Free #Heart (Hashtag #6) by Cambria Hebert

relieved.
    Maybe some time with my best friend was exactly what I needed.

Chapter Nine

    Ivy
    The warm, rich sent of coffee was welcome as I stepped into LOTUS and out of the cold. The coffee shop wasn’t busy, but it wasn’t empty either. It was afternoon, the time when a lot of people were finishing up classes and would start filtering in to get an afternoon pick-me-up.
    I could use one. I stepped up in the line and perused the menu, even though I already knew everything they served. The line moved up, and I went with it. When the door opened behind me, I glanced around, thinking it might be Rimmel, but it wasn’t.
    She was probably running a little late. I decided to just order for her; that way she wouldn’t have to stand in line when she arrived. Then we could get right down to girl talk.
    Rimmel and I lived together, but we didn’t get as much talk in as we used to in the dorm. Living with three guys made it hard to get exclusive girl time. Not that I was complaining. I liked living in a full house. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until I moved into the place Romeo rented us all and was suddenly surrounded again.
    It was funny because when I first came to Alpha U, I was intent on getting some independence and space from my large family.
    But once I had it, I realized it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I realized I was a family kind of girl. Even though Rim and I were sorely outnumbered by testosterone, I still loved it.
    Once I ordered, I moved down to the pick-up counter to wait. Rimmel bustled in, looking like a miniature snowman in a puffy white coat and a scarf around half her head. I giggled and waved when I saw her. She pointed to a table by the window, and I nodded, so she went over and snagged it before it was taken.
    The drinks appeared, and I grabbed them up, tucking one of my selections beneath my arm, and went over to the table.
    “Hey,” I said as Rimmel untangled herself from her scarf.
    “I think I’m trapped,” she said, dropping her arms and turning to me.
    I laughed. The scarf was somehow twisted around her neck and in her hair. I set everything on the table, came to her rescue, and straightened out the situation, handing her the scarf so she could pile it on top of her coat.
    “A girl tries to wear her hair down and this is what happens. If you hadn’t been here, I’d be in the back, begging for a stick of butter to get myself out of that contraption!” Rim gestured toward the scarf.
    I didn’t even bother to hide my enjoyment of her clear fashion handicap. “Hmm, I think you just gave me an idea for my style channel.”
    “Butter as hair detangler?” Rimmel flashed a smile.
    “How to properly wear a scarf.” I corrected.
    “Better include a segment on how to get the hell out of one if you can’t put it on right,” she muttered.
    I laughed some more and pushed a cup toward her. “Got you a cider.”
    She made a sound of appreciation and gripped the cup. “Thank you.”
    I pulled my mocha in front of me¸ along with the small bottle of orange juice I’d grabbed out of the cooler near the register.
    Rimmel gestured at the juice. “Couldn’t make up your mind?”
    “It’s a girl’s prerogative to want more than one thing at once.” I uncapped the juice and took a sip. The slightly tart but sweet orange flavor burst over my tongue and slid down my throat. So good.
    I reached for the mocha and wrapped my hands around it, letting the heat from the coffee seep into my chilled fingers.
    “You’ve never been one to drink juice,” Rimmel said, sipping her drink.
    I shrugged. “I think I need the sugar. I’ve been tired lately.”
    “How’s things going?” she asked, lowering her voice a little, as if she were keeping our conversation private.
    I was used to talking about my feelings, used to being asked about them, too. It seemed like that’s all I’d done since discovering Zach raped me and then tried to kill Braeden and me. The thing was I didn’t mind