Like a box of Twinkies, the sorority sisters strode down the sidewalk; their look identical on the outside, while inside each contained a fluffy cream filling. One look, one smell, one hair style were their dominant features. Designer labels flashed more brilliance in the sunlight than the wearers themselves could muster. A passing dog sniffed at them and shrank away in fear; the amount of perfume and hairspray required to create such an effervescent aroma was an explosion hazard, and prolonged exposure could result in permanent brain damage

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Like a box of Twinkies, the sorority sisters strode down the sidewalk; their look identical on the outside, while inside each contained a fluffy cream filling. One look, one smell, one hair style were their dominant features. Designer labels flashed more brilliance in the sunlight than the wearers themselves could muster. A passing dog sniffed at them and shrank away in fear; the amount of perfume and hairspray required to create such an effervescent aroma was an explosion hazard, and prolonged exposure could result in permanent brain damage. To any but the most trained eye, they could pass as Borg. Within the parlance of hair spray society, they were middling — able to depress the can in the right direction, but woefully deficient in the finer points of etiquette and execution.

John was a nerd. He took great pride in his collection of pocket protectors. One must never be out of fashion, he’d mutter to himself as he picked out the perfect protector to complement his button-down Oxford. Once he had his ensemble assembled, he grabbed his favorite mechanical pencil, extra lead and a clicker eraser. An engineer can never be too prepared.

The library was a dank place tinged with the scent of old things. One often wondered if the sole source of the stale smell was the books; perhaps there was a slight contribution from those that shelved them. John entered a basement conference room, and was greeted immediately by a bouquet of flowery perfume and Paul Mitchell hairspray.

Have you reviewed your homework and class notes? Do you have any questions? said the Twinkie nearest John. Her name was Susan.

That’d be no problem. Let’s start from the beginning. With that Susan began the tutoring session.