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Panic started to crash through me like a wave, knocking me off my feet and pulling all of my breath away as the thought about the ending. I shut my eyes tightly and took ten long, deep breaths. Then ten more. And ten more. And a few more.
I knew I couldn’t conceive of a world where my research didn’t succeed. I just had to focus, double my efforts. I slid my phone from my bag and pulled up the spreadsheet I had created with contact information and got ready to start sending out letters again.
A call popped up from a local number I didn’t recognize. I usually let these go to voicemail, but with inquiries and applications out there, I was too optimistic that it could bethecall that got my research funded. So I accepted the call.
“Hello?” God, did anyone ever sound cool and confident answering the phone? I sure didn’t.
“Amy!” The bright, excited voice sounded vaguely familiar and my brain started to try and quickly put together the pieces.
“It’s Lila,” the voice said after I was silent for a moment. Lila? Who the hell was Lila?High schoolLila? And then I mentally slammed my hand against my forehead, knowing what this call was about.
“Wow, Lila. What a surprise.”
“I know, I know. It's been a minute, huh?”
I laughed obligatorily, mentally blowing a breath.
“Many. How have you been?”
“I’ve been great and I’m looking forward to catching up at the reunion tonight.” I groaned inward, there it was. I had hoped that a lack of RSVP would get me out of going tonight. I really had no interest in catching up and pretending to be nice to the people who never noticed me in the first place. “I was just calling to confirm you were coming! I figured you must have just forgotten to RSVP.”
Lila sounded so confident that I was for sure going to the reunion. I was sure in her mind, there was no reason to skip the event. High school was amazing for her, after all.
But I never fit in, so there was no reason to remember those days.
“Oh, I'm so sorry Lila, I can’t make it tonight. I am really, really busy with some…um, work.”
She gasped over the phone and I rolled my eyes. Ever dramatic Lila.
“That's so sad. What’s this work? Can’t it wait?”
I sighed. “I'm afraid not. It's really important.”
“But what is it?” Why was she being so persistent?
“Er, I'm doing some important medical research and I need funding. I need tonight to redo my pitch and send it out again to potential investors.”
“That’s so perfect! Then youneedto come to the reunion.”
“My work really is urgent, Lila.” I was getting a little bored of this conversation.
“But you're seeking investors, no? Many of our former classmates work in biotech and medical research. And even more of them are completely loaded looking for investments that will make them seem like good people.”
Lila was almost annoyingly positive and optimistic.
“I don’t know, Lila,” I hedged. How could I count on any of these people to be interested in my research when no one has been interested so far.
“Just come for a little bit. You’ll see,” she urged.
It couldn't be any worse or less productive than sitting at home and sending even more emails, could it? And at least I would feel like I was doing something.
I sighed in defeat.
“Alright, Lila.” I said. “What time is the reunion?”
Chapter 5
Daniel
