AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’d love to, but I can’t,” I say, touching the edges of the textbook in front of me. “I need to make sure there’s no way I fail.”
“Trust me. I took anatomy. You got this, Anders. For you, this exam will be a walk in the park.”
I scoff. “It’s not that easy! It’s–it’s–” I’m not sure how to make it clear to him. It’s so much more to me than the way he’s talking about it. “Listen. I need to study. I don’t want to cramp your style tonight, so I’ll just head out and–”
“No, no, no,” Cole cuts me off and circles the table, casually leaning against it like he’s in one of his examination rooms. “Stay as long as you want. I just don’t want you to get so bent out of shape when I know that you got this.”
I smile softly. Cole has been my biggest cheerleader since we met four years ago. Even more than my parents. He and I bumped into each other at the campus coffee shop at Northwestern and discovered pretty quickly that we were both in the same accelerated BA to MD program. I was an obsessive freshman, and he was in his first year of the MD program. We clicked and we’ve been meeting there for coffee almost every day since. Despite Cole being an incredibly handsome guy, I don’t see him as anything other than a big brother, something I had always craved as an only child.
Now that he’s in his second year of residency, I see him more as my mentor for the complete clusterfuck known as med school. Ifhemade it through, then I can too. “You’re dishing out a lot of Dr. Reynolds energy right now,” I say, gesturing to his posture.
Cole stands up with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry. Can’t help it. It makes me feel so… capable.”
“Yeah, the nonchalant coolness of a young doctor.”
“Yes. Exactly. You get it. There’s going to be a question about that on the exam, so remember this moment,” he says wryly.
I try to laugh, but my stomach cramps with dread at the reminder of the exam. I’ve given up any semblance of a social life, and romance is completely off the table for the foreseeable future. I’ve sacrificed all human interaction to get where I am today. If it weren’t for Cole, the only correspondence I would have with anyone would be my phone calls home and what is required for school. He’s my lifeline.
Cole can see it on my face. He touches my shoulder tenderly. “I’ll go get some takeout. Take Beastie for a W-A-L-K and–”
Beastie yips. She’s heard “walk” spelled so many times that she could win a spelling bee.
Cole scoops her up in his broad hands and tucks her up against his chest. “And you can study.”
“Will you go through the rest of the flashcards with me when you get back?” I ask sheepishly.
He sighs, but smiles. “Sure. Any food requests?” he says, continuing to the door.
“Carbs. Any and all.”
“Got it,” he confirms as he walks out the door.
I don’t know what I would do without Cole. I’ve told him so many times before that I don’t think I would have made it this far if it wasn’t for his continual support.
The time flies as I scan through my textbook and pore over all the hand-scribbled lecture notes that I’ve added. I run through the flashcards again, and descend further and further into existential dread. Cole returns, carrying two bags of takeout boxes filled to the tops with carbs. The greasy burgers are a bonus and a perfect complement to the carbelicious fries. It’s ironic that we’re both students of medicine with an insatiable craving for junk food.
By midnight, Cole heads to bed, so I kick off, too. He gives me one more “Don’t stress, Anders” through a yawn as I’m walking out the door.
When I get home, I continue to stress, studying for several more hours before falling asleep with my head in my hands on my desk. It will most likely fuck up my neck, but I’ll know it was all worth it if I pass this test.
WhenI pass this test.
Jordan
I wake up later than planned. I overslept and I hate to keep Cole waiting, although I know he would never hold it against me. The Anatomy exam isn’t until this afternoon, but it’s a four-hour exam, so I dress for comfort rather than style. I do a little natural makeup and finish off with a swipe of my favorite Glossier lip gloss. That will have to do. I head out to the café, where I have gone almost every morning since I started college.
Cupitol is a trendy spot that’s a haven for Northwestern med students. There have been days I’ve camped out there from opening to close. It’s a one-stop shop for coffee, pastries, sandwiches, or if you’re looking for a boozy brunch, cocktails. I’ve given into the temptation of a few blueberry mimosas before noon more than once. But not today.
I stumble inside, tightening my hand on the frayed strap of my backpack. The air in the room is familiar and reassuring. The aroma of coffee grounds and buttery croissants is a comfort for the soul, and it reminds me of the very first day I met Cole.
“Jordan! Over here!” He waves at me from the end of a long, velvety booth overhung by a vintage-looking lamp in the far corner of the café. It’s our usual spot, so his show appears perfunctory, even comical. There have been a few times when our spot was occupied by the time that we arrived, so Cole likes to ensure that the whole place knows that this is our territory.
I slide into the booth across from him and smile.
“How you feelin’, Einstein?” he asks.
“Nervous,” I say, scanning around the café to determine if any of my classmates are here, anxiously drinking coffee like I am.
