If your mother tried to yank your warm covers and draw the curtains as much as she can, would you wake up?
Yes. Hell yes.
I groaned, burying my head in my pillow. I could already hear her reciting her favourite speech: When I Was. It didn't really have a name, but I liked to call it that. Every morning, Mom would talk to me about how her life was like when she was my age. Now, there was nothing wrong with that; it was actually pretty cool sometimes. But everyday? Every morning? It wasn't something that I could cope with for the rest of my basic teenage life.
After a few minutes, I finally pushed myself off the mattress. My eyelids were half closed and my brain was still asleep. After grabbing my belongings, I headed for the bathroom. I had a shower and freshened up. The sound of Material Girl was blasting through the walls next to the bathroom and I was half afraid it might explode. And maybe it will.
Oh, Penny, I thought as I tried to tame my curly locks. It was a very real struggle, let me tell you.
Penny's my fraternal twin. I'd say she's the girly one out of the two of us, and the more Mean Girls Plastics-esque. She's almost like a Regina George reincarnate, in some ways.
I wiped my face with a towel and walk to her door, it was in the exact opposite spot of where my bedroom door was.
"Will you turn it down a little?!" I yelled after I had knocked three times. I wasn't sure if she could hear me over the music, the volume could break eardrums from miles away.
The light pink door swung open and I was met with Barbie in the flesh. "How dare you bang on my precious door! You probably chipped the paint," Penny reprimanded using her not-so-excellent faux accent. I rolled my eyes at her. Our family is far from British, however, according to her, this is her way of spicing things up.
"Just turn the volume down. You know how Dad is sometimes," I reminded her, a stern expression on my face.
"Fine," she replied, no doubt annoyed. She then proceeded to slam the door in my face.
Figures. She managed to make me look like the bad guy. Again.
I waltzed down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. Mom's already created a feast fit for a king. I always told her that it was just breakfast and that she didn't have to make a big fuss about it, but, of course, to her, that wasn't the case. "Every meal should always be special," she'd always tell me. I couldn't help but grin though, I loved the smell of coffee and pancakes in the morning.
"My, my, my, Elouise Maree. Glad to see you're up," Mom greeted with her usual gigantic smile. I swear, no one should be allowed to be this happy at nine thirty in the morning.
I sat on one of the chairs in front of the island bench. "Good morning to you too, mother." She sipped her coffee and sat across from me as we waited for both Dad and Penny. "Have you seen Dad?" I asked, looking around the room for him.
She twisted her lips. "Perhaps he's still on his morning run."
"How long do you think he'll be out?"
"Just a few more minutes. What about Penelope?"
I frowned. "Awake and British."
Mom chuckled at my statement and pinches my cheek. "You always were funny," she remarked before walking away. Mom wasn't my best friend or anything, but we're open with each other, which was good.
It was Mom that I got my looks from, while Penny's feature were more similar to Dad's. Like my mother, I had long, dark brown hair and light, crystal blue eyes. The curls, however, I got from my dad. I wouldn't consider myself fat nor skinny, but I would say I was slim with maybe the right amount of curves. I was fine with that, contented actually; albeit I was no stranger to self-criticism. My sister, on the other hand, had straight, strawberry blonde hair and pretty, ebony lenses like our Dad's. Similarly, Penny had a slim build. Although, I'm pretty sure she was more curvaceous than I was. The sound of footsteps grew louder and I released a sigh. Her all too preppy energy was palpable, it was a scary thing.
"Hello, Elouise," she said, her face perfectly made up. Her highlight was blinding me in an 'on fleek' fashion.
"Hey, Pen," I replied simply.
She rolled her eyes and sat beside me, tapping away on her phone. "Did you know that Ryan Keith asked me out?"
I turned to face her and said, "Well yeah, now that you told me."
Penny looked up from her phone and stared coldly into my eyes for not being as excited about it as she was. I smiled back instead, trying to look as menacing as I could. "Does he like girls with clubbed thumbs?" I teased, biting down on a smile.
Her face fell and she looked ready to pounce. Luckily, I heard Dad open the front door. "Hey, sweeties. What's going on in there?" he asked, his voice echoing in the house.
I was quick to jump from my seat and walk to the front door. "Nothing. We're all just waiting, Daddy," I answered sweetly, feigning innocence.
He grinned at me, knowing exactly what I was up to. "Winding up your sister again?"
I nodded, giggling.
"Good timing, huh?"
I smiled. He knew me too well.
After a few minutes, we all sat at the dining table and ate our meals. Today was the last day of summer vacation, so school was probably the main topic for our Dining Table Discussion Series. Penny and I both go to Lincoln Bay High. It was an okay place to study, though, nothing was really bad when you're in Miami; it's the beaches. I loved the beach.
"So are you two excited?" Dad asked, looking between my sister and I.
I stared at my father blankly. He'd been asking us that very question for several years now; it was becoming a ritual really.
"Totes," Penny chirps as she examined her food. She pushed aside most of it, thinking that a little carbohydrates would hurt her figure. Shallow, I know.
Dad then focused on me, now fishing for my answer.
"What?" I asked stupidly.
His lips pressed together in a firm line, a sure fire sign that it was time to get my shit together.
"I'm a tad excited," I grumbled, "Happy?"
He nodded and that concluded today's episode of the Dining Table Discussion Series. The rest of breakfast was a bit of a blur. It was mostly Penny babbling about random things, so I hardly paid attention. Afterwards, I helped Mom with the dishes before retreating to the couch.
It was Sunday and I was feeling lazy. That was when my phone decided to buzz.
From Cindy:
U wanna hang out? ;)
I pursed my lips.
To Cindy:
Maybe. What do u have in mind?
It took her about ten seconds to reply.
From Cindy:
Ride bikes along the beach or something silly like that
I grinned goofily. She knew I couldn't say no to riding bikes along the beach. I felt anticipation bubbling up inside me and I jumped up to get ready.
To Cindy:
Meet u at your house in ten :)
I hurriedly dressed in lazy day clothes. The usual shorts and tanktop, a pair of Vans and a couple bracelets. I added a flannel shirt and left it unbuttoned. I told my parents I was going to Cindy's before leaving and then I rode my favourite bicycle, a vintage beach cruiser. Cindy's house wasn't miles away; it was actually just five minutes away by bike, ten by foot if you have a good walking speed pace. As I passed by a few other houses, some of the locals smiled and waved and I happily returned them.
Upon seeing a flowery lawn, I began to slow down. Mrs Fellows was an amazing gardener, the best I know. She could grow anything from a seed or a stem. Once I got there, I carefully left my bicycle in front of their garage. I walked to their porch and knocked on their door. And then, just because I could, I rang the doorbell twice. That's when Charlie popped up.
He greeted me with a simple, polite nod before opening the door wider in order for me to pass. "She's up in her room," he mumbled as I walked inside.
Charlie was Cindy's brother. he was a year older than us, and I guess I've always thought he was cute. Maybe even adorable at times. But he's one of those mysteriously distant guys. Seemingly happy-go-lucky on the outside, but that was just a façade. He couldn't fool me. Somehow, I knew that deep down, there was something else about him. I wasn't sure if I was allowed to find out. After all, he was just my best friend's brother. Nothing more, nothing less.
/ / / / /
That's Elouise on the side! Danielle Campbell is so gorge!
Check out these MBFB trailers if you like:
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=wbt0YkxDifM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8xoRev30af0
I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of my first story! Thank you for your time. I swear this isn't as cliché as you think!
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PS. If you have any tips, feel free to tell me!
J~