Page 6 of Follow Me to Your Heart

The fact I already had a math exam coming up within the fourth week of classes was crazy. Math was my weakest subject, so I’d been studying since my professor gave us the study guide. I was confident I’d pass any other class with ease.

Since I started kindergarten a year later, I always felt behind everyone else.

I couldn’t help it that Alana chose to enroll me late because she wasn’t ready to let me go.

Often, I wondered how our relationship was then.

There were times I couldn’t remember, but from the way she put things, it sounded like we were close. If only it would’ve stayed that way.

My phone vibrated beside me, and I was pleased to see it was my father texting me and Kasey in the group chat. He was doing his weekly check-in to make sure we were okay and didn’t need anything.

That was one thing I loved about Daddy. He didn’t play when it came to his kids.

No matter where we were or what we needed, he would drop everything to be there for us.

When we were kids, he and Mom bumped heads about it.

She swore up and down he was babying us, but to Kasey and me, Daddy did everything we wished Mom would’ve done.

As I was texting back, an incoming call from my best friend, Sienna, came through. I quickly answered, elated to talk to her.

“Sienna! I thought you forgot about me since you don’t like to text back.” I answered the phone, half joking. I was a little in my feelings about not hearing from her, but we’d both been busy getting settled into college.

“No, ma’am. Don’t do that, Korren. You know I’d never intentionally ignore you. It’s been hectic as hell getting situated. I miss you, but I know you have other friends to keep you occupied.”

“As if you don’t. At least I checked in with you. You couldn’t tell me kiss your ass or anything.”

“You’re so dramatic.” Sienna giggled. “I am sorry, for real. How about I make it up to you by coming to spend the weekend with you?”

I sat up and bounced on my bed. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, girl! I need a break from the city. I’m already overwhelmed with my classes, and it’s hard not seeing your beautiful, freckled face every day.”

“I mean, we do have FaceTime for a reason. You could see it, but you choose not to.”

“You know what . . . I’m not even about to go there with you. I’ll do better. Do you have classes on Fridays?”

“Hell no. Anyone who does is crazy. I have two clients that morning, but that’s all I have planned.”

“Bet. I’m going to come around noon. We can go eat or something.”

“You know I’m always down for some food. I can show you around Harley Grove. Make sure you bring something cute to wear. We’re going to a party Friday night, so be ready to turn up.”

Sienna squealed. “Ooo, yes! I’ve heard HG has the best parties. I gotta make sure I look my best. Maybe I’ll be able to snatch me one up while I’m there.”

“There’s plenty of options too. My head be about to swivel off my neck when I’m on campus from looking around so hard. These boys here are a different breed.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Well, I love you. I wanted to call and let you know I was coming through, and I’ll do better with communicating. Charge it to my head, not my heart.”

I playfully rolled my eyes and laid back on my bed. “I hear you. Love you, Si.”

“Love you more, Ko.”

We ended the call, and my heart was full.

Sienna had been my best friend since pre-k.

She was more like my sister than anything else.

It was hard being apart from her, but she was one of the few people who encouraged me to leave Camden Cove while she stayed back.

Hopefully, she would come to the city and love it so I could convince her to transfer our sophomore year.

The only concern I had about her coming here was how she and Taylor would get along.

Sienna was very possessive of me. She’d always been that way, but I wouldn’t let her be mean to Taylor.

That was my girl too. Lately, Taylor had been there more for me than Sienna.

The truth stung, but it was what it was.

I took a break from studying and scrolled through my phone a little longer.

I went to my messages to see if Cage had read the text I sent him two hours ago.

He hadn’t, so I checked his location to make sure he was good.

It showed he was driving on the north side, which meant he was probably doing his pickups.

I debated on calling him to hear his voice. It wasn’t like him to not text back.

Symone’s words had been replaying in my mind. I wondered what she meant when she said she desired a love like ours. What Cage and I had was special. I believed it because not too many girls and boys could be best friends with no strings attached.

Even though I often thought about attaching one.

It was hard to admit to myself that my feelings for Cage were budding by the day, so I surely wasn’t going to admit it to anyone else.

I needed to come to terms with it first before expressing it to anyone.

Even then, I wasn’t sure I’d ever accept it.

I loved Cage too much to ruin our friendship by admitting I was falling in love with him.

“You’ve checked your phone at least twenty times within the last ten minutes, and I haven’t heard it go off or anything. What’s bothering you, Korren? Is it your mom?” Taylor asked as she curled my hair.

We were getting ready for the party. Taylor was doing my hair while Sienna fixed us shots and mixed drinks.

I’d never been big on drinking, but I desired one night to be stress free.

I desired one night to let my hair down and not care about anything.

My two closest friends were with me, so it was the best time to do so.

I tossed my phone on the sink and huffed.

My lips twisted as my mind went rampant with different thoughts.

Briefly, I closed my eyes to gather myself before explaining, “Cage hasn’t been himself, and I don’t know what it is.

He’s not really talking to me, which is unusual for him.

He goes hours without texting me. His responses have been short, and I haven’t heard his voice all week.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t like it. ”

“Even I know that’s unusual, but I don’t want you overthinking it. You and I both know the type of work Cage does can be extremely demanding. Things can happen out of the blue that requires all his attention. Did you reach out to his sister or anything?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to make anyone else worry. It could only be me he’s acting like this with.”

“Well, you won’t know unless you ask, Korren.”

“Ask what?” Sienna questioned, carefully coming around the corner with a tray. She set the tray down before handing Taylor and me our shots. We toasted and threw them back. My throat burned like hell.

“Where are the chasers, Si?” I all but yelled, hopping up and doing a little dance.

Sienna giggled. “No chasers all night. Take it to the head and feel all the effects.”

Taylor grabbed her mixed drink and raised it in the air. “I’m with it. See, I like how you think, Sienna.”

“So what were y’all talking about?” Sienna inquired again, taking a sip of her drink.

Taylor mumbled something inaudible underneath her breath as she took a gulp of her drink and started back on my hair.

I shot Sienna a knowing glare, only for her to wave me off as if it was no big deal.

She acted as if I didn’t know her. She was being shady toward Taylor.

I didn’t want to ruin the night, but I made a mental note to talk to her about it later.

“I was telling Taylor I haven’t really talked to Cage in the last few days.”

Sienna’s head jerked back. Her dark honey-colored irises almost popped out her head. She raked her hand through her short boho braids and expressed, “That’s not normal. Is he okay? Did y’all have a fight or something?”

“No, we didn’t, which is why I’m worried.”

“You want me to call him?”

“It’s fine. If things aren’t normal by Sunday, I’ll reach out to Symone and see what’s up.”

“Good idea,” Taylor spoke, curling the last piece of my hair.

The music in the background stopped playing as my phone rung. I danced to the tune, excited to talk to my brother. He was one of the few people who had a special ringtone, so I automatically knew it was him.

“Hey, Kase. What are you doing?”

“Not much. I was thinking about you and wanted to check in. What you up to?”

I looked over my appearance in my full-length mirror and answered, “Nothing much. About to go to a party with Sienna and Taylor.”

“Aw, shit. I can’t believe Sienna came that way.”

Sienna playfully rolled her eyes. “Hey to you too, Kasey.”

“What’s good, Si? Hey, Taylor.”

“Heeeyyy!” Taylor sang, blushing. She’d never met Kasey in person, but from the pictures I showed her, she swore she was in love.

Kasey chuckled, then his tone turned serious. “I talked to Mom.”

“I don’t have anything to say to her right now, Kasey. What did she say? Blame everything on me?”

“You know how Alana is. She’s always the victim, so I need to hear your side of the story.”

While Taylor finished getting ready, I ran down everything that happened to Kasey. He listened intently, never interrupting which was one thing I loved about him. He was the type of person who made sure you were heard. A simple but great quality he got from our father.

By the time I was finished, my blood was boiling again. “I can’t believe she really did that to me. She straight set me up and thought I was going to be okay with it.”

“Yeah, she’s foul for that. Don’t worry, sis. I got you. She knows how I am when it comes to you, so I don’t even know why she told me.”

“Because you’re her favorite child.”

“Don’t say that.”

I scoffed. “You know it’s true. And before you say anything, it doesn’t bother me because I’m Daddy’s favorite.”

“I guess you got a point.”

Kasey and I talked for five more minutes before it was time for us to go. Sienna, Taylor, and I took two more shots, grabbed our mixed drinks, and went downstairs to wait for our Journey.

I went to my messages to see Cage had read my message ten minutes ago but didn’t reply. He was really beginning to piss me off. Whatever his problem was with me, he needed to let me know. His actions were blindsiding me, and I didn’t like it at all.

Oh, well.

The only thing I could do was shake it off and focus on my night with my girls. I had a feeling things were going to get wild.