Study Chem

So things didn’t go perfectly with the girl. That’s okay, you think to yourself. You had work to do anyways.

You plunk yourself down in a chair in the lounge and crack open your chemistry textbook. There’s a familiar comfort to the heft of these pages as you begin reading about workfunctions. How much energy does it take to move an electron from some solid to a point outside its surface?

The initial equation that you’re given isn’t so complicated. It’s just a relationship between the electrostatic potential of the vacuum outside the surface and the Fermi level inside the solid. But then you try to unpack some of the models that attempt to actually accurately model the function, and things spiral out of control quickly. Surface chemistry, you are coming to realize, is a bit of a bitch, and the many body effects inherent to this problem are a real headache. In fact, the structure of the problem reminds you of some of the work being done in Professor Styles’ lab, and you start to wonder if every professor is so schadenfreude that they’d throw the problems they’re stuck on at their students. Or maybe everything is so tough here that, even in your strongest subject, you’re going to struggle like hell.

“Everyone’s happier when they’re suffering together,” you mutter under your breath as you scrawl out yet another complicated equation to solve.

“That’s a dismal take on things,” Emma chuckles, having stopped by the lounge. She’s got a can of beer cracked open and takes a sip from it. “Chin up, Alex, what could be so tough?”

She’s wearing mom jeans and a simple t-shirt, the kind of outfit that’s designed to be forgettable. You find yourself distracted by her cleavage nonetheless. (Look, you’re just slightly sexually frustrated after everything that’s happened tonight. You deserve a break.)

“Explain this, then,” you say, passing your notebook to her.

Emma looks at your notebook and scrunches her face up. She raises an eyebrow and says: “I’m too sober for this.”

“Told you it’s tough,” you laugh.

Emma pounds back half the can and thinks for a moment.

“Meh, you just need to solve the system considering surface attachment with limited kinetics,” she shrugs. “Jigger this around and the ODEs will fall out, and then you’ll be able to solve it.”

You stare back at her.

“How do you know this?” you ask. “You’re not a chem major, last I remembered.”

“Yeah, but I took Intro Chem when I was a wee little freshie like you,” she laughs.

“That makes it even more impressive,” you say. Then, deciding to swallow your ego a bit, you ask: “Do you have a couple minutes to explain what’s going on here in more detail?”

“Sorry, I’ve got to run,” Emma says, holding up her can. “Tatiana’s out of the hall at her sorority thing, and that means it’s prime time to make some sales. Peace!”

She waves you goodbye, before calling out over her shoulder: “Unless you want a drink! Then swing by my room and I might give you a tip!”

“Alright, you’ll get your sale,” you say, rolling your eyes, and you follow Emma to her room.

“That’ll be five bucks for the beer,” she says, handing you a cold one from her mini-fridge.

After you fork over the money, Emma gives you a couple helpful pointers that clarifies this doozy of a problem you’ve been stuck on. You crack open the beer and work on your problem, sipping from the beverage.

“I’m going to head out again, see if there are any other freshmen looking to buy,” Emma says. “Keep an eye on the wares for me, will ya?”

You nod absent-mindedly, continuing to work while she makes her rounds across the hall.

Emma +10