Life had a strange way of shifting focus—one moment you were working behind the curtain, the next, you were center stage. I never sought the spotlight, but somewhere along the way, it found me.
My professor stopped me after class with a thoughtful look in her eyes.
"Charlotte, the board reviewed your research analysis on patient recovery rates and… we're impressed," she said.
I blinked. "You are?"
She nodded. "Very. We're recommending you for the National Medical Symposium as a student presenter."
My jaw dropped. That was huge—a stage usually reserved for top-tier researchers and postgraduates. Not shy, formerly invisible Charlotte Samson.
"I don't even know what to say…"
"Say yes. And start preparing."
As I walked out of the lecture hall, everything felt surreal. I should've called Sophie right away, or James—but for a moment, I just stood outside, letting the cool air wash over me. My name would be on a program, my voice echoing through a room of professionals. This was no longer just a dream. It was happening.
That evening, I finally broke the news over dinner.
Sophie gasped so loud she dropped her spoon. "What? Charlotte! That's insane. Do you realize how many students get rejected from even applying?"
James grinned, leaning forward. "I told you you're a force, didn't I?"
I blushed and shrugged. "I'm just… nervous."
"You've got this," Sophie said, pointing her fork at me like a wand. "You're not invisible anymore, remember?"
James added, "And if anyone gives you trouble, I'll be in the front row, making intimidating faces at them."
We all laughed, but their support filled a part of me that still occasionally doubted. And as if the universe wasn't done surprising me that week, I received an email later that night—it was from Princeton General Hospital.
Subject: Internship Approval – Summer Rotation
I covered my mouth, rereading it twice. Approved. I was officially accepted into one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country—where I'd be working under real doctors, in real cases, shoulder to shoulder with some of the finest minds in medicine. And maybe, just maybe, with my mom occasionally passing by a corridor.
I sat there staring at the screen, heart pounding.
The quiet girl who once cried in the bathroom stall after being mocked during math class… she was now going places.
Maybe people weren't just seeing me now.
Maybe they were finally believing in me.