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03. idiosyncratic
Idiosyncratic: A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
Amber’s eyes flickered up at the tall boy next to her who was busy sorting through the mess that was the filing room of the university library. Being acquainted with the librarian had its quirks, and one of them was an all-access pass to some of the school’s most hidden literary and research gems. The brunette had spent a bulk of the last two days in the stuffy room, reading paper after paper just so she could write a killer abstract to her research project. Somewhere between the last two days and her messy tendencies, Amber had lost the Swarovski watch her parents had gifted to her on her tenth birthday. It was a prized possession, probably the only thing Amber had managed not to lose other than her breath in her twenty years of living. But here she was, watch gone and breath almost so as the tall boy’s dark brown eyes melted into hers.
Will was astonishingly handsome, Amber thought and a faint of red crept up her cheeks. He pushed up his glasses and pulled his lips into a thin smile. “I don’t see it anywhere,” he said, placing a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder.
“It’s okay,” Amber blurted grimly, biting her bottom lip. “Thanks for helping.” Truth be told, they didn’t even know each other that well. They had went to the same high school - a fact neither of them were aware of until a mutual friend had pointed that out - and had taken one section of economy together when Amber was a sophomore and he a junior at the university. Still, Amber felt a sort of gravity towards the older boy. He was always the first person she called when she needed help, and this was one of those times. -
02. magnanimous
magnanimous: very generous or forgiving, esp. toward a rival or someone less powerful than one self
Ricky didn’t like hospitals. He didn’t like the blinding white sheets they gave him, the limited TV channels they provided, nor the tasteless, bodiless food they served. He especially hated the pitiful looks the nurses threw his way.
Sure he was bullied by his classmates. Yes, he did sustain life-threatening injuries. But he was alive – he persevered when even the best doctors said otherwise to his heartbroken parents. That had to account for something, right?
“Nurse,” he said with a shy smile, nervous that his words might rub her the wrong way, “can you please stop looking at me like that?”
Her eyes were wide, and for the first time Ricky noticed how pretty they were. Her look softened and she placed her hand on his and squeezed it tightly. She was young, probably in her late twenties. The way her blonde hair framed her face reminded Ricky of his sister, a thought that made him widen his smile.
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01. inexorable
inexorable: impossible to stop or to prevent
“The patient’s bp is dropping rapidly – 60 over 40 – it’s still dropping. Dr. Bousti, there’s no more time we have to close this patient now,” the anesthesiologist ordered, eyes locked onto the screen. When the young surgeon didn’t respond, and instead asked for another cutting tool, he growled. “Dr. Bousti this is an order. We don’t have time.”
She glared at him through her dense black lashes. “Yes we do.”
As if on cue, the cardiac monitor beeped, confirming the surgeon’s worst fear. Still, it did little to break her concentration. “The patient is going under, Dr. Bousti. If we stop now he’ll at least survive.”
“Scissors,” she replied, holding her hand out to a hesitant nurse. “I said scissors. Hurry up.” Her worries seemed to be redirected towards the poor nurse, but she didn’t feel guilty at all. “Send this off to imaging. Mark it.”
The machine was still beeping, now louder than before. The old anesthesiologist looked at his junior in shock and disgust. “We are going to lose him if you don’t close now.”
