Run, Girl (If You Can)

Keeley enjoyed her week off from having to worry about texting Aaron back all the time. She was able to regroup and focus on her research.

Multiple trials were running simultaneously at different stages because of her time constraint. At this point, she had less than a year to complete her lab trials because she would need at least two months to analyze her data and finish writing the dissertation.

She barely had time to breathe let alone eat, sleep, or text her oddly persistent ex-husband back. With him out of the country she didn't have to worry about him showing up at her lab so she maybe responded to him twice.

The lab's computer dinged—it had finished analyzing her first completed trial batch.

Keeley walked over and examined it anxiously before letting out a whoop. It worked! She could move onto the next step and inject the vials into diseased mice to see if it was effective.

This was worth celebrating. She immediately sent out a group text to her roommates. 'My first trial is ready for animal testing; who wants pizza tonight?'

'Felicidades!' Valentina congratulated her in Spanish before sending a second text. 'Unfortunately I'm at the hospital tonight. Next time?'

'Sorry Keeley, Cameron gets back in town today so I've got a date'

She sighed. Jennica had done nothing but text that guy for the past two weeks but she couldn't really fault her. After all, Keeley had been in love once too.

She texted her dad but he was working late. That only left one option.

'Fellow researcher, you're my only hope'

Ryan responded immediately. 'For what?'

'Celebrating my first successful trial moving to animal testing. Everybody else is busy'

'…why am I always the last person you text when things like this happen'

'You're not the last! You're somewhere in the middle' Her roommates and dad would always come first but fourth place wasn't so bad. The last person she would text in this situation is Aaron.

'Wow, I'm so honored. But I actually am free tonight. I get off at 5:30'

It would be so nice when she had a consistent schedule like that. 'Meet me at the pizza place on 43rd Street at 7?'

'Sure'

Keeley smiled to herself. She wouldn't have to celebrate her accomplishment alone after all. There was nothing sadder than going to a sit down restaurant by yourself.

She practically skipped off to find Dr. Kim and put in an order for lab mice with cystic fibrosis.

The mice would arrive on Monday but there wasn't much to do personally on her project until then aside from checking up on her other samples to see how they were maturing every day. After taking her data, she got back to work on Dr. Kim's project.

When she knocked off from work, she let her hair down from its ponytail and brushed it out trying to remove the lumps with the hairbrush she started carrying with her after the night she spent at Aaron's without one. Her hair was stick straight so it wasn't too difficult a task.

She was dressed somewhat professionally for work but it wasn't too much for a pizza restaurant. She wore a cream colored turtleneck sweater, slacks, little gold hoop earrings, and her DNA necklace.

After wearing it once, she realized it was childish to hide it away for so many years just because Aaron was the one who gave it to her. The necklace was beautiful and deserved to be worn.

Keeley waved cheerfully when she spotted Ryan, still in his work clothes as well.

He grinned at her. "We're the two best dressed people in the pizza parlor."

She bowed dramatically before laughing. "Thanks for coming. I could have ordered pizza to my apartment but for some reason that feels defeatist."

He raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Well, I usually only have pizza delivered when I'm experiencing a low point and am too lazy, tired, or ashamed to leave my apartment. This is a celebratory pizza. I'm starting animal trials next week!"

"Ah, I remember that innocent excitement," Ryan said with a wry smile. "Just wait until your first mouse dies."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Killjoy."

"I'm just giving you a hard time. It's really not that bad. I've accidentally killed thousands of mi—"

"Not helping."

"So are you just sticking with mice or are you going to work your way up to rabbits, dogs, or dare I say, monkeys?" he asked curiously.

"Have you made it all the way to monkeys before?!"

"Of course. They're the closest we can get to humans. A lot of the time we stop at dogs though."

Keeley shook her head sadly. "Those poor dogs…"

"You feel sorry for the dogs but not the mice?" he teased.

"Oh, shut up, you know what I mean. Dogs are pets!"

"Some people keep mice as pets."

"Ryan."

"Okay, I'll stop," he laughed with his hands up defensively. "But really, are you just doing mice?"

She shrugged. "It's all I have time for. If my trials with mice are successful I'm going to see if I can continue my research with rabbits somewhere else after graduation."

Ryan sipped at his soda. "Are you going to become a professor or join a lab somewhere?"

"For now, hopefully become a professor. They have more control over what they research. If I yield a good result and impress my dissertation panel, they might even invite me to stay on and continue my research at NYU."

Keeley frowned, thinking about what would happen if she failed. "Worst case scenario I end up working for a university in New Jersey or Pennsylvania with a longer commute or accept my fate as a lackey in a lab."

"I hope you realize I am a lackey in a lab."

She smiled apologetically. "That's not what I meant. You're doing what you like."

"Fair enough."

The conversation halted because the pizza arrived. Keeley took a bite before instantly opening her mouth to let the heat escape. Hot! With watering eyes, she blew on it several times before attempting to eat again.

The roof of her mouth was definitely burnt. Why did this happen every time she ate pizza?