Chapter 19 Toxicology trouble
Chapter 19: Toxicology Trouble
Alex didn’t think she would fall asleep so easily. It was the first time she was spending the night outside her home. They had stayed up late chatting and even played a video game with Varney—mostly because Golden had been asleep most of the day, and Varney was testing a new game his company was about to launch.
Alex woke to see Golden already fired up for the day. She was dressed, seated at her computer, going over emails and notes.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. I trust you slept well?” Golden turned and smiled.
“Why are you up so early? It’s Saturday! People sleep in on Saturdays,” Alex said, yawning and trying to crawl back under the covers.
“It’s 9 am already. And we have a project to get started on! We barely have three weeks before presentation day. Come on, take a shower and meet me downstairs for breakfast. Then we can dive into work,” Golden said, tugging at the duvet to coax Alex out of bed.
“Arrghh! Fine! Ten minutes,” Alex groaned.
“Ten minutes. Not a second more!” Golden shot back, leaving Alex scrambling toward the bathroom.
By the time Alex made it downstairs, Golden was tapping away at her laptop in the study, sandwich in one hand, glass of milk in the other. Printed documents were neatly arranged on the table. Alex couldn’t help but admire her friend—organized, diligent, and completely in control.
“I see you’ve already started tackling this monstrous project,” Alex said, scanning through a document.
“Monstrous is an understatement. I swear Prof. Dwayne has a personal vendetta against us,” Golden sighed, sinking into her chair.
Alex laughed. “Exactly what I was thinking yesterday. Shouldn’t the good guys get an easy topic like Linda got? Comparative analysis of pharmaceutical industry practices in toxicological research. That sounds fun.”
Golden scowled. “Why are the good guys always given the hard stuff? It’s like the universe wants to see us suffer.”
“Since when are you scared of Linda?” Alex teased.
Golden’s lips twitched. “Since she keeps showing up like a shadow from high school, reminding me she exists. But this… this is science. And we’re good at science. We’ve got this.”
For the next two hours, the girls worked in comfortable silence, each focused on her part of the research. Alex handled the literature review while Golden worked on methodology and data collection.
Allan had initially promised to join them but called later to say he was held up. Still, he offered to handle part of the work and email his findings to Golden. Surprised and grateful, Golden accepted, knowing Allan’s reliability—quiet, determined, and always thorough.
Meanwhile, across campus, Linda was already scheming with her partner, Fabulous Lawrence.
“We have to make this flawless. I want at least a 95,” Linda whispered, her eyes gleaming with competitive fire. “Allan has to regret not switching to my group.” she added silently.
Fabulous raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. “Noted. I’ll handle the heavy lifting. You just… smile and look concerned. Works every time.”
Linda lowered her gaze, worried Fabulous had seen right through her strategy.
On the West Side, Allan balanced inking clients, sketching data charts, and gathering research. By the time his shift ended, it was already 7 pm. Exhausted, he organized his notes and sent an email to Golden, then received a video call.
Golden’s shocked expression softened when she saw Allan’s tired but determined face.
“You really didn’t have to do all this,” she said, her voice gentle.
“All I had to do was make sure you don’t fail and curse me forever,” Allan replied, smirking.
Alex rolled her eyes. “He’s done his part, Gigi, as he should.”
Golden only smiled slightly, glancing at the neatly organized research documents Allan had sent.
Across campus, Linda felt a surge of triumph…finally, she had outshone Golden. Yet Golden was too absorbed in Allan’s quiet brilliance to care.
Somewhere amid science, chores, and minor rivalries, the first real sparks of tension, admiration, and rivalry were quietly igniting.