Why Not?

Jay Arataka had never had an easy life. Her home life, for starters, had never been consistent - she was hopping from foster home to foster home, only to wind up in dusty small towns time and time again. She had been pushed around by those who were stronger than her. She never went out of her way to make friends, thinking that she wasn't worth pursuing. Naturally, she was isolated. And she didn't know why. All she really had were a viola case, her backpack, and herself.

Then, one day, she bumped into someone.

It was someone who, unbeknownst to her, would change her. He willed her to step out of her comfort zone, and assured her that it was safe to do so. He bonded with her in a way that no one else did with her before, and in turn, she did the same to him. She learned to trust, to love, and to believe in herself. She learned to accept herself even when no one was watching. She learned more about herself in those few months than she ever did during the first 17 years of her life. And, for the first time, she fell in love with the one who deserved it most.

Although he's gone now, she knows that what she felt was real.

This is her story.