"Today, we'll be approaching our first big assignment."
Normani's head shot up at that, tearing her attention away from the fairly large scribbling on her paper. Her eyebrows furrowed, gaze following her Professor's movements as the woman motioned towards the door of the room. It took merely seconds before people started flooding into the room, lining up against the chalkboard. Normani's eyes twitched as she glanced over each one, noting how they all seemed to be around the same age as her and her fellow classmates. She recognized a few of them and realized that they attended the University, but clearly weren't taking this course.
"Doctors," Professor Elle addressed, looking to her students. "Meet your clients!"
"I'm sorry, what?"
Normani quickly jabbed the woman at her side, earning an audible wince— that woman always had a mouth on her.
"This assignment will also be apart of your final— with lots of exceptions, of course. You all are here for the same reasons: you want to help people, become a psychiatrist, a counselor. It doesn't matter what title you have in mind. All that matters is that all of you are fascinated at the human brain, human mannerisms. You all want to be helpful, make a difference in someone's life, which is what this assignment will do for all of the people in this room." Elle smiled, glancing around the room as she paced back and forth in front of her desk. "I will assign each client," She motioned towards each young adult lined at the front of the room. "To a doctor."
Normani's eyes widened, scoffing slightly at the assignment being given— she wasn't being serious, was she?
"You're joking." Lauren laughed, looking to their professor, who looked back at her in amusement. "We've been in this class for three months and now you want us to be a doctor to real people with actual issues? Do you know how damaging that could be? We aren't nearly qualified for this."
Normani would stab her with her elbow again, but she had a point. They were only college students. Not a single person in here had a degree aside from the woman giving them the crazy assignment. What were they supposed to know about helping someone? How were they supposed to know how to pick apart someone's brain? They hadn't even learnt in this class for a full semester yet, let alone learnt how to diagnose someone.
"Hear me out," Their professor nodded, relaxing onto the edge of her desk. "These clients are here for a reason, whether that be for fun, for a good grade, or for needing actual help when it's inaccessible." Normani's eyes darted away from her professor, halting at the sight of a fidgeting blonde who had dropped her head at the last statement. "My doctors are here to learn. You kids are some of the sweetest and most gentle ones that I've ever met. If you can't be there as a doctor then be there as a friend."
Lauren scoffed and opened her mouth to interject, but Professor Elle was quick to cut her off, "I understand, Dr. Jauregui. If you can't play doctor then at least play nice." With that, Lauren crossed her arms with a quiet huff and fell back into her chair. "Now, enough with the dilly-dallying! Who's ready to be assigned with a doctor and client?"
Normani looked to a flustered Lauren, noticing a few students around them raising their hands. Usually, she'd be telling Lauren that she needed to give this a try. She'd be trying to convince her that it won't be as bad as she has in mind, but she couldn't manage to do that. She was still wrapping her head around the thought of it. She thought that she'd have years to prepare for her first session, but now she has minutes.
"Dr. Hamilton,"
Normani broke from her silent gaze, looking to their Professor that called her name at the front of the classroom— the blonde. Her eyes widened, gaze twitching to and from the small woman as she failed to reply to her Professor's call. Was she about to—
