Moon Rise (Ryan Magee)

three

<a/n: hey yippee I'm back! So I'm probably going to put more effort into this fic than my Chris one. I just really have some ideas that I'm excited for. Also, let me know if you have a request for any imagines!! I have an imagine/one-shot book I started on a while ago. okay bye>

The next few classes consist of lessons on how to work our telescopes and small assignments we all do in class together. When September rolls around, we get into the nitty gritty. 

"Alright, y'all, have a seat," the professor says. I'm sitting between Ryan and Tucker, towards the right of the room in the second row from the front. These are our unofficial assigned seats. We settle down and focus our attention on the front of the room. 

"So, we're going to be starting our first project today," he begins, pulling up the rubric on the projector. "You can do this as a solo project or in a group. I recommend working in a small group. These projects are going to be tough, so having people to work with is going to be an immense help." I glance at both boys- Ryan first, then Tucker. We all silently agree to be in a group together. 

The professor explains the project. Basically, we have to take our telescopes and look at the moon for 3 nights in a row, doing a rough diagram of what we see and mark the changes between each night. After he introduces the project, we're free to delegate tasks and decide where we're going to meet. The thought of meeting up with the boys and hanging out all night makes me really excited. 

"So," I say, moving to the floor in front of them so I can see both of them better, "who's house are we usin'? I live in a really shitty apartment with like no greenspace." I know both of them live in houses- Ryan with his mom and stepdad and Tucker with some friends. Both houses are pretty out of the way, which probably means the view of the moon will be better. 

"We can go to mine," Ryan says. "My parents are leaving for the week. They're taking a cruise to Aruba or some shit." I laugh and nod my head.

"Sounds good. When do y'all wanna start?" Tucker says, picking up his backpack and taking out his sketch pad. 

"Tomorrow night is supposed to be gorgeous," I say, glancing up from my weather app. 

"Tomorrow night it is," Ryan says. "We can meet at my place at... like... 9?"

I nod excitedly, eager to spend more time with the boys. Tucker nods too, mindlessly sketching something. 

"Whatcha drawing, Picasso?" I ask. I lay on my side and prop my head up on my hand. "You gonna draw me like-"

"No, I'm not gonna draw you like one of my French girls," he laughs. Although he never shows me exactly what he's drawn. 

<time skip brought to you by my boyfriend who won't stop playing world of warcraft>

The next day, Friday rolls on slowly. After class, I go back to my apartment and work on homework, all the while thinking about the way Ryan's hat covered his mop of brown hair. 

Ryan texts me his address about an hour before I leave. The drive there takes about half an hour. He lives in a small subdivision far away from campus. His gas budget is probably 10 times more than mine. 

When I pull up to his house, I see Tucker's truck in the driveway. I park behind it and notice how nervous I am. When I'm at school, I'm in "friendly extroverted safe place" mode. This is uncharted territory. 

The fact of the matter is, I'm no good with making friends. Holly and Suzy kind of fell into my lap. I guess the boys did too. 

The Boys™. Boys are also uncharted territory. I've never had a real boyfriend before. Sure, I've had crushes, but most of them were unrequited. Mom said I should lower my standards. Dad said I didn't need to worry about boys in the first place. My friends said I'd find someone someday. As I sit in Ryan's driveway, I wonder if I'm finally at "someday."