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  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.”

  With that, Savvy trotted off to get her man. She’d had a crush on Dane for as long as I’d known her. Of course she pretended not to, but if they’d finally hooked up the other night then I wasn’t wrong in thinking he liked her too. I leaned against the wall, which felt nice and cool against my back. Logan hadn’t said boo to me all night; maybe I should go talk to him too. Yes, that’s what I’d do. Find out exactly how he came by my email address.

  I downed the rest of my drink and blinked. My eyelids were made of lead. I wasn’t drunk though. Nah-uh, not me. When I opened them, the guy from the bar stood before me, his black shirt hung loosely over his chest, which was right at my eye level. Some sort of tattoo snaked around his arm; maybe it was a snake, I couldn’t really tell.

  “Hi there,” he said, moving a little closer.

  Whoa, dude, personal space.

  “Hey,” I answered slowly, making sure my words flowed. “Do I know you?” He didn’t look familiar; I was certain that I didn’t know him at all.

  “Would you like to?”

  He was a bit cute with the whole bad boy ... Oh, great. That was why he was in my face. I glanced past him, trying to see Molly. “Um, I better go back to my friends.”

  “I know you.” He slammed his palm against the wall near my shoulder, then his other one came down on the other side, trapping me between them. He leaned in so close I could smell the tang of beer on his breath. “You’re the night nymph.” His gaze slid along my neck to rest on my mouth. “I’d like to see that.”

  “You’re not seeing anything.” I ducked to sneak under his arm, but he was too fast and bent his elbows, his rough cheek scraping against mine.

  My heart tried to pound right out of my chest; this guy was a douche, and jeez, there’d been a lot of them lately. He made a growling noise that was probably supposed to be sexy, but it sent an icy shiver right down my spine. It was dark, and seedy, and by golly, I needed to get away.

  “Come on, let’s go back to my—”

  “Leave the lady alone.” Logan’s words came at the same time as the guy jerked backward, out of my space. I sucked in a huge breath.

  “Back off,” the dude growled. “I was just talking to sweet pea here. There’s no problem, right darlin’?”

  He moved toward me with his arm extended to drop it over my shoulders or box me in again. Not on your life, buddy. Grabbing his arm, I twisted it down and away; the guy grunted. But I ducked toward Logan. “We’re done, so no problem.”

  His face twisted into something unpleasant, and his voice dropped to a sneer. “Go stroke your own pussy. I hear solo’s your style anyway.”

  With a swift movement, Logan swept me behind him and lurched forward, his fist connecting with the guy’s chin.

  And the dirtbag came up fighting. Time felt like it crawled into slow motion as his head swung back around to face us, and his tongue glided across his split lip, pushing the pooling blood onto his chin. Then he smashed forward into Logan, shoulder first. Only he didn’t make contact, because Logan stepped aside and swung his fist again, stopping the guy before he ploughed into me. Logan didn’t miss his mark. The dirtbag stumbled back and Logan raised a fist once more.

  Then Dane was there, saying something into Logan’s ear. Logan shook his head and Dane said, “It’s not worth it.”

  “You!” A bouncer, dressed from head to toe in black, closed a hand over Logan’s shoulder and shoved him through the ring of people who stood, mouths open, watching the fight.

  Dane turned to me and shook his head, then disappeared into the swell of people.

  Heart pounding and feeling like all this was my fault, I slumped against the wall. My head buzzed. If alcohol was my friend then we were having an argument. In fact my stomach and head both felt like they were arguing with the rest of me. Maybe my legs were gonna join in too.

  “God, Liv.” Savvy pushed through people to reach me, her face drawn and frantic. “What happened?”

  I couldn’t answer; maybe I was in shock, or maybe the alcohol had slowed my thoughts because I couldn’t pull them together.

  “This douchebag … Logan came, and then Dane …”

  The room felt as if it were moving and my stomach churned.

  “How about we go get you some fresh air?”

  I nodded, and Savannah hooked her arm through mine. People blurred into a sea of indistinguishable faces as we made our way to the door while the music pounded through my body. Only it felt bad, not good. Everything echoed in my head.

  The bouncer on the door looked right up and down Savvy, blatantly checking her out. “You leave, you’re out, girls. I can’t let anyone back in.”

  “Thanks.” I conjured up my best smile. “Awesome night.”

  It wasn’t really, but if we played nice maybe he’d let us back in anyway. He seemed to like the look of my friend.

  The frigid night air hit me and I sucked in a breath. The air felt so much fresher. I hadn’t realised how stuffy it was inside. Even though my ears rang, there was blessed silence. Fewer people were around; there was only a form pacing by the fountain and another stood right by it.

  I squinted to make them out. Logan and Dane. Savvy stiffened where our arms were connected and I slid my arm out of hers. I wasn’t certain what to think, but I needed to make sure Logan was all right. He had, after all, stood up for me.

  Loga
n’s hands curled into tight fists as he paced the length of the step while Dane watched.

  “Remember who you're doing this for.” Dane’s words were kind of harsh, and I wondered what he meant. Who Logan was outside for? … Was it a girlfriend … table thief girl? Being seen defending me sure would have caused problems for him.

  Logan hurled a kick at the solid base of the fountain and pulled both hands through his long hair.

  “You don’t want to be like him,” Dane warned.

  “Shut up!” Logan’s head snapped up and his gaze landed on me. “I already am.”

  “Everything okay?” I asked, walking toward them.

  “Hell no,” Dane said.

  Logan stopped his measured march. His blue eyes were fiery as they met mine then cut to Dane.

  “Just walking it off,” Dane said.

  Logan blew out a long breath which fogged in the cold air. Then he dropped to sit on the step. “That asshole shouldn’t have touched you.”

  “He didn’t,” I said, not sure if I should sit beside him or keep my distance. To be perfectly honest, part of me was flattered he’d jumped in to defend me, but the other part was a bit scared of what that might mean.

  Dane looked past me to watch Savannah staring at her phone from a safe distance away.

  “Shouldn’t have said the crap he did either.” Logan glared toward the wall of glass that was The Bar.

  I winced, covering my face with my hands. It was an attempt to stop my head from spinning, but nothing could stop my stomach from dropping with a feeling of dread. I hadn’t felt embarrassed about those damn rumours in days, but knowing Logan had heard what that guy had said made me want to fade into the darkness.

  Warmth under my elbow tugged my hand from my face. “Hey.” Logan’s voice was soft. “The guy was a jerk.”

  Suddenly mute, I just nodded.

  “Shh.” Logan’s hand curled around my head, and he pulled me in toward him. “It’s over.”

  My whole body tingled and a single shiver rippled through me. Logan smelt as divine as those raspberry drinks, maybe even better. I shifted my nose toward his wavy hair and inhaled deeply. Must have been his shampoo, or maybe it was just him, but that breezy, oceany scent was intoxicating. His chest rose against mine and his hand continued smoothing my hair. I tipped my head back to look into his face and Logan’s gaze was on me. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and an irrepressible urge to kiss this sweet guy swamped me.