Guarded Hearts Read Online Free Page B

on the floor by now.
    Then I hear a voice, one I didn’t realize I have been waiting to hear.
    “Nothing happened, baby. Come on, it is my fault. I was distracted by your kisses. You know I don’t like to be late,” she says. It is the most beautiful sound I have heard in a long time. Can I turn around and face her? Can I see the person that gave me the only moment of warmth in three years? I am debating this when I feel a touch again. The feeling is wrong; I feel nothing. Did I imagine it? I turn around just as the couple passes through the door.
    “Hey, Nix. I didn’t know you came to school here.” I recognize Mandy from the club I work at, where I’m the resident DJ at the moment.
    “Yeah, it’s my third year. I thought you were a sophomore, so why are you in this class?” I ask as I run my hand through my hair, a sign of my unease if you knew me, but nobody knows me. Not since Sky.
    “Yeah, well, it is my luck to be friends with the school’s Valedictorian back in high school. She made me take all the Pre-AP classes that got us a head start in college. Sorry about Brett, he is a jerk, but he is Livi’s boy-whatever for now, so I have to deal with him,” she says. Livi, that’s her name. Cute .
    “Well, since you are one of the smartest girls in class then I better sit near you,” I joke. I turn and see Livi looking in her book bag, her back is to me as I walk into class and go sit in the back, my usual spot. I hate that I can’t see her face, so I will be wondering what she looks like all day. The professor starts his boring speech. I can’t wait for the day to be over.

L ying in my bed, I think about how busy today is going to be. Tonight is our first major social event. I have so many things to get done and I don’t feel like getting out of bed. Waking up has become more of a struggle lately, more so getting myself out of bed. I don’t want to wake up, but if I don’t get up now I will be in panic mode later.
    “Livi, wake up!” Mandy shouts, startling me.
    “No, five more minutes,” I mumble as I keep my eyes shut and pull the covers over my head tighter.
    “Get your ass out of bed!” Mandy shouts.
    “Okay, mom,” I grumble.
    “Stop being such a baby. Remember that it was your idea to belong to this stupid club and be this big popular girl. So move it, sister. I didn’t buy a stupid dress for nothing,” she complains.
    “One, it’s called a sorority not a club, and second, you know that being friends with this big popular girl has its advantages,” I state, because everyone knows that sorority girls can get out of anything.
    “Okay. Hurry up and go take a quick shower,” Mandy demands. “It will help you wake up.”
    “Alright. Alright.” I stumble out of bed and head straight for the shower.

    Finally out of bed and dressed, we head out of the house, and I finally feel like I can breathe.
    “So how’s work? It feels like we hardly ever have time to talk anymore. And that’s sad, because we live together and have all our classes together,” I tell her with a sad sigh. I’ve been so busy these past few weeks with homecoming preparations, but we have never gone a day without any chit chat before.
    “It’s work, Livi, what’s there to say?” she answers.
    “Hell, I don’t know, you work at a freaking club. Any hot guys? Or girls?” I joke.
    “Shut up! And no, I’ve been very busy at the club. We’re shorthanded, and even Taylor and Nix have been helping out after closing,” she says.
    “Well, I’m glad that they’ve given you a small break tonight since you don’t have to work the party serving drinks,” I tell her. “I also want to thank you for helping with all my class work this past week. So the mani-pedi is on me. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life. Well, I have a good guess. I’d either be a junkie or pregnant at the trailer park.”
    “No, Olivia, you have always been a fighter. You had goals even at a young age. One thing that