccups, Sarah really didn't mind them stopping this time; it was a little easier to eat without the hiccups! Amanda's hiccups had stopped long before - only a few minutes after they had started unpacking - so to Mom's relief, the whole family was hiccup-free, for once!
As they ate their supper, the family all talked about the new chapter beginning in Sarah's life. Everyone had some little piece of advice for her. Though she could have figured most of it out on her own, Sarah appreciated her family's interest in her college experience. She felt fortunate to have such a loving, strong family. Despite her independent personality, it still meant a lot to Sarah to know that they were all supporting her and wishing her the best.
Finally the time came for them to part. With hugs all around, Sarah said goodbye to Dad, Mom, Chris, and Amanda, and wished them a safe trip home. "Is there anything else you need?" Mom asked anxiously.
"I've got all I can ask for!" Sarah responded cheerfully. "Thank you for everything!"
And with that, they were off. Home was still only an hour away, yet it was with a twinge of sadness that Sarah climbed the stairs up to her room. Her pensive mood was quickly broken, however, by the sudden return of her hiccups, apparently set off by the mild exertion of climbing the stairs, together with the very ample meal she had just enjoyed. The hiccups wasted no time regaining the same loudness and intensity that they had had before dinner. "Wow, they're back again!" she commented to herself.
When Sarah entered her room, Melissa was busy organizing some of her own things in her closet space. She turned to greet Sarah as she came in. "Hey Sarah!"
"Hey, how's it *huck* going?" Sarah responded.
"Pretty good, just straightening up some things in here," Melissa answered. Then she extended an invitation. "Hey, me and some of my friends are going out bowling in a half hour or so; would you like to come?"
Sarah thought of all the organizing she still needed to do, but decided that making new friends and getting to know her roommate a little better were definitely higher priorities. "Yeah, I'd love t-*hic* to! My stuff can wait," she laughed.
Since they had about thirty minutes still, Sarah did a little unpacking while they waited. She and Melissa also had some time to chat while they worked, getting to know a little bit more about one another's backgrounds and interests. Melissa was from Florida, was majoring in nursing, and was on the school gymnastics and swim teams. Sarah could claim no gymnastics skill of her own - "Coordination just isn't my thing," she joked - but shared that she was interested in music, and played both guitar and flute.
Sarah's hiccups had shown no sign that they would be stopping again any time soon, and it wasn't long before Melissa asked, "Gosh, Sarah, have you had the hiccups all afternoon?"
"Not quite," Sarah replied. "They *huck* stopped while we were out to di-*hic* dinner."
"Wow, but still, that was like three or four hours! And now you've got them again," Melissa said incredulously. "Isn't there anything that cures them?"
Sarah laughed. "Nope, they can *huck* last quite a while some-*huck*-times."
"That's gotta drive you crazy," Melissa said. "I hate my hiccups, and I've never had them more than like, a few minutes, you know?"
"They don't b-*hic* bother me," Sarah explained nonchalantly. "Actually, I really *huck* enjoy them, most of the *hic* time!"
Melissa was shocked. "How can you enjoy that?" she asked. "It sucks; they're so embarrassing!"
Sarah just shrugged, "I don't know, *huck* they don't embarrass me. *huck* It's not like I can h-*hulk* help it!" she reasoned. "They don't hurt me, *hic* and they're kinda fun and r-*huck* random, I guess!"
"Wow, well I guess you ought to be happy today, then," Melissa suggested, still amazed that Sarah could enjoy something so annoying!
"Yeah, it's been *huck* fun," Sarah laughed. "I hope it doesn't *huck* bother you, though. If I *huck* ever have them while you're studying or concen-*hic* concentrating on *hulk* something, just tell me and I'll g-*huck* go out for a bit, cause I re-*huck* really can't stop them, but I *hic* don't want to annoy you."
"It's ok," Melissa assured her. "It could be a little distracting if I was like, studying really hard, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. And hey, if that's the most annoying thing about you, then I think we'll get along great!"
A short time later, the two girls were at the bowling alley. Melissa introduced Sarah to the eight or ten of her friends that had also come. Being the friendly, easygoing girl that she was, Sarah had no trouble making new friends. It wasn't long before she was chatting and joking with the others as if she had known them for years.
Sarah still had the hiccups, but she said nothing of them as she was introduced to the various guys and girls that had come, and they politely said nothing of the hiccups, either - at first. But after they had changed into the brightly-colored, flat shoes bowling alleys always provide, and split up into two adjoining lanes, Sarah found herself waiting for her turn seated next to a guy named Mike. He had just played his second frame, converting a difficult split for a spare, so Sarah congratulated him. "Great *hic* shot!"
"Thanks, I got lucky!" he laughed. "You did well too."
"Well thanks, I t-*huck* try!" Sarah joked.
"Your name was -" Mike hesitated for a moment. "Sarah, right?"
Sarah smiled. "Got it!"
"I think I saw you in the admin building this afternoon," Mike said with a chuckle.
Now remembering him from the group of boys whose staring had so embarrassed her mom, Sarah laughed. "If you mean *huck* the girl with hiccups that so-*huck* sounded a lot like these, *hic* then yeah, that was m-*huck* that was me! My mom was *hulk* about ready to disown me!"
"Yeah, they do sound pretty crazy!" he teased. "This must happen a lot?"
Sarah giggled. "Yes, *huck* you could say that!"
Unlike some guys, like Chris or Nathan, Mike didn't seem particularly attracted to hiccups. He just seemed to find them hilarious, and took great pleasure in teasing her about them! Even when Sarah was talking to someone else, if she would get interrupted by a loud hiccup, he would mimic her, repeating whatever she had said and interjecting an exaggerated fake hiccup of his own. Everyone else found this entertaining as well, and her hiccups became an endless source of amusement for everyone in their group! Practically every time she hiccupped, someone would laugh or at least giggle. Being a good sport, and enjoying the hiccups as she did, Sarah didn't mind having people make fun of or laugh at her hiccups at all.
Despite her body's occasional involuntary jumping, Sarah bowled pretty well, throwing a few strikes, and scoring about 150, well above the group's average. She was no match for Melissa, though, who scored nearly 200 points.
"You've still got a long way to go to catch me!" Melissa said with a grin as Sarah finished that first game.
"I know," Sarah agreed. "But just *huck* wait until next game!"
"It's on!" Melissa giggled.
Soon Melissa stood at the beginning of the lane, ready to start her next game, while Sarah watched, still hiccupping as if they would never stop. Turning back toward Sarah and the others, Melissa playfully called back, "Come on, Sarah, your hiccups are killing my concentration!"
Everyone laughed. "I think that's her strategy!" one of the other girls joked.
"Now *huck* that you mention it, th-*huck* that's not a bad idea *hic* at all!" Sarah pointed out lightheartedly.
Actually, Sarah did have to work around the hiccups a bit on her own turns. Assuming that a hiccup while she was throwing the ball would spoil her aim, she waited until right after a hiccup to start her throwing motion. Considering the force with which these hiccups were jerking her body around, it was probably a good idea.
Though four or five of the others were still playing as well, Sarah and Melissa soon held significant leads over the rest of them, so their turns were the center of attention for the entire group. Sarah took an early lead, scoring three strikes in a row partway through the game.
"How do you and Melissa do that?" asked a girl who had struggled to a score less than half of Sarah's. "And you even with the hiccups!"
Sarah shrugged. "My family goes *huck* bowling a lot; I guess the prac-*hic* the practice helps! *huck* And honestly, I've bowled w-*hic* with the hiccups before, *huck* believe it or not."
The other girl shook her head. "How can they not be driving you crazy?"
Sarah just laughed. "As much as *huck* I get them now, it's r-*huck* really a good thing that they *huck* don't!"
By the end of the ninth frame - the next to last - Melissa had trimmed Sarah's lead to just a few points. "All right, this is it!" Melissa announced as she prepared to start her final frame. She gracefully swung the ball behind her, and then hurled it down the lane with an impressive curve and surprising force, considering her petite build. The ball scattered the pins for a decisive strike. Her next throw scored another strike, followed by a disappointingly errant final throw that toppled only four pins.
Sarah and the others all congratulated Melissa on a great game; she had scored 185 points. But Sarah was next, and the others cheered her on as she took her ball and strode to the line. "You can do it, Sarah; just don't hiccup!" Mike teased.
Sarah didn't have nearly as good a curve, or even quite as much power, as Melissa, but she at least partially made up for it with excellent accuracy. Her own first throw was on target, scoring a strike of her own. While she waited for her ball to return, someone quickly did the math on the scoreboard. With 174 points and only a spare on the ninth frame, she now needed eleven points to win - a strike, and then at least one more pin on the bonus throw. But alas, in the excitement of the playful competition, Sarah didn't time her second throw well, and one of those strong hiccups attacked her body just as she was releasing the ball. The effect wasn't as pronounced as Sarah imagined it could have been, but the ball angled to the left as it headed down the lane, and didn't come close to scoring the strike that she needed for the win.
"What happened, Sarah, get nervous?" Melissa teased as Sarah returned after that off-target throw.
Sarah was already laughing at herself for the ill-timed hiccup. "I *huck* hiccupped!" she giggled.
"Well, good job anyway, you played great!" Melissa complimented.
"I told you not to hiccup!" Mike reminded her.
"I know, I know, *huck* I just can't help myself!" Sarah joked. "But I *huck* don't care, this has been *hic* a lot of fun, hiccups and *hulk* all!"
Everyone agreed on that, and decided to come out again sometime soon.
Late that night the room was dark and quiet. Sarah's hiccups had finally stopped, and she lay in her bed thinking over the events of the day. She had enjoyed meeting Melissa, and looked forward to getting to know her better. Bowling with Melissa and her friends had been a lot of fun, too. She was so glad that she had been able to make some new friends so quickly! Classes began tomorrow; she still wondered how she would do returning to the world of studying and homework. But whatever happened tomorrow, her first evening at school had been amazing. Eventually, Sarah drifted off into sleep, excited about what was to come in the days and months ahead.