Tragic

Chapter One: Worth It

Elliot

In three days, I turn eighteen.

            I've been staring at the blades of the fan spin on my bedroom ceiling for hours now. My mind has been racing about the future and it has me worried that I'm making a mistake. I'm not sure why my impending adulthood is causing me to reconsider all of my life's choices, but it is. I turn my head and lock my gaze on exhibit A. 

            Judah is still sleeping beside me, his lips slightly parted with soft snores. We've been together for almost four years now, but our relationship is about to change.  It's not that we've fallen out of love with each other, or even that we had a serious fight.  The only thing that will be different is the distance between us.  Seven hours to be exact. 

            I watch Judah sleep for a moment before turning on my side and moving his arm to rest on my hip.  There isn't one feature of his face that I would change. From his short, dark brown hair, sculpted jaw line, and all the way down his six-foot two frame.  If I could just do something about his attitude, he'd be perfect.

My hand runs through the soft stubble on his cheek, causing him to stir slightly.  After mumbling something incoherent for a moment, his honey brown eyes slowly peek up at me.  "It's too early, babe."

            I lean forward with a smile and place a quick kiss on the other side of his face. "I know," I say, sitting up in the bed. "I wanted to let you know I'm going for a run."

            Judah laughs and then turns his head away to cough roughly.  I'm surprised he can even speak at this point.  Last night he was completely wasted—and acting like a total dick.  One last party with our friends all together before half of us move on to college and the rest start senior year.  To be honest, it felt like an end to a lot of things and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

My feet hit the plush carpet and I stand up from the bed.  He stretches out, groaning as the full effects of his hangover more than likely hit him.

            After pulling on a pair of track pants and tank top, I turn back to him. "You don't have to get up.  I'll be back soon."

            He flashes the same sexy smirk that gets me every time.  "Don't be too long.  I'm only home for a couple more days."

            That statement makes my heart sink a little deeper in my chest.  When Judah graduated at the beginning of the summer that should've been the end of us.  I think there's rules about that sort of thing when it comes to high school sweethearts. But instead of breaking up, we both agreed to an open relationship when we're apart.  That may seem cut and dry, but we never talked about what would happen if one of us fell in love.  Is there an out clause if we do, or is this all just temporary?

So many questions are already forming in my mind, and he hasn't even left yet.

            He doesn't wait for my reply before rolling over and falling back to sleep. With a sigh, I head to the adjoining bathroom to perform my daily routine before going down to the kitchen.  It's barely seven in the morning, but I always get up early to run with my older brother Oliver. 

The house is extremely quiet, so I try to make as little noise as possible while I begin to prepare breakfast.  As an athlete, I'm not one of those girls who starves themselves to maintain a banging body.

            As I'm reaching into the refrigerator for some eggs, I hear footsteps stomp along the hardwood floors.  Ollie must be awake already.

            "I'll run at least seven miles today.  I know I drank a lot last night and I don't need a lecture from you," I say, not looking up.  Having your brother as your track coach and personal trainer does have its drawbacks.