The Student Therapist

Chapter 11

I ignore the cramp in my tense hand and continue copying down the notes from the PowerPoint in the front of the room. I have to squint to read the minuscule words on the screen and when I finally glance down at my page, I realize that my handwriting had started ti sprawl down the page instead of across.

While I was attempting to continue on. The PowerPoint screen went black and my professor clapped her hands in the front of the class. "That's all for today. I'll see you all next Monday."

The entire lecture hall began moving around me, but I stayed seated in order to finish copying down the lingering words of the end of her lesson. As I was finishig my notes, I heard the ring of my phone match the vibrations in my back pocket and I fumbled to bring my phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I mumble into the phone as I scribble the last few words I could remember.

"Jennie!" A familiar little girl calls in my eat. Immediately, I drop my pen and a smile comes over my face. "Guess who?"

"Mom? Is that you?" I tease with a knowing smile.

Mg little sister giggles in my ear and a type of natural warmth spreads through me. "No! It's Jisoo!"

With thoughts of my notes forgoten, I pack up my backpack and head out the door of the lecture hall.

"Hi Sooyah." I greet. "What's up, kiddo?"

I could practically see the smile on her lips when she replies. "I'm at the dinner. Mom gave me a chocolate milkshake."

My smile turns sad as I realize that mom was eaither so busy or too broke that she had to bring Jisoo to work with her instead of getting a sitter. But a familiar spark of hope gathers within me when I realize the diner is better than the hospital.

"The diner?" I echo. "You must be feeling well, duh?"

"Yeah." Jisoo chirps back, sounding as happy as can be. It made my smile brighten again. "It's at a one."

She meant her pain and on a scale to ten. Ever since Jisoo first had to go to the hospital, she had to rate her pain on a scale of one to ten. She didn't always hurt, but she often felt dizzy or nauseous from chemotherapy and her medicine."

It's been awhile since she's felt so good. For years, it's been a constant struggle to keep her feeling a least okay at best but usually she was bed ridden or attached to tubes in the hospital.

"That's good." I tell her as I continue walking through campus while my gaze on my moving feet. "I'm happy to—"

Someone roughly walks into me and the impact sends my phone flying to the ground. The only thing worse than the newfounded pain in my shoulder was the sickening crack I heard when my phone landed face down on the cement.

I look up with wildly dazed eyes and meet Jeongyeon's stare. She looked thoroughly annoyed that her walk had been disrupted but when her gaze lifts to meet mine, her annoyance is replaced with a condescending smirk.

"Hey, Jennie." She drawls. "You don't need to run into me if you want to get my attention."

In my head, I'm telling myself to grab mu discardes phone and walk away. But my mouth snaps. "Trust me, I don't want your attention."

She smirk only widens when she realizes how bothered I am. Before she can say something else to piss me off, I grab my phone off the ground, intent on storming off but stop in my tracks when I see the state of my phone screen.

"That's a shame." Jeongyeon shakes her head. "You should be more careful, Jen."

I look up from my shattered screen with pieces of glass completely missing and glare at her. "This is all your fault."