by Len Webster
It had been one of the stupidest, most freeing moments of her life to laugh with Evan. They were caught soon after they sat down.
It was the only time she had felt so free at Fenway.
Her lips tugged into a small smile at the thought of Evan wearing a Duke hat when he was a Cardinal. He’d find the funny side to it. AJ grasped the cap tighter, knowing that she’d buy it for him. Christmas was less than two months away. She’d wrap it up just like she did with his Stanford sweater last Christmas. Maybe when he wasn’t playing baseball he’d come to Duke to wear it during one of the football games. Her parents had made plans to come down for a few, and she wanted Evan to join them, too.
“Looks like Massachusetts has some Blue Devil pride.”
She glanced up from the cap to find Landon Carmichael with a large smile on his face and a stunning gleam in his blue eyes.
Guilt swirled in her stomach because she hadn’t replied to any of his text messages during fall break.
Instead, she’d rekindled her love with Evan.
She gave him her virginity.
It wasn’t as if her and Landon were together.
They had one promised date and that was it, but the thought didn’t take the guilt away.
“Hey, Landon,” she said in a small voice, happy to see him nonetheless. “How was your fall break?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I ended up going back to New Haven. My older brother decided to go home for a few days.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Your brother doesn’t live in New Haven?”
“You have no idea who my family is, do you?”
She felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment as she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I had no idea you had a brother.”
He grinned. “And an older sister. Lincoln works in congress as an advisor.”
“I had no idea,” AJ said in awe. “Your family is so …”
“So …?”
AJ shut her mouth. “I don’t want to offend you, so I won’t—”
“It’s cool, Alex. The Carmichaels are relentless in the careers they pursue. My father’s a doctor. My mother is head of an international charity. And Lacy …”
“Your sister?”
“Yeah. Lacy is married to a congressman.”
“Wow,” AJ breathed. “That’s so impressive.”
Landon rolled his eyes. “And then there’s me.”
“Then there’s you,” she said, unable to help the smile on her face.
“I’m just some college basketball player.”
AJ shook her head. “You’re so much more than just some college basketball player, Landon. You’re studying civil engineering. That’s impressive.”
“But not as impressive as marrying a congressman like my sister,” he joked, causing her to laugh.
“Alex!” she heard Savannah yell out.
AJ craned her neck in her roommate’s direction to be greeted by Savannah’s cold expression. The message was clear. She shouldn’t be talking to Landon. Not when Evan had her heart. Not when she had spent fall break with her best friend and left Landon behind. She swung her gaze back to Landon. The smile on his face only added to the guilt she felt. Guilt that had no business being known or felt.
“I’ve gotta go,” AJ said.
He nodded. “Sure.”
She spun around, ready to walk to the register and pay for Evan’s present, but she didn’t like the sourness of her actions toward Landon. He had been so sweet to her. It was only fair that she gave him snippets of the truth. So she turned around to see him raising a brow at her.
“You all right, Massachusetts?”
Massachusetts.
The very nickname he’d given her after the frat party where they had met several months ago.
A moment that seemed so long ago.
“Listen,” she said in a soft voice, hoping he understood that she had no intention of hurting him.
“Okay,” he said, giving her his full attention.
“Thank you for being there for me. Ever since I met you, you’ve been wonderful, Landon, and I am so sorry that I didn’t reply to your messages. No one has ever treated me like you have. And I’m a lot of things, but I refuse to be horrible to you.”
“You’re not horrible—”
“I am … or I would continue to be if I didn’t say anything. Landon, being back home and being exposed to my family and Boston and the Red Sox … It was a reminder of why I came to Duke instead of going to Harvard or Yale …” Or Stanford. “I gave up dreams and opportunities, and I came to Duke to take back my life. To be the physicist I always wanted to be. And that means I have to concentrate so I can get into MIT and make my parents proud. It means …”
“It means no dating,” he finished for her.
If she confirmed it out loud, it would be a lie.
So instead, AJ said, “It means I can’t have dinner with you like we promised we would when I returned from Brookline.”
Disappointment replaced his smile, causing his lips to contort into a visible frown. “Oh.” He glanced down at the cap in her hands for a few seconds before his eyes met her. “Can I still be your friend, Alex?”
Her poor heart clenched at the fear in his voice.
Alexandra Parker evoked fear in one of Duke’s best basketball players.
They never had the chance to be friends.
And for Alex, she saw no harm.
Friends drew a line at romance.
Her heart was Evan’s.
That, she was so sure of.
“I’d like that, Connecticut.”
He smiled at the nickname that bound them in a connection of their own.
“Okay, good. Friends. I can work with that.”
The hope in his eyes tore at her chest. She should correct him, but she didn’t have the heart to. So she raised the cap, and said, “I have to pay for this. I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later, Alex.”
Satisfied she wasn’t leading Landon on, AJ left him by the Duke apparel and made her way to the register, passing her roommate’s squinting gaze.
“I’m not as big of a fan of him as I used to be,” Savannah whispered as AJ handed the cap to the young woman behind the register.
Her phone vibrating in her back jeans pocket had her reaching behind her and pulling it out. AJ inhaled sharply at the number on her screen. She didn’t have it saved. But she did know the area code.
Massachusetts.
She answered the call immediately, placing the phone to her ear.
Her heart beat uncontrollably in her tight chest.
“Hello,” she finally said.
“Hello, Alex. It’s Dr. Livingston. Do you have a moment?”
AJ grasped her purse with her free hand and yanked it from her shoulder, holding it out to Savannah. “It’s my doctor. Could you pay for my cap? I have cash in there.”
Her roommate nodded eagerly, taking AJ’s purse. “Of course. You go outside, and I’ll pay for this and meet you out there.”
“Thank you,” AJ mouthed before she rushed out of the store, down the path, and away from the store. When she was sure no one was around, she said, “Yes, sorry, Dr. Livingston. I’m free right now. How are you?”
“I’m good, Alex. I’m calling to let you know that I have the results of your pregnancy test and your STD test.”
And then she heard it.
The results.
Two results that weren’t so little after all.
57 La
lanthanum
ALEX
Now
“It’s simple physics.”
“How did I miss that?” her lab partner, Mika, said as he recalculated the velocity. He punched the numbers into his calculator once more and sighed. He pushed his rectangle-ri
mmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and lifted his focus on her rather than his mistakes. “You’re right. The velocity of the marble was affected by the different textures of the course. I didn’t think the cylinder would alter it so much.”
Alex smiled as she set down her notepad. “The speed increased in the cylinder because of the smooth surface. There were no bumps or grooves to slow it down.”
He brushed his sandy blond hair back as he sat properly on the chair. Mika, with his pale skin, hazel eyes, and memorable crooked smile, was from Seattle and had been Alex’s lab partner since her freshman year. “The speed altered by point five six one three two of a mile. That’s barely speed, Alex.”
“It’s still significant, Mika. We’re talking numbers. We get it wrong on something like the space shuttle launch and that point five six one three two of a mile in speed could be a failure in astronauts being on the right trajectory to align with the International Space Station.”
Her lab partner reached up and picked up the marble, inspecting it. “A little marble’s speed can tell us all that.”
Alex shoved her hands into her white coat pockets and smiled at him. “No, physics can tell us all that. That’s why we have to get it right. That’s why we always have to recalculate.”
Mika inhaled deeply as he returned the bright orange marble back in its starting pit at the top of the model they had spent weeks constructing. “I’m glad you’re my partner, Alex. I thought I understood physics … You know what, that’s not even true. Next to you, I know nothing.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, Mika. You got one calculation off. You’re brilliant.”
“You’re brilliant,” he said as he shifted his focus. “I have like ten minutes before my next class. Want me to help you clean up? We made a mess with the water tests.”
Alex laughed as she got off her chair. “Sure. Just until you have to leave. I don’t want you to be late.”
“Me either. I’m already on Professor Roth’s bad books after the magnet fiasco last semester.”
“You had two industrial magnets connect with each other. It took hours to get them demagnetized,” she reminded. She picked up the cloth from the counter and wiped the bench surface around their large model as Mika did the same.
After some wiping, Mika set his cloth down, and said, “Oh, Alex. I forgot to ask you. What are your thoughts on Phoenix’s interests in Landon?”
She froze her circular wiping.
She stared at the water still left on the bench before she glanced up at Mika.
His love for college basketball always surprised her.
Phoenix being interested in her boyfriend was news to her. In the few weeks since his birthday and win against Pittsburg, Landon had said that there was no interest in him from the teams and coaches he’d met at the conference.
“Phoenix isn’t interested in Landon. I have no idea what rumors you’ve heard, but he’s not going to the Suns.”
Mika reached up and took off his glasses, setting them on the bench. He seemed apologetic with his tight smile. As though he was sad to break the news to her. “He looks like a pick for them. Their coach expressed interest in him. Expression like that is always an indication of a top pick.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. After all, Mika loved college basketball. He had a fantasy team and everything. What he was telling her had to be true.
“He’s rumored to be joining them. You didn’t know?”
“He never said anything. He just said there was no interest.”
Her lab partner picked up the cloth and wiped the spots Alex missed. When he was done, he said, “There are articles about him. He’s looking to be one of the top draft picks. The best point guard in college basketball. Phoenix isn’t so bad. He’d get playing time.”
Alex realized she didn’t appear happy for her boyfriend, but she was. Landon wanted nothing more than to play for the NBA. His dreams of being a civil engineer were for when he retired. What left her so stunned was that Landon hadn’t said anything to her.
“Yeah, that’s a good thing. I’m just surprised, that’s all. I guess I never really thought about him actually leaving Duke … but he is. He’s leaving Duke soon.” Her chest tightened at the realization.
“Hey,” Mika said, getting her attention. His calm, soft hazel eyes were beautiful and a distraction from her pain. “Maybe the Celtics will be interested in him. Boston’s your hometown, right? Maybe Landon might play for them.”
Landon … in Boston?
Alex couldn’t quite grasp the image.
Sure, he had spent a week in Brookline with her, but she couldn’t fathom the idea of her boyfriend actually living and playing in Boston. He would seem so out of place in Massachusetts.
“Yeah, maybe,” Alex said in a small voice. Then she glanced at her laptop screen to see the time. “You should go. You’re going to be late.”
Mika took in the clock on the wall. “Shit! But we haven’t deconstructed—”
“It’s okay,” Alex assured with a tight smile. “I can do it. If Professor Roth kills you, I have no lab partner for the rest of the semester, so go.”
“Thanks, Alex, you’re the best. I swear, next lab session, I am bringing you your favorite snacks and tea. Lots of tea,” her lab partner said as he collected his things and then rushed out of the lab—almost taking down their professor at the door. “Sorry, Professor McIntire. Professor Roth!”
“Say no more, son, go!” Professor McIntire said with a chuckle as Mika disappeared. “Hello, Miss Parker. How’s the research going?”
“Good,” Alex said as she sat back down on her chair.
Professor McIntire was one of the older professors on the science faculty. He was in his early sixties with gray hair, light green eyes, and a white mustache. He sometimes smelled of cigars and always carried a cane to class. It was a teaching aid of his. To use the cane as a pointer and to wake sleeping students on occasion. He had a classical approach to physics and the way it was taught through experiments and experiences. Her professor sat on Mika’s chair and took in their model. Their model was just like everyone else’s in their class, but their findings would be different.
“I see you both had a mess in the water component of the assignment,” he said, pointing at the lack of water in the small pool.
Alex nodded. “Yes, Professor. The lack of texture in the cylinder led to an increase in speed. So when the marble hit the water surface, it was with a force much greater than when the marble hit the sand after it had passed the textured slide.”
“And did you take measurements?”
She nodded once more. “We calculated the speed and impact manually and on the simulator. We also calculated the impact with the frequency machines connected to the sand pit and the small pool.”
“And your initial findings?”
Alex pointed at the ceiling as her professor tilted his head up and took in the vent.
“The temperature, humidity, and external forces like an air-conditioned room can play a role in the velocity and impact of the experiment—regardless of how fast or where the marble is dropped. A cold lab like this could create condensation inside the cylinder, and that moisture could affect the marble’s trajectory and final impact speed.”
Her professor lowered his chin and smiled at her. “In all my years, only a few have put natural forces in their initial findings.”
“Natural forces are the most influential forces in physics, Professor. The natural progression of an apple falling from a tree, for example.”
“You’re a breath of fresh air to teach, Miss Parker.”
She smiled at his praise. “Thank you, sir. And I can honestly say it’s an honor to be in your class.”
“I didn’t just come in to the lab to oversee your assignment with Mika.”
Alex’s brows furrowed. “Oh?”
As she took the paper from him, she shook her head. “Not so much as MIT for my Ph.D. after I graduate.”
“Well, have you considered a research assistant role before your Ph.D.?”
“A research assistant role? I can honestly say that I haven’t. The plan was always my undergrad and then my postgrad at MIT.”
“Well, maybe the plan needs to expand. Look at what I just handed you.”
Alex glanced down and unfolded the piece of paper.
It was an application form.
Then she saw the name of whose research the successful applicant would be assisting.
Alex’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Dr. Vincent Rodahawe,” she breathed as she tore her eyes from the application to her professor.
The old man had a large grin on his face. “You know of him?”
“My high school physics teacher introduced me to his work and his journals. He’s brilliant in his approach to velocity and force. His journal on motion and the effects on atoms was incredible to read.”
“You know your experts.”
Alex set the application down. “I’m sorry, Professor McIntire, but I don’t understand why you’d hand me an application to be Dr. Rodahawe’s research assistant. He lives and works in Switzerland.”
“That’s right,” her professor said as he stood from the chair, towering over her. “I know that Landon Carmichael is very important to you. It’s very clear how in love you both are at home games and around campus. You have roots here in North Carolina. It is a lot for you to go to Zürich, but it’s an opportunity of a lifetime. The research assistant role would not start until after you graduate, so that’s some time from now. I’m not saying this to be horrible, Miss Parker, but your boyfriend is a senior and you’re a sophomore. That’s a lifetime in and of itself. The opportunities that can come out of working with Dr. Rodahawe will be priceless to your academia and to your career. Think about it. I have your recommendation letter if you decide to apply for the position.”