| Grace sighed and rubbed her forehead, staring out the window into the endless forest outside the rehab center. She rolled her eyes at Sara, her roommate, who sat on the couch across the room. Sara smiled and returned the gesture, bringing a slight smile to Grace’s face. Grace’s gaze returned to the window as her eyes glazed over and she returned to her trance, the words of her favorite song dancing through her head. ‘But they ain’t here any more… don’t have to settle no God damn score… cause we all live under the reign…’ A few minutes later, she stood and left the building to take a walk through the woods. She hummed ‘What’s This Life For’ as she walked, taking in the surroundings of the rehab center. A twig snapped and she froze, her eyes darting around the woods as she listened. She took a tentative step forward and heard another noise, her head jerking toward its general direction. “I’m sorry,” she heard a deep voice say. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Grace whirled around and faced the man who had entered the center a few minutes before. Her features softened, finally settling on a smile. She jogged to him and hugged him. She pulled away and resumed her walk, and he followed her slowly. “So…” he started, uncomfortable with the silence. She turned to him and smiled, but the smile fell quickly with each step she took. “You’re still not comfortable without communication, are you?” she asked quietly. “Not really,” he said, smiling to himself. She had caught him, and called him on the weakness. “You are?” “I guess after a while here you get used to it.” Her voice was monotone and emotionless. “I have to stay here another month and I should be able to go home,” she said sadly. “I’d rather just stay here. I have friends here, and I’m comfortable. I don’t know if I’m ready for the real world again, or if the real world is ready for me.” A slight laugh escaped her lips. “You’d rather be completely alienated and secluded from the rest of the world?” he asked, a weird look on his face. “I like being secluded,” she said, her voice small. She smiled at the look on his face. “Hey, don’t let me weird you out or anything. I’m perfectly normal, I just have a couple of problems I can’t seem to get over.” He nodded slowly. “So what are you doing here, Mr. Normal?” That comment brought a bright smile to his face and he laughed. “I came to see how you’re doing,” he said, taking her hand. “I worry about friends, and I miss you,” he continued. She nodded. She just nodded and continued walking. “Well,” he said, coming to a stop. Grace stopped and turned to face him again. “I should get going. We’ve got a concert tonight.” She nodded and smiled. “I’ll come see you again tomorrow before we leave.” “Don’t worry about me,” she said with a smile. He returned it. “I’ll be seeing you later, Grace.” And with that, he was gone. *** Tears sprang to Grace’s eyes as she lifted a picture off the bedside table. Her knees weakened and she slowly sat on the bed, letting the liquid emotion run down her cheeks. She stifled a sob and gently placed the picture of her best friend in her duffel bag, then stood to continue packing. A movement attracted her attention from the corner of her eye and she jumped, turning to face the door. “I guess I have a bad habit of scaring you,” a familiar voice said as the human form stepped into the light spilling through the window. A smile lit Grace’s face, and she welcomed Scott back. “I was just packing,” she said, quickly wiping the tears from her face. Scott’s brow furled and concern consumed him. “You okay?” he asked, reaching out to touch her arm. She nodded. “Yeah, just so many memories, I guess.” She smiled at him, hoping he would drop the subject, and he did. She looked up at him when he cleared his throat. “Call me when you get in, okay?” Grace caught the hopeful look in his eye and smiled. “Definitely,” she said, bringing a smile to his lips. *** “Hello?” Grace had just gotten out of the shower when the phone rang, and she had run to answer it, puffs of breath now creating static in the phone. “Grace?” “Yes…” “Hey, it’s Scott.” “Oh… hey! What’s up?” “Not much. Look, I’m in town tonight with a couple of friends and I was just wondering if you’d want to get together and catch up…” Scott trailed off. “Sure, what time?” They discussed the plans and she gave him directions to her house. “I guess I’ll see you later, then. Bye,” she said before hanging up the phone. She sighed, then headed back down the hall to fix her hair. She clicked on the television and dug into her Cocoa Puffs, time passing quickly. ‘God, I love Saturdays,’ she thought to herself as she locked the door behind her. She walked down the path she always took this time of day, every Saturday to clear her mind. Her thoughts raced, then slowed, then finally disappeared as she continued her walk through the quaint neighborhood. Her consciousness returned as she walked back up the path to her small house, and she dug through her pocket to find her key. Once inside, she fixed a cup of green tea and settled onto the couch for a nice read, and lost herself in the book, startled when she heard a knock on the door. She glanced at the clock, and swore to herself, realizing that it was Scott at the door, ready to take her out. A smile found its way to her face as she opened the door and let Scott in. “I’m sorry,” she said, looking down at herself. “I kinda lost track of time. I’ll just change real quick.” She hurried down the hall and changed out of her sweats and into a pair of jeans and a semi-tight green t-shirt. She smiled at Scott as he opened the door for her, and followed him out to the car. *** “Thanks for dinner, Scott,” Grace said once outside her door. The crickets chirped and they heard water running, coming from the creek a few yards away. “Any time,” he returned, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She shivered at his touch, and he caught her eye, his eyes intense. He slowly leaned down, and she pulled back, her eyes avoiding his. “Scott,” she started, then trailed off. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Scott, I come with a lot of baggage, and you know what it is. I don’t want you to have to deal with that,” her green eyes finally met his soft brown eyes, and he gently touched her cheek, watching her eyes close again at his touch. He leaned forward again. “I can handle baggage,” he said calmly before capturing her lips in a soft, tender kiss. It lasted only seconds, and he pulled away to watch her eyes flutter back open. He smiled, and she returned it before going inside. *** Grace woke up with a start in a cold sweat. She sat up in bed and looked at her hands, which were trembling violently. Light was beginning to spill through the window, and she looked at the clock. Eight-forty-five. She stood, returning to the trance that consumed her every minute in the rehab center, losing herself in the past. She walked to the bathroom and sat in the floor, leaning against the cold, tile wall, shaking. Her hands felt under the cabinet desperately and fell on an old razor blade. Her fingers shook, and her eyes clouded over. ‘I miss you, Nadine,’ she thought to herself, images of her best friend racing through her mind. Nadine had been killed in a car wreck two years before, and the shock of seeing it was so traumatic to Grace that she became a cutter, slicing herself to ease the pain, but not attempting to kill herself. ‘I miss you so much.’ Her eyes closed as she pressed the razor blade to the back of her thigh. She took a deep breath, let it out, then screamed. |