Every single heartbeat

Ellie Prologue

I’m stretching in bed feeling tired like never before, as I prepare myself to face a new day, hoping for it to be less energy draining than the one that’s just passed. Summer here in Los Angeles is always lively, especially when life has you dealing with a family hotel. Ever since mom died and dad fell into depression, my sister Amelia and I had to take everything into our own hands. Aside from work I go school, whereas Amelia’s married already, and she’s not only got little Jonas to look after, she also has to take care of a million other things. I really don't know how she manages to reconcile everything, could it also be thanks to her husband, Oliver? He's a very clever man who constantly looks after his family and always knows how to make himself helpful, in any type of situation. I can’t stress enough just how happy I am for her, she’s always done everything she could to make sure I had everything I needed and I’m so glad that she’s finally found a little happiness in life. I get up, rub my eyes as I yawn and reluctantly head to the bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror and I can't help but frown, it really shows that I didn’t get much sleep last night and the bags under my eyes confirm that. I shower, brush my teeth and put a little make-up on, then get dressed and head downstairs to start prepping the guests' breakfast. *** "You look horrible" Nolan says, as I look through my locker. "Well, thank you very much" I reply, yawning. “What time did you get up?" asks he, curiously. “5 A.M. or so" I say, as another yawn comes out of my mouth. He bursts out laughing like a tool and keeps teasing me as I relentlessly drag myself to class, the very last class before the summer holidays. "Hey, look!" says he pointing at Noah, who’s getting it on with a cheerleader, touching her literally everywhere and thoroughly visiting the insides of her mouth with his tongue. “Nasty!" I say walking by him, while Nolan laughs heartily. Noah excuses himself with the girl and runs after us on our way to class, with a big, sly smile on his face. "What is it Ellie? Are you jealous by chance?" he asks, looking at me with his big, blue eyes and laughing. "Yes… I will definitely kill myself over this" I reply sarcastically. Noah and I have always had a rather strange relationship: we’re capable of going from ‘full-on hate’ to ‘absolute, pure and utter loath’ in a matter of seconds, it’s incredible and there’s just no in between! My two ’shadows’ - or bodyguards if you will - drop me off in class where we say goodbye and part, now all that’s left to do for me is pray not to fall asleep during the lesson. Not only was this day bad from the start, my literature teacher just had to go and worsen it all further with a pop quiz! I really did not need this type of pressure today, especially if we take into consideration the fact that I can’t even remember when last time I got a proper eight hours of sleep was. I’m worried that I might not be able to focus enough, but if I screw up on this test, I’ll ruin my average irreparably and that’s really something that I cannot afford. I sigh disconsolately, as I try to concentrate on the test, hoping that this persistent headache I have won’t be playing any tricks on me. I'm about to get up from my desk and leave class, when suddenly Joseph, who sits behind me, lightly pulls a strand of my hair. "Hey babe, are you tired?" He asks, gently twirling my hair around his fingers. "A little" I nod, smiling. Joseph plays in Noah and Nolan’s football team, so I’ve had the pleasure to watch him play several times before. He’s got a smile that’s warm enough to make anyone melt but to add to it, he’s tall, muscly and physically perfect already, at only eighteen! He’s got the body of a God and to make him absolutely unreachable, is the fact that he’s the most wanted boy amongst the cheerleaders. "Hey, buddy, why are you always buzzing around my girlfriend?" says Noah, placing his arm over my shoulders. "And why are you always fucking around?!" I reply, elbowing his stomach but regretting it immediately after, because I way too often forget that this guy’s abs are harder than stone. I gotta be more careful where I hit next time. "Listen dude, you keep telling everyone not to go near her, but then you go around and fuck anything that walks! Make up your mind, man!" Joseph jokingly replies, before waving goodbye to us and walking away. "You… you do what?!" I bawl at Noah. "Don't worry about what I do, girl." says he, kissing my cheek, then sprinting away. I really think I want to kill him. Yes, I definitely do!