starters, try breathing; I hear it’s good for you.”
“I don’t have time to breathe , thank you. I’m Tree,” she bounced, extending her hand.
My initial laugher dwindled down once I realized it wasn’t a joke. “I’m sorry, Tree ?”
“It’s actually Acacia, after the Tree. My parents are botanists, plants are their thing. My friends call me Tree. It’s a strange nickname I suppose.”
“It could be worse.”
“I highly doubt it.”
“You could be named after fruit…or colors even,” I said amicably.
“You’re funny,” she denoted, candidly.
I had managed to crack Tree’s distorted impression of me. “I try.”
“You look smart… I think . I feel less panicky now. This is good…yeah,” she nodded, in scrutiny. “Just try to get your share of work done a day early—I need to review it.”
“Hey, where’s the faith?”
“I can’t measure faith, but I can measure my level of reassurance once I physically see your work. I suggest you hit the books.”
“No probs. I intend to right after the carnival tonight.”
“Wait, carnival? No carnival for you. There’s no time! By my calculation, you’ll have to read a hundred pages per day and write a case report, do a statistical analysis and—”
“Attend the carnival,” I exclaimed, continuing, “Trust me. I’m super smart, it’s not even funny,” I whispered. Maybe Calliope would lend a hand…who was I kidding. With this amount of work, she’d need a retainer.
“ No Carnival! ” she shrieked on the verge of another panic attack.
“Okay, fine. You win! No carnival. Strip away my college activities and what do you have left?” I humored her.
“A med school approved candidate,” she said, snootily.
“If I’m destined for anything, it’s the law,” I said, although my rightful calling equaled zero earnings. My next familial calling was the law, whether I liked it or not. I had an in and those were hard to come by in life.
“Ah, it’s in your blood I take it.”
“It’s not the only thing…” I squirmed.
“Huh?” Tree pulled out a beat up looking note pad and quickly scribbled something down.
“Nothing. What d’you got there?” I pried.
“It’s my future professional network. You’re on the list for lawyers.”
“Aw, that’s nice.”
“You’re fifth in ranking,” she dryly remarked.
“I see. Okay, well I should hit the books. Later, Tree.”
“But we have a tutorial… right now ,” she said, snippily.
“Right, I knew that. I was going to grab a quick snack beforehand.”
“There’s no time, we’re going to be late!”
I smiled, slowly backing away. She was a ticking time bomb but it only seemed fair to take her up on the extension that she so industriously attained. I could see how this whole “group work” deal was going to be a problem. I had to buckle down and get this work done in time or Tree would jump in the bandwagon to kill me— quite literally . The look in her eyes was that of desperation and determination, a deadly mix.
This was the first time I actually attended the tutorial, mentally and maybe even physically. Once we arrived to the lecture room, Tree sat in the front row and gaped at me as I continued to the back.
“You should really sit up front. Dr. K will appreciate your zeal.”
“I don’t know if I’d exude any zeal , per se,” I muttered, awkwardly. She stared vehemently. “Are you exuding some now?”
She wrinkled her face unimpressed.
The tutorial quickly commenced as everyone settled. Acacia huffed, turning away. I diligently took notes although I craved to travel elsewhere. The middle world was euphoric, addictive and only a blink away. I executed great self-restraint and by the end of the lab, I was exhausted.
While Tree conversed with another student, I squeezed by to the back exit and headed out. I had mentally factored in a study schedule that I planned to stick to, making up for lost time—the lost time including the carnival
“I don’t have time to breathe , thank you. I’m Tree,” she bounced, extending her hand.
My initial laugher dwindled down once I realized it wasn’t a joke. “I’m sorry, Tree ?”
“It’s actually Acacia, after the Tree. My parents are botanists, plants are their thing. My friends call me Tree. It’s a strange nickname I suppose.”
“It could be worse.”
“I highly doubt it.”
“You could be named after fruit…or colors even,” I said amicably.
“You’re funny,” she denoted, candidly.
I had managed to crack Tree’s distorted impression of me. “I try.”
“You look smart… I think . I feel less panicky now. This is good…yeah,” she nodded, in scrutiny. “Just try to get your share of work done a day early—I need to review it.”
“Hey, where’s the faith?”
“I can’t measure faith, but I can measure my level of reassurance once I physically see your work. I suggest you hit the books.”
“No probs. I intend to right after the carnival tonight.”
“Wait, carnival? No carnival for you. There’s no time! By my calculation, you’ll have to read a hundred pages per day and write a case report, do a statistical analysis and—”
“Attend the carnival,” I exclaimed, continuing, “Trust me. I’m super smart, it’s not even funny,” I whispered. Maybe Calliope would lend a hand…who was I kidding. With this amount of work, she’d need a retainer.
“ No Carnival! ” she shrieked on the verge of another panic attack.
“Okay, fine. You win! No carnival. Strip away my college activities and what do you have left?” I humored her.
“A med school approved candidate,” she said, snootily.
“If I’m destined for anything, it’s the law,” I said, although my rightful calling equaled zero earnings. My next familial calling was the law, whether I liked it or not. I had an in and those were hard to come by in life.
“Ah, it’s in your blood I take it.”
“It’s not the only thing…” I squirmed.
“Huh?” Tree pulled out a beat up looking note pad and quickly scribbled something down.
“Nothing. What d’you got there?” I pried.
“It’s my future professional network. You’re on the list for lawyers.”
“Aw, that’s nice.”
“You’re fifth in ranking,” she dryly remarked.
“I see. Okay, well I should hit the books. Later, Tree.”
“But we have a tutorial… right now ,” she said, snippily.
“Right, I knew that. I was going to grab a quick snack beforehand.”
“There’s no time, we’re going to be late!”
I smiled, slowly backing away. She was a ticking time bomb but it only seemed fair to take her up on the extension that she so industriously attained. I could see how this whole “group work” deal was going to be a problem. I had to buckle down and get this work done in time or Tree would jump in the bandwagon to kill me— quite literally . The look in her eyes was that of desperation and determination, a deadly mix.
This was the first time I actually attended the tutorial, mentally and maybe even physically. Once we arrived to the lecture room, Tree sat in the front row and gaped at me as I continued to the back.
“You should really sit up front. Dr. K will appreciate your zeal.”
“I don’t know if I’d exude any zeal , per se,” I muttered, awkwardly. She stared vehemently. “Are you exuding some now?”
She wrinkled her face unimpressed.
The tutorial quickly commenced as everyone settled. Acacia huffed, turning away. I diligently took notes although I craved to travel elsewhere. The middle world was euphoric, addictive and only a blink away. I executed great self-restraint and by the end of the lab, I was exhausted.
While Tree conversed with another student, I squeezed by to the back exit and headed out. I had mentally factored in a study schedule that I planned to stick to, making up for lost time—the lost time including the carnival
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