Just A Reason Why

Chapter One: It Started With A Fall

"I'm good, let's practice. I have an idea for a new song," I said, reaching for a clean piece of sheet music. 

~

My head rested against my locker door, the sounds of the hallway buzzing around me as I blissfully ignored them. I was waiting for Sam and Mercy to get here. They were always the first to know about a new song because they were always the first to hear it. I smiled to myself as my mind wandered back to the day I met them. 

"I'm so tired of this class," I grumbled to myself, fully aware that everyone could probably hear me. 

The girl beside me always fell asleep and snored very loud. I tried to ignore her but it's hard to ignore when she's louder that the teacher. I drummed my fingers against the desk impatiently. I was already agitated with today, my patience had dissolved the moment I rolled out of bed. I was over it and the day had barely begun.

"I know right? And you're stuck with snore girl," I heard someone behind me snicker.

I  turned around and studied her for a moment. Her hair was long, dark brown and straight. She had a few freckles dusted across her face, making her hazel eyes look softer. Actually her whole expression looked soft, almost as if I was staring into the eyes of an innocent child. It sent chills down my spine for a moment. Well that was before the cold drink and ice cubes rained down on me. 

I screeched loudly, jumping to my feet and desperately trying to shake the ice cubes out of my shirt. I heard a sharp gasp behind me and the whole class went silent. I bit my tongue, holding in the string of inappropriate words I wanted to scream. All eyes were on me, my face was burning as I took a deep breath and turned to where the drink had come from. 

Another girl stood, cowering behind me. Her red hair also dripping from the explosive drink. She kept her eyes glued on the floor, refusing to give me anything more than a quick glance. We stood that way for a just a moment, my breathing quickly calming down. I couldn't really decide if I was angry or not. 

"Wow, way to go Mercy. Spilling your coffee on the new girl before the first bell," I heard the other girl speak again. 

Mercy just stood, frozen. She finally brought her eyes up to mine and I held eye contact with her. My expression remained unfazed, potentially scaring her because she couldn't tell what I was thinking. Fear was bubbling from her green eyes like it was her last day to live. I waited a minute longer before smiling at her and handing her the cup she dropped. Her mouth dropped open as if she was waiting for a different response. 

"Well what are you waiting for? Unless you want to be covered in coffee all day," I said, picking up my backpack and heading towards the door. 

Everyone was still frozen in place, unsure of what to do next. I laughed to myself, the whole class, even the teacher, was waiting for me to explode. I just smiled again and held my hand out for her. She gulped nervously but took my hand anyways. The girl that sat behind me gathered some paper towels and shuffled along behind us. 

"I'm Everly," I said, tugging my shirt over my head and turning on the sink. Coffee dripped from my skin, causing me to shiver as cool air whipped through the bathroom. 

"I'm Sam," The other girl said, grabbing some more paper towels and wiping more coffee from Mercy's back, "And of course you already know Mercy,"

"I do now," I said, smirking at Mercy who was still eyeing the ground nervously. I laughed, causing both of them to snap their heads in my direction. 

I put both hands on my hips and studied them for a minute, "I'm not mad. Actually, I'm quite the opposite. I've had a chip on my shoulder all morning and then you spill coffee on me, suddenly it's hilarious,"