Mindy pulled out her notebook, writing the date in the top right corner. Second week of residency! She squealed inwardly, glancing around the small conference room. These are my peers. The doctors I'll be working with for the next six years. Maybe that girl over there will be my best friend. Maybe he's my enemy. Maybe I'll fall in love with –

"Ahem."

Mindy's inner monologue stopped abruptly as someone next to her cleared their throat again. Mindy glanced up. "Uh, sorry, do you need a lozenge? I have these great new green tea kind, they say they heal you from the inside – "

"That's my seat." The speaker narrows his eyes at Mindy, gesturing to where she's sitting. Mindy chuckles.

"Excuse me?"

The man nods his head at her. "Where you're sitting. That's my seat."

Mindy frowned. "I'm sorry, are we in the fourth grade?" She looks around at the other residents, who have taken a sudden interest in their notebooks.

"No, but you are in my seat." The guy smirks now, folding his arms and signaling that he's ready to fight this one out. "It's the second week of residency. You can't just go sitting somewhere new during the meetings. Everyone knows you pick your seat the first week."

"Actually, I don't know that I know that," Mindy replies, sitting up straighter. "Anyway, it's just a chair. No need to blow up about it, Christian Bale."

"Christian who?" The man shakes his head. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Point is, I sat in that seat all last week, so I feel like I staked my claim."

Mindy scoffed. "Well, sorry to tell ya buddy, but ya snooze, ya lose." She ticked her head towards the back of the table. "There are a couple chairs back there. I'm sure you'll survive."

The seat-debater looks like he's about to respond with a comeback when the lead doctor enters the room. "Alright, everyone, let's begin. I've got a patient with a broken femur and she's a chatty one. Can't leave my nurse with her for too long or I won't have anyone left to take blood samples." The residents chuckled good-naturedly.

The doctor glances down at his clipboard. "Today's assignments – Daniel Castellano? You're shadowing Dr. Bellson." He looks up in Mindy's direction, clearly surprised before he searches the room and settles his sights in the back. "Ah, Mr. Castellano, there you are. I see we have a change of seating today."

"Just switching it up, keeping you on your toes," Danny joked back, causing the others to laugh along. He smirked, shooting Mindy a look.

And that was the first time she knew she loathed Danny Castellano.