Dying to live

Chapter 1

"David if you don't hand over my cereal right this second, I'll wake you up with a bucket of water when I go running tomorrow!" I yelled while running down the stairs at my house, knowing that my friends would be in our kitchen.

Sure enough just as I rounded the corner going to the kitchen David guiltily sat down a bowl of cereal and pushed it towards my usual seat.

"I was just making it for you" he replied with a smirk and I glared at him in response taking a spoonful and popping it in my mouth.

David, Daniel, Isabella and Clay were all sitting around the table waiting for me to get ready so we could get to school. This was a morning ritual.

Clay, David and Isabella lived on the left side of my house and Daniel lived next to them. We had all grown up together and were a tight group of friends, pretty much always together. You rarely found one without one of the others.

Clay is the oldest, he is 19, David and Daniel are both 17 and Isa and I are 15. Every morning we all gather in here since my house has the biggest kitchen and both of my parents are out the door by 6 am so we're not disturbing anyone, then we would all cram into Clay's car and he'd drop us off on his way to college.

Daniel was eating an apple and Isa was poking at his side for no apparent reason. Clay was leaning against the door, smiling at the scowling match David and I had going on.

"How was your run Ellie?" Clay asked plopping down in the chair next to me.

"Same old same old" I shrugged and got up to put my bowl in the sink "Everybody ready?" I asked as I turned around to watch the group getting up, I fell in step with Clay. "SHOTGUN!" I yelled making Clay jump and David and Daniel curse.

Clay shook his head and smiled "Sorry I couldn't join today" he apologized and pushed my shoulder with his.

"I figured you needed to sleep in" I shrugged "Out late last night?" I asked and wiggled my eyebrows at him.

He looked down at his feet as I locked the door and I could see a slight tint on his cheeks.

"Are you blushing Mr. Campbell?" I laughed and pushed his shoulder with mine making him laugh too. "She must be a real interesting girl to tame the mighty player," I added and he laughed again. We all got in the car, I grinned evilly at the sound of David and Daniel cramming them selves into the backseat.

"Mighty player?" He raised his eyebrows in a question "Been listening to all those rumors again haven't we miss James?"

"Maybe" I bit my lip guiltily.

"You'll always be my favorite girl El" He cooed and placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed lightly as Isa let out a loud "HEY" from the backseat kicking the driver seat.

"You're my sister Isa that's different," he answered surprised, catching her mean snare in the rear view mirror.

She stuck her tongue out at him and humphed.

"I better work on an a apology or she'll do something mean during the night" he whispered shivering probably recalling all the pranks she'd pulled on him, what he didn't know was that I was in on every single one of them.

Clay pulled up at the parking lot and we all got out, saying our goodbyes, as we made our way towards hell also known as high school, Clay drove off.

David and Isabella rushed towards the school talking about the football game Friday night, leaving Daniel and I behind, he was being unusually quiet so I bumped my arm against his.