Now after that kiss, I’d have to work double overtime to keep her out of my head. Maybe it was because secretly I really wanted her there.
19
Grace
I was nervous about going back into Aunt Darcy’s. I was afraid that my dad would be lurking somewhere in the shadows waiting to scold me for being the world’s worst child. Followed by a long truck ride back home to my nightmarish childhood.
I found Darcy in the kitchen drinking coffee at the table. She looked frazzled and tired. It had surely been a long day for her. Five minutes with my father would have made for a long day.
“Hey,” she spoke as I walked into the room.
I pulled out the chair across the table from her and sat down.
“Hey.” I said in a low sad voice. “I’m so sorry.”
“Oh no honey. There is no need for you to be sorry. That man is a hard ass all on his own. You don’t have to make excuses for him.”
“I know, but it’s all my fault that he came. I should have never run away from home the way I did.”
“Technically you didn’t run away Grace. You’re eighteen years old. You were free to leave home at anytime. You didn’t need his permission. I have to know though,” she paused and reached her hand over to touch mine. “What really happened? Please tell me, because I have a feeling that it was bad. I need to know.”
Was I ready to talk about?
Absolutely not, but I knew that I had to. She has been nothing but good to me. I owed her that much. I just wondered if she was really ready to hear the details. This was her brother, and though she despised him, I wasn’t sure if she could really handle the truth.
I took a deep breath and looked to her for comfort. I wouldn’t tell her everything just the most important thing.
“There was one really bad time. I don’t like to talk about it, but I will for you.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You know that he’s strict, and you know that he’s mean. The one time that has stuck with me is when he beat me in the shed and left me there bleeding.”
Aunt Darcy sucked in a hard breath, as the tears streamed down her face.
“I was caught in very little clothing, when the girl next door to us ran off with my clothes while I was swimming. He didn’t like that my skin was showing, and he wanted to make sure that I never did it again.” The words came out of my mouth so fast. It was like someone had knocked the breath right out of me.
“My God Grace.” She shook her head. “How old were you?”
“Fifteen,” I replied.
She wiped her fingers under her eyes and shook her head. “How bad?”
I gave her a confused look.
“How bad was the beating?” She asked.
I stood up and turned around where my back was facing her. I un-tucked the shirt from inside my skirt and with both hands I raised it up. The scars were visible to her.
“You have to be fucking kidding me right now.” She yelled out. I heard the chair scoot out from the table as she came around to get a closer look. “This is not okay Grace.” She cried out.
I felt her arms rest on my shoulders, and her body began to shake. Her head came to rest on my back and the sobs came tumbling out of her. It shook my whole body as she cried, and I couldn’t find the strength to keep it together. I cried too.
I don’t know why. I thought that I’d already cried enough over this, but her tears brought out my tears.
I turned around to face her and she pulled me in for the tightest hug. “I’m so sorry. God I’m sorry.” She said over and over. Her words only made me cry harder. “You won’t ever go back to that. Do you hear me?”
All I could do was nod. There was no way I could get the words out, if I tried.
“You are eighteen years old, and you don’t have to go back with him. I will not let you go back. It was wrong what he did. It was evil.” There was anger in her words. Not towards me, but towards my father. He deserved the anger, because he was mean and cruel.
We stayed locked in each other’s arms and continued to cry until there were no more tears left. Then we spent the rest of the night on the couch with a bucket of ice cream and the worst/best reality T.V. marathons that we could find.
I am Free
Two weeks had passed since my father came to town. The phone calls didn’t stop though. He called many times and yelled at Darcy. I felt horribly guilty for the pain that he was causing her. I knew that it was my fault. He wouldn’t stop until he found me, but I couldn’t bear to face him yet. Strong or not, I had just trudged up the past with Aunt Darcy, and I knew that facing him would break me completely.
Kennedy had been calling and stopping by as often as she could to check on me. She changed her schedule around at the library so that the two of us would have more shifts together. It was nice. She did everything she could to keep my mind off of the situation, including a slumber party at my house with hours of T.V. I loved her even more for it.
Jackson on the other hand had somehow caught the plague. It was the only explanation I could give myself for the reason he never called or came by. I never saw him at the library either. He’d fallen off the face of the earth or got sucked in the black hole. Maybe basketball was taking all of his time, or maybe he truly didn’t want to see me. Either way, I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I thought the two of us were going to be a lot closer after our day spent on the campus or after the kiss we shared. Guess I was wrong?
I guess leopards can’t change their spots.
I will cross off being played in my little book, and try and move forward. There were too many things for me to be grateful for.
Who was I kidding? I wouldn’t be able to get Jackson or that kiss out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. Every poem that had been written since our kiss had been about him. I had the lovesick blues bad. I wouldn’t tell Kennedy that though.
After my long shift at work, I came home to find a message on the table.
Grace,
I’m gone to Paul’s and won’t be home tonight, but you can call me anytime on my cell if you need me. There is some cash in the jar on top of the microwave if you need it, and left overs in the refrigerator. Call me for ANYTHING! Also, a guy named Preston called for you. He sounded cute. Make sure you call him back.
Love you,
Darcy
I laughed at her note.
Under her scribbled handwriting was Preston’s phone number and a smiley face. I wondered what he wanted. I hadn’t spoken to him in a while. Our last date or double date I should say went really good. He was so nice.
I picked up the phone and dialed his number.
“Hello,” his voice came over the line.
“Hey Preston it’s Grace.”
“Grace,” I could hear a smile in his voice. “I’m so glad that you called me back. I’ve been so busy lately and I’m sorry I haven’t called sooner.”
“That’s okay. What’s up?” I asked and smirked. As soon as those words left my mouth, I knew that I sounded just like Kennedy.
“I was hoping that the two of us could get together tonight for dinner. If you want?” He asked.
“Ugh,” I stuttered over my words. “Just the two of us?”
I could hear a faint laughter from him through the phone. I must have sounded like a complete idiot.
“I was kind of hoping it would just be the two of us.”
I sat there for a moment not saying anything. This would be a real date. Not that the others weren’t real, but this would be different. The word “alone” was flashing through my head like a Las Vegas street sign.
“Oh, uh.” I struggled.
“Unless you don’t want to.” He said quickly.
“No, I do. I’m sorry. I’d love to.” I replied, trying to hide the nerves from my voice.
“Good, okay. I’ll pick you up at seven?”