seek thy fate!

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

shoutout to everyone's who's been stickin to this story, omg I looked back and the last chapter was long as hell dw I won't do that to y'all again 😭😭😭

{ 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑 𝟷𝟻𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟿𝟼𝟸 }

"And here, I will illustrate the molecular structure of the compound known as Aspirin," said the professor for Tanya's pharmacology class. With a thin piece of chalk, he began to etch out the hexagonal shapes, labeling them with the corresponding chemical compounds as he went. Once he was finished, he turned back to the small group of students sitting behind lab desks and grinned. "Now that I've given you the formula, I'd like you all to calculate this compound's molecular weight and density as your homework. Class dismissed."

Immediately, the sounds of shuffling arose as students stood up and began to pack their things away. Tanya finished scrawling the last of the drawing in her notes before she closed her composition book. She began to put her things away in her satchel, when the professor suddenly turned to her.

"Oh, and Tanya Collins? If you wouldn't mind staying behind for a few minutes, I'd like to have a word with you."

She froze for a moment, confusion morphing onto her features but she nodded after a moment. She couldn't help but notice the curious looks she was getting from her classmates before they all eventually shuffled out of the classroom. Tanya adjusted her horn-rimmed glasses, before walking over to his desk.

Professor Smith was a biracial man--one of the few that Tanya had seen in real life--and had taught chemistry up in New York before he came here.

"You wanted to see me, Professor Smith?" She asked, her voice a little uncertain.

"Ah, yes. I heard word from other professors in the department about an internship at the Harlem Hospital coming up in the summer. They're very selective with their prospects and only a few applicants are allowed to be nominated. When I heard about all of this, I couldn't think of anyone better for this position than you."

Tanya blinked in surprise. "M-Me?"

"Of course! You have aced all of your tests this semester and demonstrated exceptional knowledge of pharmacology. You are already on track to becoming a fine nurse, I figured this was only the next logical step."

Despite the fact that she had spent day in and day out studying for this class, Professor Smith's words still stunned her. Was she really that good? The shock melted quickly into dread when she realized this opportunity would only push her further in the direction she wanted to escape from.

"I'm...very flattered, Professor Smith," she began, trying to formulate a feasible excuse, "but New York is quite the distance...and there's a lot of volunteer work I plan to do with the church during the summer, I just don't know if I can--"

"How about this; you don't have to make a decision right now, since midterms are coming up and I'm sure you have a lot on your plate. You can give me your answer at the end of next month, does that sound suitable?" Tanya still felt a bit anxious, but she nodded regardless. 

Mr. Smith smiled warmly at her. "Great! I look forward to your response." And with a slight bow of the head, he turned back to his desk and began to pack up his things.

Tanya stood there for a fraction of a second longer before she left as well.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"He offered you an internship?" Nat asked with surprise, looking up from the Space World magazine that he had been browsing. Tanya nodded, apprehensively tapping her pencil against the rickety desk. "So, what are you going to do?"