Beautiful Lives

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Beautiful Life (Nick Fradiani)

"Lexi time to get up!" my mom called up the stairs. I groaned, rolling over in my bed, and prying my eyelids open. The bright light pulsing through the room sent a shockwave of pain through my head, and I lifted my heavy comforter until it covered my face. Unfortunately, my mother knew me too well, and moments later the door to my room burst open, and she yanked the covers off of my bed.

"Seriously sweetie, you don't want to be late for your first day," she grabbed my arm and pulled me into an upright position, sitting down in front of me. Instantly, I leaned forward and rested my head on her shoulder.

"I don't want to go," I complained. She sighed, obviously tired of hearing me whine about my new school. I knew I'd been a pain in the ass ever since she had told my brother and me that we would be moving across the country, but my heart had been pounding at the thought of starting a new school for months, and I wasn't going to miss any opportunity to get out of it.

"You know you have to," she kissed the top of my head. "I'm sorry, honey, I wish this were easier for you, but I can't give you another option here,"

"You could homeschool me," I suggested. She laughed gently, the sound calming my nerves.

"Do you remember what used to happen when you'd ask me for help with your homework?" she asked, with a smirk. I nodded, returning a half-smile. She smoothed my hair slowly, and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Lex" she said quietly. "I didn't want to move either, but this is a wonderful opportunity for me. And who knows, you may even love it here. At least it's a fresh chance. You know, nobody here knows about your childhood. And that's been something you've wanted for a long time," I nodded slowly.

"If I hate it, can I transfer schools?" I asked, tentatively.

"We'll figure something out," she held out her pinkie finger, offering me a deal. I clasped it in my own, and finally let my face relax into a smile.

"Now let's go, or you'll be late," she stood up, and left the room, leaving me still sitting in my bed, basking in the early morning sunlight that was flooding through my open blinds.

Finally, I dragged myself out of bed, and pulled open the door to my closet. I grabbed my favorite pair of black skinny jeans, and a form-fitting purple shirt. Once I was dressed, I paired the outfit with some black ankle boots, and relocated to the bathroom. I had showered the night before, so my hair was already washed and dried. I touched it up quickly with my straightener before brushing my teeth, and putting on my makeup. I sprayed some body mist into the air to make sure I smelled decent, and after giving myself one last terrified glance-over in the mirror, I grabbed my bag from my room, and headed down the stairs.

My brother was already sitting at the table, eating rapidly. He was the type of guy that could eat an entire fridge worth of food, and still be hungry, so I wasn't surprised when he stood up and refilled his cereal bowl, for what I could only imagine was not the first time.

"Morning Ryder," I grabbed a granola bar from the box in our cupboard, and sat down beside him.

"Hey Lexi," he stood up. "You want to drive together?" he asked. Our family had two beat-up cars, but my mom preferred to bike to work so unless she was driving us somewhere, Ryder and I could go places on our own schedules. But, today driving by myself seemed a little too nerve-wracking, especially as I looked down at my shaking hands, figuring I'd probably end up steering myself into a ditch anyways.

"I wouldn't mind," I admitted. He looked over at me, assessing my pale face, the sweat already building on my forehead, and gave me a reassuring smile.