Before Ryan Was Mine (The Remembrance Trilogy - Prequel) by Kahlen Aymes Read Free Book Online

need to tell Dr. Johnson. All we need is the correct weight of solid from the solution and we’ll ace it.”
    Nate took the paper to the scale and calibrated it, before writing down the weight and handing it back to me. I had the solution flask chilling in an ice water bath as I rigged up the makeshift vacuum, securing a Buchner funnel to the top of the vacuum flask and placing the piece of coffee filter that Nate had weighed into it. It would collect the solids from the saturated solution. We would then weigh it again, subtract the weight of the filter paper, and we’d have our finished weight of the acid solids.
    After the solution was poured into the funnel, the aspirator began to suck the liquid into the flask at a snail’s pace, drop by frustrating drop. Ugh ! I pulled the phone out and looked at the screen, and I had three messages. I scrolled through them and landed on the one from Julia.
    Since I didn’t hear from you, I went to HotSpot with Ellie. I promised her months ago anyway. It’s the grand opening and I’d forgotten. Sorry! Hope your experiment turns out. Maybe we can do the movie tomorrow night?
    Disappointment, and a new rush of anger at Nathan, surged through me. I couldn’t go the following night because some girl in my trig class invited me to a keg party her sorority was throwing at their house off campus. When Aaron found out, there was no getting out of going. He was all about meeting new girls. I considered that I could invite Julia and Ellie to come along, but the woman who’d invited me had done it because she wanted to get to know me, and it would be rude to invite other women. Especially Julia. I’d be talking to her all night, and besides, she might think bringing her would be a fucked up thing to do. I was royally screwed.
    I glanced impatiently at Nate. He was washing the crystals by putting more distilled water through the aspirator. The substance had to be as pure as we could possibly make it to get to the correct weight. Any overage would lower our grade. It had to be exact.
    I ran a hand over the stubble on my jaw, scratched along its edge before turning my back to Nate and typed out my reply to Julia.
    I got hung up at the lab making aspirin with Nate. Tomorrow night won’t work, but how about Sunday? I’m really sorry about tonight.
    If the girls were at a club, I knew there was no way Julia would get back to me tonight. Part of me wanted to finish up at the lab then wait outside her dorm or go to the club. I sighed. I’d look like an idiot if I did that.
    I realized I was missing her, and it was unsettling. She was becoming the best friend I’d ever had. I didn’t know if it was because I could talk to her about things I couldn’t discuss with Aaron, or the attraction I felt that made me want to spend every waking moment with her. Admittedly, she was easier on the eyes, smelled better, and, maybe best of all, she fed me.
    There was no way in hell I was going to chase her down. That was just weird, and it might send the wrong message, though I was unclear what message I wanted to send. She was beautiful and sexy, and I couldn’t get her out of my head.
    I checked the connection between the flask and the rubber tube that helped create the suction.
    Nate was bent over his phone, but suddenly popped up, excited. “Dude, this girl I’m dating asked me to come over to her apartment right now because her roommate isn’t home. I think I’m gonna get laid. Do you mind if I bail?”
    Sure , I thought. Fucking leave me with finishing the experiment, and then cleanup alone. Why the hell not? Your clumsy ass has already ruined my night . My mouth thinned as I pressed my lips into a line. “Really?” I asked in exasperation.
    “Dude, come on ,” he pleaded with me. “I’ve been trying to get into this girl’s pants since the beginning of the year.”
    “Okay.” I nodded toward the door, silently telling him to get the fuck out. “But you owe me.”
    “You got it.