Read Before Ryan Was Mine (The Remembrance Trilogy - Prequel) for Free Online Page B

afternoon, instead of making plans with him.
    Was I really almost ditching plans with one best friend for another? Especially when they weren’t even set? I wasn’t sure if I’d forgotten about going with Ellie, or time with Ryan was just beginning to take priority over everything else.
    Ever since I’d been sick last month, and I’d spent the entire weekend at his apartment, we’d seen each other practically every day. I kept telling myself we were just friends, because I had no indication from him that he wanted to be more, but he was amazing and sweet. I’d have to be a blind idiot not to realize how wonderful he was. That said, I couldn’t become one of the gaggle of women on campus who swooned whenever he walked into a room or gazed adoringly at him like insipid morons. I inwardly cringed at the thought. I was certain a big part of the reason he liked to hang out with me was because I didn’t fawn all over him.
    He hadn’t even tried to hold my hand, kiss me or made even a single move that indicated he thought of me as anything other than a friend, but the casual way he draped his arm over my shoulder sometimes, or when our hands would accidentally touch, was affecting me in ways I didn’t want to analyze. In the weeks after I first met him, I had serious insecurities about my abilities to attract him, given the platonic state of our relationship. So, I told myself I couldn’t let myself get wrapped up in romantic dreams of Ryan. Too many women wanted him, anyway, and I didn’t want to compete.
    I cleared my throat and looked up at her. “You’re right, El. I’ll get ready in a flash!” I jumped up from the bed and ran into my bedroom to get ready. I pulled a black dress from the closet and threw it on the bed. Picking up my phone, I began to type out a text to Ryan. Regret surged and tightened my heart, but I tried to push it down. I’d looked forward to this club opening for a long time, and it would be fun. I’d make it fun or die trying. I need to stop acting like an idiot. It was one night.
    One night… without Ryan.
    *****

    I glanced at the clock on the wall. 10 PM.
    Fuck!
    I was agitated. I felt claustrophobic and couldn’t wait to get the hell out of the lab. My lab partner, Nathan, kept yammering on, asking me to give him tips on landing some girl he was hot for. I grimaced. What the fuck gave him the idea I could help him? I’d rather he just focus on the assignment so I could get the hell out of there. I hadn’t had a chance to message Julia, and I felt bad about it. I promised I’d get back to her before seven, and it was already ten. My chest expanded as I set up the vacuum flask and aspirator. I was sure she’d be pissed by now, so our plans were probably flushed.
    Nathan stopped talking and watched what I was doing. He’d dropped the first flask, and we’d had to start over from the beginning. It pissed me off, considering I was planning on the movie with Julia, but I did my best not to let it show.
    “Dude, that’s not right. We’re supposed to grow the crystals out of the solution. So, what are you doing?”
    “This isn’t the first time I’ve synthesized acetylsalicylic acid, Nate. Trust me. My brother Aaron and I did this stuff all the time. We didn’t get science kits for Christmas, but we did experiments all the time. We both wanted to be doctors, like my dad, and he taught us stuff like this on a regular basis. Doing it this way is quicker.”
    “What are you doing, exactly?”
    “I’m creating a vacuum to separate the liquid from the solid, but it will still be too slow. I don’t want to be here all night.”
    “Won’t we get in trouble for not following instructions?”
    I grunted, sarcasm my only acknowledgment of what he’d asked. “Can you get that filter paper and weigh it, please? Do it twice to make sure it’s accurate. And, no, we won’t get in trouble. We should get an extra credit for knowing how to do it more than one way; but we don’t even