Chapter 5 Josie was dead set on switching majors , and acupuncture was her golden ticket - the from . No way was she letting this slip away . field she was sure she could nail and graduate She gritted her teeth and said . "I'm not in the wrong place . I'm serious - I came here specifically to learn acupuncture ! " " Alright , come on in . " Delilah said , giving her a quick once - over . Her mask hid any hint of what she was thinking , leaving Josie wondering if the professor believed her or was just humoring her . Nervous as hell , Josie stepped into the treatment room . She figured switching majors wouldn't be that big a deal . Her pharmacology and anatomy classes had given her a decent foundation . She wasn't totally clueless Wrong . The moment Delilah started teaching , Josie realized she'd been way too confident . Her mind was suddenly flooded with a ton of questions . " What's a trigger point ? Where's this spleen meridian at ? Why light incense before the needles go in ? And hold on - why's it gotta be super slow and careful when you're poking those cupuncture spots ? Man , seriously ? " There was a mountain of info to memorize and a ton of details to keep straight . One measly hour felt like a week - long crash course the kind where one couldn't jot down notes and there was a pop quiz at the end . By the time Delilah finished , Josie was sweating bullets . She was terrified of flunking the test and blowing her chance to impress Delilah . If she screwed this up , her dream of switching majors was dead in the water . " So ," Delilah said , turning to her as they stepped out of the treatment room , " how much did you pick up ? " Claire , catching Josie's jitters , jumped in . " Hey , no pressure . Just spill what you remember . " Wilcourt's not gonna bite your head off . That's a lot to take in all at once ." Josie's heart swelled . She knew Claire was right - Delilah had gone into way more detail than she would've if Josie hadn't been there . Claire and Sean , both acupuncture majors , already knew this stuff like the back of their hands . Her gut had been right about Delilah . Unlike David , who'd snap at her for blinking wrong . Delilah was patient as a saint during hands - on lessons . A flicker of warmth hit Josie - she wasn't about to let them down . " You used two needle sets , " she said , steadying her voice . " The first set hit the trigger point , Large Intestine 4 , Governing Vessel 20 , Stomach 49 , Heart 7 , Large Intestine II , Stomach 44 , Liver 3 , Stomach 36 , Spleen 9 , and Governing Vessel 26 . " The second set targeted Kidney 3 , Heart 7 , Kidney 7 , Large Intestine II , Conception Vessel 4 , Large Intestine 4 , Conception Vessel 6 , and Stomach 28 " She took a breath and added , " The calming incense you lit had stuff like patchouli , cinnamon bark , mugwort , lavender , and sandalwood -at least , that's what I could make out . " Josie glanced nervously at Professor Wilcourt . " Did I get that right ? Wilcourt's eyebrow shot up . " You smelled the ingredients in the incense ? Seriously ? " Josie nodded firmly . " Yeah . I took an herbal medicine elective my sophomore year . I crammed like crazy for a pharmacology contest to : win some cash . Really needed it ? Claire's face lit up . Hold up . that's why grand prize , right ? " your name rang a bell ! You're the one who beat me out for first place and snagged that fifteen- winced . " Yeah , sorry about that , Claire . I was desperate for the money " Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Josie was dead - set on switching majors , and acupuncture was her golden ticket - the one field she was sure she could mail and graduate from . No way was she letting this slip away . She gritted her teeth and said , " Tm not in the wrong place . I'm serious - I came here specifically to learn acupuncture !" " Alright , come on in , Delilah said , giving her a quick once - over . Her mask hid any hint of what she was thinking , leaving Josie wondering if the professor believed her or was just humoring her . Nervous as hell , Josie stepped into the treatment room . She figured switching majors wouldn't be that big a deal . Her pharmacology and anatomy classes had given her a decent foundation . She wasn't totally clueless . Wrong . The moment Delilah started teaching , Josie realized she'd been way too confident . Her mind was suddenly flooded with a ton of questions . " What's a trigger point ? Where's this spleen meridian at ? Why light incense before the needles go in ? And hold on - why's it gotta be super slow and careful when you're poking those cupuncture spots ? Man , seriously ? " There was a mountain of info to memorize and a ton of details to keep straight . One measly hour felt like a week - long crash course the kind where one couldn't for down notes and there was a pop quiz at the end . By the time Delilah finished , Josie was sweating bullets . She was terrified of flunking the test and blowing her chance to impress Delilah . If she screwed this up , her dream of switching majors was dead in the water . " So ," Delilah said , turning to her as they stepped out of the treatment room . " how much did you pick up ? " Claire , catching Josie's jitters , jumped in . " Hey , no pressure . Just spill what you remember . " Wilcourt's not gonna bite your head off . That's a lot to take in all at once . " Josie's heart swelled . She knew Claire was right - Delilah had gone into way more detail than she would've if Josie hadn't been there . Claire and Sean , both acupuncture majors , already knew this stuff like the back of their hands . Her gut had been right about Delilah . Unlike David , who'd snap at her for blinking wrong , Delilah was patient as a saint during hands - on lessons A flicker of warmth hit Jesie - she wasn't about to let them down . " You used two needle sets ," she said , steadying her voice . The first set hit the trigger point , Large lotestine 4 , Governing Vessel 20 , Stomach 40 , Heart 7 , Large Intestine 11 , Stomach 44 , Liver 3 , Stomach 36 , Spleen 9 , and Governing Vessel 26 . The second set targeted Kidney 3 , Heart 7. Kidney 7 , Large Intestine II , Conception Vessel 4 , Large Intestine 4 , Conception Vessel ti , and Stomach 28 ," She took a breath and added , " The calming incense you lit had stuff like patchouli , cinnamon bark , mugwort , lavender , and sandalwood Josie glanced nervously at Professor Wilcourt . " Did I get that right ? " Wilcourt's eyebrow shot up . " You smelled the ingredients in the incense ? Seriously ?" Josie nodded firmly . " Yeals . I took an herbal medicine elective my sophomore year . I crammed like crazy for a pharmacology contest to win some cash . Really needed it " Claire's face lit up . " Hold up , that's why your name rang a bell ! You're the one who beat me out for brst place and snagged that fifteen- grand prize , right ? " Josie winced . " Yeah , sorry about that , Claire . I was desperate for the money . " Chapter 3 " Sorry for what ? " Claire laughed , brushing it off . " You won it fair and square . What , you think I'm gonna mug you for it or something ? " She gave Josie a playful nudge , clearly not holding a grudge . Delilah let out a low whistle . " Losing and still bragging ? If I were you , I'd keep that on the down - low . " " For real , " Sean said , peeling off his mask and throwing Claire a flat stare . Talk about embarrassing " " Hey , watch it , you- Claire started , but Delilah cut her off " Alright , you two , go grab some food . I need a quick chat with Ms. Pearson here . " Josie's spine stiffened . So now she knew Delilah had overheard everything and knew she wasn't some official intern sent by the school . Claire caught her panic and leaned in with a grin . " Chill , girl . If you really wanna learn , just lay it on thick with her . Maybe flash those puppy - dog eyes - you're cute enough to pull it off . She'll totally cave . " With a cheeky wink , she let Sean drag her off . The room went silent , just Josie and Delilah left , her nerves buzzing like a live wire . " Professor , I gotta level with you , " Josie said , fidgeting with her sleeve . I wasn't straight - up earlier . I'm not an intern sent by the school , and I've never taken your class . " belilah raised an eyebrow , motioning to a chair . " Didn't you take pharmacology as an elective ? That's my course , so you've kinda heard me teach . " Relax , kid ," Delilah said with a half - smirk . " My program's not exactly swamped with fans . If you're serious about learning . I'm game to teach . But that pharmacology contest you brought up ? That was two years ago . " She leaned back , eyeing Josie . " You were a sophomore then , so … senior now , right ? About to graduate ? Got an internship lined up ? " Josie nodded , her stomach in knots . " Yeah , but I tanked the exam for Professor Lawson's research team . " That means scrambling for a new internship , and that's not why I picked this field . I'd rather switch to something I can crush than settle . " Delilah gave a slow nod , her face hard to read . " David's the big shot in his field , no doubt . If you can't join his crew , breaking out's gonna be tough " But acupuncture ? It's not some side hustle you just pick up . Why do you think you'll kill it here ? " Her voice had an edge , a spark of challenge in her eyes . Josie knew she was on thin ice . One slip , and she'd tank her shot at acupuncture and piss off Delilah . She took a deep breath , voice steady . Tm not saying I'll rule your field overnight . But I've checked my electives , and if I'm switching . acupuncture's my best bet . " I've looked into traditional medicine - it's blowing up here . If I go all in , I can make waves , maybe even outshine Professor Lawson's crew . Delilah snorted , her stern look cracking into a grin . " Smooth talker , huh ? You saying I'm better than Professor Lawson ? " She chuckled , then got serious . " My program's the underdog on campus . Barely anyone sticks it out to a PhD , Professor Lawson's classes ? Kids fight like hell for a spot . " His team ? You graduate , you're golden - straight to top research gigs " You didn't make Professor Lawson's cut this time , but you could try again . Switching majors , though ? No going back . You sure about this ?" Josie didn't waver . " Dead sure . Acupuncture's niche , but that's why it's easier to stand out . You're as big a deal as Professor Lawson in your feld , Professor Wilcourt . I'm betting on this " Delilah studied her for a beat , then shrugged . " Alright , your internship papers . " you can s can stay - but you gotta ace the final exam this semester . Only then will I sign Josie exhaled , relief hating her hard . But before she could relax , Delilah added , " You nailed those acupuncture techniques you memorized " Shows you've got a sharp brain . So , juu passing the exam ? Not enough . You gotta crush it " .