301: Sophie goes back to school

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Yesterday I couldn’t wait to join the culinary arts program, to conquer Pastry Workshop: Pies, Cobblers, and Fruit Crisps. I even signed up for a class in how to start your own small business and called Kit to ask him to keep a lookout for commercial rental spaces. “My dream is to start my own bakery,” I told him, caffeine and optimism sparkling through my veins. But now the confidence has dwindled and my brain feels like a fruit crisp, bubbling over with anxiety, clear thoughts going soggy. Starting a new career means planning for the future. Without Ethan.

Sophie is nervous about starting her classes, but when a twenty-something student in a lime green Volkswagen Bug is ready to grab her parking space in the community college parking lot, Sophie makes up her mind:

I at least want to learn to bake the pear pie with cheddar cheese crust. Ask the teacher for pointers on my savory cheesecake recipes. Does the smoked fontina overpower the mushrooms? More important, am I going to work at Le Petit Bistro until I’m sixty-five? I yank the keys out of the ignition, shove them in my bag, squeeze the notebook to my chest, and climb out of the car.

Please use twelve of these words and phrases in your own sentences or story:

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small talk (to make small talk)
to manage to be
to drop a few pounds
in the process
to put smb on the line
to this day
trying cases
completely over her nut
feign interest
buzzer goes off
it’s as though
denial
keep a lookout for
heats up
confidence has dwindled
rush of excitement
julienne
spare the chicken
perch
twenty-something
gun the engine
defenses go up
cordon bleu
screw up
overpower