What The Heart Needs - The Heart #3 (Sample)

Chapter 1 - Part 2

I was annoyed and irritated but it was the increasing worry that I still hadn't heard from Lacey that dominated my thoughts despite the countless time I had rang her. Eventually I had called her home, and spoken to her mom.

"She is fine," Mrs Harper told me, but I could feel the underlying stress in her voice. It did nothing to dampen my own worry for my best friend. Something was up and no one was telling me anything.

"Where was she last night?" I asked prodding to see if I could get more information.

"She was up on the roof and she lost track of time," her mother explained. She wasn't telling me everything. I'd known Mrs Harper for most of my life. Her voice always pitched higher when she wasn't telling their truth. It added weight to my suspicion that there was definitely something going on.

"Please tell her I called." I couldn't completely brush off the growing anxiousness I was feeling until I spoke to Lacey and figured out what was going on. I wondered if it had something to do with Adonis.

"Sure," her mother said before I ended the call.

If I didn't have college I would have gone over to her house and waited to see her. I chewed my lip. I trudged to my next class knowing my attention wouldn't be fully on the lecturer.

Even while I tried to concentrate I was thinking of all the reasons why Lacey would be acting the way she should. The main one was the reappearance of Adonis. He had been playing the push and pull game with her. It irritated me that he didn't just own up to his feelings.

I didn't know why he didn't make it clear to her how he felt about her. In my mind I was going around in circles trying to figure out why Adonis didn't admit he cared more for Lacey and why my best friend was acting so strange lately.

By the time I finished college I was beyond annoyed Lacey still hadn't returned any of my calls. I checked my phone. Still nothing, not even a text message.

There was only one other person who might know what was going on. I wanted to call Aiden but I didn't have his number. Max would have it.

I waited until I got home before I called Max. He didn't answer and it went to his voicemail. He was probably still on his way home from college.

I would call him later. Trying to focus was difficult but I got some of my assignments done.

"Reece," my mom called from downstairs when dinner was ready.

I couldn't eat much. I chased most of my food around my plate trying to ignore the thought that something was very wrong with Lacey.

"What's wrong Princess?" My father asked with concern at my lack of appetite.

My parents were older than most of the parents of my friends. I was their late miracle. From the day I arrived with a healthy scream in the delivery room I was their Princess.

I didn't know if it was because they were older they were very understanding and I had a deep connection with both of them. There wasn't a subject that was off limits to them. They treated me like an individual with a right to choose how I lived my life. They were there to support me through my decisions. And if I needed, they steered me in the right direction.

My father's hair was already going very grey. I told him it made him more distinguished. My mother was still staving off the grey with regular visits to the hairdresser to cover it up. Her hair was dark so she had to do it quite often.

"Talk to us sweetie," my mother prompted putting her knife and fork down.

"It's nothing really," I assured them. "There's something up with Lacey and I don't know what it is."