Suicide Med Read Free Page B

Conlon’s book, Anatomy Inside Secrets . You’d think if she wanted to be a surgeon, she’d be studying her ass off right now in anticipation of our first anatomy lab tomorrow. Or at least halfheartedly trying to read the lab manual like I’m doing.
    Instead she’s sitting on her bed in a lotus position, just watching me. It’s a little creepy. Our bedroom is just too small for two people to share—I feel like we’re always on top of one another. There’s just barely room for both of our beds, our desks, one dresser, and a single bookcase. We have to share the dresser and a single closet. I can’t even walk into the room without tripping on something.
    “Are you waiting for your boyfriend to call you?”
    I look up at Rachel, who is blinking innocently. I make a face. “His name is Seth. And… well, he might call.”
    Rachel snorts. “Just don’t get too hung up on the guy. If he dumps you, I don’t want to be the one who walks in on you if you…well, you know…”
    “What?”
    Rachel makes a slashing motion across her neck.
    I stare at her, horrified. “I’m not going to kill myself!”
    She shrugs. “You never know. I mean, who walks into medical school thinking, ‘Hey, I’m going to throw myself off the roof of the hospital.’”
    My mouth falls open. I never got around to checking on the internet to see if Rachel’s story is true. Suicide Med. Surely I’d have heard that nickname.
    “Nobody really killed themselves, did they?” I say. I’m half-hoping Rachel will start laughing and admit she’s been messing with me.
    “Maybe not,” she says.
    I feel a twinge of relief until she adds, “They could have all been murders.”
    Rachel definitely has a flair for the drama.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “So here’s an interesting detail,” Rachel says, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. “The first suicide at Southside was six years ago. And when do you think Dr. Conlon got hired?”
    I picture Dr. Conlon limping around with his cane and his dorky bowtie.
    “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.”
    Rachel shrugs again. “Six suicides in six years. Dunno, seems like a big coincidence to me.”
    I’m about to finally tell Rachel that I think she’s full of it when my phone starts ringing with Seth’s number. My ringtone is Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the USA,” which resulted in some choice comments from Rachel last night. But screw her. I like that song.
    “Hello,” I answer breathlessly.
    I hear chewing on the other line. “’Lo?”
    “Hey,” I say, rising up from my bed. Rachel is still staring at me, so I back out of our bedroom into the living room. “What’s up?”
    More chewing. “Not much.”
    More chewing.
    “Um,” I say. “Are you eating?”
    “Just an apple.” I hear him swallow.
    “Didn’t you get dinner?”
    “Yeah,” Seth says. “But, like, I got hungry again.”
    Typical Seth. He always gets hungry about an hour after dinner.
    “Oh,” I say. I grip the phone tighter. I wish I could give Seth a hug, feel his body against me. The person on the other line almost doesn’t seem like it’s him. This long distance thing really sucks. I didn’t expect it to feel so… distant.
    Seth and I first met in freshman chemistry. We were assigned to be lab partners, and I got taken in by his dimples and brown curls. Also, he was just so smart . I would have burned the lab down with my Bunsen burner if not for him.
    For months, Seth and I were just friends. Then one day, while we were walking together, I felt his hand slide into mine. We’ve been together ever since.
    “I miss you,” I say to him.
    “I miss you too,” he says. “I heard a Miley Cyrus song on the radio today and I thought of you.”
    “Oh yeah?” I say. I’m unsure if that’s a compliment.
    “But you’re way cuter than Miley,” Seth says.
    “Gee, thanks,” I laugh.
    “And way sexier,” he adds, even though I’m totally not. I’m not the sexy type, but that’s