AN: Holy shit. I uploaded the prologue like maybe five hours ago and already 4 favorites and 2 alerts? I LOVE YOU GUYS.
I do not own degrassi or the oober sexy Eli Goldsworthy.
Chapter One
The fall morning was like any other. The air was crisp and pure, a trademark to Canada. Not too hot, not too cold. Absolutely perfect. Grieg's Peer Gynt blasted in my ears as I rode my bike down the busy street. Cars whipped past me in a colorful blur; each of them unique and individual. It was rare that I would hear two Mozda 3's blasting Lady Gaga with the driver singing at the top of her lungs.
Ah music.
It's not that I don't like the pop music these days, I just prefer classical. There's nothing like Grieg's Morning Mood or Copland's Appalachian Springs to start your day out with.
I took one hand off my handlebar to adjust my iPod headphones, nearly swerving into the lane full of oncoming traffic. Horns blared at me as a hearse sped past.
Oopsies.
After my near death experience, I peddled hard up the hill on which St. Margaret-Mary's stood ominously watching me weave through the parking lot and around the back of the building. I hopped off my bike and locked it to a yellow pole that stood near the garage door to the Band Room. Pulling on my school blazer from my backpack, I kicked the garage door.
"Coming!" a voice yelled. With a loud jolt the garage door began to rise. Careful not hit my head, I ducked underneath the door.
"Morning," I called. From throughout the room people hollered their greetings. I looked around the spacious room that is my home for the school year. People jammed on their guitars and basses as our killer drummer Greg Johnson kept a sturdy beat. Kelsey Howard was frantically poking out chords on the grand piano that stood in the corner. It was no secret that the song she had to write for Music Theory was due that day. And in the center of the room, seated Indian style on the Mrs. Yeller's podium was Lilah Raven and Noah Brady.
I smiled and headed over to my friends when from behind me someone yelled, "JULIA!" The music stopped; even Kelsey Howard looked up from her piano. I gulped and turned around.
My twin brother Julian stood in the garage door, his arm crossed and a disgruntled look plastered on his face. His short brown hair was a mess and his dark brown eyes were livid. "Are you crazy?" he gritted. I bit my lip. This wasn't good. "I've been yelling for you the past seven blocks."
"We only live three blocks away," I pointed out.
He held up a hand for me to stop. "Not the point. Mom told you not to listen to your iPod while you're riding down Main Street." His eyes narrowed. "Do you want to get hit by a car?"
I rolled my eyes. "Stop being dramatic, Julian."
"You almost got pummeled by that hearse!"
"No, I didn't!"
"I really don't want to be burying my sister on account of her iPod." If I don't apologize to him then he's just going to keep on being pissy.
I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just really needed to clear my head before my geometry test."
"Tell that to the hearse," he said, his arms still crossed. He looked around to the twenty or so eyes staring at our little scene. "We'll talk about this later." He closed the garage door and slammed the Band Room door shut after him.
I groaned and slumped in between Noah and Lilah. Lilah looked at me and started chuckling. "Someone's panties are in a bundle."
"No kidding," Noah laughed looking over his shoulder at the door that will probably suffer after Julian's abuse. "Thank God you don't have any classes with him."
"Tell me about it," I said. "I think he's just stressed about the tennis meet tonight after school."
"That's no reason to be a total douche though," Lilah argued. I smiled at my best friend. I've know Lilah Raven since kindergarten, and her name makes her sound more foreboding than she actually is. Although she's not in Band with Noah and I, she's an adopted band member. Her successes onstage made her confidence soar, not that she wasn't confident before. She's more proud of her unearthly white blonde hair and ice blue eyes than she was before. I always thought she looked albino, but she prefers the term ice-like.
"We should get going. Don't want to be late for homeroom," Noah said, gathering up his books. Although Noah looks like a model for Abercrombie and Fitch, he's a band geek at heart. He loves his trumpet more than his car. We've been friends since last year, and I've like him since last year.
… Shut up.
Guys like Noah don't go for girls like me. Sure, Noah's a total sweetie, but he likes his girlfriends blonde with limited verbal skills, not a brunette honors kid. Still, how can you resist a guy with perfect sandy blonde curly hair and eyes like sapphires?
Exactly.
"Why are you all so paranoid about being late?" I asked as we entered the hallway. Margaret-Mary wasn't huge like a public school, but a small private catholic school made up of two floors with a building that housed all of the art and science classes attached to the side. M-M was built around a square courtyard with the built around it. The courtyard had a stone statue of our patron saint, St. Margaret Mary, surrounded by tulips. And, of course, students weren't allowed in it. In fact, it was many students' dearest ambition to let a pack of wild turkeys into it on Thanksgiving.
Noah shrugged and tightened his grip on his backpack. Lilah and I started laughing. "Loosen up, dude," Lilah said nudging Noah.
As we passed the principal's office, Schnorr stuck his head up of his door. "Lilah Raven, can you come here for a second?"
Lilah groaned and plastered a smile on her face. "Sure."
"Wonder what she did this time," I said.
"Can't be worse than when Mrs. Hector caught her and Brad Livingston making out in the theatre," Noah said.
"True."
After a few minutes, Lilah came out looking slightly irritated. "I have to show some noob around."
"Seriously? That sucks," Noah said sympathetically. I started to nod in agreement when the door was thrown open and the student strode out.
Holy. Shit.
He was attractive, no doubt about that, and he was different. He wasn't the same as all of these clean cut preppy boys. He wasn't wearing the required uniform, but a black t-shirt with the name Dead Hand on it and black ripped jeans. A thin line of eyeliner framed his playful green eyes, nearly covered by his long shaggy dark brown hair.
"Hi, there," he said with a wink.
My heart fluttered. Oh great.
"Please, get that hair trimmed," Mr. Schnorr said, eyeing the boy. "And don't forget your uniform tomorrow."
"Wouldn't dream about it," he said, sarcasm dripping from his words. Schnorr gave him one last hopeless glance and headed back into his office.
"Let's just cut to the chase," the boy said clapping his hands together. "You leave me alone and everything will just be peachy." He shot us a thumbs up and headed down the hallway. Left and right students looked up from their book to share at the strange new boy.
"So much for noob," Lilah remarked.
"Who is he?" I asked breathlessly.
"Eli. Eli Goldsworthy," she said grimly.