Remembrance

Chapter 1

I wake up feeling slightly sluggish but happy. The dream had felt so real. I don't remember it clearly however. Mostly I just remember the feelings that came with it. Joy and happiness. Being in love and being loved in return. I don't think I saw the boys face in my dream, at least I don't remember seeing it, but I have assume it was Aiden. My boyfriend.

We have been best friends since we were toddlers and I had moved in across the street from him. But last year, our friendship turned into a different kind of relationship. The kind that involves flirting and blushing. Way too much blushing in my case. He has always been thoughtful and sweet. The kind of guy a girls parents hope she ends up marrying one day.

I sigh, roll over and sit up. Pushing the dream to the back of my mind, I head into the bathroom that I share with my twenty year old brother, Wyatt, and my six year old sister, Ava. I know I'm the only one up since Wyatt's college classes don't start until late morning and Ava's school day begins at 8:30. Why can't high school start at 8:30 instead of 7:30?

My thoughts are all jumbled up as I turn the hot water on for my shower. As I wait for the water to warm up, I take my glasses off and gently set them in my glasses case on the counter. I open the cabinet that contains my contact lenses and put them in. I blink a couple times to bring my surroundings into focus. It has only been a few minutes but the bathroom is already nice and warm and the water temperature is perfect. I slip in and get to work washing my hair with my favorite coconut scented shampoo and conditioner.

Ten minutes later, I step out of the steamy shower and wrap a towel around me. Slowly, I open the bathroom door and glance around to make sure I hadn't woke anyone up. When I saw all of the lights still off and heard no movement, I quickly walk to my bedroom. I hurriedly throw on the skinny jeans, black shirt, and red, white and black stripped cardigan I had set out the night before.

I grab my brush off of the nightstand and run it through my hair a few times to get all of the tangles out. Turning around, I walk back to the bathroom, which thankfully has aired out at this point, and pull my hair dryer out. I close the door, turn on the hair dryer and start running my fingers through my waist-length hair to help it dry faster.

Thirty minutes later, I come out of the bathroom with long silky mahogany hair that had been straightened to perfection and completed makeup. I can now hear my mom puttering around the kitchen making breakfast.

I love that I can always count on an amazing breakfast every morning before school. Mom had gone to culinary school before my siblings and I were born and had worked as head chef at some fancy restaurant downtown. But then we came along and she decided to be a stay-at-home mom. She's tried on several occasions to teach me how to cook even the simplest things, like a grilled cheese sandwich or macaroni and cheese, but they always end up burnt to a crisp or stuck in one giant lump. So yeah, I leave the cooking to her.

As I walk into the kitchen I smell bacon, eggs, and waffles. Yum!

"Morning Mom!" I say, jumping onto the stool that sat at the island.

"Morning Sweetie." She replies, while flipping the bacon. Once she's done she turns to face me. "Are you hungry? I made scrambled eggs, bacon, and waffles. There's even some whipped cream in the fridge for your waffles if you want."

"I'm always ready to eat if there are waffles and bacon included. You know that."

She chuckles and shakes her head slightly.

I jump up and grab a plate from the cabinet over the sink. I start loading it up with all of the delicious smelling food it can carry. (I tend to be extra hungry in the mornings.)

"Mom these are amazing!" I tell her before I shove another bite in my mouth.

"Thanks Honey." She replies with a slight smile.

"Is that bacon I smell?" A booming voice comes from the staircase. We both turn to see my dad coming down the stairs. He's already dressed in his suit and ready to head to work. My dad, Hal Richards, is a lawyer and a pretty successful one too. He's got a lot of big celebrity clients so he basically has to be well dressed at all times.

"Yes." Mom says, walking over and giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

I always love seeing how happy and in love they still are after all of these years together. I hope that when I get married me and my husband would be the same way.

"I made a plate just for you." She walks over to the oven and pulls out a foil wrapped plate and sets it in front of him as he takes the stool next to me.

"This looks delicious! Thanks Ellie!" He says, as he starts hurriedly shoveling food into his mouth.

Suddenly a car horn sounds and we all jump. I look at the clock. It reads 7:05 A.M.

"Oh crap! I'm late! Charlie's gonna kill me!" I jump up, grab my backpack off the floor, give my parents both a goodbye kiss and run out the door.

I race down the driveway to the little red Honda parked at the end of it. I can make out Charlie's slightly impatient expression through the windshield. I slide into the front seat and put my seatbelt on.

"Sorry for running late." I say

"No problem. I'll just tell Mia it was you this time not me." She replies with a wicked grin, as she brushes her wildly curly flaming red hair out of her face her hand. Mia and I have always said she looks just like Merida from the Disney movie Brave, but Charlie adamantly disagrees.

Charlotte (or Charlie, as she liked to be called) Walters was a 5 foot 2 inch girl with a personality as fiery as her hair. She wasn't someone to mess with. She is fiercely protective and loyal to those she cares about. The first time we met was in second grade. I had just moved and it was my first day at my new school. One of the boys started teasing me about the bright pink ribbons mom had put in my pigtails that morning.

At recess, he had gotten ahold of one of them and yanked it out. That's when Charlie stepped in. She walked right up to him, kicked his shin, and then grabbed my ribbon. She helped me put my hair back in its pigtail and we have been best friends ever since.

I smile right back at her. "I'll take the heat for this one. We all know how scared you are to face the wrath that can be Mia when she's mad." I reply with a smirk.

She snorts a laugh, " Yeah, because Mia is terrifying."

We both start laughing at that. The third member of our little group, Mia Holmes, is so kind and sweet to everybody around her. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body. Everybody loves her. She's tall and willowy, with pale skin and shoulder length black hair that, unfairly, will do whatever she wants it to do, unlike mine and Charlie's. She has always been really interested in hair and make up, which is why you can usually see her newest hair creation at least once a week. But lately, she has gotten even more serious about it, applying to cosmetology schools all over the state. I wouldn't be surprised if she was accepted to all of them. She's that good!

As we pulled into Mia's driveway she comes running out the front door and jumping into the seat behind me. As Charlie puts the car in gear I turn around in my seat to face Mia.

"Sorry we're late. I took longer than I realized to get ready this morning.

She gives me a small smile. "Don't worry about it. I was able to get a jump start on the English paper we were assigned."

"You know most people would use that extra time to eat or touch up their hair and makeup or play games on their phone right? Not doing homework." Charlie says, looking in the rear view mirror at Mia with her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah I know, but do any of those people have parents with expectations as high as mine?"

"Probably not." Charlie and I say, glancing at each other.

Both of Mia's parents expected straight A's and nothing less, which puts a lot of pressure on Mia to be, well, basically perfect. I know she hates it but doesn't want to disappoint them.

"It's too gloomy in here for me now." Charlie says suddenly, and reaches for the radio knob. As she tunes it to our favorite radio station, I turn around again and give Mia's hand a light squeeze. She smiles in return, and I turn back around to face the front.