I’m sitting in my 4th-period class with Ms.Hatfield, who makes grade 12 English feel like the longest hour and a half of my life. There is about 20 minutes left of school and then I get to go to my favorite place in the world. After school, I get to go to my job where I work as an assistant in a lab. I get to learn from the most amazing scientists. Currently, we are working on a specialized project developing technology that will be able to genetically modify different species of wheat so that it can be more compact with nutrients for developing countries. The scientists I am working with are so close to a breakthrough that I can almost feel it. The only reason I was able to get this job is because I am top of my class in all of my sciences and I wrote a paper that pointed out some of the mistakes on their recent projects and I guess that caught their attention.
“Miss Anderson?” damn I was not paying attention
“Sorry would you be able to rephrase the question I’m just not sure exactly what you're asking?” I hope that that was a good save…
“I asked if your daydream was more important than my lesson. Was that phrased better?”
Definitely was not a good save. Luckily I was saved by the bell and I got out of there as fast as I could. I take the bus home to pick up my work stuff and then take the train into the city to the lab. I make my way up to the lab which is on the 4th floor of a massive corporate building, my workstation is in the back corner facing away from all the glass-protected lab rooms. My desk sits almost right outside Dr. Mevins office door but I'm pretty sure that's so he can yell at me without having to get up. Most of what I do here at LAB TECH is shadow the other senior scientists and get to see what they are working on, although I don’t have funding for my projects since I’m an assistant I still have a few in the works. Most of the work I do is looking at genetically modified cells and trying to reintroduce them into the body to help people with deficiencies in those cells. I can tell you that it is going very slowly, looking at these cells requires having them which I don’t because I have no money. Most of my work is just theoretical at the moment but I'm working up to pitch my idea to the board once I graduate. Dr. Justin Melvirn is the lead doctor on the wheat project, he is the scientist I have been shadowing lately. I mostly get assigned to the biggest cases for extra manpower, because getting coffee takes so much energy. I promise I do like this job. I just wish I had more to do. There is another ‘kid’ that works here, he is only 19 and got in the same way I did. Liam Huxley, I don’t want to say that he is attractive but he is not the type of guy you picture working in a lab all day. He is taller than me, probably between 6’2-6’3 with a pretty athletic build and brown tousled hair, not that I noticed. He gets to work on his projects though, he is currently working on some sort of treatment for pancreatic cancer. I'm not jealous… I hear Dr. Melvirn call at me from his office, no doubt needing me to get him coffee. He is probably the worst scientist I have shadowed, he treats me like I am completely useless and my only talent is getting coffee.
“Raelyn, we are short on people today. I need you to do a favor for me… do you think you can handle it? See what I mean when I say the worst.
“ I think I will be able to handle it, how can I help?”
smile and nod, just smile and nod
“I need you to pick up samples, we just got a new shipment of some steroid injections we are using for the project”
This is better than just getting coffee I guess
“don’t the injections usually just ship to the lab?” I say confused.
“Yes they usually do, unfortunately, they got stopped at the border, these are important for our research” This might be difficult since I don’t have a car…
“Dr. Melvirn I want to help but I don’t have a car, so it might be hard to get to the border” Besides it's like a 3-hour drive so I would be gone all night.
“You can just take the lab car, you have your license, don’t you? You're 18 right?”
Technically he's right, I do
“ Yes I do…” I tell him reluctantly.
“Perfect, you can take the lab car and Dr. Huxley with you” Hold up, he never said anything about Huxley.
“I’m sorry…?” I asked,
“Some of Huxley’s materials were shipped with ours and he insisted on going personally to collect them”
Couldn’t he just go alone and pick up everything? Why do I have to go? Dr. Melvirn explained that he needed someone with knowledge of our project to make sure everything we, well I ordered was accounted for. I feel like a list would be sufficient but Melvirn did not like that suggestion so I guess I’m going on a little road trip. I called my mom to let her know I wouldn’t be home till late and not to wait up,
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“It's that jerk Melvirn isn’t it? He is making you run his errands? He does know you are still in high school doesn’t he?”
My mom never liked him either,
“Honestly even if he knows he probably doesn't care, but at least it’s more than coffee. I need to work my way up on this project if I ever hope to get funding for mine, if driving 6 hours will give me a leg up, I have to do it.” I tell my mom, already feeling exhausted
“ok hun, just please make sure you are safe and you eat something” she worries too much.
“Love you, Mom..”
“Love you too Rae.”
I hang up the phone and get ready to meet Huxley, remember the 18-year-old scientist that already has funding? I want to hate him so badly but how can you hate someone who is only 18 and already trying to cure pancreatic cancer? You can’t. I have had a singular conversation with Huxley and I'm pretty sure it was approximately 6 seconds long and consisted of, Hi my name's Raelyn it's nice to meet you. So this ride is going to be fun,
“Hi” Huxley turns around to face me.
“Hi?” he says with arched eyebrows
Right, we have only ever said 3 words to each other.
“Um, I guess Melvirn didn’t talk to you, I’m coming to the border with you to pick up the equipment.” he just sorta nodded and continued to pick up everything on his desk and shove it into his backpack.
“Are you ready to go now?” he asked once he was done crumpling up every single piece of paper he had and stuffing it into his bag.
“Ya I just have to grab my bag from my desk, we can take the lab van so I'll just meet you in the parking lot?” he nodded and started walking towards the stairs.
Of course, he takes the stairs instead of the elevator. I walk over to my desk, pack up my computer and shove it into my bag. I put my backpack over my shoulder and head downstairs to the garage. Huxley was waiting in the van with the most impatient look on his face. As I said, this is going to be a fun ride. He is sitting on the driver's side, of course. it's probably for the best anyway. Even though I have my license it does not mean I am the best driver. I open the passenger door and pull myself into the van, Huxley reverses out of the spot and drives out of the parking lot. It was about after 10 minutes of silence when I decided that doing work would pass the time way quicker than sitting in this uncomfortable bubble. I pull out my laptop and as I'm logging in Huxley pipes up,
“Nope, put the laptop away. If I don’t get to do any work because I have to drive to the fucking border neither do you.”
Well, There goes my 3 hours of plans.
“Oh because sitting in silence is so much better?”
I may have to sit in a car with him for 3 hours but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
He looked at me with an odd expression then went back to focusing on the road. I may as well have a full stomach if I have to endure this for the entire night.
“Can we at least stop for food? I haven’t eaten since 11” I asked him reluctantly,
“There are granola bars in my bag, we shouldn’t make any unplanned stops'”
ok so maybe I do have a reason to hate him. I am still hungry so I grab his backpack and rifle through it
“careful!” he bites back,
“Your bag is a disaster, how am I supposed to be careful when I can’t even see anything in it?” I finally found a granola bar. It was stuck to a paper titled ‘final testing’.
I pulled the paper out and started to read it.
“What are you doing?” he asked with anger in his tone,
“you did it? Have you figured out how to help pancreatic cancer? Are you fucking serious!”
I hate him, I hate him so much.
“What!? No..” he retorted and pulled the sheet out of my hand.
I went quiet, he couldn’t have figured it out. It's only been a year since he started his project. The Wheat project has been in motion for almost 4 years now and it's not even halfway done. How did I not even really know about his project? I didn’t realize how close he was to solving it, of course he solved it. I think he realized I was getting in my head cause he started talking,
“I haven’t solved it, I think I have a theory and the stuff I'm picking up tonight will help me prove it.” that drew me out of my thoughts
“I need more funding. I used most of it at the beginning of testing and I barely got my grant to begin with. Not many people jump at the opportunity to give an 19-year-old who just graduated high school thousands of dollars.”
at least I know where he is coming from. I feel like I should say something but what do you say when you just found out that someone is on the verge of a breakthrough and they are out of money? Sorry? That seems sorta lame. Instead, I just sit there staring at the road ahead, which is a better choice? I’m such a good conversationalist…
“ I'm sorry for getting mad” Of course he is apologizing, why can’t he just let me hate him?
“Don’t, I’m not mad I just didn’t know what to say”
Honesty is the best policy right?
“I'm just a little on edge tonight, the supplies I’m picking up are what I spent the last of my grant money on. Once we have the stuff we can pick up food ok?”
stop being nice! Why can’t we just sit in silence, it was better that way because I could just continue hating him.
“Ok”
I pull out my phone to look at the pitches for the steroids I’m picking up, I just want to make sure everything is accounted for. The rest of the ride to the border was pretty chill, it was silent aside from the occasional questions if it was too hot or cold.
