The Double-Tap Accident

Chapter Nine: Hot and Bothered.

dedicated to senrqse for the covers above and below! thank you ari <3

Chapter Nine: "Hot and Bothered."

AT 8:30 IN THE morning that Thursday I knew I was going to have a long day.

Usually, Wednesdays are my longest days with work and biomethods around this exact time. However, when my biomethods group decides to meet at this early hour in the morning at the South Campus Building as if we were not altogether at this same time the day before, I was annoyed.

Sleep was something I valued. My bed. My comfortable clothes. With the window cracked open just a bit to let the cold air in so I can get into a very specific mood that determined the rest of my day?

Wonderful. Beautiful. I wanted it. I needed it. Yet I couldn't get it.

Instead, my ass sat in one of the corners of the eatery where a set of couches was occupied by the other three members of my team. We had a presentation for the class next week.

I was already over this hell week and wanted to move onto the next one to study for my physics exam since biochem preparation was over. But physics couldn't have any attention until this project was finished.

This project could have been finished a lot faster if I didn't have to be in a group filled with boys.

Not that there would be anything wrong with being in a group filled with boys but boys in STEM at Herringway had a very specific...presence.

For one, a lot of them were condescending.

Many that were in Mariam's program wanted to be doctors. This meant that a good amount of them were competitive because they wanted to go to med school. However, they weren't just competitive people. They were competitive people on Adderall. Literally.

That meant no helping each other for the fear that someone was going to do better than you. That meant no giving other people resources or access to previous exams when studying. That meant having the 6'0 guy in a polo shirt and slacks you rarely know failing to mask the cocky look that screamed, 'I got over a 90' as he asks you 'what did you get' on the latest Calculus exam.

Two, they spoke over you.

This is what I was currently experiencing as I watched the three boys I was in a group with discuss the project ahead of them. Despite knowing jackshit about where I was going to go in my life, I knew working in the future in this profession I would deal with people like this. But damn, no part of me was prepared for the fact that every single time I tried to talk, there was a 90% chance I was going to be shut down.

For instance: 

"Jaime, you write the results section."

"I think I can handle the methods section a lot better because I have a lot of information--"

"Smart move, man," One of them says, immediately cutting me off. "I'll take the discussion section."

Then another example:

"What are we planning on doing for the--"

"Bro, did you guys see the hockey game last night?" One of them interrupted.

Leading into a conversation about only hockey for almost twenty minutes. It doesn't stop there.

"I really think we should break down this section--"

"The figures need to be replicated to add to the presentation. That way we won't have to do extra." Another one of them said.

Third, they had the biggest tendency to mansplain.