Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Josie smirked to herself . If this guy was on Aiden's bad side , she was definitely gonna get to know him better , She chucked her lunchbox into the trash and headed off to dig up some books on acupuncture . Kyle caught her ignoring him , and his jaw tightened . " Hey , you hear me ? You already ticked Aiden off this morning . Don't go making it Josie almost laughed , but it was a cold , bitter one in her head . In her old life , she'd jumped through hoops to keep them happy , always putting their feelings first . Not anymore . She was done playing nice - she was looking out for herself now . " Thanks for handling the stuff , Kyle ," she said , voice icy , barely glancing at Kyle before heading upstairs . Her chilly vibe threw Kyle off . He'd known Josie forever , and she'd never hit him with that look . Kyle's mind spun . ' Is she still mad about this morning when we pushed her to apologize ? I thought Aiden's feelings were her top priority . I was just trying to help - why's she acting like I'm the jerk ? Kyle scoffed and stormed out of the archive room . When Josie came back down with her book , the empty room didn't surprise her . Kyle was selfish to the core . His family name and skills weren't enough to keep him in the team's good books , so he stuck to Aiden like glue , always sucking up . Back when Josie was the team's favorite , Aiden had a soft spot for her . Kyle milked it , using her to talk him up to Aiden . Even when a lab disaster nearly got him kicked out , Josie had begged Aiden and David to give him another shot . But when Natalie framed her and the team turned on her , who was the first to stab her in the back ? Kyle . Josie let out a sharp , mocking chuckle . " What . I give him the cold shoulder once , and he just bolts ? Wait till I shove that diploma in his face , every backstab he pulled returned , one by one . What's he gonna do then ? She pushed Kyle out of her mind , left the archive room , and headed to her dorm , missing the cold , angry eyes watching her from the shadows . Kyle figured Josie would blow up his phone , begging him to come back and help . The archive room wa was a mess of papers - no way she could sort it alone . But she didn't call . Didn't even stay . She just walked out . That wasn't the Josie he knew . Is this who she really is ? ' he wondered , doubt creeping in . " Was that sweet , go - along girl just a front all this time ? " Kyle's face lit up like he'd cracked a big secret . Heading to the guys ' dorm, he muttered , " Josie , you're done . I'm gonna expose you and make things right for Natalie " Aiden had pushed for Josie to apologize to Natalie , showing who he really cared about . Kyle thought If he could get on Natalie's good side , Aiden would be stoked . He'd hoped Josie would suck it up and say sorry to Aiden - then he'd have two people hyping him up to the boss , 'But nope , Josie's gotta be stubborn and blow me off , he thought . " Well , can't say I didn't try ! Josie bolted back to her dorm , stuffed her laptop into her backpack , and headed for the door . Before darting out , she shot her roommate a look . " Hey , if anyone comes asking for me , just say I'm sick and dragged myself to the hospital , okay ? " And yeah , she did head to the hospital . 1/2 Chapter 4 Aloville's only traditional medicine hospital , linked to their med school , was her spot . Josie slung her bag over her shoulder and made a beeline for the acupuncture wing . She'd checked the school's website and knew Delilah Wilcourt , the acupuncture rockstar , was running rounds today . She hadn't even hit the department when she spotted Delilah down the hall . " Professor Wilcourt ! " Josie called , but before she could say more , Delilah cut in " You're late ! Hurry up , get changed , and meet me in the treatment room , stat , " she said . Josie didn't bother explaining . She just followed Delilah , who was already charging ahead . Rumor had it , acupuncture training got real hands - on later on . For local interns , Delilah led rounds , teaching while treating patients , In the changing room , Josie noticed it was way quieter than David's chaotic sessions , where a herd of students trailed him . Here , it was just Delilah and three interns - Josie , one guy , and one other girl . Super chill setup . " Get the tools ready ." Delilah said , slapping on a mask and glancing at them . Josie had no idea what to do , so she stuck close to the other girl , Claire - she'd glimpsed her name on her scrubs badge while changing . " First timer ? " Claire asked , passing Josie some silver needles to sterilize . Who sent you ? Nobody mentioned a new intern . What's your name ? " Josie flicked her eyes toward Mu , who was distracted . She exhaled softly . Josie Pearson . " " Josie ? " Claire squinted . " Sounds familiar . We met before ? " Josie's stomach flipped . " Nah , acupuncture's my second major . First time here . Came for Professor Wilcourt's rep . Pretty sure we're strangers " Huh , I could've sworn Claire started , but Delilah's voice sliced through . " Quit yapping ! " Delilah grabbed the sterilized needles and headed for the treatment room . " Move it ! Today's patient's got a tough case , and this'll take a while . Pay attention ." Claire made a face behind Delilah's back , then tugged Josie's arm and whispered , " Don't worry, Professor Wilcourt's all bark . She's the coolest prof here . " You picked a good gig - barely anyone does acupuncture , so internships are wide open . Professor Wilcourt basically holds your hand . " Finish your internship , and you're set to see patients solo . Graduate , get hired , and bam - full physician status . " No assistant grunt work like other specialties . Plus , better pay and an easy workload " Hmph ," a snarky scoff interrupted . It was the guy , mask on , face hidden , no badge . Josie had no clue who he was . " No need to oversell it ," he said , eyeing Josie . " School didn't mention new interns " You sure you're in the right place ? If you're lost , you can still bail - Professor Wilcourt won't care . " " Sean , you serious ? " Claire hissed , yanking his arm . Josie Befo الرجاء stay Comment ing now gout . specti