Steve never understood how Ray hadn’t flunked out of their difficult biochemistry major. That he even bothered with such a strenuous course load was a question for the universe to decipher. Forced together freshman year, they’d formed a tolerant friendship that extended outside the dorm room. Ray’s boisterous, party lifestyle balanced Steve’s studious seriousness. Steve liked to think his cerebral qualities permeated Ray’s extroverted avoidance of class for the better.
It was when Steve went along with Ray to visit his father that things clicked. Ray’s father was a brilliant scientist and well-respected chemist at Merker & Beecham. Ray had grown up at his father’s feet, so many chemistry models ingrained in his head as to seem as typical as mowing lawns or following a favorite sports team
