Page 74 of Silent Heart

“Aahhh! Sorry guys, I have to take this. My cousin is such a mother hen!” One of the girls, with dark chocolate hair, stood up and answered her phone. “Dani, hi! I’m eating, can this wait?”

There was a pause.

“Sure, I’ll tell her goodnight, but Zoey is going to have to learn to go to sleep by herself—” She paused to listen to whatever the other person said. “Yes, I’m eating with my suitemates. Everything is fine, Dani!”

Unable to resist the urge, I pulled out my phone. My grandma had received and read my text message saying I’d arrived, but she hadn’t opened the second saying I was settled. The pork chop felt heavy in my stomach.

A string of foreign language sang out. I flicked another glance, and saw the pretty girl cradling the phone to her ear and singing a lullaby in…Spanish? It didn’t sound right, but it was close? Maybe? Damn the rural education and the lack of pushing extra languages on students. Whatever the language, it was beautiful. And I wasn’t the only one pausing to listen.

The chocolate-haired girl finished, saidbuona notte, and hung up. Her gaze pinned mine.

I lifted my bread roll in salute. She smiled but quickly returned to her group of friends. I finished my food, determined to sneak more rolls and some cookies for my dorm. This was the start of the new life I fought so hard to have.

A shiver rattled over my skin, and I rubbed my shoulders. I didnotfeel lonely. Not here, not now. A second shiver begged to differ.

Chapter 29 – Harley

Iwas by far the oldest student in my classes. The prereqs I took over the last two years helpedimmensely.I was well on my way to cutting down the time it would take to graduate. Dissection and anatomy, however, were not classes that I could do at the community college online.

Settling into the stadium seating, I took out my notebook, my number two pencil, and grabbed my coffee to sip. Around me, the seats began to fill.

Hot liquid spread over my tongue, and I nearly choked as the brown-haired singer from the cafeteria came into the lecture hall. I watched her make her way to the back of the room, look around, shake her head, and then come down the aisle.

She must have felt me looking, because she lifted her gaze to mine.Holy cow!How young was she? We exchanged friendly smiles and she sat in my row, two seats down from me. No one sat between us.

And my first lecture began!

This was it. The moment that launched me to becoming an animal doctor.

Not only was there an age gap with all of these want-to-be medical professionals, but there was a technology gap as well. They used tablets and laptops to take notes. From my vantage point, I saw several shopping or scrolling their socials.

I tapped my pencil against the notebook, wondering if I wasn’t being too old-fashioned.

“Turn to the person next to you, that will be your partner for the lab portion of this class. If they plan to drop out, now would be a good time to leave,” the teaching assistant boomed.

I looked down the row, seeing the boys on my right already bumping fists. A light floral scent washed over me, and papers whooshed as the seat next to mine was occupied.

“I’m Cami Joe, and I guess we’re going to be lab partners.” The girl held out a hand, very direct and businesslike.

I cleared my throat and shook hands with her. “I’m Harley.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said, pulling up the syllabus which she’d printed.Printed!I was so occupied feeling self-conscious about my learning style that I hadn’t looked over at the girl.

Cami was also using a notebook to take notes.

But a quick glance at the designer bag at her feet showed she did possess a very expensive Macintosh laptop.

“Forgive me for asking, but…how?” I gestured to her. “This is a graduate level class. Aren’t you in the wrong place?”

Those deep brown eyes studied me. “Really? You’re asking me how I’m here, when I could ask the same of you?”

“I’m second career,” I protested. “You have to be, what? Just out of high school?”

Cami sighed. “I took Advanced Placements and finished my bachelor’s degree a few weeks ago. I’m pre-med—so if you have any resignations about me pulling my weight in this class, don’t.”

I held up my hands. “I just wanted to make sure we had everything in the open.”

“Not everything,” she muttered.

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