𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐭 • 𝐄. 𝐎𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐧

1• First Day Nerves

                  ╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

"Just 10 more minutes," she whispered, relieved, but despising the prickling sensation of the needle in her arm.

Lukas, engrossed in his book, sat snugly in a small chair next to the expansive medical bed, not bothering to glance up. Stella, defeated, let out a weary sigh and settled back down, hiding her exhaustion behind a facade of resilience.

"I'm absolutely convinced that nurse wants to kill me," Stella responded casually, her hand reaching behind her to retrieve her phone and check the time.

"I'll inform Mom to come back up," Lukas offered, closing his book and straightening his slouched posture as he sat up in the chair.

"Oh! And tell her to bring me a muffin!" Stella called out as Lukas exited the room, prompting an annoyed groan in response.

"No!" Lukas rolled his eyes.

"You have to get me what I want. I have dietary restrictions!" Stella attempted to guilt-trip her brother, but her efforts fell flat as the boy had already disappeared from sight. A few minutes later, a nurse entered the room, and Stella frowned at the woman's lack of care as she focused solely on ushering the girl out of the room. "For heaven's sake, it's as if you think I can't feel pain!" Stella seethed as the nurse forcefully removed the needle from her arm, causing the nurse to halt her movements.

"Oh, I apologize. I'm on my twelfth hour of the shift," the brunette nurse sighed, closing her eyes for a few seconds. Stella sat awkwardly, unsure of how to react, as the nurse took down the IV from the tall stand that had held it just moments ago. "Are you still in school, sweetie?" the nurse asked curiously, a slight questioning gaze in her ocean-blue eyes.

"Yeah, it's my final year," Stella lazily smiled, engaging in small talk while observing the tired nurse dab her arm with disinfectant and cover it with a bandaid. "When did you graduate?"

"This is my first year on the job. We're understaffed due to the vaccine mandate for health workers, and I already want to retire," the young woman chuckled, only a year or two older than Stella.

"That's unfortunate. I'm sorry to hear that," Stella sympathetically smiled, earning an amused smile from the nurse. "You're the one in the hospital bed, love. I'm sure I can handle my own problems," the nurse lightly squeezed Stella's upper arm and winked.

"It's just diabetes. Who needs sympathy these days?" Stella dismissed the concern, rising from the bed with a playful smile.

"When does your school break end?" the nurse inquired curiously as she stripped the sheets off the bed. Stella didn't mind keeping the charming woman company while waiting for her brother and mother to return.

"In two weeks, but for the past two months, I've been a hermit and barely left my house except for food," Stella playfully confessed, eliciting a chuckle from the nurse who recalled doing the same during her school days.

"Well, if you ever feel like stepping out for a night, I'm available," the nurse shyly offered, causing Stella to tilt her head, narrowing her eyes at the brunette.

"I don't even know your name yet, and you're already asking me out?" Stella questioned, and the nurse blushed, nodding.

"Valorina," the nurse replied, bringing a smile to Stella's lips.

"That's a beautiful name,"

                                          ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *. ☽. * :☆｡ﾟ･ ───

The dimly lit page came alive as the words leaped off, creating a vibrant dance that caught the girl's attention. She struggled to maintain focus as she entered the fourth hour of her reading marathon. Faint echoes of music seeped through the closed door, evidence of her flatmate's raucous pre-school-year party. Undeterred, the tranquil brunette carefully turned the page, immersing herself in the captivating narrative that awaited on the seventy-seventh page of the book she had started earlier that day.