Reasons (A Marcel Fanfiction)

Chapter One

Chapter One

            Sunday night parties were the worst.

            Hallie Franklin woke up in Grace Halloway’s house, but she couldn’t tell you why. The party hadn’t started there. She turned her alarm off and stood up. Carefully stepping over a few other still sleeping bodies, she made her way into the nearest bathroom. There was a guy asleep in the bathtub, snoring loudly. She pulled the shower curtain shut, and then turned to the mirror.

            She looked about as good as she felt. Her make-up was running, and her hair was a hot mess. The look went along with her pounding headache. Normally, she would avoid drinking at Sunday night parties, but she had splurged last night. Now she would pay the price.

            After using a bathtub that was not inhabited by a sleeping drunk, Hallie was clean. She towel dried her hair, and pulled on her clothes. Going to school in her party clothes was not a concern of hers. She tracked down her bag, just as a horn sounded outside. She quietly slid from the house, and went out to meet the car stalling by the curb.

            “You look like someone hit you in the face with a beer keg.” The boy in the car stated as Hallie slid into the passenger seat.

            “Thanks.” She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Did you bring-“

            “Your things?” The boy chuckled. “I’ve never forgotten, Hal. I don’t know why you always ask. They’re in the back.”

            “You’re the best, Sid.” Hallie reached into the back and grabbed her bookbag, along with a lunch sack containing ibuprofen, water, and a Pop-tart. Her post party breakfast. Sid always had her back, no matter what trouble Hallie got herself into. He was her cousin, and the only family that seemed to care whether she came home at the end of the day.

            “How was the party?” Sid asked as he drove. Hallie munched on her Pop-tart as she reapplied mascara.

            “I’m guessing it was good… I can’t remember much of it.” Hallie grinned into the car mirror. “That’s always a sign of a pretty great party. Especially for a weeknight.”

            Sid rolled his eyes as he pulled into the school parking lot.

            Ten minutes later, completely refreshed, Hallie walked into school, not at all looking like she had been partying all night long. Grace Halloway walked over to her at her locker.  “How do you do that?”

            “Do what?” Hallie asked, looking around her open locker door.

            “Look like you don’t have a hangover.” Grace had bags under her eyes for days, and her messy bun and sweats were far from cute. Hallie shrugged, her blue eyes looking over Grace, amused.  The other girl groaned in frustration and walked away.

            Hallie glanced at herself in her mirror. She was fairly talented at looking totally normal. Her dark hair needed no help as it waved naturally, and her black jeans and boots were hard to ruin. It wasn’t that difficult.

            She shut her locker and turned around as the bell rang. She ran smack into someone, whose books fell to the floor.

            “Sorry…” The boy mumbled, leaning down to gather his things. Hallie watched him fumble with his glasses, and she felt guilty for a split second before she decided she didn’t care. She left the boy there to pick up his things.

            “You smell terrible.”

            Hallie sighed as she shut her front door. Her sister was in the doorway to greet her. “Hi, Jen.”

            “Have you been smoking again?”

            “My day was great, what about you?”

            “You look like a rebel.”        

            “Failed another math test.”

            “You really do smell.”

            Hallie sighed and walked into the kitchen. Her older sister followed, of course, judging her every step of the way, just like she always did. Jen was two years older than her, and believed her college experiences made her superior to Hallie’s seventeen year old self.

            “Mom’s gonna have a fit when she sees what you’re wearing.” Jen said and Hallie set her stuff down. When she didn’t answer, Jen continued. “Her friends from the club are coming over for dinner tonight, and she said you better not wear boots.”

            “Jen, why don’t you move out?” Hallie asked suddenly. “The only way to get Jen to leave her alone was to ask her questions. Hallie knew the answer to this one. Their parents were loaded, and they had a really nice house, complete with a pool in the back, and a library. Jen loved this house. It made her feel important. Hallie, however, no matter how big the house, hated it. Any house with her parents was too small.

            She poured herself a glass of tea, and grabbed her stuff, walking past her babbling sister towards the large, spiraling staircase. She shut her bedroom door in Jen’s face, locking it for good measure. She heard her sister call her a nasty name before walking away. Hallie laughed and threw her stuff on the bed.  She stood for a moment, surveying her room.

            It was large, with a queen-sized bed, and walk-in closet. Hallie had painted the walls each a different color when she was fifteen, then plastered them with band posters. She had to make sure they were all there. Then she checked her bookshelf. Her mother and sister had a habit of messing with her things when she wasn’t home.  Everything seemed to be in place, so she set her glass down, and walked towards the far wall, where she opened up the double doors that let out onto a balcony.

            She stepped outside, and stood by railing. Her view overlooked the nice houses of the wealthy neighborhood, and her salt-water pool. Hallie sighed, and lit a cigarette, while she tried to figure out which pair of boots would most anger her mother later at dinner.