Underage

[3] Kisses for Food

Underage

[3] Kisses for Food

My feet are pounding against the cement as my breath comes out in harsh pants. It's painful to breathe, and my music isn't loud enough to drown out my heart beating in my head. I can feel the sweat pouring down my body in the Florida heat. Whoever said girls sparkle and don't sweat clearly has never met me. There's a stitch in my side that won't go away, and when I look back to see how far I've gone I can still see my apartment building.

Grace and I have only gone five buildings down from mine and I'm already ready to stop. My best friend is jogging circles around me, literally. Whereas I'm dying, she's barely broken a sweat. Instead, she has a smile on her face. She has always enjoyed running, for a reason I will never understand. I put one foot in front of the other, trying to run, but it only manages to be somewhere between a jog and a brisk walk. The only thing I can think about is how much I want my bed. I try to make it to the end of the street, but I've never been much of a runner. Even the thought of running makes my heart speed up and my cheeks redden.

I rip my headphones out of my ears, the stitch in my left side becoming worse. My legs are jello as I come to a stop. They can barely take another step. Grace shakes her head at me as she jogs on one spot. She's bringing her knees almost up to her chest as I place my hands on my knees and try to catch my breath.

"Come on, Thea, you haven't even done a lap yet."

"And I'm not going to." I force the words out between gasps of air.

If there's anything I hate most in this world, it's running. Although, coming in close second would be people who like to run. I wish I could be one of those people. I definitely would be in better shape than I am, but I'm just not. My thighs touch together and ruin my jeans, and I don't have the flattest stomach. But I like food too much to complain.

I find the grass on the side of the road and fall down onto my back. The grass is cool on my skin and I'm lucky to find the shade of a tree. My heart is still beating too fast, but I'm slowly getting my breathing under control. Even though I'm lying on the ground, I can still see the cars in my driveway. I'm so out of shape.

"Oh, baby." I hear his voice and the shutting of a car door. "Did the evil bitch make you run again?"

I nod my head and look towards Ethan, who has Cooper right behind him. Ethan's car is parked on the side of the road and they're walking towards us. When he gets to me, he stands at my feet, and I can see that he's trying to hold in his laughter.

"She needs to run. She's going to get fat," says Grace. "There's only so long that she can eat as bad as she does while sleeping away the day before she gets fat."

"You don't have to talk like I'm not here," I say.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you home." Ethan reaches down for my hands and pulls me to my feet.

"Don't let her make me run again," I say. He chuckles slightly as he wraps his arm around my waist. Ethan throws Cooper his keys, and we walk the whole three minutes it takes us to get to my apartment.

My apartment is in an older building. The red brick is chipping slightly and it's only three stories high, with four rooms per floor. My home is on the second floor, with a balcony overlooking the road. Although there are a few homes inside the building, each home isn't as small as one would think. I have two bedrooms and a bathroom, along with a large, open-plan living room and kitchen. My entire home is monochrome with the odd piece of color. It was a fight as to how I was going to decorate my new home. My mother had many ideas, all of which were turned down. I left my walls white instead of the baby blue she envisioned, and I settled for all-black appliances, whereas she wanted reds and blues. I did, however, put many pictures of my family up everywhere, and that seemed to calm her down.