Free Come What May (Heartbeat) by Faith Sullivan Page A

flashcards in front of me.
    “What’s all this?” I have to laugh. This girl is so prepared. It’s scary. What the hell does she need me for?
    “It’s medical terminology I have to know for tomorrow’s exam.” She’s all business now. Chat time is over. “You say the word and I’ll give you the definition.”
    We go on like that for the next hour or so. She doesn’t miss a beat. Her recall is amazing. I’m impressed. I took this class last year and forgot some of the material. So helping Jada isn’t a waste of time. It’s serving as a good refresher for me.
    “Last one. Name the two dorsal cavities.” I don’t even look up. I keep my eyes fixed on the card. She’s got this.
    “Cranial and spinal.” She’s watching me expectantly. The word spinal is in parentheses. It’s the correct answer, but there’s an alternate term.
    Deciding to push her, I press forward. “Spinal or…?”
    She rolls her eyes. “Vertebral.”
    “You are good, mama. No doubt about it. How did you ever get stuck with me?” Shaking my head, I can’t quite fathom my luck at being assigned to her.
    “Adam, are you kidding? Everyone around here knows how good you are in the field. Yeah, I’m book smart, but I have a long way to go before I can catch up to your experience level.” Retrieving her cards, she starts to pack up. But I don’t want to let her go, not yet.
    “I’ve just been doing it for so long, that’s all. It’s like second nature. You’ll get there.” Her notes are so orderly. There’s not a doodle or even a scribble anywhere to be found. I can’t help asking, “How’d you get to be such a good student?”
    “Well, my mom always wanted the best for me. So I was enrolled in a private high school. Everyone got a lot of one-on-one attention from the teachers since the class sizes were so small. But it also made the competition pretty intense, and I don’t like to lose.” Her jaw is rigid, as if these memories are painful for her to remember.
    “So why didn’t you go to a four-year college? You must’ve been offered a slew of scholarships.” It’s not the first time I wondered about her career choice.
    “For years, I was around a lot of white people and made to feel like an outsider. It was like being in a bubble. Everyone was living this sheltered life, but I was the only one who seemed to realize it. It wasn’t the real world. I was taught to believe that I was something special. But when I came out of it, I realized that I’m really at the bottom. It was a lot of false hopes and promises.” She exhales loudly. It’s strange to hear her sound so defeated.
    “What are all your classmates doing now?” She keeps comparing herself to them like she’s not good enough. And I don’t like it.
    “One is studying to be a doctor. Another entered West Point. Then there’s one going for an architectural degree. Shall I go on?” She’s bitter. Acting like they’re so much better when she can be doing the same exact thing if she wanted to. So why isn’t she?
    “There has to be more to it than what you’re telling me. You’re on an equal level with them. Why aren’t you doing something spectacular with your life?” I don’t mean to hurt her, but maybe she needs someone to set her straight.
    “Funny, I thought I was.” She gathers up her belongings and storms off in a huff.
    “Jada, wait,” I call to her, but she doesn’t respond. Damn it. I hit my fist against the table, and those around me turn to stare. Things were going so well. Leave it to me to screw things up with her…again.

Chapter Twelve

Jada
    I don’t think I’ll ever have everything going for me at the same time. If my grades are up, then so is my weight. If my skin is blemish-free, then my hair is a funky shade of red. If the guy I like actually starts taking an interest in me, then he has to take things too far. Why does life have to be so contradictory? How come I can never have it all instead of in bits and