still a student. I don’t want you to kill yourself over this. I don’t think less of you.”
“Please, just disregard what he said. I want to be here.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sydney. That’s my final decision. Now go home.”
She sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue. She grabbed her bag and stormed off, livid with Coen. He went behind her back and sabotaged her work. It was unacceptable.
When she came inside the house, Coen was sitting in the living room. By the resigned expression on his face, she knew he was expecting a fight.
“How could you?” she snapped. Her arms were shaking as she stared him down.
“I had to do what’s best for you.” He stood up and looked at her. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” she asked incredulously. “You of all people know how important this is to me.” She coughed loudly, covering her mouth.
He stared at her. “You are the strongest person I know, Sydney. But even the strongest people need to take a step back and admit when they are overwhelmed. You are drowning right now.”
“I’m fine!”
“Sydney, you aren’t okay. You haven’t been okay in weeks. I did what’s best for you. You can hate me all you want, but I really don’t care.”
“You crossed a line, Coen. This research is important to me. Now he’ll just replace me with someone else.”
“No, he won’t,” Coen said. “I made sure of that. He agreed that you work too hard.”
“I’ve worked so hard on this and you’re just taking it away.”
He looked at her incredulously. “It’s one day a week,” he snapped. “Just one day! You’ll be fine.”
She gripped her hair. “I can’t talk to you.”
“You need to lie down,” he said. “And get some rest.”
“Fuck you, Coen.”
He glared at her. “Don’t talk to me like that.”
“You betrayed my trust.”
“No, I didn’t. I had to intervene. You’re sicker than a dog. You don’t sleep and you don’t eat. For a genius, you don’t seem to understand the human body very well. Without food and rest, your body can’t create ATP to supply energy to the body. And without ATP, your immune system suffers.”
“I know basic biology,” she snapped.
“Then you know I’m right. You’re doing too much.”
“I can handle it.”
“Obviously not.”
“This conversation is over.” She marched to the kitchen table and pulled out her books and computer.
“You need to lay down,” Coen said.
“Coen, just go away. I’m so pissed at you right now.”
“I’m not too happy with you either,” he snapped.
She put her earplugs in and ignored him.
Coen went into the living room and started to watch TV.
When she went through her homework, she logged onto her Ecology course to see her most recent grade. When she saw that she was no longer enrolled in the course, she assumed it was a glitch. She logged on again but it did the same thing. Panicked, she emailed her instructor and asked what the problem was. When she read the response, Sydney almost fainted.
“YOU DROPPED ME FROM MY ECOLOGY COURSE!”
Coen turned off the TV. “I had to.”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!”
He stood up and stared her down. “You don’t need the ecology minor. You already have twenty units this semester. That’s almost twice the amount of a full load.”
She felt her arms shake. “That—was—I can’t believe you fucked me over like that.”
“I understand why you’re mad—”
“I’m leaving.” She grabbed her things. “I can’t even look at you right now.”
C oen grabbed her bags and threw them on the couch. “You aren’t leaving.”
“Get away from me!”
“I’ll go,” he said quickly. “Stay here.”
She glared at him. “Then get out already.”
Coen looked at her. “Baby, I hate this as much as you do. But I had to do the right thing.”
“This is completely unacceptable,” she said. “I might be able to understand the different work schedule—someday—but I’ll never forgive you
“Please, just disregard what he said. I want to be here.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sydney. That’s my final decision. Now go home.”
She sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue. She grabbed her bag and stormed off, livid with Coen. He went behind her back and sabotaged her work. It was unacceptable.
When she came inside the house, Coen was sitting in the living room. By the resigned expression on his face, she knew he was expecting a fight.
“How could you?” she snapped. Her arms were shaking as she stared him down.
“I had to do what’s best for you.” He stood up and looked at her. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” she asked incredulously. “You of all people know how important this is to me.” She coughed loudly, covering her mouth.
He stared at her. “You are the strongest person I know, Sydney. But even the strongest people need to take a step back and admit when they are overwhelmed. You are drowning right now.”
“I’m fine!”
“Sydney, you aren’t okay. You haven’t been okay in weeks. I did what’s best for you. You can hate me all you want, but I really don’t care.”
“You crossed a line, Coen. This research is important to me. Now he’ll just replace me with someone else.”
“No, he won’t,” Coen said. “I made sure of that. He agreed that you work too hard.”
“I’ve worked so hard on this and you’re just taking it away.”
He looked at her incredulously. “It’s one day a week,” he snapped. “Just one day! You’ll be fine.”
She gripped her hair. “I can’t talk to you.”
“You need to lie down,” he said. “And get some rest.”
“Fuck you, Coen.”
He glared at her. “Don’t talk to me like that.”
“You betrayed my trust.”
“No, I didn’t. I had to intervene. You’re sicker than a dog. You don’t sleep and you don’t eat. For a genius, you don’t seem to understand the human body very well. Without food and rest, your body can’t create ATP to supply energy to the body. And without ATP, your immune system suffers.”
“I know basic biology,” she snapped.
“Then you know I’m right. You’re doing too much.”
“I can handle it.”
“Obviously not.”
“This conversation is over.” She marched to the kitchen table and pulled out her books and computer.
“You need to lay down,” Coen said.
“Coen, just go away. I’m so pissed at you right now.”
“I’m not too happy with you either,” he snapped.
She put her earplugs in and ignored him.
Coen went into the living room and started to watch TV.
When she went through her homework, she logged onto her Ecology course to see her most recent grade. When she saw that she was no longer enrolled in the course, she assumed it was a glitch. She logged on again but it did the same thing. Panicked, she emailed her instructor and asked what the problem was. When she read the response, Sydney almost fainted.
“YOU DROPPED ME FROM MY ECOLOGY COURSE!”
Coen turned off the TV. “I had to.”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!”
He stood up and stared her down. “You don’t need the ecology minor. You already have twenty units this semester. That’s almost twice the amount of a full load.”
She felt her arms shake. “That—was—I can’t believe you fucked me over like that.”
“I understand why you’re mad—”
“I’m leaving.” She grabbed her things. “I can’t even look at you right now.”
C oen grabbed her bags and threw them on the couch. “You aren’t leaving.”
“Get away from me!”
“I’ll go,” he said quickly. “Stay here.”
She glared at him. “Then get out already.”
Coen looked at her. “Baby, I hate this as much as you do. But I had to do the right thing.”
“This is completely unacceptable,” she said. “I might be able to understand the different work schedule—someday—but I’ll never forgive you
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