Mackenzie Ziegler
21 June 2017
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It's two am. I can't sleep for the life of me, and I'm just itching to get up and move. Lauren and Maddie are some of those blessed people that can fall asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows, and unfortunately, I am not. Definitely not. I'm hot, cold, and kind of pissed off.
I need a release. After thinking of a plan, I sit up and get out of bed as quietly as possible. Grinning to myself now, I tiptoe down the hall and up the stairs; skipping the third stair because it creaks. When I reach the top, I find the clothes rack full with washing and pick out a dark grey top and some leggings.
Yes, I'm going running. It sounds like something a reckless teenager would do, and I guess I am, but running helps me relax. I'm used to it, and it's something I really do enjoy.
After I'm changed, I hide my pajamas under the couch and pull a towel off the clothing rack. Sighing, I calmly walk to the sliding door and open it as carefully as I can. It creaks a little, and I wince, but I tiptoe outside onto the deck anyway. The crisp and refreshing night air wraps around me and takes all my breath away but I breathe in and out steadily; not letting it control me. I try not to let the child in me escape as I take the stairs two at a time; adrenaline flowing throughout my veins already.
When I reach the sand on the beach, I scrunch my toes. It's cold and damp underneath my feet, making a shiver run down my spine. Better get moving. My breath swirls around my face as I work to draw two rough lines in the sand; quite far apart from each other.
When I'm finished, I look up at the stars, and somehow this gives me the motivation to run. Yes, along the beach wearing no shoes. I don't care what anybody would think at this point in time; it's just me and the sand, breathing in, and out, and in, and out. Luckily my mind drifts away to that special place while I'm running, and I hardly even notice the chill in the air anymore.
There was a line, out of a childrens book, that my Dad used to read to me when my parents were still together. It read: our bodies were made to move. Without him even realising it, he had sparked my interest for sports and dance long before I learned to walk, let alone run. I'm grateful for that, as it has helped me lose weight over the past year.
Listening to the waves and breathing in the smell of salt I run to the opposite line in the sand, pivot, and run back to the one I came from. I do this over and over and over, and I don't even consider stopping or slowing. My hair begins to tangle, and as I'm running I stuff it in a bun at the nape of my neck.
After a while, I do start to get tired, but I keep going– no one ever said it was easy. My eyes become more focused as I set a goal; I will run ten more and then stop. I count backwards in my head as I hit each line which makes it easier to go faster nearing the end. At number nine, I sprint.
Not able to slow down, I keep jogging it off and then finally walk. Putting my hands on my knees, I feel my heart beat erratically and I try to calm it; breathing in my nose and out my mouth.
After a while of this, I stand, but I don't even notice what's in front of me until I'm staring right at it.
Oh my.
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[678 words]
Oooooh, what do you guys think? What's in front of her? Vote if you wanna know, and comment guesses below! (Woah that ryhmed lol)
*edited
YOU ARE READING
summer of '17 • jenzie
FanfictieEvery summer since she was pretty much born, Mackenzie Ziegler and her family have packed up and spent their time at their house on the beach. Along with them come the Orlando's, a gang of two girls, two boys, and their mother. Ever since she can re...
