Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82034 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
I can’t help but laugh as the look on Dane’s face gets even more confounded. Before he can even try to defend himself, I reach across the table and pat his forearm. “We do still love you,” I assure him. “Even if you are likely to die from some sexually transmitted disease.”
Andrew bursts out laughing and slaps his hand on the table. He looks at me with mischievous eyes and says, “But then Dane would just probably go ahead and invent the cure to whatever disease he had.”
I nod enthusiastically. “No doubt about that.”
That goes back to Dane being one of the most brilliant people I know. Every professor at Berkeley in the chemical-engineering department has a keen eye on Dane Hawthorne. He’s already patented a drug-delivery system in the form of a patch that will transmit data wirelessly back to the patient’s doctor so the levels can be adjusted.
“You two can bite me,” Dane grumbles. “And I’m hereby revoking my invitation for you two to join my company when I raise billions in venture capital to change the world.”
Andrew and I look at each other across the table and grin even bigger. We don’t take him seriously at all. He’s not put out by our teasing because Dane has too much of an ego. And while neither one of us doubt he will be more successful than one could ever imagine, we also don’t put any stock into his declarations that we will be along for the ride with him. While I’m a chemical-engineering major same as Dane, I don’t have grand aspirations of changing the world. I just want to do research and make a decent living. Andrew is a molecular-biology major, and he’ll probably go on to medical school when we graduate. It saddens me that we will eventually part ways, and this best friend thing the three of us have going on will probably dissipate.
I take my first sip of the beer Dane had handed me and enjoy the cool carbonation sliding down my throat. I wasn’t a beer drinker until I came to Berkeley and met Dane and Andrew my freshman year. I was more of a wine drinker since that was what my parents always had at home and was easiest to steal.
After I set my mug down and push off the barstool, I wobble a tiny bit once my feet hit the concrete floor. Andrew reaches out to steady me. “Are you drunk?”
I shrug. “Probably. We’ve been drinking for a few hours.”
“Got your sea legs now?” he asks as he squeezes my elbow once before releasing me.
I give him a mock salute and smile. “I’m perfectly fine. If I’m not back in five minutes, send in the cavalry.”
“Are you sure you don’t want one of us to go with you?” Dane asks.
I give him a soft smile and bat my lashes. “You are both very sweet, but I’m perfectly fine going to pee by myself.”
Before either one of my best friends can say another word, I manage to turn flawlessly, and without even stumbling, head toward the bathroom.
Fortunately, the line is not very long, and it only takes a few minutes to do my business. As I wash my hands, I take an appraising look at myself in the mirror. I should’ve brought my purse to freshen my lipstick, which is worn off except around the edges. My eyeliner is running a bit, so I use a paper towel to wipe the smudges away. For a moment, I wish I had done something different with my hair other than throw it into a quick ponytail, but I do think the new crop of thick bangs I just had cut into my blonde hair makes me look a little bit more hip than normal.
If you were to line Andrew, Dane, and me up and ask someone to identify the link between the three of us, it would not be superior good looks by adding me into the group. While Dane is all dark and mysterious with his cool goatee, Andrew has the quintessential surfer dude look of Southern California. His dark blond hair is highlighted with his sun streaks, but he wears it cropped very close to his head. He loathes shaving, so he always fluctuates between a five o’clock shadow and a full beard. His warm brown eyes hide his keen intelligence and give him more of a puppy dog sort of look.
Me? I’m just a plain, average girl with a good brain, a kind heart, and a sense of humor that appealed to those two morons, so I gelled with them very quickly.
While Dane is the man-whore in our group, Andrew “Puppy-Dog Eyes” Collings has women trying to catch his attention for another reason. That’s because Andrew is the type of man who is looking for true love. He’s the romantic out of the three of us, and he’s been dating the same girl, Claudia, since high school. She goes to UCLA, and I actually like her quite a bit. I figure Andrew will be popping the question to her before we graduate.