"HOW DARE YOU! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE-MY MOTHER? YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE."
"Jessica, please calm down-"
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO."
Blinding scarlet numbers seared through my cracked eyelids, telling me it was barley seven in the morning. I moaned, rolling over.
“I’M CALLING MY FATHER,” Jessica shrieked furiously. I heard things being slammed around next door.
“FINE. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, I’VE GOT WORK,” my poor mother shouted, her patience gone. Her boots clicked away from our doors. Within seconds the front door was slammed shut. Jessica continued hysterically sobbing next door, softly talking to my step father on the phone.
What a great way to start the first day of summer, I thought shoving my dog off the bed. Determined to make the day better, and get away from my demonic stepsister, I shrugged my giant t-shirt off, then threw on some running clothes. Rubbing the sleep out of my boring brown eyes, I snatch my iPod off my desk. My dog’s ears perked up as soon as I picked up my Adidas running shoes.
With my stomach growling, I headed into the kitchen to grab a quick energy bar. Unsurprisingly, my shirtless older brother had already been scavenging through the refrigerator. Turning around, he grinned with orange juice running down his mouth, and onto his SpongeBob boxers.
“You’re an animal, Zachary,” I said, while stuffing my feet into my tennis shoes, “Go put some clothes on, you’re hurting my eyes.”
“Can’t a guy get a break around here? First Jessica’s screeching, and now your insults?” He placed his hand over his heart. I rolled my eyes. Closing the fridge door, he laughed and walked out, stopping to ruffle my hair. I rolled my eyes, and followed him out, fixing my hair into a messy ponytail. Whistling for my dog Kai, I stepped into the morning air. Already I could tell it was going to be a stifling summer in the wonderfully small town of Victoria. Sighing, I attached Kai’s leash, and set off on a slow jog.
Within minutes, the music of my iPod flowed through my body, allowing me to shut the world out. I mouthed right along with Alex Clare, my shoes crunching on the dirt road, pounding in time to “Up All Night”. Ahead of me nothingness stretched out, but I didn’t care. Crops swayed on both sides of me, allowing me to focus on my running. My lean legs carried me far, eventually crying out in pain, forcing me to stop. Sweat poured down my back, pooled between my breasts, and as I wiped a hand across my forehead, my eyes absorbed my location. I had unconsciously run into town, stopping in front of the general store where my best friend, Danny, worked.
The General Store was as run down as everything else in this small town. As big as a shoebox, white paint peeled off the sides, the rotting wood gave off a mildew smell, and the porch was littered with three old men in rocking chairs. I smiled as one old man patted his large middle and called out to me, “Heehaw, look who finally showed up! Danny ya’girl is here!”
“Maxwell, you know Danny and I are-,”
“‘Only friends’,” the youngest of the bunch, Jim, interrupted. The only indicator of his age was his wispy gray hair. A tin at his feet rang as he spit into it. “We know what you two are really up too,” he winked.
I blushed, embarrassed he would even suggest Danny and I would fool around, and stuttered, “Will you gentleman keep an eye on Kai,” knowing the men loved the playful boxer. Without waiting for an answer I walked inside, and bumped right into a solid wall of muscle.
