Irregularity

Erin quickly looked around before replacing her headphones. No one was outside at this hour of the morning except for the stray cat under the car. The morning silence was unbroken; she had the world to herself. Slowly, almost meticulously, she pressed play.
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Will threw off the covers and creeped downstairs. Years of habit woke him up early each day. He knew he had about thirty minutes before his baby brother started crying upstairs and thirty-five minutes until his mother got out of bed to change the child’s diaper, at which point the whole family would be awake. Thankfully, Will had this half-hour to himself, and he wasn’t going to waste a second.
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The music started out slow, and it was easy for Erin to match its pace. Every beat was a footstep, every hum was a sway. The music only began slowly, and Erin soon found herself stepping faster and faster. She didn’t mind. She was one with the music; waves of unpredictable notes and steps flowed through her like water through sand.
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Will made his breakfast: two cups of cereal topped off with one cup of 2% milk. Simple and consistent, just like always. Pouring a quick cup of coffee, Will reheated it for twenty seconds. Ten was too short, thirty was too long, but twenty seconds created the perfect cup of coffee to drink in the twenty-seven minutes he had left.
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The music continued to pick up as Erin’s heartbeat raced. As usual, this song was entirely unfamiliar to her. Each day she tried to find a new song. The irregularity gave her confidence; if she could match beats with the unknown notes, she could conquer the surprises of the day. However, as the song sped up, she began to doubt the day’s choice. Not every song could be conquered...
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With five minutes left on the clock and the coffee cup empty, Will began to pack up for school. Three perfectly sharpened pencils, check. Two three-ring binders, check. Five highlighters… not check. The orange marker was missing. Dropping to the floor, Will started to search frantically. A break in the routine was like a break in the world, a crack that needed mending immediately...
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To Erin’s relief, a soft bridge surfaced in the music; a calm section in which she could catch her breath. Moving lightly and breathing heavily, she evaluated her options. She could give up and change to a song she knew well... or she could keep going. The idea of reverting to a familiar song scared her. She could do this. The bridge ended, the beat picked up, and she continued to match the growing pace.
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BANG! Will’s head hit the bottom of the table. The highlighter was still no where to be seen and his family had overslept. Panic began to take over his mind as he faced a day full of uncertainties…
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SNAP! Erin fell as her ankle made a sickening noise. Pain and screams intermingled with the music still floating through her earbuds as she grabbed at the oddly bent limb…
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Will glanced at the clock in alarm. He had three minutes to get to the bus stop… but how did he know the bus wasn’t going to be early? Trying to calm down, Will wondered how OCD he really was. He shouldn't be this panicked, should he?
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Erin lay in her bed, her ankle propped up on pillows at eye level. The idea of facing days, perhaps weeks, of bedridden recovery terrified her. No dancing, no moving, no excitement at all...
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Will sprinted to the bus stop and looked around for Erin. She wasn’t there: another irregularity.
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With nothing better to do, Erin reached for her phone. The music was still playing through the earphones. She quickly shot off a single text.
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As Will boarded the bus, a buzz emitted from his back pocket. Looking at his phone, he read the message and smiled for the first time since his day went haywire. Erin’s injury was unexpected, but her reaction wasn’t. Finally, something familiar.
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Erin laughed at his reply and responded. How ironic that Will had inadvertently stolen her interesting day. Apparently there were still some surprises in store for the coming weeks...
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Will smiled back at the laughing emoticon, but scowled as his phone showed his battery at 1%. This day was not going to be easy, but his heart lifted at the thought of Erin’s last text:

At least today stinks for both of us. Don’t panic on me now. Loosen up a little and see what happens. XD

Before his phone died, Will quickly responded:

Only if you calm down long enough to fix yourself.

He stared at the phone for thirty seconds. Just when he thought it was going to die before she replied, the screen lit up one last time with a single emoji.
;)