So Easy To Love - Dominic Howard [MUSE]

Chapter One

"Ella Davies!" My mum shrieked, tugging my curtains open frantically. I let out a loud groan as the sun met my face and tried desperately to smother myself with a pillow before any more light could make it's way through my eyelids. "Don't you dare, young lady!"

The pillow was torn from my grip and I finally mustered up the courage to open my bleary eyes. "What the hell is going on?" I asked groggily, attempting to sit up in my bed. The clock on the bedside table was blinking with the time 3:48AM, which could only mean that our power had gone out in the early hours of the morning... Or my mum had officially lost the plot. The second option wouldn't surprise me at all, to be honest.

"You've already missed 3 hours of school and I'm about to be late for my shift at the hospital!" I could barely comprehend the words that were shouted at me because the next thing I knew, a pair of jeans had slapped me in the face. "Be ready in 15 minutes or I'm leaving without you!" I watched in an almost trance-like state as my mum ran from the room, slamming the door behind her.

As I sat there on my bed in a daze, I tried to let the words soak in. I got up slowly, stretching my arms way above my head and let out a long sigh. Making my way to the connecting bathroom I combed my fingers through my long dark hair, trying to detangle the nest on top of my head. It wasn't until I had turned the shower on that I realised what my mum had just told me.

"Shit!" I cursed loudly, stripping off as fast as I could. As I jumped into the shower, I let out another string of curses as my body met freezing cold water. Our hot water had been screwed up since we moved into this house about a week ago. Unless you actually took the time to fiddle around with the hot and cold water tap, you were set to have an intense body numbing shower. My mum had said numerous times that she was going to get it fixed but it looks like it had never made it to the top of her to-do list.

After washing myself with my favourite strawberry smelling body lotion, I was out of the shower and dried off in less than a minute. With my towel wrapped tightly around me, I stood in front of the mirror and began applying my makeup. Luckily I had left over eyeliner on from the night before so all I had to do was apply some mascara, blush and lipgloss and I was ready to go. There was nothing I could do with my hair in the short amount of time, so I had no choice but to let it do it's own thing and hope to God people wouldn't cringe at the sight.

Opening the bathroom door, I ran into my room and began rummaging around every nook and cranny for some clothes to throw together. It was times like these where I wish I actually listened to my mum for a change and kept my room tidy. In the end I decided on a striped three-quarter sleeved jumper with tight black shorts and a pair of sheer black stockings. I quickly got changed in the corner of my room, making sure I was well out of view from the wide open curtains that I couldn't be bothered to close. I slipped on a pair of flats to complete my outfit and made sure to give myself the once-over in front of my full length mirror before running downstairs to meet my mum at the front door.

"Go, go, go, go!" She chanted like an army sergeant, whilst shoving me out the front door and locking up behind her.

I almost landed flat on my face as she continued to push me. "Calm down, woman!" I yelled, steadying myself with the car.

"Just get in the God damn car before I reverse over you!"

My eyes widened as I quickly jumped in. My mum was a frightening woman when she wanted to be and I didn't want to test her when she was worked up like this. I barely even had enough time to put my seatbelt on before she had barrelled out of the driveway and sped off down the street. Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention to the extremely fast moving landscape outside my window. And she worries about my driving.

In what was meant to be a 15 minute drive, I had arrived at my new school in 5 minutes - thanks to the speed demon of a woman I call my mother - and was now standing at the front desk of the student reception, waiting to be handed my schedule for the school year.