Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (31 page)

“
You’re seriously going to ask that? God, Amanda, I’m starting to really worry about you.”

With a hand on her hip, Amanda stared unseeing at her locker door. “Well, don’t. I know what I’m doing.”

“
Do you?” Grace spat back. “Because the way I see it, the only thing you know you’re doing is another woman’s man. No, I take that back…another woman’s husband.”

Amanda’s eyes flew open wide and she gaped at Grace in disbelief. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t even know him. He loves me.”

Grace knew what she had to say. And it was going to hurt. Possibly ruin their friendship forever. Amanda was on a serious downward spiral, and needed to hear the dirty truth in all its gut-mutilating glory. “Sure he does. He told his wife he loved her too. He doesn’t love you, Amanda, he’s using you. And as soon as you get too clingy, too needy, he’ll toss you out with the morning trash.”

Tears covered Amanda’s eyes like glass, but she didn’t allow it to shatter in front of Grace. Seeing her start to cry caused Grace’s stomach to turn inside out. She couldn’t move when Amanda wheeled around and pushed past the few onlookers, then barreled out the front door. The click of the door reverberating through the hall left Grace with a hollow feeling. Her stomach heaved. She hated herself, and had to fight the urge to go after Amanda. Grace convinced her feet to move in the direction of second period, even though she was already a few minutes late.

At the sound of the bell, every student shot out of their seats like thoroughbreds from the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby. Grace was no exception. Quickly scrolling through her contacts on her phone, she hurried out of the classroom.

“
Here, let me get that for you,” someone said, as the weight of her backpack lifted off her shoulder.

Startled, she whipped around. It was Zeke, trying to be helpful. “Thanks, but you don’t have to do that.” She watched him toss the heavy backpack with ease over his shoulder.

Shaking his head, he glanced at her with incredulity. “Don’t get me wrong, I get that you’re not the damsel in distress type, but you were just in a serious accident a couple of days ago.” The side of his mouth curled up, making the dimples appear in his cheeks. “Indulge me. We’re going the same direction anyway.”

He was right; she was
supposed to be healing. While they walked, she divided her attention between Zeke and her phone, playing the familiar should-I-or-shouldn’t-I-call game, desperate to resolve the tension with Amanda.

“
You waiting for a call?” he asked, pulling her away from her iPhone screen.

“
No, why do you ask?”

“
You haven’t taken your eyes off that phone. Is everything okay?”

It was far from okay. What she’d said to Amanda was the truth and she needed to hear it, but did Grace need to be the messenger? Amanda was eighteen and could do what she wanted—which she clearly was doing—but she was the “other woman.” How on earth could she have allowed that
to happen? More than disappointed in her friend, Grace was truly worried about what she was doing to herself, and possibly her future.

“
No,” she said, walking a little closer to his side. Enough people had already played witness to the incident. No one else needed to hear about it. “Amanda and I got into an argument, and I was hoping she’d try to text or call me.”

“
Oh.” He’s such a male, Grace mused. “I’m sure you guys will work it out.” He even tried giving her an encouraging, albeit awkward, smile. With a slight chuckle, Grace grinned back, wrapped her arm around his elbow, and continued on to third period.

After class, Grace and Zeke got caught up in a little tug of war over her backpack. “Zeke, no. You’re going to be late to fourth period. I can carry it to lunch. Really.”

“
The longer you fight me on this, the later I’ll be,” he said with a cocky grin. “Besides, Miss Stone loves me. She won’t care if I’m a little late.”

With an exaggerated sigh, she let go. “Fine, but if you get detention, it’s all on you, buddy.”

“
Okay.” He chuckled.

When they arrived in the cafeteria, Emily and Tommy were already seated and eating. Emily’s purple cast waved like a look-what-you-did banner. “Hey, guys,” Grace said as she sat down.

“
Hi!” Emily nearly squealed. “How are you feeling?”

“
I was just about to ask you two the same thing.” Zeke carefully placed her tray of food on the table in front of her and put the backpack at her feet. “Thank you.”

“
You’re welcome.” He smiled down to her. “Hey, man,” he said to Tommy. “How’s the head?”

“
Better. Still have a hellacious headache.”

“
You’re not driving, are you?” Zeke asked, sounding concerned.

Tommy shook his head slightly. “Nah, my mom dropped me off.”

“
Good,” Zeke said. “I have to get to class before I get detention.” Winking down at Grace, he waved good-bye to the others.

Emily eyed her from across the table. “Just friends, huh?”

Grace’s gaze instantly went to her lips, wondering what flavor she was wearing. “Yes, Em, just friends.”

“
I’m not so sure he thinks so.” She smelled like cinnamon, but Grace wasn’t sure. Cinnamon was bad.

“
Actually, babe,” Tommy spoke up through a mouthful of food, as usual. “He does. He’s just hoping she’ll change her mind.”

Grace hoped he continued to understand she only wanted to be friends. Otherwise…well, otherwise she had no clue. She’d worry about it then. “How’s your arm?” she asked Emily trying to forget about Zeke and cinnamon.

Emily glanced down at the purple plaster covering her arm. “Not throbbing as much, thankfully, but I have to keep this stupid cast on for six weeks.” She slurped a big drink from her chocolate milk through a straw. “You should have seen the colors I had to choose from…awful.” Grace laughed when Emily scrunched her nose.

“
It’s a good thing you wear a lot of purple then.”

“
Not enough,” Emily said mid-bite. “Now I have to go shopping. You want to go with me?”

“
Sure, when?”

“
This weekend sometime.”

“
Yeah, that works,” Grace said.

Leah showed up a few minutes later, looking exhausted. “Hi, everyone.” Her voice was subdued, nowhere near its normal ear-piercing decibel level.

“
Hey,” they all said in unison. “How are you feeling?” Grace asked as Leah sat next to her. Like Zeke, Brian placed Leah’s tray in front of her, but sat down in the open seat next to her.

“
My head still hurts a little and I’m kind of tired, but I feel a lot better.”

The all too familiar danger of guilty tears threatened. While pretending to focus on something on the ceiling, Grace blinked them fast away. When she was able to talk without crying, she replied to Leah. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

Nope, she spoke too soon. Tears assaulted Grace’s eyes a nanosecond after uttering the word “alright” and trickled embarrassingly down her cheeks.

“
Don’t cry, Grace.” Leah handed her a napkin. “We’re all okay.” That was true for today, but what about tomorrow?

“
Babe, don’t cry.” Emily put her hand on top of Grace’s, a few tears escaping her eyes as well. Leah sniffled softly next to her, and slipped her hand on top of Emily’s in a show of solidarity. Grace smiled at both of them, grateful they were safe.

Grace sat there in the uncomfortable, emotionally charged silence, waiting for someone to cut through it by saying something. Finally, Tommy cleared his throat. “Uh… is everyone still going to the party this weekend?”

“
I’ll understand if you guys aren’t up for it,” Brian said quickly. A unanimous chorus of “We’re going” made him beam with pleasure.

After lunch, Grace wasn’t too surprised to find Zeke outside the double doors of the cafeteria, waiting to relieve her shoulders of the burdensome backpack.

By the end of fourth period, she was getting used to seeing him. As fifth and sixth periods rolled around, she was expectantly looking for his face, which she found waiting for her outside every door. He even insisted on helping her unload stuff at her locker. She closed her locker door, and thanked Zeke for all his help.

“
No problem.” He twirled his keys from his lanyard, round and round his finger.

“
I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Grace smiled and spun on her heel.

“
I’ll walk with you,” he said, catching up to her in a few quick strides. “I’m parked out there too.” He winked down at her. She came to the conclusion in that instance, Zeke needed to go to winker’s anonymous, or get an eye flush. A small chuckle escaped her lips.

“
What’s so funny?” he asked, a smile on his own face as if he got her inside joke.

“
Nothing.” Grace shook her head, grinning.

On the way home, Grace wondered where Amanda had run off to, and hoped it wasn’t to the married jackass. The thought enraged her. She didn’t have to know the guy to know he was using her. If only Amanda could see that.

Grace was again thankful for the embracing arms of the air-conditioning when she walked through her front door. Quentin wasn’t too far behind her.

“
How was your day?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Rooting through the refrigerator for string cheese and apple juice, she said, “It was alright.” She got a glass out of the cupboard, poured some juice, and put the bottle back into the refrigerator. “I got into an argument with a friend.”

“
Are you okay?”

“
Yeah.” Another lie. “I’ll be fine.”

Later, she tried calling Emily, who said she and Tommy were studying—uh-huh—and that she would call her later. Grace didn’t expect a call back. All Emily had time for anymore was Tommy. Before Tommy, she and Emily were practically joined at the hip. Since Tommy, Grace had started feeling pretty lonely. It more than surprised her when Emily asked her to go shopping. Apparently accidents had a way of making people reorder their priorities, and behave in ways they normally wouldn’t. Grace had wanted to accept Emily’s invitation with the caveat, “as long as it was a girl’s trip only.” But considering how everything went down with Amanda, she didn’t want to risk an argument with another good friend.

The sick, inside-out hollowness had Grace’s stomach churning again. She gazed down at her phone, forcing her fingers to move across the screen and texted Amanda.

Grace:
U ok?

After twenty minutes of telepathically sending Amanda messages to respond, she gave up. Hunkering down into the corner of the sofa, she forced herself to read. It only took her ten minutes to finish the book. Emily never returned her call and Amanda didn’t text her back, neither of which was a huge surprise.

Laney wasn’t home from work yet, and Grace assumed it was because of her mystery friend. Quentin had been somewhere other than where she was ever since they got home.

Before she realized where her feet were taking her, she found herself in front of the office door. Grace didn’t have her key, and almost turned to walk away when she changed her mind and tried the door anyway. Shocked it was unlocked, she tiptoed in, and closed the door behind her.