THE DISTANCE

Chapter One - A NOT SO TYPICAL MONDAY MORNING

Carson's pov:

I woke up like any other day, little did I know that's not what it was going to be. After hitting the snooze button a bunch of times I decided to finally get up. I rolled right out of bed and stumbled my way over to my closet to pick out something to wear. After a couple minutes I finally decided on an oversized army green sweatshirt that is about 6 years old from writer's camp and some black ripped jeans from the gap. I check myself out in my mirror to make sure the outfit looks okay on me. I'm like every other teenage girl I have my fair share of self esteem issues. Once I feel confident enough. I do a double take to see my hazel, green eyes clouded by dark circles. Great, that's the last thing I need. I pop on some concealer and direct my focus back to my entire face. I have to say my eyes are one of the prettiest things about me, they center my face perfectly and compliment my high cheek bones like a designer purse to a belt. I look back in the mirror once more to make sure my outfit is the right balance of tight and loose, just enough to show off my curves but also enough to cover what little belly I have. I heard my phone go off, I walk back over to my bed and see that I got a message from my sister Elena:

Elena- Hope your up girly me and Rye bread will be at mom's in 5

Elena is my little sister we're 19 months apart but we sure are different. She has a smaller frame than me, she's five one, while I'm a tad taller sitting at five four. She has dark brown hair that glistens in any lighting chopped right at shoulder length for cheer. Her eyes are stunning, almost a golden colour of brown. I'm jealous of her body frame, she's petite but she packs muscle, and a toned tummy. When my parents got divorced when we were kids she moved to our dad's house. While I stayed with my mom. She allowed me to get my nipples pierced for my 16th birthday, but of course my dad fought the idea. Just to retaliate I got a double hoop nose piercing, and showed up to his house for his birthday. He called me a tramp and continued to fight the no piercings until we moved out, argument. He clearly lost that fight. I have my nipples holding gold rings while my dad handed his in to the divorce lawyer. My mom eventually got remarried to this weird environmental lawyer who's never home and with him she had our little brother Sam.

Elena is neighbors with our best friend Ryann (Rye bread) so it's easy for them to get me for school. I sent back an "Okay! see you soon babes" text and then put my phone in my back pocket. I tied my long and dark, dyed red hair up in a messy bun that flatters my face shape. I pull some stands out to make it look like I didn't redo the same bun six times and make my way out of my room, and down to the kitchen.

"Look who's finally up" my mom says while running around the kitchen looking for what I assumed was her car keys. "The girl's will be here in 5 and check the fruit bowl" I say while nodding in the direction of the bright yellow colored bowl centered perfectly on the island. She sighs "I don't know what I would do without you" as she grabs the keys out of the bright bowl. "Oh before I forget can you take your brother out for lunch today? I didn't have time to pull out money, Elena can do it next week". By now I have planted my butt on a stool at the kitchen island and am about to bite into a banana that I grabbed from the bowl "Yeah that shouldn't be an issue I'm sure Ryann won't mind but I think Elena has chee -" but before I could finish my sentence she's already out the door.

I shake my head and mumble to myself as my brother comes down from his room running late as always. "You better get going you are going to miss the bus and don't forget me and Ryann are getting you at lunch okay?" "Yeah, yeah whatever is mom still here I need her to sign my permission slip." He says while setting the crumpled paper on the counter. "No bud you just missed her can you hand me a pen though" he does as I tell him and I sign my mom's signature perfectly and hand him back the sheet. Sam is what you would call the milkman's kid, he doesn't look like me or Elena at all.

He's short for his age. He holds dirty blonde hair, in loose ringlets that have grown just passed his ears. The little stud has piercing blue eyes that look like the deepest part of the Indian ocean, he is destined to be a ladies man for sure. Major attitude problems but it's almost comedic. He turns 14 in just three weeks, so he is getting to the age of swearing and dirty jokes. It has to be one of the most annoying things about him. I handed him the permission slip I just signed in honor of mom not being present. He just gives me a smile before placing the ball of paper back in his bag and going to put on his shoes. When your mom isn't home a lot because of the crazy hours at the hospital you gotta learn to forge her signature for these kinds of situations.

I tossed out the peel of the banana and raced over to my brother before he opened the door. "Excuse me Samuel I think you're forgetting something." I say while holding my arms out waiting. "Really?" He says all sassy and I just smile and nod and he reluctantly shuffles his way over and hugs me back. I have forced him to hug me before he leaves anywhere since I can remember. It has just been one of our little sibling things. I watch him get on the bus from the door before I hear loud music getting closer and louder. Before I can think of what song it is Ryann and Elena pull up in my driveway. Ryann honks twice and waves from her rolled window as her and Elena are dancing along to what I now realized was " yeah" by Usher cranked to max volume.

I waved back. I scrambled to get my backpack and my marble printed water bottle off the counter and then dashed for the front door to tie up my combat boots. I used my childish cheetah house key to lock the door then ran out to the driveway to hop in the car. Ryann and Elena were still having a blast when I opened up the Escalade door. Ryann's adoptive parents are some big fancy doctors that travel all the time so they spoil her out of guilt and sympathized by getting her a custom red escalade suv, for her 19th birthday last year. "Ryann turn it down!" I yelled. The music was so loud it began to shake her heavily tinted windows loose. She did so, and turned around waiting for me to talk. "Okay so me and you are taking Sam to lunch. Elena mom says you have to take him next week, this is my second week in a row blowing money on this kid! Ryann please put this thing in reverse and let's get going, we can't be late, we have a quiz!" El and Ryann nodded in agreement as Ryann shifted the car in reverse and whipped out of my driveway. Off to school we went.