shine - grayson dolan

0.16.1 «Emerson Samuels»

[edited]

It was the night before the county track meet, and I was having trouble sleeping. I was way too excited. It was also my birthday, but that had happened 15 times before, so it wasn't as big of a deal.

Just kidding. But the horrible thing about my birthday was that I had to share it with two aresholes. Elliot and Evan always invited their friends over every year, while I was left all alone.

I received a text from Max:

MAX: I'll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow since it's a ½ hour drive. Cool?

EMMY: Sounds good. See ya tomorrow <3

I shut my phone and put it in the charger. I looked towards my desk chair, where my gym pack was all packed and ready. My mum had made sure that my kit was all prepared since none of my family would be there.

I closed my heavy eyelids, and sleep soon took its toll on me.

*  *  *  *

I woke up at  6am the next morning, and reluctantly got out of bed. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and pulled my hair in a high ponytail, which I would probably have to fix later anyways.

I walked downstairs, where my whole family was waiting, even Elliot and Evan.

My mum attacked me in a hug, "Happy birthday, sweetie!"

I laughed, "Thanks, mum."

I hugged my dad, and then sat down next to my brothers, who both looked to still be halfway asleep. They definitely were not used to waking up this early.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe my babies are 17!" our mum squealed loudly, making us cringe.

She set down a large plate of pancakes in front of each of us, and they were happily and quickly devoured.

Evan groans, "Mum, why did we have to wake up this early?"

"Because this is an important day for your sister and you will be here to support her," my mum scolds him.

"Congrats, Emmy. Can we go to bed now, or do we have to wait for her boyfriend to come pick her up," Elliot grumbles.

I growl at him, "He's not my boyfriend for God's sake. And second of all, you're going to have to wake up in like an hour or two anyway to get ready for the party."

"Ignore them, Emmy and go get dressed. This Max boy should be here soon enough," my dad says.

"Dad, he's a nice guy," I argue.

"We'll see about that," he replies, sipping his coffee.

I sigh and go back upstairs to change into my track uniform. It consisted of a tank top with our school name on it, and shorts of the same color. Since it was fairly chilly outside, I put leggings over my shorts and zipped up a blue hoodie. I slipped on my Nike track shoes and grabbed my gym bag, which contained things like an ice cold water bottle and my insulin kit.

I remove my phone from the charger and find that Max sent me a text saying that he is on his way a couple of minutes ago.

I ran back downstairs, where Elliot and Evan have lazily moved to the couch.