Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970) by Sarah Anderson Page A

ahead
in her parent’s vehicle, amongst the truckload of items she felt
necessary to bring with us to school. I knew that if I’d forgotten
something at home, she was sure to have brought it along. Although
I consider myself to be fairly organized, CeCe never skipped a beat
remembering all the details when it came to anything exciting,
especially college. I decided to lay back and take a nap. I knew it
would easily take us at least six hours to get there—not including
bathroom stops and lunch. I took my CD player and headphones out of
my purse and turned up Jewel. I looked forward to a few hours of
quiet so I could close my eyes and see Skylar again. It had only
been seven hours since I’d seen him last but it felt like an
eternity. I was already dreaming of the next time I’d be in his
arms.
    His eyes were a sapphire blue and pierced
right through me. The intensity of his gaze ran chills up my back.
When he looked at me I felt so exposed. I could feel my pulse start
to pick up and my breathing slow. With his lip curving slightly up
to form a side-ways smile, he communicated so much to me without
saying a word. His jaw looked to be chiseled right out of some sort
of smooth ivory; it was strong and sculpted perfectly. Like a Greek
god, his skin was soft with a hint of sun kissing his dimples. His
face was noble and beautiful. Silently, his gaze stayed fixed in my
mind. The ends of his ear-length, coffee-colored hair looked like
they had been dipped in the sunlight as they shimmered a golden
bronze. I loved the way he looked at me with a slightly curved grin
I wondered all the things he thought about.
    A tickling sensation swept over my face. The
more I moved the more it followed me. Suddenly, I heard giggling
abruptly disturbing my dreams of Skylar. Opening my eyes, I caught
a glimpse of CeCe hovering over me with her feather pen.
    “Must have been a good dream—you had a
ginormous smile on your face. We’re here Char!”
    Looking around I could see cars with trunks
open all over with parents pouring out of them with bags and all
sorts of dorm-room furniture. I spied my parents talking with the
Crawford’s as I peered out the window. We were here and I couldn’t
believe it. I must have slept the whole way; I felt like we just
left the house moments ago. I had just awoken from the best dream
and felt like I was awaking to another one. The campus was bustling
with life. I could see girls and guys all over hustling and heaving
around totes, chests, and other items with excitement. I couldn’t
wait to get to our room and start decorating it with all the pieces
of home I’d brought with—especially my photographs of CeCe and I
and my family. I smiled quickly thinking I needed to get a photo of
Skylar up. Then I wondered about when I would see him next. He’d be
leaving soon for school overseas. I had hoped to see him before he
left. However, it was at least a four hour drive from Athens to
Savannah.
    “Come on slow bones. We need to get to our
room before someone else tries to move in.” CeCe said pulling me
out of the car.
    “Okay, okay. I’m coming.”
    By this time, CeCe’s parents had their arms
full of her things. My parents were also pretty well loaded up with
my suitcases too. I grabbed my remaining things and we began the
trek. As we walked towards the dorms, I caught CeCe’s eyes roaming
the campus looking at the new prospects. I was surprised that she
wasn’t doing a happy dance although I figured she was probably
waiting for her parents to leave to do that. The campus was full of
so many new and young faces. If I remembered correctly, there was
only one other person from our class besides CeCe and I going to
the University of Georgia this year. The campus was old. It had
been founded in 1785 and was dotted with imposing brick buildings
with large white pillars, a signature piece of architecture in the
south. Grand oak trees, over a hundred years old or more, sprawled
the campus. I could hear my