All it Took

Chapter One

        She woke up early that morning, just like every other morning in the summer. She used to sleep late like every other teenager she knew but recently decided to get up at the crack of eight to go for her morning run. She used to hate running and she's not sure if she really even likes it now. She tells everyone she loves it hoping she can convince herself she does. She tied her long brown hair into a high pony tail, put on her shorts and sports bra that she laid out the night before, and laced up her electric green and blue running shoes. Downstairs she grabbed a half of a banana and a small bottle of water that she would take with her. Once outside she popped in her earbuds and began to walk down the street switching to a running stride a minute or two later. The thing she did love about running was that she didn't have to think about it. She could let her mind wander where ever it liked and not worry about what she was doing.

        She ran three miles like she always did and was home in about half an hour. When she entered the kitchen, red faced and sweaty, her mom was making breakfast. 

        "Morning sweetie, how was your run?" She asked the same exact question every morning. 

        "It was good, same as always" Gray responded as she refilled her empty water bottle. 

        "I'm making bacon and french toast, I'll make you a plate." Her mom told her as she pulled the bacon out of the package and placed it in the hot pan with a sizzle.

        Gray watched the grease of the bacon pop and splatter onto the stove. "No thanks."

        Instead she got a pot out of the cabinet along with the jar of plain oats. She measured out a half a cup and poured them into the pot along with a cup of water and placed it on the stove. She wasn't about to eat bacon covered in greasy fat and french toast cooked in butter. She had been working all summer to get healthy and fit and she had already lost 15 pounds. She was not about to ruin all of her effort now. As she waited for the oatmeal to cook she tracked her breakfast in her calorie counting app that had become her best friend that summer. She couldn't eat a single thing without tracking it first. Some called it obsessive, she called it being aware. 

        When the oatmeal was done she topped it with plain, nonfat Greek yogurt for some protein and brought it upstairs to her room. With only 2 weeks of summer left it was time to finish up her summer assignments for school. She was going into her junior year and that meant AP classes, the SATs, and getting ready for college applications. The thought of it all put her stomach in knots and was already stressing her out. 

        She was in the middle of another AP Biology lab when her phone buzzed on her dresser. She got up and was happy to see the name. It was Andrew. She slid her finger across the screen unlocking the phone and saw his message pop up. He was asking her to hang out that night and offered to pick her up. She sent him a text back agreeing and put her phone down. She and Andrew had been dating since May and things were going well. She liked him but she knew that he liked her more. She suspected it by the way he texted her and knew it was true when he told her he loved her first. She said it back of course but still wasn't sure if she meant it. There was nothing wrong with Andrew, he was sweet, cute, a varsity football player, and her parents loved him but she just wasn't sure if she felt that exactly. She kind of liked the thought that he liked liked her more. It gave her a sense of control over the relationship, like she had the upper hand. 

        That night around six, Andrew texted her saying that he was waiting outside. It was still exciting to her that Andrew had his license. Even though he was in the same grade as her, he was a full year older than her and had gotten it a week after she got her permit. She got in the car and he immediately leaned over to kiss her. He asked if she wanted to grab something to eat but she told him she already ate at home. It was a lie, but it was easier than explaining that she wouldn't eat any of the fast food from the places she knew he would suggest. He nodded and began to drive down her street. 

        About ten minutes later they arrived at his house. She knew what the night would consist of. It was always the same with Andrew, they would sit in his room, talk, make out, and then her mom would pick her up promptly at 10:30, maybe 11:00 if she was lucky. 

        Fast forward to 10:25 and Andrew glanced at the clock in between kissing her. "I can't believe you have to go in five minutes. Time goes so fast when I'm with you."

        She nodded in agreement. She wasn't sure what to say to him, she was never good at mushy love stuff. Instead she just kissed him again. She hated this part of the night. Why did he always have to get so mushy about her leaving? It's not like they would never see each other again. She would probably see him tomorrow. She kept kissing him but was kind of relieved when her mom texted her saying she was outside. She liked being with Andrew but she couldn't spend too much time with him at once, and to be honest, he wasn't the best kisser. 

        He walked her outside and they said goodbye at the car after he talked to her mom for a few minutes. As they were driving home she got a text from him saying how much fun he had that night. She thought it was cute the first time he sent her a text like that but it wasn't necessary after every time she saw him. It may seem like she was too hard on Andrew but she never actually said these things out loud, they were just thoughts that she kept to herself. Sometimes she wondered if she should still be with him, if she should just break up with him, but he wasn't that bad and she did like him. And there was another thing, she was scared that Andrew was the only boy that liked her and if she ended things with him she wouldn't get another boyfriend in high school. It sounded shallow but it was the truth.