Where My Heart Is

Chapter 3

After school was out, Katie and I drove to her house. I feared that this event would come so slowly for me because of everything that had happened. But surprisingly, the last two periods of the day flew by so fast.  Even so, Katie and I were exhausted, and we were ready to sit back and relax at her place.

"Did you get assigned any homework today?" Katie asked me as she propped her feet up on my dashboard.

I shook my head. "No, did you?"

"Ugh," she groaned. "Yes! I did. Can you believe it on the first day of school?"

I chuckled. "It is possible, Katie. But all I have is rubrics from my new classes that need to be signed. What class is your homework in?"

"It's for English," she replied. "It shouldn't be too hard. We just have to write a small essay on something we experienced this summer. And to be exact," she added with emphasis, "it must contain descriptive language and visuals."

"Oh that is so easy, I can even help you if you want." I suggested.

"Em, that would be great! Heck, you're a brilliant writer, so I might even get an A!"

It was true. I had always had a passion for writing. Throughout elementary, I had entered countless contests and won big prizes for my writing. My writing skills matured as I learned new things throughout highschool. Someday, I hoped to get out of this town and move to a big city - preferably NYC - and become a writer. I wanted to share my writing with the world and possibly inspire someone. Putting thoughts on paper was such a creative hobby I had. It helped me think through things and, in a sense, it was like a getaway from the real world. Sometimes my passion for writing was hard to put into words, and I wondered if anyone else in the world felt the same. Luke popped into my head. Katie had said he was interested in writing. 

Could he share the same deep feelings for writing as I did? I thought.

I pulled into Katie's driveway and we retreated into her house. We decided to pop some popcorn and watch a few movies.  We snuggled up in a fuzzy blanket and snacked on the popcorn. Then, we started a chick flick, which was the norm for us.

******

A couple hours later, after we had watched two chick flicks and cried our eyes out, Katie sighed. "I need to work on my homework." She pulled out her school stuff while I cleaned up our junk food and used tissues. After I got back, Katie was working away. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my head on my knees. Just then, my phone went off.

Katie looked up from her writing, "Oooh, a text," she teased.

I shrugged it off. "It's probably just my mom." I checked my phone, only to see that it wasn't. It was an unknown number. "Or not."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. But someone texted me 'Hey there'," I said shockingly.

Katie's eyes went wide. "I wonder who that could be. Text them back! Say hey," she said.

I replied to the unfamiliar text. Katie continued on her homework while I thought of the possible people it could be. Nope, I had nothing. I didn't give my number out to strangers. This was definitely a stranger. Before I could think anymore, it pinged again. 

I didn't quite catch your name yet. 

I showed it to Katie. She look confused. "I have no idea who that is," she said. She took my phone and texted back Who is this?. She looked over at me as she set it down.