All Chapters of Whispers of the Heart: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

“Is that what you are wearing today?” He asked me, his tone gruff with an accusing edge that I did not like in the least.“Yes, it is. Is there a problem with what I am wearing?” We glared at each other for at least three Mississippis before he sighed and looked down.“No, you look amazing.” He answered as he approached the breakfast table and sat down to his plate. “Maybe a little too amazing is all.”“It’s just clothes, Phil.” I answered calmly.He picked up his fork and stabbed at his eggs, stopping as he brought the fork up. “You’re right. I’m being silly and maybe a little more possessive than I have any right to be. I’m sorry. You do look amazing. You would look amazing in a potato sack, though.”I gave him a warm smile and he started eating.“Thank you. I’m gonna go wake up Nate and get him dressed.”I didn’t wait for a response, exiting the kitchen as smoothly as I could. It was getting rather crowded in there this morning, what with that darn elephant back. I opened Nate’s bed

“Bye, Daddy” Nate called with a wave.“Bye, buddy. Have a good day!”I shut the truck door, taking Nate’s hand as I led him around the front of the truck, across the street once the traffic was clear and up onto the side walk on the opposite side. Wearing shoes I was not used to actually made my pace stay right with Nate’s, all the way up to the front steps.“Bye, Rory. Love you!” He called as he broke free and took off up the steps without even looking back.“Love you, too.” I called after him but he was already gone.As I turned and walked back down the sidewalk, I had to walk past one of the buses of high school students. I tried to ignore the whistles and cat calls as I hurried past, suddenly questioning my choice of outfit for the first day.I was already going to be the ‘new girl’. That was enough to stand out but I thought it would be smart to dress up, in a fricking skirt no less! Obviously, I should have given this whole scenario a little more thought. I took a deep breath, s

“You’re welcome, sweetie. We want you to be comfortable and feel at home here at Wood Haven on your first day.” She answered back with a genuine smile. “Now, let me see which of our guides I need to pair you with. Hopefully, there is a volunteer that you share some classes with.”She hummed away, looking at the computer as she decided which guide she would call for me. I sent up a silent prayer for it to be someone nice and normal, someone who didn’t want to be front and center with introducing me to everyone in the school on my first day.“Here we go. I think I have found the perfect match. She picked up the phone and overhead paged. “Courtney Romero. Courtney Romero, can you come by the office for a moment. Thank you.”She hung up the phone and motioned to an empty chair behind me.“Just have a seat there, Aurora and she will be up here in just a few minutes.”“Thank you again.”“No problem, sweetie.” She turned away from me as I sat down and motioned for the next student in line.I

As soon as Mr. Hanson announced our pairing, Bethany asked, “Mr. Hanson, who is Fulvia and what does she have to do with Mark Antony? I thought he was in love with Cleopatra?”“Ahh, an opportunity to learn, Miss Yates. What topic did you draw again?”“The Roman bathing system.”“I’m changing it. I will lecture on it tomorrow. In the meantime, Miss Yates, I have now given you the topic of Cleopatra and added you to Miss Butler and Mr. Marshall’s group. Two powerful women. Nothing you can’t handle, right Mr. Marshall?”Owen just chuckled and shook his head but I couldn’t help but wonder if this was an inside joke of some sort and it made me uneasy. Was Owen Marshall just a player? Did he see me as his next conquest? Did he see me at all? My defenses were back in place, locked and loaded. I couldn’t be tricked by dimples, a handsome face and those dark eyes. I couldn’t be like her, I reminded myself.“As a matter of fact,” Mr. Hanson continued. “Didn’t one of you draw Octavian?” He asked

There it was. The first official backlash from Phil dropping me off this morning. I wanted to answer, explain myself, explain our situation but it was too late. I caught the name of the teacher, Mrs. Muncy, as she introduced herself but very little else as I sat there. My mind was nothing but a muddled mess as she passed out the syllabus and proceeded to discuss it. I would have to read it myself later when I was able to concentrate.I was embarrassed at all the unnecessary attention Vanessa had just cast upon me and what must be running through all of their heads about the new girl. I was angry and frustrated that not only was I left unable to explain but I also knew, deep down, that Vanessa did that on purpose.I didn’t even answer roll call, choosing instead to just raise my hand when Mrs. Muncy called me name. I didn’t trust my voice.From Owen’s body language, he was no longer in a good mood. He hadn’t said much since his interaction with Kyle when tempers flared but what Vanessa