Not Just Another Cliché

"Ladies first." Casey says as he opens the door to the diner and gestures for me to walk ahead.

We sit down in a booth with a gorgeous view of mountains and look through the menu.

After a while, the waitress comes around and we order our friendaversary breakfast.

"I'll have the strawberry pancakes with syrup on the side and coffee please. I say with a smile on my face.

"And for you sir?"

"I'll have the omelette with everything and coffee as well please." Casey orders and I smile.

The waitress takes our menus and walks back to the kitchen.

"That's what my mom always made you when we were kids and whenever your mom tried to make them, you always said they could never do Rachel Hunters justice."

"You remembered?" He chuckles.

"How could you forget? You ate so much when we were kids, how are you so built right now?" I question.

He smirks and winks, "amazing what good exercise does."

"And I'm not talking about football." He winks and I scrunch my face in disgust.

After a couple minutes, our food comes out and we both dig in.

"Happy friendaversary." Casey says smiling at me and I curl my lips and nod my head at my best friend. The guy I have been in love with my entire life. The guy I get to call mine with no worries or suspicious or paranoid about anything. And the best part? He's in it for the long run.

"Happy friendaversary." I reply back.

"So how was the tour?" I ask.

"It was amazing Emily. They have 2 football fields. One just for practicing and the other for games. Their gym oh my god Em their gym it's twice the size of the field in Oceanview. Their dorms are amazing and huge. The showers are spotless and it's my dream school."

"So you're going?" I ask.

"Scholarships haven't been sent out yet."

"Yeah but you're getting one. I'm sure of it." I smile and take his hand in mine.

"Only 1 player gets a scholarship per year from every school. 2 at the max. There are so many incredible players on the team."

"Yeah but you are the only one they invited to the tour. You're a shoe-in."

"Thanks Em."

We dig into our meals and then when the woman takes it away from us, we just sit there talking for a bit and then Casey takes something out of his jacket and places it on the table.

"Case I thought we weren't doing gifts. It's a tradition for us every friendaversary. No gifts." I say pushing the paper rolled up with a ribbon wrapped around it towards Casey.

"I know I know but this you got to see. Please Emily." He says pushing back towards me and sitting back in his chair, arms crossed.

I reach across and gently pick it up and unwrap the ribbon while Casey wears a smirk.

I roll the paper and in front of me is all the information I need to know about the cheerleading sector of Kentucky.

Casey sits up now leaning on the table wearing a smile now.

"I found out that scholarships go to cheerleaders too. If you applied, you can win the scholarship. We can go to uni together."

I force a smile and nods,"I'll think about it."

Little does he know I have other plans.

********
"Hey dude, how was the tour?" Seth asks Casey when we walk into Seth and Hollys hotel room.

"Amazing." Casey breaths out before throwing himself onto to the bed.

"So what are you guys doing now?" Holly asks us but directing the question at me since the guys obviously wouldn't have a clue.

I hear her but I ignore her since I'm in another world. You know that feeling when you're looking at nothing but your mind is blank but yet you are thinking and you block everything else out? Yeah well that's what's happening  to me now and college is just ruining through my mind.

"Em? Hello? Earth to Em?" I hear Holly say and I shake myself out of my thoughts and look at her.

"Sorry um I saw a sign about a carnival in the square about 10 minutes drive away if you wanna go there." I explain.

"Sounds good. Let me just get ready." Holly says.

I'm already dressed since we just got back from the diner. I'm just wearing a beige cold shoulder top that flows with a built in necklace that goes down to my belly button and skinny jeans with knee high brown boots.

A couple minutes later, Holly walks out wearing black leggings with ankle heeled boots and a white flowy top.

We all walk out the hotel lobby door and bundle into Caseys truck and head to the carnival.

After the diner, Casey and I went for ice cream and a walk in the park and that took up about 2 hours and breakfast was about 2 as well so it's around 5 now so we all planned to get dinner at 6:30 and be back by 8:30 and go to bed because we have to drive home early to make it back before late Sunday night.

We all hop out of the car after a quick journey and I feel my phone buzz in my pocket with a notification.

"Junior Prom is Friday." I smile.

I'll always remember my junior prom. Yeah my feelings for Casey were still a secret but he was with me the whole time. We danced and talked and laughed. It was amazing.

"Ah junior prom. The good ol' days." Holly sighs as she holds Seths bicep.

"Has anyone ever told you you're maybe just a little dramatic." I say sarcastically.

"No, don't think so." She says and we just laugh harder.

We agree to go into the bumper cars first.

But we change teams.

It's always Me and Case against Seth and Holls but not this time. It's me and Seth against Casey and Holly.

"Hey dude if I even hear you tapped her, I'll castrate you." Casey warns.

"Casey, he has a girlfriend." I chuckle.

"Didn't stop him before." He smirks and I open my mouth and hit him at the back of the head.

"What? Too early?" He questions.

"Way way too early. Just get in your car you noob."

We all climb in and buckle up while the usher went around placing quarters into the slots.

And we were off.

I was driving and Seth was navigating. Well he was basically telling me where Holls and Case were so I could bash into them.

I see them and I swerve so I hit them in the side making Holly fall into Casey.

We began laughing and then the rest of the ride was just us trying to kill each other.

Honestly, how did I get my license?

We step out of the cars and Casey does that eye thing where he points at his eyes then me to indicate he's watching me making me chuckle.

If that was a competition, me and Seth well won it without a doubt.

Casey catches up with me and throws his arm around my shoulders.

"So where to next?" Holly asks.

"Well that rollercoaster looked twisty." I smirk and gently elbow Casey in the stomach.

"How about the Ferris wheel?" He quickly changes the subject making us all laugh.

"Sure. Why not?" Seth says and we all walk up to the Ferris wheel.

"So, have you thought anymore about the Kentucky cheerleading scholarships. They get sent out a few days before the football ones so I guess you have to apply earlier." Casey explains as we wait in line.

I look away and nod, "Like I said, I'll think about it."

"Yeah but you'd wanna make your decision fast. I mean no pressure but graduation is approaching and-"

"I said I'd think about it. Back off Casey. It's my future and it's my decision. You've had this Kentucky dream your whole life and you knew that's what you wanted to do since you were a kid but I found out about this 6 hours ago so please back off."

I storm off and ignore Caseys calls and just run off to a field beside the carnival.

I find a big rock that I pace around for a while before I sit down on it and throw my head in my hands allowing my hair to fall over my face.

I hear shuffling coming around me and then a voice.

"There you are." The voice says.

I lift my head and see Holly standing in front of me.

"You need to quite running away every time Casey speaks." She jokes before joining me on the rock.

She knocked her knee off mine and smiles at me.

"Is this about college?" I nod.

"You don't want to go to Kentucky do you?"

I stay silent for a minute before I lift my head and look at her before shaking my head and trying to escape the tears from coming from my glassy eyes.

I jump off the rock and scream quietly.

"I love Casey and I love how he knows exactly what he wants out of life and he works for it because most 17 year olds still don't know Pythagoras and I know what I want to do but what I don't know, is how I'm going to break it to Casey." I shrug.

"Well here's your chance to do it." She says and points behind me where Casey is standing.

Holly stands up and rests her arm on my upper arm and smiles at me then walks away where Seth is waiting outside the field.

"Break what to me?" The question I've been dreading comes out and I turn around a frown.

Here goes nothing.

**********
What's the secret???
Vote/comment/follow!
What's your favourite movie?
*Thanks to ignited_flame789 for the amazing cover*
-Maddie🤘🏻💫