That Kiss - Emison

Sparks

Emily's POV:

I sit in my large bedroom, which the golden sun is now beaming into through my window, which is accompanied by a cushioned window seat which I am slouched upon, my feet up on the seat with my knees near my chin. In front of me, books are piled upon each other, open to relevant pages with notes scribbled down and facts highlighted in neon yellow, which I have been reading over and over again, preparing for the history test, which I am probably going to sit tomorrow as I missed it today. I peer out of the window aimlessly, trying to busy my mind, watching the sun go down behind the trees, which are dancing quietly as a breeze sweeps through my front yard. I can't believe I left my phone at school, stupid!

My room is painted a pale yellow, my bed sheets a crisp, bright white, with cushions arranged against the headboard. I have dark wooden furniture, a closet, a dresser and a chest of drawers, which has photos of me and my friends and family sat on the top of it. By my window, against the wall, there is a white wooden beam which has been there since I was little, the paint fading beneath drawn-on markings of my height as I grew up, dates and my age written next to each little marker. We have never painted over it and never will.

I stare at a photo of me and my Dad, taken when I was 7, when life was so much more simple. He is squeezing me tight by the swings in the playground by our house, a big, gappy smile on my face, my two front teeth missing. My Dad is currently away in Afghanistan, fighting as a soldier in the US army. I haven't seen him in over 6 months. I miss him. I often wonder to myself if I've made him proud. I try to. I dream that when he comes home I will have progressed in my swimming, which he always cheers me on for. He will watch me win swim meets and we'll go out for family dinners afterwards, like a normal family. I will have good grades and a stable life that I feel excited to welcome him back into. I've always imagined him meeting Ben for the first time, hoping that he loves him. They can watch sports together on the TV and talk about the boy things that I have no interest in. However, that doesn't seem so important to me now. In fact, I suddenly don't like the idea of Ben becoming a part of my family. My thoughts switch to what my Dad thinks of Alison. I know everyone has their reservations about her, including him. People think she's nothing but manipulative, selfish. She uses us as her safety net for when her popular friends don't serve her purpose. She plays with our emotions, trying to mould us into a version of her, whilst still keeping us inferior. But people don't know her like I do. They don't see her the way that I see her, the person she really can be.

My day dream is broken by the ringing of my doorbell, which causes me to jump. I am home alone, so I go down to answer it. As I walk down the stairs, through the small frosted glass above the door I see the bright blonde hair of whoever is waiting at the door. Ali? I turn to the mirror in the hall, slightly wetting my lips and tidying my hair before opening the door.

"Forgot this?" It's Hanna, holding my phone up in her hands as she smiles. She can probably see the disappointment that is showing on my face as I realise it is her instead of Ali.

"Ugh. Yes!" I reply, relieved to be back with my phone as I take it off of her. I didn't realise how boring my life was without it!

"What happened? You were there and then you were gone!" She asks as she strolls into the house uninvited. "If it's something that Ali said, you know what she's like, she does it to all of us, just ignore her."

"Yeah, well I'm sick of it" I say, her attempt at reassuring me failing to do so.

"She's said worse to you before!"

"It's different. She knows things"

"Em she knows things about all of us..." She pauses. "Yet we know nothing about her"