Keeper of my Heart

irl. Can I make it any mor

s from beneath her duvet, hand barely slipping out to grab hold of her phone. She heaves a

t time it is right now? H

. “Do you know what time it is? I’ve been standing outside yo

rom her ear to check, realizing she had checked

a.m., it’

voice bursts through the phone as Noel tosses her on speaker

ome again last night?” s

room. “It’s been about 3 days in a row now, I have no idea where he goes or what he

s Prisci

ho aren’t ever around but at le

r than when the family is needed to pose for cameras or help open a new establishment. Despite her father never being there and her mot

amongst the residents and for someone like Mayor Wright, having the public

lse is rushing to be M

lass. I have Mrs. Jones for the first period, and she spits a lot when she

ve her the first day of freshman year, misreadin

air and hole yourself up inside like a mole

mole, simply because she prefers a night in with snacks and Netflix, rather than a night out with bad food

to the next city over just to have the same amou

and grabs her phone to hang up, but sees that Pr

Subaru, a guilt-gift given to her by her dad for her 16th birthday last

late, and there is a 99% chance now that I will have to pick a seat at the front of the class

her friend and agrees

, running a hand through her sleek blonde hair as it whips through the ca

years to go before you can call yourself an adult, an

ends, and everyone goes their separate ways, we’ll no longer have the connecti

gives a pointe

about this, you make a goal right now to do one thing this year that you have wanted to do for a whil

s missed out on purposely, because of both lack of courage and motivation, but knows sh

ling in love,

, most if not all of them ending before the couple even graduates. Her mother once said to her that fa

r, until her dad changed career paths afterward, and got married when they discovered her mother was pregnant with little Noel. Her mother still stood by what she said, explaining

ly fall in love with the different phases of their lives and changes

ith someone once,” she ends up replying. Falling i

am school, the same one her mother went to, ever since she discovered her passion for art and wanted to pursue a career in it. It is a private co

be someone whose name also begins with an N?” Priscilla asks, nudging her s

rs excitedly, spotting the sandy blonde hair

rowdy friends, peeking her head up just in time to see his green eyes shift in their

le Noel covers her beat red face and sinks to the fl

rrassments but is let down when Priscilla tells her she has already scored her firs

nsport around here. Looking at the condition of the bus shelter itsel

ason as the leaves slowly start to tumble around her, signaling the first sign of autumn. Her favorite song, sk

ehind her until the rider is whizzing past her at a distance close enough t

ey’re long gone by now, the sound of the eng

when she finally makes it home and sees the same death trap that nearly ran her over parked on the street next to her house, most likely a friend

again for the night, she drags her feet into the house and tosses her bag on the ground the moment

g days apart with her birthday, unfortunately, landing on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately for both her and her mother, her birthday is

to start th

doesn’t notice that the door is already closed, when she left it open this morning. D

aking her up in time to see the tall fig

lodic voice floats through the haze, a pair of pale blue e

g, she lets out

the hell

n answer, Noel hears the loud voice of

l? Are you alrigh

to bolt out the door. Her father comes running up the stairs just as she scur

r! He broke i

e’s going to do is use the

r dad long to piece everything together, al

r you two to meet, I wasn’t expecting you hom

ng about, dad? Who is this a

ted sigh, pinching th

se, but he doesn’t have anywhere to go and is looking for a second ch