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Ian stared down at me, his eyes heated. “Get to class before I don’t let you go.” He gave me a playful swat on the butt. “And stay out of trouble.”
***
In this week’s lab we were focusing on the apparent motions of the planets and how to predict where to find them in the sky. My lab partners Jacqueline and Charlotte were already at our table when I arrived. They were sitting sideways on their lab stools and whispering to each other. Charlotte glanced up and noticed me, gave Jacqueline a nudge with her elbow and the other girl stopped talking.
“Hey,” I said, pulling my books out and placing them on the table before climbing up onto the stool. “How was everyone’s weekend?”
Both of them glanced away. At first I didn’t think either of them was going to respond, but then Charlotte responded with a soft, “Good.” Jacqueline simply tossed her auburn mane over her shoulder and opened her lab manual. Charlotte quickly followed suit.
Frowning, I opened my notebook and started filling out the Purpose and Procedure using the manual as a guide.
Our lab instructor James was old and a stickler—we had to write everything out by hand and submit our notebooks by the end of class. The point was to work as a team and finish in the time allotted. But very quickly it became evident that the two girls planned to shut me out. Jacqueline actually used her manual as a sort of wall, propping it up in front of her notebook so I couldn’t see what she was writing. Charlotte turned sideways on her stool again and dutifully hid her notebook behind the wall.
Confused by their actions, but knowing I was being punished for something, I focused on working through the lab on my own. It didn’t seem too difficult, I reasoned. First I had to calculate the planets’ longitude by using the Astronomical Almanac, and then plot these positions on graph paper using concentric circles as orbits. That would help me determine when I could expect to see the planets during the day, which I was supposed to report in a table. The next step was to calculate the ecliptic longitudes and determine which constellation each planet was in. Last step was to look at the planets’ positions along the ecliptic and determine their declination and right ascension. This is where I felt the first twinges of panic. I had no idea what the last bit even meant.
Math had never been my strong suit. I had forgotten this, however, when I’d decided to register in a full year Astronomy course. The science intrigued me but the math freaked me out. Taking yoga breaths, I decided to focus on each step in turn.
In order to plot where the planets were today, I had to calculate how many degrees each planet moves a day. Easy enough—just take the difference in degrees a planet moves a month and then divide it by the number of days. I started with Venus and calculated it to move 1.6 degrees per day. Then I moved on the next planet until I had a nice table and the first step was complete.
Glancing at Charlotte and Jacqueline, I could see they were already plotting the planets on their graph paper. Most likely they’d split up the calculations. I hurried to catch up and graph my planets. Then I filled out a table relating the times of day the planets would not be below our horizon and it would be possible to see them in the sky.
I had no trouble finding out which constellation each planet was in, but by the time I had to calculate the geocentric equatorial coordinates of the planets, my head was killing and I was beyond stressed. It was one thing to know I had a full evening to figure something out and quite another to work with a time limit...and all by myself, too.
When my brain was so fried it hurt, I put my pen down angrily. “Is there a reason you’re ignoring me today?”
Both girls froze. Charlotte was in the midst of filling out the last table and Jacqueline was leaning over her page. Definitely sharing calculations. Charlotte looked to Jacqueline as if for guidance but Jacqueline simply started writing again. Charlotte cleared her throat.
“We’re not ignoring you. I’m responding to you right now.”
“Yes, you are,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. I’d never been good at confrontation. “You know we’re supposed to work together.”
Now Jacqueline slammed down her pen. “You missed yesterday’s class. Do you really expect us to catch you up after that? Charlotte saw you eating lunch with Ian Crawford.”
Gritting my teeth, I returned back to my work, skipping the last step and moving straight to the conclusion. With only five minutes left in class, I needed as many marks as I could get.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When I arrived at our 8 a.m. class the next morning, Ian was saving our usual seats. A blueberry muffin sat on my desk waiting for me.
“I’m getting used to you spoiling me,” I told him as I slid into my seat. “You’d better keep it up. No pressure or anything.”
Ian gave me a sly look as he bit into his own muffin. “You’ll need the energy for what I have in mind after class.”
I sucked in a breath. “Oh so you’ve decided I’m ‘ready’?”
“That remains to be seen. I’ve decided I’m ready to fuck you again.”
“Shh,” I whispered, glancing around at the other students filing into their seats. Ian seriously had no filter or ability to be discrete. He was all at the mercy of his whims and desires. He also looked a bit giddy, like he had something up his sleeve. It was making me nervous.
I leaned over and whispered in his ear. “I’ve decided you’ll have to catch me again.”
“We can play it that way.” He shrugged casually. “But if I catch you—and I will catch you—I won’t be as lenient.”
Delightful shivers ran down my spine. “I’m not afraid of you.”
He smirked. “You should be.”
Trying to control my breathing, I turned away from him and watched the remaining students file in. My pulse was racing and my hands were sweaty. I rubbed my thighs together in my seat. You should be. What exactly did he have in mind?
