The Heart Exchange

Chapter Four

In the car, Dad lasted five seconds before starting his interrogation.

"Well, how was it? Do you have homework? Were people staring a lot?"

"Good, no and kind of," I replied, buckling up. "How's your morning been?"

He shrugged. "Pretty uneventful."

He backed out of the school's parking lot and turned the volume up on the radio, prompting some unfamiliar pop song to come blaring out.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, mildly amused.

"Not all pop music is bad and I think it's important to have a variety in our lives," he replied, seemingly having a change of heart.

I smirked and closed my eyes, enjoying the cool AC on my face for once. This morning hadn't been half as bad as I thought but that certainly didn't take away from its oddness. Ethan was an unexpected whirlwind and I found I couldn't stop thinking about him.

"I can hear you thinking from over here, pumpkin. Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Fine," I replied, throwing in a smile for good measure. "Just feeling a little...what's the word? Inspired!"

"Yeah?"

"Hmm, I might take my camera and go down to the beach for an hour this afternoon," I shared, itching to snap a few photos.

The sky was clear and would work lovely for what I had in mind.

"Sounds great. I have a few calls to make, so I'll do them while you're out."

Dad never did like to work while I was around. He said a person's focus should always be on the people present in a room and not some voice on the other end of a phone call.

"I was thinking we could watch a movie later too. Netflix just added a bunch and there's a few watchable ones on there," he explained, slowing down when the car in front did.

"That'll be nice," I answered, feeling my phone vibrate against my thigh.

I pulled it out and viewed the screen, grateful for the two messages staring back at me.

Nikkita <3: I hope this morning went well. I'll call you later. ILY x

Toby is GOD: You killed it today, babes. Proud of you xxxxx

I really did have the best of friends.

****

As I transferred the images from my camera to my laptop, I munched on an apple and listened to Beethoven. The violins mixed together with the soft undertones of various wind instruments made me feel relaxed and helped with the mundane task of waiting for my pictures to load. At roughly fifty percent in, my alarm went off, reminding me to undergo my afternoon meditation session. I muted Beethoven and booted up the app on my phone, lying down in the centre of my bed. I chose the twenty minute option and settled in, allowing the sounds of soft waves and gentles chimes to lull me into a state of further relaxation. Afterwards, I felt fully rejuvenated and decided to do a sudoku, keen to mathematically challenge my mind.

"Maddison! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!" I yelled, pushing my belongs to one side.

Dad and I limited phone time at the dinner table so I didn't bother bringing it.

"Did you manage to take some good pictures?" he asked as I slid into my seat.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll show you a few once I've edited them."