The Curves in Life

o n e - the music hall

I flipped the light to my bathroom, wincing at the sudden bright lights blinding my vision. I watched the girl in the mirror, hastily gathering her toiletries, stuffing them into the shower before settling back in front of her reflection again. Her cheeks held a warm hue, which looked foreign against her soft complexion. Her lips were parted just the slightest. Brown tresses were matted across her pale, moist forehead and her eyes were wide, and blue like the ocean, holding an expression of sorrow... and pain.

Nothing unusual though. The amount of times I had cried myself to sleep were countless. The amount of times I had broken down in a school bathroom stall were countless. And the amount of times I had told myself I was okay when I really was as far from okay as possible were countless. The material of the black tee-shirt I had worn while jogging clung to my skin, as I grabbed the hem and tugged it over my head.

I did not watch myself any longer, the fear of seeing something ugly could paralyze me.

The stream of gushing warmth was like heaven on my skin, washing away the sting of words and humiliation. Here I could be me. I could let the walls drop. Some days were harder than others, and some days would pass like a breeze. I'm pretty sure any teenager could vouch for that though.

I used to be invincible, or so I thought. I had friends, I had a life. And then something bad happened, a tragedy, the kind of heart wrenching suffering that could end the world in the blink of an eye. Life as I had known it dissolved all around me, and I was faced with the not so pretty facts.

"Nora, time for school!" My mother hollered from the hallway, how long had I been in the shower?

Sighing, I twisted the knobs, then wrapped my body tightly in a towel.

School. One word I hated. It only brought problems to my life.

Could one person really effect someone's being that much? Yes. I could see the bleached hair curled to perfection and pink tainted lips behind my eyes every time I closed them. I could hear her words like a track stuck on repeat playing in the background of my mind. She made my life miserable, and every time I tried to fight back, I ended up more shattered than before.

I didn't do a lot of effort dressing myself, not like I used to. The simple cable-knit sweater hung loosely on my frame, I matched a dark denim with the top before sliding my feet into brown boots.

School wasn't all that bad. There was the library, my favorite escape during lunch hours. Miss Shore, the teacher that presented my math classroom made learning fun. And then there was my little heaven on earth, the abandoned music hall that had been shut down by the school board due to a lack of funds. I used to dream of joining the glee clubs or playing in a school band, but I was happy with the haven either way.

After mumbling a goodbye to my parents who were occupied with the news channel in the kitchen, I trudged out into the frisky morning, shivering as the cold bit at my exposed ears and cheeks. Autumn and winter were by far my favorite seasons, it meant hot chocolate, fleece blankets and romantic comedies, and the dream of cuddling next to a warm fire.

West Valley High School was the best option out of a few schools in Chicago that had a fair waiting list for acceptances. The parking lot was already full by the time the school bus pulled into its allocated parking bay. The inside of the building was buzzing with chatter and laughter of the students arriving to school. I knew where I was headed before I could even think of it, my legs on automatic, passing teens cracking jokes at each other, while others greeted their friends.

I checked if the coast was clear before slipping into the room, flipping the lock in the process. The Music Hall was dark and dusty, clearly abandoned. Kind of like me in a sense. All the old instruments were in piles by category. A few violins and guitars had been placed in one corner while Tuba's and Trumpets were in another. My favorite instrument was the great big Grande piano, covered in several layers of soot. I left my book bag by the door, walking towards the piano bench and carefully sitting down.