I told them everything.
Silence on the other end.
I thought the signal had dropped. After two "Hello?"s, my parents finally spoke:
"Well, Grayson has a point. You really aren't the sharpest, sweetie. We're your parents—we'd know better than anyone."
"Besides, Grayson was doing college entrance exam problems at eight years old! Of course someone like him thinks you're slow—that's completely normal!"
"As for this thing with Michelle, she went to an Ivy League school too. What, you expect to stop them from talking to each other? Anyway, it's late. Go to bed."
I wasn't having it.
"But—"
"Enough!"
Dad's patience snapped.
"Who do you think got you that internship at a top hospital? Grayson pulled strings for you! He's been more than good to you, so stop being so dramatic!"
The line went dead. I couldn't hold back the tears.
But Mom, Dad... I never even wanted to go into medicine.
Grayson Henson was a medical prodigy.
I was not.
Far from it.
My grades had been rock bottom for years.
Junior year of high school, Grayson secured early admission to a top university and took a gap year.
Every day, he drilled me on problems he could solve at a glance.
My parents tried to talk him out of it:
"Teresa isn't as smart as you. Just go to Capital City for school. Worst case, she can help us sell vegetables at the market."
But he was adamant:
"If Teresa doesn't go, neither do I.
"She sells vegetables, I'll gut fish. We'll be a team.
"Wherever Teresa goes, I go."
I knew how stubborn Grayson could be.
If I didn't get in, he really might end up gutting fish beside me.
During those grueling study sessions, I'd told him to just focus on himself.
But his eyes went red as he gripped my hand:
"I was five when my parents died. My uncles took everything. You were the one who brought me home.
"You drew my baths. You mended my clothes.
"Your parents fed me, and when they saw my grades were good, they spent their vegetable money to send me to prep programs out of state.
"If I forget who pulled me out of that hole—if I just walk away on my own—then my whole life means nothing.
"I'm not capable of that kind of betrayal."
So I wouldn't condemn him to a life gutting fish, I studied like my life depended on it.
I barely scraped into a second-tier college in Capital City.
But now, Grayson had grown tired of me.
What hurt even more—
My own parents had started taking his side.
I didn't go back to the dorm. I didn't want my crying to wake my roommates.
But my best friend came downstairs and found me anyway.
After hearing the whole story, Kate Dickerson shot to her feet, ready to hunt Grayson down.
I grabbed her arm:
"It's fine. I've made up my mind—I'm done with medicine!"
Kate stared at me, eyes wide.
"What are you going to do?"
"Sell pharmaceuticals!"
Her jaw dropped.
My grades were never great.
But I could sell anything.
Whenever I helped at the market stall, my parents always got to pack up early.
Years of hospital internships hadn't taught me much in the way of medical skills, but I'd figured out the pharmaceutical supply chain inside and out.
"I thought about it all night. With my half-baked abilities, if they actually put me in an operating room someday, I wouldn't have the nerve.
"People could die.
"While I was crying earlier, I found out there's a warehouse in Northside sitting on a pile of inventory. I'm going to check it out tomorrow."
Kate looked at me.
"But you studied for five whole years... Just giving up like this—it's such a waste."
I shook my head.
Dawn was breaking at the edge of the sky.
