The Carrier (The Carrier Series Book 1) by Diana Ryan Read Free Book Online Page B

I arrived at my dorm room and called
Aaron right away.
    “It’s just one F, baby. You’ll be fine.”
    I sniffled, crying quietly.
    “Want me to come over? I’ll make you feel
better.”
    “Aaron, you’re three hours away.” But I wanted
really badly for him to come. I needed him.
    “I’m leaving now, baby. I’ll be there by 8
tonight.”
    But he never came. I got a text at 8:30 saying
something came up and he wasn’t going to be able to make it. Then I didn’t hear
from him for three weeks.
    Kasie said
she’d kick his ass if he came near me again. But a month later he showed up at
our door with a bouquet of flowers. Kasie knew he
made me happy, if only temporarily, so she let him in and I skipped study group
that night.
    I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, so I
spent time volunteering in a first grade classroom during my last year of high school.
All aspects of high school came easily to me, and I graduated with decent
grades and social ranking. I headed off to college high on life, but the
academics turned out to be much tougher than I had expected and I soon realized
I had never really learned how to study. My dreams of teaching started to
deflate with each poor grade I earned, and I began to wonder if maybe I didn’t
have an ounce of teacher inside me.
    Although I made some great girlfriends, I
missed being popular and the dramatic rollercoaster ride with Aaron left me
more than distracted. For once, my world was shaken, and I had craved the
solace of the Dells to help me refocus and recharge for the challenges of the
next year of my life.
    The day drifted by utterly slowly, and I had a
lot of time to think about what I had overheard my parents discussing the night
before. That morning, my mom told me Dad had to go on a business trip and would
be gone for a few days. The sad look on my mom’s face scared me. Perhaps it
wasn’t simply a marital squabble. I carefully asked my mom if everything was
okay, but she threw on a happy face and assured me all was fine. It was all
very mysterious, but I trusted my parents to work everything out on their own.
    Before I knew it, I was released from Dean’s laser
eyes and off to the parking lot. I passed Brian in the front ticket booth on my
way out and decided to stop for a quick chat. Brian and I had been classmates
in high school. We were friendly enough, but didn’t end up in the same social
circles.
    “Hey Ava. How’d
you survive the day with Captain Scary?”
    “Ah, yes. I barely survived. I think my hands
still smell like Windex.” I held my fingers up for him to sniff, but he didn’t.
    “What are you up to tonight?” Brian seemed to
have an instigator’s smile on his lips, and I knew he had been talking to
Suzanne.
    “Yes, it is true—I am going on a date with
Nolan. Have you gotten to work alone with him yet?” I asked.
    “Yeah, a few times. Seems
like a nice guy. Funny as hell, you know.” He paused for a moment and looked me
in the eyes. “Now, Ava. Don’t let that boy take advantage of you! You keep your
sweet little self wholesome, will ya ?”
    “Of course, Brian. Would
you expect anything else from me?” I left the booth and walked out to my car
with a smile on my face that just wouldn’t go away. When my friend Jules met
her husband in college, she was so happy she said she had a perma -smile.
I liked my perma -smile now and wished it would stay
forever.
    When I got home, I showered and then stared at
my closet for too many minutes wondering what I should wear. I settled on a
pair of white shorts and a clingy, plain black V-neck T-shirt. I blow-dried and
straightened my hair, put on a bit of eye shadow and mascara, and then sprayed
on a spritz of “Dream” by Gap to close the deal.
    I found my mom in the kitchen. “Wow! You look
great! Going out with the boys tonight?”
    For most of my high school career, I spent the
summers hanging out with Aaron and his two friends, Ted and Joel. We were a
veritable four peas in a pod until