Rock My Heart (Luminescent Juliet #4) Read Online Free Page B

romance with Romeo—though he and I dated, a
real romantic connection between us never materialized —instead, I was
terrified she would damage our friendship. Romeo had become one of my closest
friends, out of very few friends. Once I realized how much he truly liked her,
I let go of my jealousy, and overtime Riley and I became friends. Riley is hard
not to like. She’s upbeat, a bit quirky, and an incredibly genuine person.
    “So you’re coming next Friday, right?” Riley asks as
she crumples her empty sandwich wrapper.
    Recalling the upcoming party, and the fact that I
already agreed to go, I almost choke on a gulp of water. “Um…”
    Dang.
    I want to let out a number of expletives. I’m quite
sure Gabe will be there given that the reason for the party is the band signing
with a label. Besides the fact that his dislike is almost tangible, I don’t
want to be anywhere near him since my strange reaction to him twice, but I want
to go to the party for Romeo and show my support.
    “April?” Riley asks, her forehead scrunched. “You’re
coming early to help me get ready, right?”
    My mind is stuck. I can’t come up with a legitimate
excuse that won’t have me feeling guilty. “Yes, of course,” I say, forcing a
slight smile. I can do this. Gabe just caught me off guard in the parking lot,
and the time previous to that I wasn’t myself. I won’t
lose control again.
    “It’s not going to be fancy or anything. And it will
be only our close friends. Romeo was irritated I even wanted to have a get together.”
She rolls her eyes. “But come on. They’re getting signed!”
    “It’s very exciting,” I agree, then take another sip
of water, forcing myself to think of the conversation instead of being in close
proximity to Gabe. I want to get off the topic of the party. It’s making my
insides jittery. “Do you wish you were in the band now that they’ve signed with
a label?”
    Not many people know about the label’s offer. Romeo
is keeping it under wraps. Even before they went on tour and opened for two
nationally known bands, they’d been celebrities on campus. If the label thing
got out, life on campus would totally suck for the members that go here—meaning
not Gabe.
    Riley pauses lifting her bottle of tea, then slowly
sets it on the table, obviously collecting her thoughts. “I miss playing with
people who are at the top of their game. My band’s coming along, though it’s
obviously nowhere near Luminescent. But the touring? The possible fame? The
interviews?” She shakes her head. “No thank you. Seriously, I don’t think I could
deal with all that.”
    Her response doesn’t surprise me. She’s wonderfully
in tune with herself. “It seems like Romeo would feel the same way about the
fame part.”
    She tilts her head and taps her cap on the table.
“He wants…the full experience. He doesn’t let things go to his head, whether
it’s fame or stress. And yeah, one day he might step in the background and
become the producer or the manager or the songwriter, but for now he’s
learning. Romeo’s always learning.”
    I smile genuinely for once. Riley understands Romeo
more than I ever could. How lovely it would be to have such a connection with
someone. Not that I ever could. I
glance at the clock. “I need to get going, need to get in three hours of filing
today. Do you need me to bring anything on Friday?”
    “No, I’ve got everything. I’ll just need some help
pulling it together.”
    “Okay, I’ll be there by five,” I say with a quick
wave, heading over to the psychology wing.
    Inside the wing, I pass a few people I’ve had
classes with in the past, but only offer a slight wave. The whole Gabe in group
therapy, along with the addition of the party, has me feeling like I’m stuck
between a rock and a very hard place. I enter the department offices, greet the
secretaries, store my bag under the community desk, jot down my time, and beginfiling papers—my fifteen hours a