1. THE BUMPING CLICHÉ

"Eli, why do you want me to switch schools all of a sudden?" I whine.

"Kukla, that's one of the best schools. I graduated from there, Zee graduated from there and the faculty is so nice." he tries to reason with me.

(Doll)

I huff into the phone and plop on my bed, "That's not the only reason. I know you, Eli."

"Princess, please. Stop arguing." he sighs from the other end.

I purse my lips and nod my head, "Okay." I agree.

"Good. I love you, you know that right?" he asks.

"Yeah. I love you, too. The most." I say with a small smile.

"I'll see you soon, take care of yourself." he says.

"You, too. Bye." I say and hang up.

Sighing heavily, I get up from the bed and make my way downstairs. I hear noises from the kitchen and walk inside to find mom cooking breakfast and dad playing with the twins.

"Good morning." I greet them.

Dad looks up with a smile and opens his arms for me. I hug him tightly and peck his cheek, "You look fresh today, old man." I tease.

Mom chuckles shaking her head and I quickly peck her cheek as well before dropping on the bar stool next to the twins' baby chair.

"I am still very young at heart. Your mom knows." he winks making me laugh.

I love them both so much. I wish to have a love like them, someday.

"So? Did Elijah convince you already?" dad asks.

My eyes widen in surprise, "You knew, too?"

"Of course, we did." mom chimes in.

"Mom, why are you guys doing this?" I ask with a frown.

"Baby, Eli thinks it's best if you go to RedWood High for your senior year. Besides, we obviously know how good of a school that is. Even your dad graduated from there." she says placing our breakfast plates in front of us.

"I agreed." I tell them.

"You won't regret it, princess." dad smiles at me in a reassuring manner.

I smile but it faints as soon as I see mom serving me my share of breakfast. An old memory hits me and a pout forms on my lips, involuntarily.

Did he forget about me?

"What's wrong?" mom asks.

I look up and see a small knowing smirk on her face making me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"Nothing." I mumble and dig in.

After breakfast, mom and dad leaves to get groceries while I play with the twins in the backyard. Mrs. Cooper, our housemaid, retired last year and now her niece has replaced her. Dad doesn't allow any third person in the house on Sundays since it's a family day.

"Liza." Noah calls drawing my attention back to the twins.

He holds up a drawing he made and even though the toy car he has drawn is obviously pretty rough but his effort makes me smile.

"That is so good, baby." I coo and kiss his cheek making him giggle.

I am so engrossed in telling Noah which colors to pick for his drawing that when water splashes on my baggy shirt, I shriek and immediately stand up.

"NATE!" I scold and he giggles adorably in response.

My serious face falls and I burst out laughing making them both laugh with me.

"You little monster, come here." I narrow my eyes playfully at him and he screams dropping the garden hose on the ground and starts running in the opposite direction.

I chase after him eventually catching the little devil and spins him in the air. His cute giggles makes me grin widely. A tug at my pyjama pants stops me and I look down to see Noah standing there with his arms open.

I pick him up and run in the backyard laughing hard with them. These two little cookies have my heart.

Mom and dad had Noah and Nate almost five years ago. They turn five in one month. Ever since them, the house has been extremely rackety. Grandpa Ivan always loved playing with them, their antics made him laugh often. He loved all of us dearly.

Dad was in an extremely bad shape when grandpa passed away a year and a half ago but mom was his anchor, like always. We were even more stronger than before. Uncle Drew, being the emotional sibling, cried his heart out in mom's lap. Dad tells us that he has been always attached to mom, especially after grandma.

The love and respect I have for my mother can never be explained in words, ever. I know all the things that had happened to her yet she still remains calm and brave. I wish to be like her.

"What did you guys do?" mom asks when she sees us drenched in water.

I point to Nate who is already pointing his finger to Noah who is pointing his finger to me. I roll my lips in my mouth and shake my head at them.

"Little liars." I whisper making them both giggle.

"Go and change." mom scolds and we run upstairs.

I bath the twins before changing them in white tees and blue jeans shorts. It was time for their afternoon nap, so I put them to sleep.

After changing, I helped mom and dad in the kitchen to prepare lunch.

"Eliza, we will call Ezra's family next month for the twins' birthday." dad informs.

I don't know why my heart skips a beat at that and I swallow before speaking, "Sure, dad. Why are you asking me?"

"Because you haven't met them in a year." mom states.

"Mom, I have been busy." I mumble.

"Busy avoiding people." she rolls her eyes with a smile.

Heat creeps up my neck at that comment so I look down letting my hair create a curtain to hide my face.

"I love aunty Nia and uncle Vince." I whisper shyly.

"Who says Isa is talking about them?" dad asks.

"Dad." I whine making them both laugh.

The rest of the day is spent playing games, eating, watching movies and cleaning. In short, the usual family Sunday.

Tomorrow is the first day of my school and I am nervous as hell. I don't wish to be popular like Eli, but if people there knew who I am they will definitely try to befriend me and I don't want that. I am happy with minimum friends.

I close my eyes and an image flashes in my mind making me snap my eyes open instantly. It's been ages since I last saw him, why does he keep occupying my mind?

I am sure he has forgotten me by now. After all, we were only kids.

Then why do I feel uneasy at the mere thought of that possibility?

Ignoring all the thoughts, I force myself to sleep since I have to wake up super early tomorrow.

***

My hand slaps the alarm clock repeatedly making it fall to the ground and break into pieces. I frown looking at it as if it has stolen some food from my plate and get out of the bed.

Jumping in the shower, I wash myself thoroughly over and over and wrap a towel around myself after I am done. I quickly brush my teeth and walk inside my closet.

"Liza." mom calls.

I jump startled at her close proximity, "Jesus, mom. A little heads up next time, please." I say placing a hand over my heart.

She chuckles and shakes her head, "I just came to check if you have woken up or not."

"I am awake." I say calmly and kiss her cheek.

"Come down for breakfast." she instructs and leaves.

Taking out a black tee and black jeans, I slip in them and drape a denim jacket over it. Straightening my golden brown hair, I swipe nude gloss on my lips and coat my already long eyelashes with a single layer of mascara. Picking up my favorite white converse and black backpack, I jog down the stairs barefoot.

"Good morning." I greet everybody as I put on my converse.

Nate and Noah were dressed in their school uniforms along with mom and dad who were ready for work, too.

"Morning, kiddo." dad greets back as I wash my hands in the sink.

I place a kiss on each of the twins' cheek and they give me a sloppy kiss in return making me scrunch my nose.

After breakfast, I bid everyone goodbye and rush out towards my blue Audi R8. I put the location of my school in the GPS and follow the directions. After twenty minutes, I reach the school and see only five parking spots empty, one of the empty spots was at the far end so I park in the first spot on the left and get out.

As soon as I get out, I see girls and boys whispering and shaking their heads in disapproval while looking at me. I frown but ignore the hushed voices and start to make my way inside. I hear the engines of multiple cars from behind me but I don't bother to turn around and see who it is.

As I was nearing the entrance, a hand wraps around my wrist and turns me around. My face hit a strong chest and I wince. The scent of rain enters my nostrils, clouding my senses and making me dizzy. I blink and step back rubbing my nose.

"You parked in the wrong spot, princess." a deep voice resonates through the air.

I gulp and look up at the tall, lean and muscular adonis standing in front of me. My lips part as I look in his midnight blue eyes that are scrutinizing me from head to toe. His eyes widens a fraction as soon as our eyes connect making my throat go dry.

He was beautiful.

I lick my lips and speak, "I-I am sorry. I'm new and had no idea that people had reserved parking spots here." my voice comes out just above a whisper.

"I'll move." I quickly add when he continues to stare at me intently.

Twisting my hand out of his grip, I start to walk towards my car and once inside, I drive my car to the only available space at the far end since the rest were filled. When I step out, oddly enough, the guy is standing in the same spot I left him in. I shrug and walk past him and to the information office.

During my walk, I could feel his stare on my back making my pulse rate increase wildly. I bit my lip and entered the office.

"Good morning, ma'am." I greet the older lady sitting behind the desk with a pair of glasses resting on her nose.

She looks up startled by my presence but soon covers it up with a warm smile, "Good morning, dear. Eliza?" she asks.

"Yeah." I nod my head in confusion.

How does she know my name?

"I was informed of your arrival. Let me grab your schedule." she tells and starts going through her drawers before handing me my schedule and a school map.

"Thank you, have a nice day." I wish her.

"You too, dear." she grins.

I leave the office and check my schedule to see that I have English first.

"Hey, I am Lillian Forbes. I am supposed to give you a tour of this shithole. You're Eliza, right?" a feminine voice asks and I gasp in surprise.

My hand shoots up to my chest and I stare at her with eyes as wide as saucers.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." she apologizes upon seeing my horrifying expressions.

"I am sorry, I get scared easily. And yes, I am Eliza." I smile at her after calming myself.

"It's alright. What's your first lesson?" she asks.

"English." I tell her.

"Mine, too." she grins and together we walk towards the class all the while getting to know each other a little bit more.

She was sweet but fiery and very beautiful with blonde hair and forest green eyes.

I felt someone burning holes in the back of my head and for a second, I turned around and my grey orbs clashed with a midnight blue ones.

Hey, I hope you all are doing good.

Here's the first chapter for MATTERS OF THE HEART. I hope you guys like it.

Lemme know what you think in the comments section. 💕

Love,

Witty Ess. 🌸