Unrequited Love: Fate Worst Then Death

6. results 

. . . . . Present . . ..

"You should get some sleep, Selena. You've been at the orphanage all day—you must be exhausted," Alice says, her voice filled with concern.

True, I am tired, but sleep is out of the question right now. "I've got my medical exam tomorrow. Why are you awake at 4 a.m., old lady?" I tease, raising a brow at her.

Alice, unfazed by my jab, takes the perfect opportunity to switch on her caring grandma mode. "Oh! I was just heading to the kitchen to grab some water. I saw your lights on and thought I'd check on you."

"Well, thanks for the concern, but I'm fine. Now go back to bed," I reply, waving her off. "I just need to revise once more."

Satisfied with my response, Alice leaves me to my studying. Thankfully, I've prepared well ahead of time, so I have the luxury of reviewing everything thoroughly without any last-minute panic.

Yes, I've decided to become a doctor—a psychiatrist, to be specific. Helping people by understanding their problems and guiding them toward solutions has always been my dream. It's a way to bring happiness to others while fulfilling my own purpose.

I'm in my final year now, having already completed a diploma. Just a few more years of interning under a skilled mentor, and I'll be there—standing at the finish line of this long journey.

The night passes in a blur of flipping pages and memorizing key points, not just for the sake of exams but to solidify my foundation for the profession I'm so passionate about. By the time dawn breaks, I'm feeling sluggish, but there's no time to indulge in fatigue.

Dragging myself to my wardrobe, I carefully pick out an outfit suitable for the day. Once dressed, I gather my notes, exam essentials, and ID proof, stuffing them all into my bag.

Heading downstairs, I find Mom just emerging from the kitchen. "Wish me luck," I say, my tone lighter than I feel. "Oh, and is breakfast ready?"

"All the best," she replies, her voice flat and unenthusiastic. She gestures toward the dining table, where Alice and Jenna are busy setting plates and bringing out a Dutch pot from the kitchen.

Mom has never been supportive of my decision to become a doctor. She thinks Dad's wealth is more than enough for us to live comfortably for generations without needing to work.

What she doesn't seem to understand is that life is unpredictable. Everything could change in the blink of an eye. You'd think she, of all people, would understand that after everything we've been through.

What if, God forbid, we ever find ourselves in a situation where we lose everything? I can't bear the thought of being more of a burden than I already am. I want to be independent, to survive on my own terms.

"At least have enough food in your tummy to last a couple of hours," Alice chimes in, her voice taking on its usual bossy tone. "And finish that milk—don't even think about skipping it!"

Come on, what am I, five?

Taking a deep breath, I gulp down the milk in one go, cringing at the taste. Ugh! It smells awful and tastes even worse. I need to get out of here—fast.

After a 45-minute drive, I see the exam center. "All the best, love. I know you're going to ace it like you always do," Dad says with a reassuring smile. His positivity always comes in handy at moments like these.

Clutching my documents and heading inside, I accidentally bump into someone.

"Hey, sorry! I was just a bit overwhelmed. Let me grab that," says the red-haired girl I just collided with, her voice a jumble of nerves.

"It's totally fine. Anxiety always knows when to kick in," I reply, trying to calm her. "I'm Selena, by the way—Selena Khione. And you are?"

"Oh! I'm Sherry Whitmore," she says, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Sorry for the mess. Just, you know, exam jitters."

"So, are you planning to become a psychiatrist too?" I ask, trying to keep the conversation going, though she still looks a little uneasy.

"No, I'm not into brains and nerves. I'm more into teeth," she says with a small laugh. "I've opted for dental."

"Oh, got it," I respond with a friendly nod as we head toward our respective exam rooms.

"It was nice meeting you, Sherry. Hope to see you around!"

"Likewise, see ya!" she says with a thumbs-up before disappearing into her assigned room.

Once inside mine, I glance at my phone wallpaper—a picture of Revan, my lucky charm. Taking a deep breath, I step into the exam hall.

"Good morning, students," the examiner begins. "Please read the instructions carefully before answering…"

_______________________________

"Selena!" Adam calls out from across the corridor, his voice booming as he rushes over.

"How was the paper?" he asks once he's caught up to me.

"It was a white sheet with black stripes," I reply sarcastically.

Adam, who has been hitting on me since high school, laughs like the maniac he is. "I like your humor, Selena."

Yeah, great. If only he could take the hint and leave me alone.

"Well, it was good. How about yours?" I say, trying to sound polite as his friends join us. But, honestly, this guy is testing my patience.

Today's paper was actually better than I expected, but I can't tell them that. If I do, these clowns will start asking more annoying questions, and I desperately want to avoid that.

After finally shaking Adam off, I meet Dad by the car. He doesn't even need to ask how my paper went.

"I won't even bother asking, considering that 100-watt smile of yours," he says, pulling me into a hug.

"Finally, Dad! No more exams, no more college," I sigh in relief, sinking into the car seat. Gosh, I've hated school and college my whole life. I still can't believe I managed to top every grade.

Just as we're about to leave, my eyes land on a familiar figure near the gates.

"Dad, could you wait for a second? I need to check on someone," I say, and he nods curtly.

"Hey, all good?" I ask as I approach Sherry, who's standing alone near the entrance.

"Yeah, just waiting for my dad. He's not answering my calls," Sherry says, looking a little worried.

"Where do you live?" I ask, already forming a plan to help.

After giving me a questioning look, she finally answers, "Linco Street. Why?"

"Oh, that's on our way home. We can drop you if you want—it's just me and my dad," I offer, hoping she'll say yes.

"Please don't trouble yourselves. I'll just call for an Uber if he doesn't show up in five minutes," Sherry replies politely, but I'm determined.

Before I can convince her again, Dad's voice interrupts from behind. "Is there a problem, kiddos?"

"Dad, this is Sherry, my new friend. Can we drop her off at Linco Street on our way home?" I ask, knowing he'd be more than happy to help.

"Are you sure it's no trouble, sir?" Sherry asks hesitantly.

"Not at all, child. A friend of my daughter is like a daughter to me. It's getting late, and waiting alone isn't safe these days," Dad says with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Selena. I owe you one," Sherry says as we climb into the backseat together.

"The second street, yes, that's the one," Sherry said, pointing toward the turn. After about 30 minutes of driving, we arrived at her destination. By the end of the ride, I had realized that Sherry and I shared some similarities—both of us had small social circles, and we only opened up to people we instinctively trusted from the first impression.

"Thank you, Sir. I hope to see you again someday," Sherry said warmly as she stepped out of the car.

"Take care, Shirley. See you soon," I called after her, waving. We had exchanged numbers, so I was sure we'd catch up again.

_______________

When I got home, I couldn't wait to tell Alice about my day.

"You know, Alice, I met this girl today. She was from a different stream—dentistry, actually. She seemed nice but a little... disturbed. I wonder what's bothering her," I said, reflecting on my brief interaction with Sherry.

"You'll eventually find out, dear. Have some patience," Alice replied, her usual wisdom shining through. "I hope you two get along in the future. Didn't you say you exchanged numbers?"

"That I did." I smiled, thinking I might have finally found someone I could connect with.

"Good. Now off to bed! You've had a long day and need to rest. Oh, and your mom's in yet another sermon," Alice added, rolling her eyes with an amused smirk.

As expected, I thought. Mom would skip staying to congratulate me on my exam performance—no surprises there.

"Goodnight, old lady. See you in the morn—" I stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering something. "Oh no! Alice, I completely forgot about the emails! The internship program results were supposed to be out today. What if they've already responded?"

Panic set in as I rushed to my room, grabbing my laptop in a flurry. Alice followed close behind, trying to calm me down.

"Relax, dear. They've probably flooded your inbox with acceptance offers," she said with a reassuring chuckle.

I nervously opened my email account. There were five hospitals I had applied to, and I could see emails from all of them. My heart pounded as I opened the first one and scrolled quickly to the final paragraph.

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