Before you read the story, please read through this author's note!

Well this is awkward... lol let me explain myself: I had plans of writing and entering the first round of the ONC 2021 but because I went on hiatus I decided to just fully publish this as a short story when I came back.

I had never heard of the open novella contest until they popped up not too long ago. I saw that a lot of people were participating and didn't really find the appeal in it. But I decided to check it out just to skim through the prompts and oh boy did I find a prompt that made the gears in my head turn!

It is prompt #27: You crack a math problem that has stumped experts for decades. The only problem is: you're an undergrad and you stumbled across the problem while snooping in your professor's office while waiting for your appointment to start.

Oh, and just a heads up before you get started: if you're looking for a romance I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere. The two main characters have a specifically platonic friendship. So please don't ask me if they're going to end up together! They are not. This is a journey of self-discovery and about how life isn't a linear path. 

Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy it! Please kindly let me know if I need to edit anything, it would be much appreciated. Thank you ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ