** Please note, I have updated this chapter to reflect changes in the book and will attempt to upload a new chapter every two or three days. Sorry for the delay with this series. I have the rights back to it from my publisher and will begin the process of uploading all the books as I revise the work. **
"I don't know why you think it's such a big deal." Lucy Monroe chomped on her gum and gazed out over all the people gathered in the school's food court. It was close to Christmas break and finals were giving them all nightmares. Lucy's way of dealing with the stress was to discuss Brenna's love life where the entire student body of UNC could hear it.
"It's a big deal to me." Brenna glanced at her watch. She needed to get going soon. She promised her mom she'd come by for dinner. The Sinclair family had dinner once a week regardless of what was going on. Well, except for her brother Scott. He was studying law and had some kind of fancy internship with a big firm. They kept him busy until all hours of the night. She and Devon on the other hand attended faithfully every week. He swore when he graduated next year he was going out of state.
"That was brutal." Angela Cooper, her other BFF, dropped down into the empty chair beside Lucy. "I think the professors are trying to flunk us. My hand is broken after writing that novel of an essay for my English Lit class."
"Is it bad?" I have that same final tomorrow and I'm dreading it. English is not my favorite subject.
"Girl, you just don't know." Angela shook her head, her dark hair sleeked down, highlighting her deep brown eyes. Her mocha skin was flushed slightly from where she'd probably ran all the way here just to tell us about the horror of her final. "So, what did I miss?"
"We were discussing Bren's virginity."
Several people turned to stare at us and I almost died of embarrassment.
"She's blushing," Angela leaned over and whisper shouted to Lucy.
"I hate you both."
"Please." Lucy flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder. "You know you love us."
"Not today. My sex life is not on the table for discussion."
"What sex life?" Angela pulled her phone out of her backpack. "I thought we determined you didn't have one?"
"She could have one. Her boyfriend is H.O.T hot."
That was true enough. Kyle Dorchester was exceptionally good looking. We'd met at the beginning of the year. Both of us being freshmen, we'd bonded over our first week of screw ups. He and I were in a lot of the same classes and started talking. I'd really liked him in the beginning, but as the weeks wore on, I was getting bored with him. Him and his fraternity nonsense.
"That boy is not gonna wait forever." Lucy's blue eyes twinkled. "You know Lisa from our psych class has made it known she likes him."
Which was true too. That girl had no shame. She openly flirted with him while I was standing right there. It reminded me so much of the stupid BS we all pulled back in high school. To be fair, it was only our freshmen year of college. We all still had a lot of growing up to do.
"I gotta go. I promised my parents I'd come by for dinner." I shoved my books in my bag and stood. "See you guys later."
"This conversation isn't over!" Lucy called after me when I walked away.
Oh yes it was. She just didn't know it yet.
I didn't go straight home. Instead I stopped at Saint Marguerites. Even though I wasn't Catholic, Father Donavan let me slip into the gardens. I loved them. The church had been built in the early nineteen hundreds and the gardens had been an ongoing expansion. They ran for a full acre and were designed to have small seating spots scattered throughout so you could sit and gaze out of the most beautiful flowerbeds known to man.
