Shh! (6 page)

The girl walked around our table, her hips swaying with each step. All for Logan’s benefit I was sure. Then she leaned down until her head was next to mine, and she hissed, “Don’t think you stand a chance with him, finger fuck girl. No guy will ever take you seriously.”

Logan pushed back out of his seat and stood so he was towering over the table. He glared down at the pretty brunette. “Get the hell out of here.”

“Come on, Loges …” She reached for him across the table and Logan tensed.

“I take her seriously,” he growled.

The girl flipped her hair over her shoulder, and said, “whatever,” then sashayed away.

While I was sitting there dumbfounded, trying to figure out not only how he’d heard what she’d said, but what he’d meant, Molly slipped in beside me. She gave Logan an appreciative glance and said, “Why hello, Logan Hays.”

He smiled. No wonder girls like the table thief were all over him; that smile could awaken sleeping hearts. It could mend them, break them, make them, all in a single heartbeat. Not mine though. Not now, and surely not on Friday night.

“Hiya, Molly,” he said, pushing the yellow slip my way. “I’ve got to get going, but I’ll see you later, Olivia.”

“Sure, later.”

As he walked away Molly sighed. “I haven’t seen that fine sight since first year.”

“He was a freshman with you?”

“Well, yeah. He dropped out at the end of that year though. I didn’t realise he was back.”

I opened the paper. The guy was worse than a dog with a bone. Apparently the band playing up here on Friday night was called Quiet Renegade.

Molly leaned over my shoulder. “Is that—”

“Just a flyer for a band.” The look I shot her cut down any retort she might have … except for a knowing smile.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Shut up and get dressed already.” Savannah’s voice came from inside my wardrobe as another item went flying over her head to land on my bed; my sheer red Witchery blouse. The one with ruffles down the front and tiny capped sleeves. The one in which I’d freeze my butt off.

“I’m not going.”

Savannah stopped her search and swung around to pin me with a pointed look. “Yes, you are. You need this, Olivia. You need to get out, experience life, have fun. Be a college student, for goodness sake.”

Yeah, right. I needed this like I needed yet another phone call from my mother asking if I was ‘making a name for myself on campus’. Little did she know I was, just not in student politics. She’d be horrified if she knew the truth.

Ever since Molly saw Logan give me the flyer about the concert, there had been nothing but questions, which Savvy had overheard earlier this morning. So here we were with Savannah’s head stuck in my closet, me sitting at the desk with the laptop on and my Econ Law assignment open, but decidedly lacking in words thanks to the blonde tornado tossing clothes around my room.

My door flew open and Molly barged in, dressed in a cute polka dot dress, albeit a little Minnie Mouse. Like Savvy, she didn’t look as if she planned on staying in tonight. “Never fear, the drinks are ...” Her gaze shot to the mess of clothes covering my bed then followed the clothes trail to Savvy. “Sorry ... I ... ahh ... didn’t realise.”

Savvy spun around. Taking in the other girl’s outfit, and grinned. “Did you say drinks?”

Molly held a four-pack of Cruisers, red as the sheer blouse, in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the other. “Sure did.”

“I’m Savannah.”

“I know. Everyone knows. I live on your floor, remember?” Plopping her cargo on my desk, Molly announced, “Wasn’t sure what you felt like so I got everything.”

“Right.” Savvy pulled her head out of the cupboard and closed it behind her. “Excellent choice.”

Sighing, I asked, “Why do I feel like you two are conspiring against me?”

“Because we are, or at least we would have if I knew I had a co-conspirator, right ... umm ...”

“Molly?” I supplied.

Savvy cackled like an evil witch and Molly joined in. “Right. And you’re going to have fun tonight.”

My chair started rolling away from the desk until my laptop was well out of reach and I let out an exasperated groan, which didn’t stop Molly from shoving one of the red drinks in my hand. Savvy clinked hers against it. “To new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings,” Molly chimed in.

They both tipped their bottles up, taking the first sip of their drinks.

“Fine,” I said, “to new beginnings.”

The toast was kind of accurate. It was the beginning of the year, just a month late.

Maybe one drink would get them off my back so I could get this assignment done. But only one.

Turned out the drink was raspberry-flavoured and tasted divine. The liquid blazed an icy trail down my throat and Molly perched her rear on my desk. “So …” She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Logan Hays.”

“It’s not like that.” I took another sip. This drink was mighty good. Just like eating those round, bumpy raspberry lollies. The strange warmth of the first sip of alcohol spread through me and I smiled. It was a nice feeling. “We’re just in the same Sociology class.”

Molly grinned around the bottle pressed to her lips. “And he wants you to go see Quiet Renegade tonight.”

“Won’t you two let up? It’s nothing. Not a date or even an invite to meet him there. It’s just one friend telling another about a rad gig. That’s it.”

Savvy’s glance connected with Molly’s; they both smiled. An all knowing ‘we don’t believe a word Olivia’s saying’ smile.

Whatever.

I took another swig of my drink. It really was delicious. Turning my gaze on Savvy, who was laying the red blouse and my black capri pants out on the bed, I said, “What’s going on with you and Dane?”

Diversion; the oldest trick in the book.

Savvy rolled her eyes. “Nothing.”

“That’s not what I saw the other day.”

“It’s nothing. I’m not interested.” She tossed the clothes at me. “Go get dressed, we’re going out.”

Groaning, I went to take another sip, but only a tiny drop trickled out. Molly shoved another bottle in my hand and whisked the empty away.

“To friends,” she said.

Savvy and I both joined in the cheer. “To friends.”

I was glad to have those girls by my side.

****

As we walked up top to the university bar I wasn’t sure what it was about the hill, but tonight it felt like the slope was nothing, like maybe it tilted the opposite way and we were going down instead of up. Yet my legs were still kind of heavy.

“Come on,” Savannah said, surging ahead. “We need to make it before The Bar’s at capacity.”

The Bar was our on-campus drinking hole. It was a good one, too, walking distance from the dorms, and it often had good bands or theme nights. I usually enjoyed hanging out there.

“Hurry up!” Savvy yelled.

Molly and I both groaned at picking up the pace and Savannah dropped back, grabbing each of our hands, then she proceeded to speed up, dragging us both behind her.

“It’s a Vannah train,” Molly said and I giggled. “I think I can … I think I can …”

“You both bloody well can.” Savvy laughed and kept pulling us along behind her.

By the time we’d reached campus and walked through to the bar, my legs felt as if they’d completely disappeared. Whether it was the affects of the two vodka mixed drinks and who knew how many glasses of wine, or from the exercise, I had no idea, but the buzz of numbness through my limbs was welcome, exciting, and oh my gosh, funny.

I’d stopped moving. I shivered as we stood in line near the entrance. A table up ahead where they seemed to be selling tickets blocked the way, so only one person could trickle in at a time. It took forever to reach it.

Once we were inside, I scanned the crowd, but I didn’t see Logan’s mess of blond hair. In fact, it was hard to see much at all—the lights were dim and the support band was already playing. The place was jam packed. Didn’t matter; I wasn’t here for Logan anyway.

Savvy grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bar, squishing her way between people to reach the counter. The guy she’d pushed in front of scowled down at me, and he was so thickset I gulped. Maybe Savvy should be more careful, but then his scowl morphed into a smile, making me more at ease.

We stood there for a few minutes watching the lead singer belt out a pub favourite from the eighties. No wonder Logan liked them. They were as vintage as his style.

Savannah swung around, with three drinks in her hand. She shoved a plastic cup at me and one at Molly who was right beside me, bobbing her head to the music. This band wasn’t too bad. Some sort of rock/heavy guitar combination. Also raspberry-flavoured, the drink was just as sweet as the pre-mixed one I’d had earlier and all of a sudden my body started swaying to the grungy music. I downed the rest of the cup and set the empty on a nearby table. The people who sat around it wouldn’t mind.

“Let’s dance!” I yelled at the girls, hoping they heard me over the ruckus of music, conversation, and general partying.

Molly nodded and Savvy followed my actions by sculling her drink and gliding her way through the crowd onto the dance floor. As I trailed after her, I spotted Logan standing on the opposite side of the bar from where we’d been. He was chatting to a tall guy who had his back to us, and Logan’s gaze caught mine. He smiled and gave me a slow nod. The other guy looked over his shoulder and my heart plummeted; it was Dane, which meant Christian wouldn’t be too far away. I’d forgotten they were all friends. There was no doubt in my mind that Logan had heard the rumours and probably thought I was a nutcase. If he was friends with them, then he wasn’t the guy for me. Hell, he wasn’t the guy for me anyway. Not that I was looking. I couldn’t afford a guy right now. Any guy. Period. Christian had been an exception that I couldn’t make again. I had a hellish rumour to counteract, I needed even better grades and my campaign was coming up.

I pulled my gaze away and followed Savvy, who’d either found or created a space for us. She swayed in time to the music. I swung my hips from side to side, threw my hands into the air and joined her, enjoying the feeling of the bass vibrating through me. Something slammed into my hip.

What the bejeebers?

I glanced that way to see a grinning Molly, who bumped my hip with hers again. I slung my arms around her neck and danced like I hadn’t danced in a long time, maybe forever, totally losing myself in the rhythm and beat of the music, surrounded by my real friends, rather than a bunch of people who barely knew me. It felt absolutely fantastic.

I positioned myself so my back was to the stage and my gaze once again snagged Logan’s through the crowd. He gave me a half-smile. There were too many people between us to see if he was still talking to Dane and I really didn’t care. It wasn’t like I was deliberately looking at him; my attention just kept sliding that way accidently.

We danced for song after song. Another drink found its way into my hand. Good thing too, because I was parched. Savvy leaned in toward me. “I gotta go to the ladies.”

“Me too,” I shouted in her ear then repeated the message to Molly who was still dancing with us, but her other friends surrounded her too. The ones from the pizza night. She nodded and pointed at the ground, which I guess meant she intended to stay right there.

Once we were out of the pulsating sway of sweaty bodies, Savvy hooked her arm through mine. “If that’s Logan Hays that you’ve been making eyes at all night, wow, tell me how we’ve never met him before.”

“I haven’t …” For some reason the rest of the sentence took a moment to work out. “… making eyes at anyone.” I weaved through the people, my hip bumping against another girl’s. Sure, I’d glanced his way a few times, but that hardly rated a mention. “Dunno. Looks like Dane’s mate.”

My tongue didn’t want to twist around the words. Why’d they come easier in my head? The euphoria dancing had spread through me plummeted like a sinking ship at the thought of them being friends. How had we not met him last year if that was the case? Dane was a year above us like Molly, so Logan must be too.

“I’ve seen him around though, since school’s been back. Maybe he’s a fresher …” Savvy said, while I followed the line of her gaze to the guys in question. There was a bunch of girls with them, and the table thief from earlier in the week had her arm around Logan’s waist. His arm hung at his side and he faced the dance floor, his brows pinched.

“Who is that bitch?” Savannah asked.

“Table Thief.”

“What? I meant the girl.”

“Doesn’t matter.” I pushed the bathroom door open, and it didn’t matter. He could hook up with whoever he wanted.

“Well, she better get her paws off Dane.”

Off Dane? What was Savvy talking about? The table thief chick was all over Logan, not Dane. Ah, who cared? Dane was always surrounded by a harem. Neither of them mattered.

Surprisingly there was no line, so I waltzed right into a cubicle. When I was done, and washing my hands, Savvy emerged, shoved her hands under the water and ran them over her dead-straight hair, smoothing down what was already perfect. I licked my dry lips and applied a thin sheen of gloss.

“It’s so hot in here.”

“Yeah, it’s like they’ve got the heat up,” Savvy said, pushing through the door.

We both headed straight to the bar like we were of one mind. I needed more fluids. Water this time, though, because everything was still buzzing.

I stood in line by the edge of the bar. They were flat out, staff packed so tight that they kept bumping into each other, but still they couldn’t seem to keep up with the people draped over the counter waiting to be served.

“Great band,” the guy beside me said while nodding.

“Yeah, they’re awesome.”

Savvy appeared out of nowhere and shoved a drink in my hand.

“Thanks.” I took a long sip. Dancing sure was thirsty work. She didn’t seem to hear what I said though; her gaze was firmly fixed right over my head. On Dane, no doubt.

“Talk to him,” I urged.

She nodded. “Yeah. I ought to, right? I should tell him … tell him …” Determination boosted her confidence, and she handed me her drink. “I’m going.”