LOGINGracie “Gracie, it is time to wake up.” Ryland’s soft voice whispers, and he presses his warm lips against mine.I moan softly and open my eyes. I smile when I meet his gaze, his beautiful smile painted on his lips. I reach up and run my fingers through his messy hair.“Good morning. I don’t want to move. What time is it?”“Six-thirty. We don’t need to move. We can just stay here and skip school.”“How are we going to do that with your mom in the house? Without the school letting our parents know we haven’t shown up?” I ask.“Simple, my mom will go to work soon. We can call the school, pretending to be our parents. They won’t notice the difference.” He suggests.I have never skipped school unless I was ill. The idea is tempting. It has been an emotional few days for both of us. One day won’t make a difference. The idea of hiding away here for the day with Ryland is one I like the sound of.“Screw it, why not? I need to go home first before he wakes up and do what I need to do.”The l
POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNINGS: Talk of sexual and domestic abuse. It doesn't happen, but it is discussed!Ryland I have been mentally preparing to tell Gracie the truth about me. I am also prepared for when she runs after she knows the truth. I wouldn’t hold it against her.“Did you bring something to sleep in?” I ask.It is best that we get comfortable before we talk because it will be a long conversation and night.Gracie shakes her head. “No, I brought everything else except that. But you will give me something to sleep in, right?” she asks, batting her lashes at me.I chuckle. “Do not bat your lashes at me, Miss Gracie. It won’t work every time.”Gracie smiles brightly, knowing that even with what I am saying, she will still get what she is asking for. It doesn’t take much for me to give in to her, even if I am trying to be stern. I shake my head, peck her lips and grab her something to sleep in. I take a tee and a pair of my boxers and hand them to her.“Thank you, now turn away unt
Gracie The four of us were down by the lake. No one is in any rush to go home, especially me. The guys are messing around with a football while Lola and I watch and talk.“Gracie, are you okay? Something seems off recently?” she asks.“I am okay, just some things going on at home,” I reply, not giving too much away.“Anything I can help with?”“Thank you, but no. It will be okay in no time,” I lie.I hate lying to her, but it is for the best. She smiles and nods, understanding that I don’t want to talk about it.“How are things with you and Ben?” I ask, changing the subject.“Good. I know he acts like some tough bad boy, but he is a sweetheart. He is good to me in many ways. We haven’t been together long, but I am utterly smitten.” She gushes.“Yay! I am happy for you.”I have never seen her with someone in the way she is with Ben.“Thank you. I am going to ask you a question, and I don’t want you to freak out, okay.”I nod, having a feeling it has something to do with Ryland.“Do yo
Ryland Gracie and I are at the bowling alley waiting for Ben and Lolo, who haven’t arrived yet. In fact, they are nearly 30 minutes late. We got tired of waiting and decided to make our way in and have a round by ourselves.“Ready to get your ass kicked, brown eyes?” I smirk as we get set up.Gracie smirks back at me. “I am a pro at bowling. You should prepare to get your ass kicked by a girl.”I step in closer to her and place my hand on her hip, pulling her to me. A small whimper escapes from her lips the second our bodies collide.“Maybe we should make this more interesting?”Gracie tilts her head. “What did you have in mind?”“If I win, you need to go on a date with me every night this coming week. If you win, I will do anything you want or need me to.”Her smirk grows, and she inches closer to me. Her lips brush against mine. I am ready for her to kiss me. She doesn’t. Instead, Gracie rests her lips at my ear and places her hand on my chest.“Then prepare to be my bitch for the
Gracie Ryland and I are on our way home. I dread it. My father will be so mad because I have barely been home the last couple of days, meaning I haven’t been there to clean and cook his meals like the slave he thinks I am. I have not been there for him to take his anger out on. I am sure he won’t think twice about making up for the last couple of days.“Gracie, do you want to come to mine? I don’t want you going home and being alone with him.” Ryland sighs.I shake my head. “I need to go home. The longer I am away, the worse it will be.”Ryland has not let go of my hand since we got into the car. I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that I told him everything I did. I have never told anyone. After knowing him for only a short time, I shared my entire life story with him. There has been something that has been bonding me to him since day one, and after this, I can see that more clearly. I have a trust in him that I have never had in anyone. It scares me, but there must be
Possible Trigger Warnings: Talk of self-harm and suicideRyland I wake up with Gracie still sound asleep next to me, snoring lightly. She really is beautiful. I take in her soft features for a moment, and for the first time, I notice the freckles that run over the arch of her nose. Cute! I chuckle at the way she is lying. Gracie has one leg out of the bed, the covers were off her, and the tee she is wearing had crawled up, showing her panties.My laughing comes to a halt when my eyes fall on the top of her thighs and freeze. It is there I see them. They are covered in both cuts and scars, some older and some still look fresh. She hurts herself. My heart breaks for her. I know she is going through a lot, but I never imagined she would be doing that to herself. It explains why she always covers up. It is why she didn’t come swimming with everyone that night. She is hiding what she has been doing to herself. I wonder if Lola knows. I have a feeling she doesn’t, though. Something tells
Gracie I dread seeing Ryland after what happened last night. He saw right through my lies. It was written all over his face. I will need to make sure I convince him that I hurt myself. I don’t want or need him to find out anything else. I need to find a way to distract him from the topic. I finis
Ryland I am on my way home since school is finished. I offered to give Gracie a lift, but she had something to do after school. I was disappointed when she said she wasn’t heading up straightaway. I would have waited, but I needed to rush home to help my mom move us in. She has movers aiding her m
Gracie I am sitting in first class, tugging at the sleeves of my hoodie. I need to make sure they never crawl up, or people will see the bruises on my arms with my father’s fingerprints. He was drunk when I got home last night. He was rough with me. He always is. At least the bruising on my side i
RylandI have been staying in a hotel with my mom for the last couple of weeks since we moved here, only until our house is ready, which will be tomorrow. I will be happy to have my own space back. It is a lot sharing one hotel room with my mom. Neither of us has much privacy. I am sitting in my c







