Chapter 5

Josie was dead-set on switching majors, and acupuncture was her golden ticket—the one field she was sure she could nail and graduate from. No way was she letting this slip away.

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 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 acupuncture 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 40, 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 your name rang a bell! You’re the one who beat me out for first place and snagged that fifteen-grand prize, right?”

Josie winced. “Yeah, sorry about that, Claire. I was desperate for the money.”

“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.”

Delilah 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. “I’m 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 field, Professor Wilcourt. I’m betting on this.”

Delilah studied her for a beat, then shrugged. “Alright, you can stay—but you gotta ace the final exam this semester. Only then will I sign your internship papers.”

Josie exhaled, relief hitting her hard. But before she could relax, Delilah added, “You nailed those acupuncture techniques you memorized. Shows you’ve got a sharp brain. So, just passing the exam? Not enough. You gotta crush it.”

Josie’s jaw tightened, but she nodded. “Deal. Can I start shadowing you now?”