Novels by Barbara Rose

"Why are you here?" Luka repeats the tired question, face to face with his supposed best friend who, at this point, he wasn't sure he recognized. Are they even best friends anymore? Could he even call them that? He would always be hers, but... could he call her his? God, he hoped so.Liviana narrows her eyes, refraining from an eye roll as she finds herself right back where she started. When was he going to get it? Could he? Would he ever understand? "Luke, I already told you-""No," Luka denies. "You already lied to me," he corrects. "And now- now I want the truth.""The truth? Oh, my gosh- what are you even talking about?" She stresses. "What makes you think I'm lying, huh?""Because I know you, Liviana!" He says. "I know you, and I know that you don't belong here - that you wouldn't have come if you didn't want to. You have to have a reason.""My sister is my reason!" Livi defends. "I would do anything for Emilia! You know that-""Anything? Really?""Yes!" She nods. "Anything - any

Hours passed by and before anyone knew it, it was 3AM and the party was in full-swing - somehow even crazier than it was before. Liviana almost couldn't believe it, having thought it couldn't have gotten any worse. But of course, she was wrong, and it did - it got worse.Drinks were flowing faster than the blood from her raging heart, and she could hear the wild beat of it drumming loudly in her ears as she danced - or at least tried to dance. Today she had found out that she wasn't such a good dancer, after all. And no amount of ballet lessons had changed that. Mostly, she just jumped around and smiled, calling it dancing as a desperate cover - something her friend had no problem pointing out."Do you even know what you're doing?" Luka wondered, grinning as he watched the girl frolic in the middle of the dance floor, and he just couldn't help himself - he had to tease her, even if only a little, because, otherwise, what kind of friend would he really be?"Of course I do!" She insists

Little Liviana stood tall and alone, pushed to the back of the room while her siblings danced around in the center. Emilia always was better at being the center of attention- she thrived off of the spotlight. And Tino... he lived and breathed to find even the smallest dose of fun. It looked as though they were in their element, having the time of their life. As much as she wanted to leave - even after her touching talk with her sister - she just couldn't bring herself to ruin it for them. So, she stayed.She stayed, sat, waited and listened, watching as the time flew by right in front of her eyes. And then, before she knew it, two more hours had passed, and it was after midnight. It was late, but was it too late? She couldn't be sure. All she had left to do was to hope and pray.The young girl sighs, head tilting to the side as she pries her eyes away from the scene, only to latch on to another. And God, if this one wasn't shocking, she wasn't sure she knew what shocking was anymore.

A young Liviana sat quietly, nervously, in the corner of the over-crowded room, people watching as though her life depended on it. What was she watching for? Not even she was sure. But that didn't stop her from looking.Her green eyes scanned over the crowd with caution, darting around from face to face and person to person. She watches them closely, almost as if she was waiting for something. And in a way, she was. She was looking for clarity, waiting and hoping it would find her and help her make the right choices. Liviana was waiting on her guardian angel to offer some wisdom, but it was clear her angel must have been busy, having failed to provide guidance on each instance as of late. She was beginning to wonder if she even had one anymore... maybe she quit - who knows? Sighing at the thought, she tilts her head back, resting it against the wall and allowing herself a short break. Her eyes fall shut, and for a moment, she just thinks - listens. She just is. The air was hot, thic

Little Liviana stood tall and alone, pushed to the back of the room while her siblings danced around in the center. Emilia always was better at being the center of attention- she thrived off of the spotlight. And Tino... he lived and breathed to find even the smallest dose of fun. It looked as though they were in their element, having the time of their life. As much as she wanted to leave - even after her touching talk with her sister - she just couldn't bring herself to ruin it for them. So, she stayed.She stayed, sat, waited and listened, watching as the time flew by right in front of her eyes. And then, before she knew it, two more hours had passed and it was after midnight. It was late, but was it too late? She couldn't be sure. All she had left to do was to hope and pray.The young girl sighs, head tilting to the side as she pries her eyes away from the scene, only to latch on to another. And God, if this one wasn't shocking, she wasn't sure she knew what shocking was anymore.F

The set of the three Santora siblings approaches the lively house with caution. "Is this it?" Liviana asks, stopping to stare up at the place that was practically bursting at the seams with people. She couldn't believe she was here. She never thought they would actually make it - she hoped Emilia was more reasonable, and prayed she would come to her senses. And yet, here they were. They finally made it."Yeah," Emilia mutters, a smile stretching widely across her lips as she takes in the view behind her. It was everything she could have ever hoped it'd be. It was the perfect picture - practically ripped right out of the movies. And God, she couldn't wait to join in. "Come on! Let's go!"Suddenly, the girl is surging forward and rushing up the stairs, calling for her siblings to follow her in what they could only imagine being an overcrowded, overstimulating mess. It was safe to say that Liviana and Tino were nowhere near as excited as their sister was. "Wait!" Livi calls, taking a st