Normalcy was never something Tesla Edison grew up with; she was never really familiar with things that others grew up with. Growing up in a single parent household, after her father dies in an accident, isn't easy. However, she's out to prove that s...
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Despite the frustration she feels with her mother moving to be closer to her daughter, Tesla finds herself spending most of her nights off campus in the company of her mother. Tesla hardly ever stays in her dorm room, and she has only spoken to her roommate once or twice. Adjusting to college life is going to be harder than she thought it was. She told Kimberly she can make friends and she assured her mother that she doesn't need her around, but she might be wrong.
For Tesla college feels the same as high school. There are groups that people fall into and never leave. There are similar standards; where you're from, who you are, what you want to do in your future. While Tesla knows that there are students at Harvard with majors and aspirations like her, she struggles to fall into a group. She feels it's a waste of time, something that she doesn't have time for—she lacks the social skills, as well. At least that's what she tells herself: there isn't really much effort on her end; even if she did promise Kimberly and her mother that things would be different.
Without Kimberly by her side to guide her in the right direction of where she should go and where she would fit best in, it was hard to give much thought to socializing and making friends in college. It isn't exactly Tesla's area of expertise to meet people and have connections with them. Bruce is her only exception.
The two of them talk quite a bit outside of classes, and even though Tesla is two years behind Bruce, she finds herself keeping up with a lot of the work that he does in the classroom. Bruce finds it refreshing to have someone to carry a conversation with about biochemistry. It isn't a surprise to Bruce either, when by the end of Tesla's first semester, they will already be in a few classes together in their spring semester. Tesla shines in the classroom. Her physics classes went so well, that she's already planning on taking junior level classes in spring. Her molecular biology classes went well, and with Bruce around to help her when she got stumped—which was rare—she nearly aced everything in the subject. Tesla is well on her way to complete her PhDs, and the professors in her field suggested she sign up for biochemistry.
Tesla doesn't quite understand why an advisor, Mr. Curie is his name, suggests she pick up biochemistry as well as the other majors she wants to complete, but it is definitely something that compliments the other science majors. She isn't as interested in the chemistry aspect of science, but it wouldn't be until later when Tesla realized why Curie—who wasn't even an administrative officer—had told her to sign up for biochemistry.
While the social adjustments are a struggle for the young woman, the academic adjustments are just the challenges she needs, and Bruce Banner is just the person to challenge her academically. With all the time the two of them have spent studying in science labs Tesla really wants to consider him a friend, but she worries that he might not think the same thing. Maybe Tesla is just a school acquaintance to him? Maybe he isn't looking to make friends or he only spends time with Tesla because he feels bad for her? He must know that she doesn't have any friends, and pities her. He is only talking to her because he's a nice guy, not because he genuinely wants to hang out with Tesla.
