The Unexpected (BWWM)

Chapter 8: Forgiveness

"Can we talk? Please?" The text message read.

It's been a week and I still couldn't find the words to speak to Julius. But every day he never failed to text me. Today's morning text read, "Good morning beautiful, hope you have an amazing day." And last nights text read, "Good night and sweet dreams, lovely". As much as I want to respond, something in me wouldn't let myself give in. I'm truly at war with myself and I'm losing miserably.

"Sure ..." I started to text but was startled.

"Ms.King, you know the rules! No cell phones out when at the lab bench!" the TA said.

"Sorry." I said while placing my phone in the bench drawer. I put on my rubber gloves and goggles, turn on the gas valve to my Bunsen burner and light it with a metal striker.

"Ok people, this is day 2 of your practicum. I wanna see nice streaks and single colonies for the next time we meet! It's 11 am, you have until 11:30 to get 10 plates done!" the TA said.

I pick up my loop and stick it into the flame. I watched the fire consume it, turning the rod glowing orange and red. Once cooled, I stick my loop into the E. Coli culture tube and begin streaking my first plate. I've done this millions of times, so I was sure I'd ace day two of the practicum.

"5 minutes people!" The TA said as he hovered over us.

I had one plate left, so I stick my loop into the E. Coli tube and start the first streak of my last plate. I place the loop back into the fire to sterilize it and immediately touch the agar plate. The next sound I heard put my stomach in knots and my heart in despair.

SIZZLE!

Shit, shit, shit! Fuck! I killed my culture. I forgot to wait until my loop was cooled and I killed my culture! I frantically redip my loop into the culture tube and try to start again. I manage to get the last streak on the plate when the TA tells us to put our loops down.

"That wasn't too bad." my bench neighbor said to me. "I'm sure you did fine, your always good at plating." she said.

"Yeah, it wasn't." I replied. I had no confidence what so ever that my last plate was going to come out right.

"Well, see you next week!" she said as she gathered her things.

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I get back to the apartment feeling completely disappointed with myself, I just want to curl up in my bed with some Ben & Jerry's and called it a day. As I get to our door it's decorated with a huge neon green glitter spider web and spiders tangled within it. That's rights, Halloween was tomorrow and Lex had been begging me to help her decorate the apartment all week for her Halloween party tonight. I open the door to find her standing on the sofa, trying to place pumpkin stickers on the windows.

"It looks like Halloween Town threw up in here." I said as I walked in.

She turned around with so much excitement on her face, "Good! That's what I was going for!" She climbed down off the sofa to hand me some spiders to stick on the wall, "So how'd the practicum go?" she asked.

I looked at her devastated, "Not as well as I hoped." I said sticking one spider to the wall.

"Really? You seemed so sure, you were fine this morning." she said surprised.

"Well, it didn't go so well." I said ashamed, tossing the spiders onto the table and plopping myself onto the couch.

"Roni, if somethings going on you can tell me you know. You haven't really been yourself lately." she said concerned.