Free Two Hearts One Love by Savannah Chase

CHAPTER ONE
     
    Class
finished late that evening, all because one student decided to
start a debate with the professor on something he'd said five
minutes before the lecture ended.
    Looking
at her watch, Sarah knew she didn't have much time left before her
shift started at work. Time was not on her side tonight. Neither
was the fact that the last two taxis she'd hailed hadn't bothered
to stop for her. This was Toronto. Taxis were abundant, just not
tonight.
    At this
rate, she'd end up getting home faster if she walked. Adjusting her
book bag, she looked out onto the street one last time for a
taxicab that might be headed her way. With none in sight, she began
to make the walk home. Every few moments, she glanced at her
watch—a nervous habit. She was a stickler for
punctuality.
    Sarah had an hour to make her shift at Blue Zone.
She ’ d manage, just as long as no more
delays came up.
    Working
at the bar was a temporary gig so she could make it through school.
The extra shifts, overtime and tips were just enough to pay the
bills and scrape by. Thankfully, this was her last semester so she
wouldn't have to worry much longer about having enough to pay for
her education. She'd managed to get through it all without taking
out any loans, even when her application for a bursary had been
denied. She knew the hard work would pay off one day, and she'd
graduate and get a job working at one of the papers as a
journalist.
    Her
boss, Jane, had been so good to her. She'd accommodated her random
hours and did everything she could to help her juggle school and
work. Not many would be willing to go out of their way to do
something for their employees.
    As luck
would have it, droplets of rain slowly started to come down. One by
one, they fell, each drop harder than the last.
    Sarah
picked up her pace in a desperate attempt to get home before it
began raining even harder. Within seconds, she was running through
a downpour. Not an inch of her body wasn’t soaked. Water trickled
down her face, and her clothes felt heavy.
    A few
steps ahead, she saw a bus stop with a shelter where she could stop
to escape from the rain; if even for a moment. Maybe the storm
would calm down a little during that time.
    Just as
she neared the stop, the sound of a speeding car caught her
attention and she glanced up to see a taxi. In an attempt to hail
the cab, she stretched out her hand and waved at it hoping it would
stop. It had been the only one that had driven by for the last ten
minutes or so. At that speed, the car appeared as if it were
heading right for her, but it sped by without slowing down and
splashed a huge puddle of dirty street water right at
her.
    As if
getting soaked in the rain wasn't enough, she now had to deal with
being covered in disgusting, petroleum-filled rain
water.
    Can my day get any worse?
    Her
brown jacket was covered with dirt and other things, courtesy of
the puddle. Droplets cascaded down her face, and her feet were
swimming and sliding in her running shoes.
    She
hurried inside the booth and stopped for a moment under the
shelter. Thankfully, there weren't too many people on the
street.
    Catching
her reflection in the store window, she wished she could hide. A
wet rat probably looked better than her in her current state.
Mascara ran down her cheeks leaving black lines on her face. Her
blonde hair was disheveled and untamed, covered in dirt and the
other contents of the puddle. She looked like something out of a
horror movie. All she wanted to do was hurry home and take a hot,
relaxing shower to wash it all away.
    Removing
her book bag, she did a quick check to see if everything inside
remained dry. Thankfully it had. At least she didn't have to worry
about her school materials getting ruined by the rain. Shoving her
hand in one of the pockets, she pulled out a handkerchief to try to
wipe away some of the running make up and dirt.
    She'd
been so focused on cleaning herself up a little that she hadn't
noticed a taxi pull up a few