*** Featured on StoruesUndiscovered ***
A bittersweet story about a lover who never stayed and a love that never ended.
Disclaimer- This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are the products of my imagination. Any resemblance is...
"Most of us are searching, someone to love, someone to understand." - New Balance, Jhene Aiko
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February 26th, 2013 - Second half of sophomore year
It was a Tuesday night, and I was in my third hour of an uninterrupted study session. Engulfed by my oversized hoodie, I was sweating like a pig, my eyes were straining, and my back was aching.
Getting ready for my big biochemistry exam, I was reciting the metabolic pathways out loud.
"So, basically, gluconeogenesis is the reversal of glycolysis, but there are some irreversible glycolysis kinase reactions catalyzed by glucokinase, phosphofructokinase-1, and pyruvate kinase, which are—"
I paused my one-woman show mid-sentence because my words sounded gibberish—I was only talking because of muscle memory.
My bladder felt like it was clenching its fist and cursing my name. That was my cue for a well-deserved break.
The thing about pre-med was, it was kill or be killed. It was competitive, hostile, and only a few made it all the way to medical school. It was relentless. Much like I had expected, it was not fun or exciting, just overwhelming.
There were always decisions to be made, dilemmas to be solved, and consequences to be faced.
It started with choosing your bed. If you're a clueless freshman like I was, you would opt for the allocated dorms. And if you didn't show up to your assigned room first, you would end up being stuck with a bed closest to the door, inadvertently fulfilling some serial killer's fantasy.
If you are a few minutes late to the cafeteria, like I was all the time, you would be one of the unlucky ones who got the unnaturally soggy salad that made you want to rip out your taste buds.
If you cannot register for classes on time, you would end up with professor McSpitit, who made it rain on your face. Some lucky droplets would even land comfortably on your lips. Shudder.
If you overlook one reference on your assignment, you would be adorned with an A-minus, or, even worse, a B.
It drains all your energy; it sucks out your soul. 2 out of 5, would not recommend it.
The number of Four-hour-long lectures I was forced to sit through during my freshmen year must have trained my body to tune out the world and focus on one thing as a coping mechanism. At least until I felt like death was calling my name.
Well, I felt like death was calling my name, so I got up, stretched a little, and walked around the tiny apartment I had sub-leased with my friend Rosie.
Running on instant noodles and chips, I hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. I made a beeline to the refrigerator, in hopes of finding something that could keep my blood glucose level at bay.
Finding a lone sandwich, regardless of how old it could be, had my stomach somersaulting in happiness.
When I had bought the sandwich, it was due to expire in a day. I didn't need to check again, seeing as it was two days too late.
