It's Me, Baby

Chapter 1

From: Amelialovespizza@hotmail.com

Date: Saturday August 29, 2012. 12:18am

To: Tammythecookiemonster@hotmail.com

Subject: excitement vs. Sleep

Hey you!

I can’t wait to see you tomorrow! You know you’re the best friend ever, right? Because you are ;) Thankyou so much for inviting me to stay with you, I'm so excited to spend my senior year with my best friend! can’t sleep so message me if you’re awake! If not, I will see you tomorrow,

Love ya, Mia x

I run my hands through my long dark hair impatiently waiting for my best friend, Tammy to reply and decide on reading a while until I feel sleepy. I reach across my desk and continue reading The First Days by Rhiannon Frater. I am just at the bit where Katie and Jenni are kicking some zombie ass when I hear the ping alerting me I have a new message.

From: Tammythecookiemonster@hotmail.com

Date: Saturday August 29, 2012. 12:25am

To: Amelialovespizza@hotmail.com

Subject: Buzzing!

Hey Mia!!

Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you messaged me! I was literally just helping my mom make up your new room. I can’t wait to see you and all my friends are excited to meet you too! You should really get some sleep though, because if you miss your flight I’m gonna whoop your ass!

I will see you tomorrow!

Love Tammy x

I laughed quietly to myself as I imagined Tammy kicking my ass. Silly girl, she was no match for my skills.

I live here at the ranch with my mama and Grandparents and have done since I was five years old. Originally I was born in Italy where I lived with my mama and papa but a nasty divorce left me and my mama with no home and no money so we escaped here, where my mama grew up as a kid and we have been staying with Grandma Gracie and Grandpa George at their ranch ever since. Until now that is.

I don’t reply to Tammys message because then I really would be up all night so instead I shut down my computer and lay down in bed. I could hear the soft sound of my grandpa snoring across the hall and the faint humming of crickets outside my window and eventually, I was lulled to sleep.

                               * * *

 I woke up to the smell of pancakes and maple syrup coming through my bedroom door. That is all it took to get me up as I threw off the covers and ran downstairs, praying that grandpa hadn’t eaten them all.

I rushed into the kitchen and practically sprint to the waiting plate of pancakes sitting on the table. Ahhh, heaven! I vaguely hear my mama saying good morning to me but I’m too hungry to reply so I head straight to the table. As I pulled out my chair at the kitchen table, I was distracted by the sight of a pile of pancakes stacked up on my plate and I didn’t see my pinkie toe in the way of the chair leg. 

“Ah, Shit!” I yelped as the chair collided with it.

Damn that hurt!

“Watch your language!” my mama said, laughing and hitting me over the head with a spatula. My Mamma’s 5ft2 frame is filled with nothing but kindness and I admire her completely. Except when she’s hitting me with kitchen utensils of course. My mother is beautiful with short brown hair and sharp features, making her look younger than she is. Some people say she looks like my older sister and I couldn’t agree more.