Chapter 2


Grace's P.O.V-


I heard Breanna call my name and I waved at her when I saw her. She came walking over to us with a frown on her face.





"Thanks for coming, Bre!" I chimed.





She put her hand on her hip and glared at me. "This line is huge! It's going to take forever!" she whined.





"Which is why I told you to come," I said with an extra sweet smile.





Bre groaned, "Ugh, I hate you!"





I grinned, "You know you love me!"





"Shut up!" she said in a slightly defeated voice. "You so owe me after this," she stated and we both started laughing.





Bre pushed her hair out of her face and asked, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"





"Umm," I hesitated, "Later, okay?"





She crossed her arms and gave me that are-you-kidding-me look, but shook her head, "Like I said, you owe me after this."





I laughed and turned towards Blake, "Bre, this is Blake and his older brother, Adam," I introduced them.





I saw shock cross Bre's face when she first saw them, but then it vanished in an instant and she shook their hands. She turned back towards me, "Do you at least have your iPod?" she asked.





I nodded and pulled my iPod Touch out of my pocket.





"You had your iPod this entire time?" exploded Adam. I nodded, a bit confused. "Does it have speakers?" he asked. I nodded again, "Do you want to pick a song?" Adam nodded eagerly and I handed him my iPod.





Surprise crossed Adam's face as he scrolled through my songs. "Nice music," he commented.





"Thanks," I said with a proud grin. A moment later, My Apocalypse by Escape The Fate was blasting from my iPod. I brightened, "Oh my gosh! This is my favorite song!"





"This is me and my little bro-bro's song," Adam said while putting his hand on Blake's shoulder. Blake just grinned and shoved Adam's arm off of him. Soon they were wrestling each other and laughing.





Little bro-bro? I thought to myself. I smiled as I watched Blake snatch my iPod from Adam and they both burst out laughing. That's a cute nickname. They must be close.





All four of us started to sing the lyrics to My Apocalypse and people started to stare at us. S*rew them. I loved watching their expressions when the screaming came on. Blake and Adam started belting out the chorus. All of the head turns when Blake started to scream the lines.





"Destroy the GUILLOTINE!" screamed Blake.





"Before he does! I walk with shadows!" sang Adam.





"Just have to find a better way!" Blake screamed.





"I walk with shadows!"





An elderly women came out of the nurse's office, "Shhhh!" she said harshly. She glared at the four of us and then disappeared back into the office. Blake and Adam started laughing hysterically, but they stopped singing/screaming.





"Oh. My. Gosh!" Bre exclaimed, "You guys can scream?"





"H*ll yeah!" said Blake proudly.





"But doesn't it, like, hurt your throat?" I asked curiously.





They both shrugged, "Not really," said Blake, "It's kinda like when you first learn how to play the guitar," he explained, "At first, the strings and frets hurt your fingers, but after awhile, your fingers toughen up and it doesn't hurt anymore. That's how it is with screaming."





I nodded my head, understanding. I looked up at him and smiled. He grinned back and his once piercing emerald eyes now sparkled into mine. I felt myself blushing and had to look away. A couple of minutes later, we finally entered the nurse's office.


Blake's P.O.V-


Thank God! It was finally our turn to hand in these stupid forms. That was the longest wait ever, but it was worth it. Despite all of the annoyance of waiting on line, I was really glad that I met Grace. When I first met her, I had no idea how awesome she really is. But then again, first impressions are almost always wrong.





Adam and I waited for her and Breanna outside of the office. When they came out, we walked outside into the parking lot.





We stopped in front of Adam's red 1990 Chevy Camaro and I turned towards Grace. I hesitated, "Um, do you need a ride or anything?" I saw Adam glare over at me like I was crazy, but I ignored him. I didn't want to admit it, but I didn't want Grace to leave, not yet.





"No," she said, almost glumly, "My older brother said he would pick us up."





"Oh, okay." I could hear the discontent in my voice and looked down to hide my disappointment. It took a moment for me to realize that she hadn't left yet. I looked back up at her, curious.





She shifted from one leg to another uncomfortably. "Well," she said awkwardly, "It was nice meeting you." It almost seemed like she was trying to drag on the moment.





"Yeah," I said. I felt my cheeks redden a little, "Maybe... I'll text you sometime?" I asked hopefully.





I saw Grace's face brighten, "Yeah, hold on one sec..." She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a pen. Jeez! What didn't she have in her pockets?





"You know he has a girlfriend," Adam blurted out.





I felt my muscles tighten. Well she doesn't have to know that! I thought angrily.





"And she has a boyfriend!" said Breanna in a similar tone. I saw Grace glare at her and I felt my heart sink. She has a boyfriend!? D*mn it! That just made this situation ten times worse.





"Yeah I have a boyfriend," Grace admitted, "And your single. Now that we've stated our relationship status, can I please just give him my number?" she asked, irritated.





Breanna didn't look too happy with Grace's statement, probably because she didn't want everyone to know she was single. She crossed her arms, but let Grace continue.





I tried to hide my smile. D*mn, Grace has some attitude. It was pretty hot, actually. She grabbed my arm and started to neatly write her number down on my skin.





At that moment, I looked at her in a way I knew I shouldn't have. I watched her hair shimmer in the sun and dance an the warm breeze. Her hazel eyes focused on my arm and I felt the warmth of her hand on my arm as the pen glided across it. I took a deep breath and the smell of vanilla and raspberry swirled around me..





I felt something smack me on the back of my head, taking me out of my daze. I looked over to see Adam's cold face glaring at me just as Grace pulled back, letting my arm go. I turned back to her and she smiled at me while putting the cap back on her pen.





"See ya," she said. She and Breanna turned around and started walking away.





"Bye," I mumbled back, still partially in a trance. I watched them go and looked down at my arm. It had her name on it, Grace Brooks, and then her number neatly printed under it.





I got into Adam's Camaro, smiling, and closed the door. Adam got in on the driver's side and slammed the door shut. I took my eyes off Grace's number to look over at him, "What?" I asked, dazed.





He looked at me like I had totally lost my mind, "Are you f***ing serious?!" he exploded.





My giddiness from earlier faded, "What?" I asked again with more tension in my voice.





Adam was fuming, "You just met some chick and you're already making googly-eyes at her?"





"No I wasn't!" I said defensively.





"Yes you were," Adam said harshly, "You do this every time!"





"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped.





"It means that you let your feelings cloud your focus!" His voice was ice, "You just met some chick that you're probably never going to see again, and you totally forgot about Lisa!"





I balled my hands into fists, but didn't say anything.





Adam continued, "Truthfully, I had to hear you drone on and on about how much you liked Lisa. Now you have her and you're perfectly happy!" I met Adam's eyes for the first time since he yelled at me. They were black with anger and frustration. I looked away quickly and the lecture continued.





"I'm not gonna let you s*rew this one up! Cause if you do, then I'm gonna have to hear you complain about what a retard you are! Frankly Blake, I don't care!"





Adam was quiet after that and the eerie silence rang around us.





I was speechless. What could I say to that? That Grace was more than just some chick? But was she, or was Adam right? I looked out my window, frustrated and p*ssed off.





I heard Adam cursing under his breath as he put the car into drive. He turned the radio on and cranked up the volume until music was blasting out of the speakers. He started speeding off while I thought over what he said. I didn't even pay attention to what song was playing. I just stared out of my window, completely lost...

Chapter 3


Adam's P.O.V


D*mn it! I thought to myself as I drove home. Was I too hard on him? I glanced over at Blake to see him staring out of the window with a lost expression. I sighed. Music was blasting out of the car's speakers. Having calmed down now, I lowered the volume so I could concentrate better.

I regretted saying that I didn't care about him. Of course I cared! I'll do anything for Blake, even if it meant putting my life on the line. I know that sounds a little dramatic. Who would risk there life for someone as annoying as their younger brother? Well, Blake was different. He was more than just a brother to me. In the end, he would do the same for me. It's just the way we are with each other.

Honestly, I just want him to be happy. I do have to admit, even though Blake's with Lisa, I do like Grace 100% better than her. Grace was so much more alive and open. Lisa seemed so...fake. But, Blake cares about her and that's all that matters. That's why I yelled at him. I know he might think he likes Grace right now, but I don't want to see him lose everything over something that might not even be.

I glanced over at Blake one more time, and he was still gazing out of the window. C*ap, he looked so confused. I sighed, I knew I was going to have to apologize to him for exploding like I did, but if I tried now, he would ignore me. The kid was always so stubborn.

I pulled into our long, paved driveway and stopped in front of our white mini mansion. Elegant shrubs and trees surrounded the walkways and the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air. Our stain glass windows sparkled in the sunlight and made rainbows on the ground.


Our parents are divorced, but our father is the bass player in a popular jazz band. Even though we don't see him a lot, he definitely helps out financially.


I pulled up next to my mother's white Mercedes Benz Convertible and put my car into park. With all of our money, everyone is surprised to see the car I drive. They all expect that I should be driving some high class sports car and not my old Camaro. Well, my Camaro is in great shape, I bought it myself. It's not that my mom didn't offer to buy me a better car, I didn't want her to, and it's not because I didn't want her to spend her money...well my dad's money. I didn't want her help, I don't need her charity.


I turned off the engine and my ears rang in the now silent car. I heard the passenger door open and saw Blake climb out. I unbuckled my seat belt and called after him, "Come on Blake! You can't ignore me forever!"


I guess that's what he intended on doing because he continued staggering towards the house without a word.


I blew my long black hair out of my face, "Fine!" I yelled, "Ignore me. Just be ready for band practice in forty five minutes!" Blake just waved his hand in the air as if to say whatever.


I gritted my teeth and slammed the car door shut. Just then, a familiar black Toyota pickup truck rolled in the driveway. I watched as my best friend, Chris, got out of the driver's seat and our other friend, Chebby, got out of the passenger side.


I know what you're thinking: who the h*ll names their child Chebby? Well, it's actually a nickname we made for him. Both our friend's names are Chris. There's Chris Jacobs and Chris Webby. We call Chris Jacobs, Chris, and we combined Chris Webby's first and last name together and got Chebby.


Chris had jet black hair with blond streaks going throughout it. Like Blake and I, he wore all black and had many p*piercings. The dark black marks under his light blue eyes made them seem darker than they actually were.


Chebby was the freak out of the bunch. Instead of long black hair, he had dark brown unruly hair that he always spiked up in a messy fashion. He recently dyed the tips of his hair purple, so now it looked like he had on a spiky purple hat. His eyes were a normal shade of brown and he was kind of chubby. Another reason of how we came up with the nickname Chebby was because it sounded like chubby. Don't get me wrong, if you p*ssed him off, he can probably kill you.


Chris walked up to me and muffled a yawn, "What's up with the kid?"


I sighed as I heard the front door of our house slam shut, "Long story." He just shrugged and walked back over to his truck. He pulled his guitar out from the back and then strolled back over to me.


Chebby followed him, stumbling a little like he was still waking up. "Have you seen my drumsticks?" he asked when he approached me.


I rolled my eyes at him, "Yeah, you left him here last night, genius."


Chebby scoffed, "I was drunk, what do you expect?" I shook my head and walked into the house.


As soon as I walked inside, I was greeted by my annoying twelve year old brother, Jimmy.


"You p*ssed Blake off," he said antagonistically.


I ignored him and walked upstairs and down the hallway to Blake's room. I really do hate Jimmy, and he hates Blake and I back. He thinks we're the two biggest freaks existing and talks about us as if we were clowns. Personally, I think he does it because he's jealous that Blake and I are so close.


Even before Blake was like me, I always liked him better. He was more accepting than Jimmy. While Jimmy laughed at my appearance and mocked my music, Blake would look past my darkness and have an open mind.


"What'd you do?" Jimmy continued to exasperate. He was really starting to irritate me. "Did you steal his makeup or something?" Jimmy grinned evilly at me.


I had reached Blake's bedroom by now. I opened up the door and slammed it into Jimmy's face. I heard a thud and then a small groan. A small smile played at my lips thinking that Jimmy had fell. I locked the door before he could get in and let out a loud sigh.


Jeez! I thought to myself, Blake was never this annoying when he was twelve!



Upon thinking about him, I turned around to see Blake lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was listening to his iPod and I could hear his music blasting out of the small speakers from where I was standing by the door. I walked over to him and yanked the headphones out of his ears.


He sat up, startled, and a flash of anger and annoyance crossed his face. When he saw it was me, however, he settled back down.


"Can we talk?" I asked calmly.


Blake sighed and sat up so I could sit down on his bed. His face looked expectant, like he knew this talk was coming.


"Look, man, I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I-"


"It's okay," he said, cutting me off, "You're right." His voice was dull and his expression was blank.


I gave him a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"


"I do let my feelings cloud my focus." He sighed a little, but I was still astonished that he even listened to a word I said when I yelled at him. If I were in his position, I would have totally ignored the person. Blake continued, "I didn't mean to, it's just that Grace is so..." His voice trailed off.


"Cute? Open? Alive?" I guessed. These were the things I felt when I was around her. Blake looked at me for the first time since I yelled at him. I could tell he was surprised by my assumptions and from the looks of it, I'd summed up most of what he was thinking.


I grinned at him, "Come on!" I said lightheartedly, "If you don't think she's cute, then I think we're gonna have to talk."


A small smile formed on his lips and I knew he had forgiven me, but then the look of confusion and frustration swept back over his face. "So what do I do then?" he asked helplessly, "Because I think I might like her."


I looked into my brother's lost emerald eyes. They were the same eyes I have and they gleamed with troubled thoughts. I knew that I could tell him anything at that moment, and he would go along with it.


I sighed, "Well, first of all, how do you feel about Lisa?"


Blake made a small face and shrugged. It was hard to believe that this was the same kid dying to go out with her a couple of months ago.


"I have a date with her in a couple of days," he mentioned.


"Okay," I said thinking this through, "So see how the date goes and then decide whether or not you're happy with her." I tried to sound reasonable, but even I know that what I suggested was going to be hard.


Blake just sighed, but nodded his head, understanding my advice. "And, hey," I said with a grin, "Who says you can't date Lisa and still be friends with Grace?"


Blake grinned at me and I put my hand on his shoulder, "Now come on. We're going to be late for band practice."

Chapter 4


Grace's P.O.V





"Come on, tell me!" Bre begged me in the car.





My older brother, Liam, looked back at us, "What happened?" he asked curiously.





"I don't know!" Bre exclaimed, "She makes me come wait on line with her, Blake, and Adam and tells me she has to talk to me. Only when I ask her what it's about, she tells me to wait till later!" She crossed her arms in a frustrated manor.





"Whoa, hold up a sec," Liam said, more alert now, "Who's Blake and Adam?"





I glared at Bre for mentioning their names. Liam always got overprotective with me when it came to guys. Bre just stuck her tongue out at me and shrugged.





My brother's best friend, Andre, looked back at me from the passenger seat, "Are you cheating on Jake, Grace?" he asked teasingly. His dark face creased a little when he smiled and his dark brown eyes gleamed with humor.





I rolled my eyes at him, "No, I'm not cheating on Jake." I turned towards Liam, "And there just two guys I met while waiting on line."





"How old?" Liam pressed.





Why did he have to know? "Blake is gonna be a sophomore and Adam is gonna be a senior like you guys." I said reluctantly.





I heard Liam mumble something under his breath. Andre shot me a sympathetic look and shook his head. He knows, as well as I do, that Liam was very protective over me. H*ll, Andre is just as much of a brother to me as Liam. Even he has his protective moments. I guess Liam doesn't want anyone to hurt his baby sister. Sometimes I loved it. Seeing my kick *ss brother in motion is hilarious.





Some people feel like they can step all over me, but then they meet Liam. Not only is he tall and muscular, but he's also the captain the high school's football team and very well respected by others. No one messes with me anymore because of Liam...and Andre. He's on the football team too and he's more than happy to pummel somebody into the ground for me.





But other times, like now, his protectiveness is just annoying. He's always in my business and has to make sure I'm okay.





"So what is it then?" Liam asked, interrupting my thoughts.





"Nothing," I said quickly.





Liam made a face, "There's always something when you say there is nothing."





"Nothing!" I said again shortly.





"Is it about that guy that you met?" he guessed.





"No!" I lied. Of course this was about Blake, but I couldn't tell Liam that.





"So?" Liam pushed.





I sighed, "So, it's girly stuff that you wouldn't get!" I said, irritated. Gosh, did he have to interrogate me so much?





Liam just huffed and Andre laughed at our argument, but they left me alone. Bre eyed me suspiciously and I gave her that just-wait-until-later look.





Liam pulled into our gravel driveway and put his blue 1996 Honda Civic Coupe into park in front of our medium-sized tan house. Though I wish our house was a little bigger, I was perfectly happy our average sized home. The two giant evergreen trees in the front of our yard swayed in the wind. Some of the wall siding was falling off of our hosue and our white garage doors were starting to fade and were getting awfully dirty. I sighed, Liam and I were going to have to fix that this summer. Mom just didn't have the time anymore.





I hopped out of the car and grabbed Bre. We walked inside, "We're home!" I called.





"Hi girls!" said my mother coming into the kitchen.





"Hey mom," I said.





"Hi Marcy," said Bre in a cheery voice.





"How are you girls today?" my mom asked smiling.





"Good," we both replied simultaneously.





She turned towards me, "You were gone for a long time, Gracey." She couldn't help but look at me with her hazel eyes full of worry.





"There was a long line," I explained calmly.





My mom nodded, understanding, and the worry left her eyes. Her light brown hair bounced a little when she walked to the refrigerator for a snack. I smiled to myself. She seemed happy today. She turned towards us, showing off her rosy red cheeks, "Do you girls want a snack?"





"We're good," I said. It amazed me sometimes of how much I looked like my mother. 'We'll be in my room, okay mom?"





"Alright, holler if you need anything!" she called.





"We will!" I called back as I dragged Bre up the stairs. We hurried into my room and I shut the door behind us.





"Holy c*ap Grace! Cool your butt! What's going on?" asked Bre concerned.





"I think I'm officially screwed," I whispered.





At that moment, Bre went from being my best friend to sister-mode, "Why? What happened, sweety?" Her face was serious and her light brown eyes were full of concern.





I hesitated, "I think...I might...like Blake..."





Bre's mouth fell open, "Are you serious?"





I nodded my head and bit my lower lip nervously. "Grace! You have a boyfriend! Jake, remember?"





I sighed. Of course I remembered Jake. How could I forget? I once thought I loved him, but after dating him for five months, I realized what a pig he is.





I heard Bre sigh and she came over to me, "Look," she said softly, "I know Blake might seem like your perfect dream guy..."





H*ll yeah he is! I mean he's cute, has a great look, funny, and he's a rocker! It's like someone took the dream guy out of my dreams and put him into my reality just to tease me.





"But," Bre continued, "You barely know him."





"I talked to him for an hour!" I exclaimed, "Jake and I haven't talked like that in a month!"





Bre sighed, "I just don't want you to get hurt."





I looked into my best friend's eyes. I knew she would stand by me, no matter what I decided to do. But what should I do? This is all so confusing! I thought about what she said and sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right," I finally said.





Bre smiled and squeezed my hand, "And, hey," she said with a grin, "Who says you guys can't be friends?"





She was obviously trying to cheer me up and it worked. I smiled, "I love you, Bre."





She laughed and gave me a hug, "What would you do without me?"





"I would probably die," I said jokingly





She punched me in the arm and then perked up, "That reminds me," she said, "You owe me for earlier."





I groaned. I hoped she forgot about that, but apparently not, "Okay, what do you want?"





She looked thoughtful and then she grinned, "Make me a CD with ten of the best songs you can find."





I rolled my eyes at her, "You know, I've made you so many CDs that you should have all my music by now."





She laughed, "Then find ten more!"





I chuckled, "Fine, deal!"





Bre and I hung out for the rest of the day. She went home around 11 o'clock and I crawled into bed shortly after that. I was exhausted after today's drama.





Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone lit up and vibrated loudly. I grabbed it off my night table and unlocked the screen. It was a new number texting me. I opened it, curious.





It read: Hey, it's Blake.





My eyes widened with shock and, suddenly, I wasn't tired anymore.


Me: Hi! What's up?


Blake: Nm. Just got back from band practice.


Me: You're in a band?! That's so cool!


Blake: Haha! Thanks. So how long have you liked Escape The Fate?





I smiled at his question.


Me: 3 years. Hbu?


Blake: Same. It's so cool that you like them.





I felt myself blushing at his comment. I thought about my conversation with Bre earlier today, and felt a little guilty. I was forgetting about Jake. I looked back down at my phone and smiled again at Blake's comment.





Oh well, I thought to myself, Right now, I don't care.


Me: Aw thanks :) So is your band screamo? What do you play?

Chapter 5


Blake's P.O.V- (5 days later)


I woke up groggy this morning. My entire body felt sore and I was momentarily in a daze. Then, I remembered last nights events. Adam and I decided to go over to Chris's house for a party. Well, things got a little crazy. Adam got drunk, so I had to walk home at, like, 4 o'clock in the morning. There was no way I was going to let him drive me home. Actually, he was smart and said he wouldn't be driving that night at all.





I glanced at my clock. It was 1:00 pm. I stretched my arms and groaned. Then, something dawned on me. Lisa would be coming over soon. She just got back from her vacation to Florida yesterday.





I literally rolled out of bed and almost fell on the floor. I stumbled to my closet and grabbed my black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt that had the Volcom symbol on it. I took a relatively quick shower and came out refreshed and awake.





I threw on my clothes and took my cologne out of the bathroom cabinet. I sprayed a decent amount of it on and then turned towards the bathroom mirror.





I grabbed my black eye liner (or guy liner like some of you like to call it) and put a thick line of it on my eyes. After playing with my hair for ten minutes, I finally decided that I was bored out of my mind.





I swung my bedroom door open and stepped out into the hallway, "Adam?" I called. No answer. He must still be at Chris's house, I thought to myself. Just to make sure I walked down the hallway and opened his bedroom door. Clothes were lying everywhere and posters of our favorite bands covered his walls (like they did in my room), but Adam wasn't there. His bed was unmade and messy and there were soda cans lying all over the floor by his bed.





I smiled to myself as I closed the door and walked downstairs. Adam is such a slob. I walked past our living room and into our giant kitchen. It was all quiet. My mom or Jimmy weren't home, so I had the house to myself.





Normally, I would have liked this, but I wanted Adam here. I really needed someone to reassure me considering I might be breaking up with Lisa today. After texting Grace almost everyday since we've met, I officially knew that I liked her more than a friend.





I feel like I can tell her anything, even though I've only known her for six days. Well, in those six days, I've opened up to her more than anyone, besides Adam, that is. We talked about all kinds of things: music, school, relationships... I even told her about my parents divorce and out complicated relationships with each other.





Just then, there was a knock at the door. I walked over to the door and stopped in front of it. I took a deep breath and opened it.





There stood Lisa looking as gorgeous as ever, but that will never change. Whether we're together or not I can't say she isn't good looking. Her blue eyes sparkled when they saw me and her blonde hair was curled to perfection. She wore short light blue denim shorts and a dark green racerback with a flower design going up the side. She smiled sweetly at me. Why couldn't I help but feel it was so...fake?





I felt myself forcing a smile on my face as I reached over to hug her. I kissed her tenderly on the lips, like I always do, but ended it quickly. It just felt so...awkward. She smirked at me and walked inside.





I shook my head to get out of my daze. "So, uh, how was your trip?" I tried to ask casually.





To my surprise, she seemed annoyed. She put her hand on her hip and gave me a look, "Well, you should know. I've only called you and texted you everyday," she said edgily.





"Right..." I said looking down. To be honest, I basically ignored all her text messages and zoned out when she called me. She didn't notice, mainly because she did all the talking.





"Did you even listen to one word I said to you?" she asked annoyed.





"Of course I did, baby," I lied, "I'm just a bit out of it today." It was a very lame excuse and she didn't seem to buy it.





She crossed her arms, "Where is your phone?" she asked suspiciously.





"Uh, I left it at Chris's house last night," I lied. I couldn't let her see my phone full of the conversations I've been having with Grace.





She rolled her eyes and plopped down on the couch. I sat down next to her, "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm just really tired," I said softly.





"Uh-huh," was all she said. And with that, I turned on the TV, unsure of what else to say. About halfway through a hilarious episode of Family Guy, Lisa complained, "I'm bored!"





I sighed and turned off the TV. "So what do you want to do?" I asked. I was surprised to hear irritation in my voice. I guess my patience was giving up on me.





"I don't know!" she exclaimed, "You haven't seen me in, like, a week! Do something a good boyfriend would do!"





I really don't know what the hell that meant, so I leaned over and started kissing her. She was surprised at first, but then she pulled me closer to her, deepening the kiss.





I realized that these were kisses of goodbye. Lisa and I were over, there was nothing left to our relationship. My mind traveled back to a conversation Adam and I had a long time ago...





"It's okay, little bro-bro," Adam had said, "Everything comes to an end eventually."





I was still frustrated, "But they were married!" I exclaimed, "They swore to love each other forever!" I felt the lump in my throat swell as I said this.





Adam sighed, "I know how you feel, Blake. Remember, I'm going through this too. All I can say is that even the most magical things have evil in them."





I felt warm, salty tears starting to drip down my face, "But we're a family!" I protested, "We're supposed to be together!"





Adam put his arm around me and I cried freely into his chest. "You know what, kid?" he asked after a moment.





"What?" I whimpered.





"I'm your family," he said in a determined voice, "You and I, Blake, we're gonna stay together. It's you and me against the world..."





I stopped crying by now. In fact, I was smiling. I looked up at him. The dark marks around his eyes made them look so much darker than mine. It made him look scary but I never minded. I was picking up the habit myself.





"You're the best brother in the world, you know that?" I'd asked.





Adam chuckled, "And you're the only reason I'm still breathing..."





I opened my eyes and found myself staring at Lisa, still kissing her. That flashback happened so long ago... I was still considered "normal" back then, but no one knew I was on the verge of becoming just like Adam.





I was about to pull away from Lisa, when she abruptly stopped and pushed me off of her. "What did I do?" I asked confused.





"I can't take this anymore!" she said crossly.





"What?" I was totally perplexed.





"I can't take you anymore!" she shouted in my face, "I can't take being seen with you anymore. It seemed like a good idea at first, but..." She shook her head in disgust.





I got off the couch and stood in front of her. Lisa flinched and sank down into the couch like I was going to hurt her. "I thought you loved me," I said weakly.





She scoffed and pushed herself off the couch and walked towards the front door, "No, Blake! I loved your image! From 0 to 10, you were an easy 9! Now," she said waving her hand at me, "You might pass for a low 6."





"You were rating me?" I asked, disgusted.





"Of course!" she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Now if you'll excuse me," she said grimly, "I have a date to get ready for."





And with that she opened up the door and left while I stared wide-eyed after her. I felt like I had just been stabbed in the heart a million times! It was a lie! The entire thing was a lie!





Anger swarmed my body. Images of our past flashed through my memory. Every time she kissed me, hugged me, whispered magic into my ears... It was all fake!





Soon, memories that didn't even relate to Lisa flooded my mind. My parents were fighting...glass was being broken...Adam was screaming at me to run! And then there was the hatred from Jimmy and all of his taunting antics, discrimination at school, and the fights...so many fights and so many scars... Everything wrong in my live spun around in my head like a slideshow. As my anger grew, Lisa's last words to me rang in my ears and soon, my entire reality was blockaded by her viciousness.





I felt my teeth clench and my finger nails dig into my skin as my anger started to slowly consume me. I needed it to stop! I needed to breath or else I was going to go insane. Almost frantically, I ran into my room and grabbed the fist thing my fingers touched off my night table.





I immediately knew what it was: it was my p*cket k*ife. I flipped open the bl*de and sl*ced open my wrists. Even though the c*ts were shallow, the pain was still overwhelming. But it worked. I slumped down on the ground and focused only on my bleeding wrists. My anger slowly faded and so did Lisa and all of her wickedness...

Chapter 6


Grace's P.O.V


I woke up sick to my stomach. My head throbbed and my eyes burned from such a restless night of sleep. I slowly got out of my bed and slid open one of the doors to my closet. I grabbed a pair of ripped, light blue jean shorts that go to mid-thigh and a casual white t-shirt with a peace sign in the middle.





I took a long and relaxing shower. I closed my eyes as the warm water ran down my body, slowly waking up all my muscles. I came out refreshed and got dressed for my day. I applied very little makeup, as I usually do, but just enough to cover my tiredness. I looked into the mirror and frowned. My eyes looked red and swollen. I sighed and brushed my hair, wincing a little bit. I put my hairbrush down and looked at my hand. It was sore and had a little bruise around my knuckles.





I ignored my sore hand and came out of our small bathroom. I walked back down the hall to my room and opened my door. I flopped on my bed, landing face first on my pillow. I let out a loud groan when I heard someone enter my room.





I looked up to see Liam standing in my doorway with Andre behind him, leaning casually against the wall. "What do you want for breakfast?" Liam asked me.





"I'm not hungry," I mumbled.





Liam gave me a concerned look, "Are you okay?" he asked, "You've been acting really weird since you came home from your date with Jake last night..."





My entire body stiffened at the mentioning of my date last night. I glanced over at Liam. His face was hard with protectiveness, but his eyes were full of worry. Even Andre was now standing besides him, mirroring the same expression.





"I'm fine," I tried to say calmly, "My stomach is just a little upset."





Liam didn't look convinced, "But nothing happened between you and Jake?"





"No, nothing happened," I lied, "The date was actually really fun," I assured him.





Liam calmed down and nodded. He turned around in my doorway and walked down the hallway.





"Call if you need anything," Andre told me before closing my door and following Liam.





"I will!" I called as my door shut. I heard the two of them walk downstairs and then everything was still. I sat up straight in my bed and squeezed my eyes shut as the memories of last night filled my head...


(Flashback to Grace's date)





There was a loud knock at my door and I scurried downstairs to open it. There stood Jake, with his curly brown hair and sparkling brown eyes, at my door with a huge grin on his face.





I smiled and gave him a hug and a quick peck on the lips. That's when I realized the two other couples behind us. The guys were familiar. Cameron, and his spiky blonde hair, stood next to Riley, who has auburn hair and bad helmet head. The girls they had their arms around were new, though. Cameron stood with a skinny brunette girl who had light brown freckles scattered across her face. Riley stood with a blonde t*ampy looking girl who put way too much makeup on.





I managed to smile at them, but inside I was angry. Jake didn't tell me this was going to be a group date. Normally, I would have been fine with this, but I've really grown to dislike Cameron and Riley's p*rverted ways. It seems like every time I see them, they have a new girl with them.





I sighed, "Hi," I said in the cheeriest voice I could manage.





Cameron and Riley sneered, "Not happy to see my s*xy face, Grace?" Cameron joked.





Well, to tell you the truth, no, but I simply said, "Of course not. How could I live without it?"





Cameron scoffed at my sarcasm and Jake said, "Cool, I was hoping you would say that. The guys called me and we arranged a last minute group date." Jake seemed totally fine with this and when he looked at me and smiled, I could tell he thought I was fine with it too.





I sighed, "So...?" I asked Jake, motioning my hand towards the two girls.





Jake looked momentarily confused, but then the light bulb clicked on. "Oh, so this is Amy," Jake said, pointing to the brunette, "And this is Veronica," he said pointing to the t*ampy- looking blonde. They both gave me a small nod and I just smiled.





I turned around to close my front door, "Bye!" I called. I heard two loud groans which I assumed were Liam and Andre's attempts to say goodbye. I closed the door and laughed to myself.





Jake was waiting for me while everyone else started to walk down my driveway. He put his arm around my waist and we started to walk.





"So, what movie are we gonna see?" I asked.





Jake shrugged, "We'll decide when we get there."





I just nodded and looked straight ahead. A few minutes later, we arrived at the movie theater. Jake stood on line and bought us our tickets. He handed me mine and I made a face at the title. It was an action movie, a thriller. Out of all the movies, he picked this one? I mean, action movies are cool, but this is a group date. Shouldn't we all be having fun together?





Apparently, I was wrong. Cameron and Riley were psyched to see the movie and they rushed into the theater with their dates. Jake and I entered shortly after to see that the theater was packed. Cameron and Riley found four seats to accommodate them, but didn't save any seats for Jake and I.





We found two seats a couple rows back and sat down. Jake muttered something under his breath, obviously upset about the seats. I couldn't care less. I was actually happy to be away from the group.





The lights dimmed and the screen glowed as the movie began. About fifteen minutes into it, I glanced over at Jake who had his arms wrapped around my shoulders. His expression looked bored. He turned and saw me looking at him and a mischievous look came into his eyes.





I recognized that look and grinned. I leaned in closer to him until his lips found mine. The same lips that kissed me now used to send a thrill through my body. Now, they didn't feel right on mine. He pulled me closer to him and I found myself blocking out the all the screaming from the movie. I was soon was drifting off into a daydream...





Everything was perfect here. We were lying on the beach, our feet digging into the warm sand. His lips tasted salty from the ocean. I sighed and smiled against his lips. I was in paradise here with him. I pulled back to look at him and froze where I laid. Instead of looking at Jake's brown eyes and curly hair, I found myself wrapped in a pair of strong arms. He had black hair with a single white stripe going through it. His piercing emerald eyes stared into mine. He leaned in closer to me, "I miss you," he breathed. A shiver went down my spine at the sound of his voice. Blake smiled at me and then kissed me again...





Back in reality, I snapped my head away from Jake's just as an explosion went off in the movie.





"What the h*ll?" he asked annoyed.





"I...uh...g-got scared f-from the explosion," I stuttered. Inside, I was freaking out. I just fanaticized about Blake...About kissing Blake! No, this can't happen! I'm with Jake! I...I love him! Then realization hit me. Do I love him? I glanced over at Jake who now looked amused at my sudden startle.





He laughed at my expression and was about to make a joke, when his phone vibrated. He flipped it open and quickly read through the text message. He sent a reply and then turned to me, "Everyone is getting bored. We're gonna go to the park."





I just nodded my head, unable to find my voice. Jake got up and walked down the stairs to the bottom, not even bothering to wait for me.





This date is just getting better and better, I thought to myself.





I got up slowly to follow. My head was still spinning from what happened, but I managed to shove the thoughts aside for awhile. I would worry about it later.





We walked to the town park and climbed on the playground until we were all seated. I attempted to have a conversation with Amy and Veronica, but they didn't seem interested in anything I said. Jake was too busy talking to Cameron and Riley, so I found myself alone as thoughts spun around my head.





Since I've met Blake, he's been on my mind all the time. Bre warned me not to get too close to him, but I ignored her. After texting him almost everyday for hours, it was hard not to. But tonight scared me and I was beginning to regret not listening to Bre. I've been considering breaking up with Jake, but Bre told me to go on one more date with him before I decided. Even though this was one of the worst dates ever, it made my decision clear. Jake and I were over. Now I just have to tell him that...





My thoughts were interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around my waist. Jake pulled me into his lap and before I could say anything, his lips smashed into mine.





No daydream came this time, it couldn't. This kiss wasn't gentle and full of love, it was hard and hungry. I tried to push away from him, but he had me in a position where his strength won over mine.





Then, I snapped.





I felt Jake's tongue touch my lips, asking for entrance. With all of my strength, I pushed him off of me. I wiped my mouth and gave him a disgusted look. How could he do that to me? Cameron and Riley started laughing hysterically and high-fived each other. I felt myself blushing with embarrassment and I turned to Jake, expecting him to say something to them.





But, instead of looking mad at them, he glared at me, "Do you have a problem with kissing me tonight?" he asked harshly.





A flare of anger went through me. "Sorry that I don't want to have s*x with my mouth. Go find another way to entertain your friends," I replied bitterly.





Cameron and Riley's laughter increased and my anger grew. "I figured you'd like it!" Cameron said between laughs.





I was appalled, "Shut your trap!" I warned.





Cameron looked amused, "What's the matter? Can't take being called a sl*t?" he smiled evilly at me.





Liam always said that I was born and raised with a temper, that it made me tough. Well, my temper got to the best of me at that moment.





I stood in front of Cameron and slapped him hard across the face. Even in the dark, I could see it left a bright red mark. When he turned his face towards me again, his eyes were filled with anger.





"Call me a sl*t one more time!" I threatened.





A sinister smile formed on Cameron's lips, "You're a sl-"





I didn't give him time to finish. I punched him as hard as I could in the face. My fist landed in his lower jaw and I could tell it hurt. Liam taught me how to punch someone in the need of self defense. This wasn't self defense, but I think my point was clear.





"Holy sh*t!" exclaimed Riley, who scurried to help Cameron.





"That b*tch has gone crazy!" Cameron shouted while wiping blood off his face.





Jake gave me a disgusted look and the two girls looked at me like I was a crazy psychopath. I didn't care. I jumped off the playground and walked away with my head held high.





I went straight to my room when I got home. I had to convince Liam and Andre that everything was fine before I was completely alone. Luckily, my mom was asleep. I curled up into a ball under my covers and cried myself into a restless sleep.


(Flashback over...)





The thoughts of last night still echoed around me and I found myself blinking several times to keep from crying. I looked down at my bruised hand and immediately thought of Cameron's bloody face and Jake's disgusted look.





I still haven't told anyone about yesterday, not even Bre. I didn't want to talk about what happened. Instead, I wanted to end it and put all of this behind me.





I sighed and rolled over on my bed. I think last night showed that Jake and I weren't together anymore, but I felt like I had to make it official. As if he read my mind, my phone vibrated, showing a new text message from Jake.





I took a deep breath and opened the message.


Jake: Meet me at the park. We have to talk.


Me: Yeah, we do.





I got up and shoved my iPod and my phone into my pocket. I went downstairs and walked into the kitchen, "I'm gonna meet Jake at the park, okay?"





Liam and Andre looked up at me, surprised by my entrance. "Okay, do you need a ride?" Liam asked.





I shook my head. The park was close by and I was in no rush to get there. I closed the front door and crossed my yard to the road. I walked slowly on the sidewalk, going over what I was going to say to Jake.





By the time I got to the park, I had a full breakup speech ready for him. Jake was standing by the benches. As I approached him, I realized that Cameron and Riley, along with their dates from last night, were there too.





I sighed. I thought this was going to be a one-on-one conversation, but apparently Jake needed an audience. Cameron's eyes shot daggers at me when he saw me. He had a large, purple bruise on the side of his jaw from where I punched him. I smiled sweetly at him and then turned to Jake, "We need to talk," I said immediately.





Jake nodded, "You acted crazy last night."





I felt my temper starting to boil over, but I held it back. I expected him to say this. "Maybe I did," I admitted, "But you acted even worse."





Jake looked offended and was about to protest, but I cut him off, "You were rude, you tried to take advantage of me, and you didn't stand up for me. Instead, you yelled at me for rejecting you trying to pressure me into something I didn't want to do!" I felt my anger grow as I named these things, but I continued to stay calm.





"I wasn't pressuring you!" Jake shouted, "And you punched Cameron in the face!"





I shook my head, "What you did last night, I wasn't comfortable with, and that's pressuring," I stated calmly, "And as for Cameron," I said while glaring at him, "He deserved it."





Jake grew angry, "How are you not comfortable with that?"





My temper started to rage inside of me and it was getting to powerful for me to control, but I stood my ground. Liam always tells me to stand up for myself and what I believe in. I wasn't going back on that now.





"Because I'm not!" I almost shouted, "I'm fourteen and I don't feel that there's a need to do that...or at least not with you." The last part was meant to be a big slap across his face and I smiled when he took full offense with no come back.





Just then, Jake looked behind me and a devilish smile appeared on his face. I was about to ask him what it was when a girl with beautiful blonde curly hair walked past me. She wore a dark green racerback with a flower design going up the side. Her sparkling blue eyes landed on Jake and she smiled sweetly at him before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him!





I was awestricken as I watched them kiss for several more seconds and then part. Jake's eyes sparkled into hers and he wore that lazy smile that I once loved.





Remembering I was still there, he turned back to me with a cold expression, "We're over," was all he said. Then him, his new girlfriend, and the rest of the group walked off, leaving me dumbfounded.





It felt like my entire world had been turned upside down. Jake had wanted to hurt me, and he succeeded. He cheated on me...or did he? It was very possible that he met this blonde girl and planned to break up with me.





I walked over to one of the trees and sat in the shade. I looked off into the distance, but I didn't see anything. It took me a moment to realize that I was crying, and I quickly buried my face in my arms. I squeezed my eyes shut to try to prevent more tears from coming, but it was no use. My heart had hit rock bottom.

Chapter 7


Adam's P.O.V





I pulled my Camaro into my driveway and shut off the engine. My head was killing me! I guess that's what I get for drinking too much and then passing out. The party was fun, but the hangover destroyed the memory.





I got out of my car and slammed the door shut just as Lisa quickly walked past me. That was weird. There was no smile or flirty remark from her. She just walked on as if she didn't notice me.





He must have done it, I thought, He must have broken up with her.





I sighed and opened up the door to our house. I closed it behind me and looked around our living room. Where was Blake?





"Blake, I'm back!" I called.





There was no answer.





"Blake?" I yelled louder.





The house was still silent.





Panic shot through me. What if something went wrong? What if he... I immediately discarded that thought.





Blake wouldn't hurt himself over a girl, I reassured myself.





But even as I tried to calm myself down, I couldn't help but scurry up the stairs. I saw Blake's bedroom door open at the end of the hallway. Something was wrong; he never left his door open. He hated when people went into his room.





I basically ran down the hallway, "Blake!" I yelled, not bothering to hide the panic in my voice.





I stepped into his room and froze for about a second at the sight I saw. There was Blake, sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. And his wrists... they were on his lap and covered with bl*od. His head was bent down and I wasn't even sure if he was conscious!





A moment later, I was out of my shocked daze and at my brother's side. "Holy sh*t, Blake!"





I quickly ripped off the sleeves of my purple t-shirt and wrapped them around his wrists. From what I could tell, the c*ts were shallow and most of the bl*od had dried.





I gave him a few taps on the face, "Blake! Come on man, wake up!"





Blake moaned a little then looked up at me with bloodshot eyes. I relaxed a little, knowing that he was awake, but couldn't take my eyes off of him. His face was tearstained and his eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. He was hurt, bad. Not physically. The c*ts wouldn't need any medical attention. He was hurt emotionally, though. I could read it all over his face.





"What happened?" I asked softly.





At first, he just stared at me with a blank expression. He was looking straight at me, but I could tell his eyes weren't focused.





"Blake?" I asked again. I was getting concerned. Maybe he lost more bl*od then I thought...





Then, I felt his muscles tighten as he finally spoke. "She lied to me," he whispered.





There was so much pain in his voice and eyes when he spoke that it hurt to look at him. I turned away and cursed under my breath. "Stay right here," I ordered.





I quickly got up and grabbed the First Aid it from my bathroom. I rushed back into Blake's room and sat down besides him, taking one of his wrists in my hand. I pulled off the ripped cloth from his wrist. I began to clean one of his c*ts and I could feel him wincing as I rubbed his wrist clean.





"Now tell me what happened," I said in my calmest voice while bandaging his wrist.





Blake looked away from as if he was embarrassed telling me. Why the h*ll would he be? Then, he quietly told me what happened.





I froze as I listened to the story and anger flared up in me. That little b*tch! That mother f***ing sl*tty b*tch! I'm going to s*ap that wh*re's neck!


Blake's P.O.V





I felt sort off dizzy as more bl*od came out. I felt my head slump down and my vision became blurry. I was just about to close my eyes when I felt someone tap me on the face.





"Blake! Come on man, wake up!"





I let out a small moan and looked up to meet the concerned eyes of my brother. I saw him relax slightly when he saw that I was awake, but I could tell that he was still very worried about me. When did he even get here? I didn't even hear him come home.





"What happened?" he asked softly.





I didn't answer. I wasn't focused on him. My mind was still spinning with a million thoughts.





"Blake?" he asked again. I could tell he was getting more concerned.





My muscles tightened as a forced myself to speak, "She lied to me," I managed to whisper.





Adam looked at me with a mix off expressions and then turned away. I could hear him cursing under his breath, "Stay right here," he ordered.





He quickly got up and went out of my room as I stayed put on the floor. I flexed one of my wrists and cursed under my breath from the pain. D*mn, how could I be so stupid? Then I realized the ripped pieces of cloth that were wrapped around both my wrists. They looked like they were from Adam's shirt.





Sure enough, as Adam rushed back into my room with the First Aid kit, his once purple t-shirt was now a modified tank top. He sat down besides me and I immediately felt guilty. How could I put him through all of this?





He took one of my wrists and removed the piece of cloth from it. I winced a little as he started to clean my c*t, but I made sure not to make a big deal out of it.





"Now tell me what happened," he managed to say calmly.





I looked away from him, embarrassed. I didn't want to tell him about how I was so pathetic and let a girl have so much influence over me. I hated him to see me so weak and useless looking.





I knew he was waiting for me to begin, so I reluctantly began to tell him the story. I felt my anger starting to rage inside of me as I recapped the memory, but I managed to keep my voice quiet.





Adam had stopped cleaning my c*t and I turned to look at him. I froze, he looked p*ssed! And I wasn't sure if he was mad at me, or Lisa.





I shook my head, "And I don't know what happened after that," I said weakly, "She left and I got so angry..." My voice trailed off. I sighed and looked at Adam straight in the eyes, "Everything...everything bad in my life started to swarm around me...and I needed it to stop..." I heard my voice crack as I pictured the haunting memories.





All of the sudden, Adam pulled me into a tight hug, "Jeez, Blake! You scared the living cr*p outta me!"





"I'm sorry," I whispered.





Adam pulled away and looked at me, "Don't be. None of this is your fault," he said sternly.





Adam finished bandaging my first wrist and began to work on my second one. I ignored the stinging sensation I felt on my skin. It was bad enough that Adam had to baby me like this. It would only make it worse if I were to complain about how it hurt. I mean, I'm the idiot who did this to myself right? I felt his arm wrap around me, and before I knew it, Adam was pulling me to my feet.





I wobbled at first, but then I regained my balance. I rubbed my sore wrists and looked over at Adam who was now leaving my room, "Where are we going?" I asked curiously.





"Somewhere we can talk," he said shortly.





I bowed my head and reluctantly followed him into his car. We drove for about two minutes in complete silence and then stopped in front of a metal fence. I looked up and immediately knew where we were: at the town park.





I quickly got out of the car and struggled to catch up to Adam. I followed him into the park until he sat down against a tree in the shade. I slumped down next to him and braced myself for the lecture he would give me, but none came.





Instead, Adam looked off into the distance, deep in thought. I closed my eyes and let the warm breeze play with my hair as I started to drift off...





"You can't let somebody do that," he said suddenly. I opened my eyes and looked at him. "You can't let somebody, especially some girl, get you so angry that you forget about me and the ones you love..."





My shoulders slumped, "I know, I just..." I sighed in defeat. How could I explain to him that I can't control myself when I'm lied to like that?





But Adam seemed to understand all along, "I know Blake," he said, "You've been through a lot, and some things from our past have scarred you. I see it all the time whether your playing your guitar or in a fight. You unleash all of the anger you've ever felt into that one moment..."





Adam let out a loud sigh and looked over at me with sad eyes, "But you can't forget about me, Blake. I...I love you, dude, and I can't see myself in a life without you."





"You've forgotten about me plenty of times!" I spat and I instantly regretted saying that.





Adam's face hardened. "You're right, I have," he admitted, "And there's not a day where I don't lay awake at night thinking about all the pain and worry I put you through...Chris and Chebby too, and I'm so sorry," he apologized.





He sounded so sincere when he said this and I could tell he regretted every time he hurt himself. I sighed and rested my head against the tree, "I'm sorry too," I said quietly.





Adam put a comforting hand on my shoulder, as he always did, and I smiled. I turned my head to the side and looked at all the other trees in the park.





My eyes landed on one and froze. There was a girl sitting in the shade with her face buried in her arms and it sounded like she was crying. She wore light blue jean shorts with a white t-shirt and she had caramel brown hair.





She looked very familiar...





My eyes widened, "Grace?"

Chapter 8


Grace's P.O.V





I was still crying when a very familiar voice called my name, "Grace?" he called in a concerned tone.





I looked up, startled, and looked all around to see who called my name. My eyes landed on two people sitting against a tree in the shade.





I felt my eyes widen, "Blake?" My voice cracked a bit and sounded nasally from all the crying. I sniffled and cleared my throat as Blake got up and quickly walked over to me.





Feeling self-conscious, I quickly wiped away anymore tears and made sure my makeup didn't smudge all over my face. Despite getting my heart broken, I found it kind of funny that I wanted to look good in front of Blake.





He crouched in front of me and stared at me with his piercing emerald green eyes. As soon as those eyes met mine, a thrill went through my body. His whole expression was concerned for me and part of me was happy that he cared.





"What happened?" he asked softly.





His voice sent a chill down my spine and my mind flickered to when I daydreamed about kissing him... No! I can't think about this now! But I couldn't deny myself that I was happy to see him.





I realized that he was still waiting for me to answer and was regarding me with a very worried expression.





"I...he..." I stuttered. I shook my head, "Uh, hi."





Blake grinned, "Hi, are you okay?"





I sighed, "Not really."





He looked confused, "Then why are you smiling?"





Was I smiling? Wow, I didn't even notice. I can't imagine how stupid I must look to him right now, but he didn't seem to mind.





"Cause I'm happy to see you," I admitted sheepishly.





That surprised him and he smiled at me, "I'm happy to see you too."





Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Did he actually miss me like I missed him? But wait, I shouldn't be feeling things like this. My now ex-boyfriend just hurt me and made me cry. Shouldn't I be acting more devastated? But, I couldn't be happier being with Blake. Even as I was crying, he never left my mind...





My thoughts were interrupted by a loud grunt. I turned to see Adam covering his mouth as if to keep himself from laughing.





I sighed, "Hey Adam, how you've been?"





The humor left his eyes a bit and there was a dark edge to his voice, "I've been better." His eyes flickered to Blake for a split second and then back to me. "What about you?" he asked me.





"Yeah," said Blake, "Why were you crying?"





I turned back to Blake. His expression was caring, worried, and...angry? I sighed, "It's a long story."





Blake sat besides me, so close, that our arms were almost touching. "Well I'm not going anywhere," he said softly, but then he paused, "But you don't have to tell me if it's too personal..."





I smiled to myself. He was such a sweet guy. His eyes were also burning with curiosity, so I decided to tell him what happened. He's probably going to find out eventually.





"It all started last night..." I began.





I told Blake the story about my date with Jake last night and I made sure to skip the part about me daydreaming about kissing him. Then I told him about what happened a couple of minutes ago. By the time I was finished with the entire story, I was on the verge of tears again.





I turned away from the two of them to hide the few tears that managed to escape from my eyes. I could hear very faint whispering behind me and then, someone let out a loud sigh. A moment later, I felt a strong arm go around my shoulders. Shock went through me as Blake pulled me closer to him. I hesitated before resting my head on his shoulder. I felt warm all over. His arm felt so secure and perfect around me.





"I'm so sorry," he whispered.





I turned my head to face him and was surprised to see a mix of expressions on his face: care, concern, love? But the one that stood out the most was anger.





It wasn't the type of anger you see right before you get scolded. It was the protective and hatred for another person kind. It's the kind of expression that Liam and Andre will get when they find out about this whole mess. Blake was angry at Jake; he was angry about him hurting me...





Outside of his expression, I also was surprised to see how close he was to me. His arm still lay comfortably on my shoulders and my head still rested on his. His lips were only about six inches away from mine...





I subconsciously slapped myself remembering that Adam was only a couple feet away from us. I took a quivering breath and sighed. That's when I realized how good Blake smelled. He smelled like something sweet and wonderful, but then it ended in a refreshing scent.





I guess he sensed me staring at him because he turned his head so he was look straight at me. I felt my cheeks grow red and I had to look down at my lap to hide my blush.





That's when I noticed it.





There were bandages wrapped around both of his wrists. Shock swept over as I realized what the c*ts were from. Blake must have realized that I noticed the bandages, and went to pull his hand away from his lap, but I caught his arm. I felt him wince a little as I fingered the bandage.





I looked up at him with wide eyes. All the pain I felt from earlier was set aside. Only one thing mattered now: Blake.


Blake's P.O.V





I quickly walked over to Grace. I can't believe it's her! I'm so happy to see her again, but why was she crying?





I crouched down in front of her and looked into her beautiful hazel eyes, "What happened?" I asked softly.





At first, she just stared at me with a mix of expressions and I grew concerned. But then she said, "I...he..." She shook her head, "Uh, hi."





I grinned. She was still as cute as I remembered her. "Hi, are you okay?" I asked again.





She sighed, "Not really."





Okay, now I'm confused. If she wasn't okay, then why was she smiling at me? "Then why are you smiling?" I asked.





Her cheeks reddened, "Cause I'm happy to see you."





That surprised me. Did she actually miss me? I couldn't help but smile at the thought, "I'm happy to see you too." Those words were one hundred percent true. I thought about her everyday, except now, I could think about her without feeling guilty for forgetting Lisa.





I heard a loud grunt and turned to see Adam covering his mouth to keep from laughing. I rolled my eyes at him.





Please don't embarrass me, I begged inside of my head.





Grace sighed, "Hey Adam, how you've been?" she asked.





The humor left Adam's expression and a darker one came on, "I've been better," he replied. His eyes flickered to me and my stomach turned with nervousness. I didn't want Grace to find out about my...incident.





"What about you?" he asked her.





"Yeah," I piped up, "Why were you crying?" I still couldn't get over that. Who the h*ll could hurt Grace like that?





She sighed, "It's a long story."





I sat down besides her and our arms were almost touching. "Well I'm not going anywhere," I said softly, but then I paused and thought that over, "But you don't have to tell me if it's too personal."





Am I curious about what happened? Of course I am, but I'm not going to force her to tell me.





Grace took a moment to think and sighed. "It all started last night..." she began.





Anger flared up in me as I listened to the story about her date with her boyfriend, Jake, last night. When she got up to the part where he was kissing her on the playground, I thought I was going to snap. I admit, I was jealous of him kissing her, but I was angrier than anything.





How could he do that to her? You can't pressure a girl into something like that, especially if she's not comfortable with it! Then she got up to the part about punching this Cameron dude in the face and I almost burst out laughing. That was the Grace attitude I remembered.





But then Grace told me about what happened to her only a few minutes before Adam and I arrived. Then, I did snap. I was going to kill that guy! He hurt her! How could you do something like that to a girl like Grace? She didn't do anything wrong, she stood up for herself! But even though I was p*ssed, a part of me was happy she wasn't dating him anymore.





Grace turned her head and started to wipe more tears away. God, I feel awful. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot and her face was tearstained.





Something hit me on the shoulder and I turned to see Adam. "Do something," he whispered.





"Like what?" I hissed.





"Put your arm around her!"





My eyes shot up, "No...I-I can't." I said unsure.





Adam rolled his eyes at me, "Grow some b*lls and do it!"





I sighed in defeat and turned towards Grace. I hesitated at first, but slowly, I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me. I smiled to myself. It almost felt like my arm was supposed to be there.





Grace was surprised at first, but she relaxed into me and even laid her head on my shoulder. From the corner of my eye, I saw Adam smirking at me, but I ignored him.





I bent my head closer to Grace's, "I'm so sorry," I whispered.





Grace looked up at me with sad eyes. I turned away as I began to rant in my head. I literally think I'm going to punch the cr*p out of this guy fro hurting her! I got the feeling that someone was looking at me and left my angry thoughts to see Grace staring at me.





That's when I realized how close she was to me. It would be so easy to close the space between us and kiss her...Cr*p! I can't do this! Adam is right there and I just got over Lisa. Shouldn't I be taking things slower? Plus, she's kind of fragile right now. Thinking about another relationship wouldn't help much.





Grace looked down at her lap. Wow, was she blushing? All of the sudden, I felt her body stiffen. I looked to see her staring at my bandaged wrist. I tried to move my hand out of the way, but she caught my arm. I winced a little when she fingered my c*t. She looked up at me with a very concerned expression.





Sh*t, I guess I have some explaining to do.

Chapter 9


Grace's P.O.V





"What happened?" I demanded.





"It's nothing," Blake tried to assure me.





"Well obviously it's something!" I exploded while gesturing towards his bandaged wrist.





Blake looked like a little kid who got caught doing something bad. Guilt was all over his face and his shoulders slumped towards the ground.





I pushed his arm off of me and sat down in front of him. He looked sort of hurt by that motion and I, too, missed his arm around me, but I couldn't focus on that right now.





"If you don't tell me, then I'll just ask Adam," I warned.





How could I be so stupid and oblivious? Now I could see that Blake's eyes were slightly bloodshot and both of them looked very weary. It also explains Adam's comment before about how he's "been better." I was so upset over myself that I didn't even realize the bigger concern. I was hurt emotionally; Blake was hurt physically.





I looked over at Adam. His eyes gleamed with humor in them from my sudden outburst, but the rest of his composer was serious.





Blake sighed, "It's honestly nothing to worry about."





I choked out a laugh, "Too late for that."





Blake groaned, "Okay, okay. I'll tell you," he said in defeat, "Just don't hate me afterwards."





I calmed down, "Okay." Then a thought came into my mind, why would I hate him?





Blake sighed and looked up into the sky. He gazed at some tree branches for a moment then looked at me, "Well, you see, my girlfriend, Lisa, came over today..."





As I listened to Blake's story, I began to feel guilty. I thought what Jake did to me was bad, but this Lisa chick, she defines the word b*tch. How could you rate your boyfriend? More importantly, how could you rate Blake and not think he's the most amazing person in this world?





"And after she left," he continued, "I don't know, I just got so angry and I needed it to stop, so..."





"You c*t yourself," I finished for him.





"Yeah..." he said bowing his head.





I sighed, "Blake-"





He started to shake his head, "Please don't lecture me," he said aggravated, "I've had enough of that today."





I narrowed my eyes at him, "Actually I was going to say I'm sorry and you can always talk to me."





"Oh," he said awkwardly.





I laughed, "I'm not your mom, Blake, I'm not going to lecture you."





Now Blake laughed, but there was no humor in it, "My mom wouldn't lecture me. She doesn't care!" He shook his head in disgust, "The hag probably wants me de-"





"Blake!" Adam suddenly said in a dangerous voice, "That's enough."





Blake scoffed, "You can't say it's not true."





"That's enough," Adam repeated in the same tone. They glared at each other for a moment, but then Blake sighed and let the it drop.





Meanwhile, I stared at the both of them, shocked. How could you say that about your own mother? Why would you hate your own parent like that? But then, I realized I was being a hypercritic because I once felt the same hateful feeling towards my own father...





Blake must have saw my lost expression because he said, "My family is very...complicated."





I just nodded my head and let the subject drop, but then I remembered something, "Shoot! My family!"





Blake and Adam both looked at me confused, "What about 'em?" Blake asked.





"They're probably wondering why I'm not back by now," I said while standing up and brushing myself off.





"Do you need a ride?" Adam asked.





Blake and I both looked at him, surprised. Blake turned to me with a hopeful expression as I thought.





"Yeah, that sounds great," I said with a smile.





Adam grinned and stood up, "Then let's go."





Blake hopped up onto his feet and then walked over to stand next to me. I blushed the entire walk to the parking lot.





We stopped in front of Adam's Camaro, "I hope you don't mind being squished into a small car," Adam said.





I laughed, "Trust me, I've had much worse."





They both laughed and we got into the car. Adam immediately turned the radio to 101.9 RXP. 'Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls' started to play and I immediately began to hum along with the song.





Blake looked at me surprised, "You like The Goo Goo Dolls?"





I nodded my head and smiled as I continued to hum the song.


And I'd give up forever to touch you,


Cause I know that you feel me somehow.


You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,


And I don't want to go home right now.


And all I can taste is this moment,


And all I can breathe is your life,


And sooner or later it's over,


I just don't want to miss you tonight.


And I don't want the world to see me,


Cause I don't think that they'd understand.


When everything's made to be broken,


I just want you to know who I am.





Just as the first chorus ended, Adam asked, "Where do you live?"





I laughed, "Just keep heading down this road and take a right onto Locust Ave." Adam did as I instructed and soon, we were parked in front of my tan house.





Simultaneously, my mom parked her sliver Saturn Vue into our driveway besides Liam's Civic. She hopped out of the car with a grin on her face. "Hey Gracey! Who's this?"





Her face fell when she saw my expression. I guess I wasn't as "together" as I thought I was because she immediately came over to me, pulling me into a tight hug, and tears started to stream down my face again.





"What happened!" she demanded. Her soft and gentle voice was gone and I knew she was glaring at Blake and Adam.





I pulled away from her and she wiped away some stray tears from my face. "It's Jake," I choked out.





I heard a door open and slam shut and soon, Liam and Andre were standing besides me, "What did he do?" Liam growled.





Talking wasn't really working for me at the moment, but luckily Adam came to my rescue. "Hey, I'm Adam. We met Grace a couple of days ago and we found her at the park..."





Adam explained the story to my brothers, (yes, I do consider Andre a brother), as my mom calmed me down.





When Adam finished, Andre asked, "Wait, why were you at the park in the first place?"





Adam sighed, "We had a similar situation." I saw Blake cringe and he put his hands behind his back.





Liam and Andre exchanged looks, but then turned to me. "We'll be back," Liam said.





"Don't kill Jake!" I said, slightly afraid that they might.





Liam smirked, "I'm not gonna kill him, I just wanna talk to him."





Liam went into his car and I turned to Andre, "If you beat him up, he's gonna tell someone," I warned.





Andre put his arm around my shoulder, "Don't worry. We have ways to make sure he won't."





Before I could protest, Andre kissed my forehead and hopped into Liam's car. Liam revved the engine and pulled out of our driveway. Soon, they were bolting down the street, leaving me wondering about the "talk" they would give Jake.





I sighed and rested my head on my mom's shoulder. "Oh, my poor baby," she whispered.





I took a quivering breath, "It's okay mom, I'm fine now." I was more embarrassed that I was being such a cry baby today, and in front of Blake!





I heard her mutter a few things about Jake under her breath and then she turned towards Blake and Adam, "Thank you for driving her home."





"No problem, Ms. Brooks," Blake replied politely.





My mom laughed, "Sweety, we're not strangers anymore. Call me Marcy."





Blake grinned, "Well, Marcy, I'm Blake and this is my brother, Adam."





My mom smiled, "Very nice to meet you. So, do you boys want to stay for dinner?"





I looked at my mom surprised, "It's not even 3 o'clock."





My mom shrugged, "So hang out. You'll be fine for a couple of hours."





I bit my lower lip nervously. It's not that I don't want Blake to stay over. It's what if he doesn't want to?





My mom saw my uneasiness and grinned, "Come on! I'll get you all a snack, you can invite Bre over, you'll hang out for a bit, and then we'll have pasta and my world famous meatballs for dinner!"





I laughed and turned towards Blake and Adam, "So, whataya say?"





They both exchanged looks and grinned, "Sounds good to me!" Blake said.





My heart skipped a beat. He actually wanted to stay over!





My mom clapped her hands, "Great! I'm gonna make some popcorn. Are iced teas okay for drinks?"





"Yes," we all said.





He face brightened, "Okay, I'll tell you when it's ready!" Then she scurried into the house, leaving me alone with Blake and Adam.





Blake laughed, "Dude, you mom is fre*king awesome!"





I laughed, "Yeah, she's a very bubbly person."





"She's better than ours," Adam mumbled under his breath, but I heard him correctly.





There we go again with the harsh remarks. I couldn't help but be curious about what happened, but before I could question it, someone shouted my name.


Blake's P.O.V





"Grace!" I looked down the street to see Bre running towards Grace. I laughed to myself. It seems every time I see Bre, she's always shouting Grace's name.





As soon as she reached Grace, she pulled her into a tight hug, "Oh my gosh, sweety, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, "I ran into Liam and Andre on the way over here and they told me what happened."





Grace sighed, "I know it's okay."





Bre shook her head angrily, "That boy is going to get his sorry a*s kicked by your brothers..."





Grace laughed, "I just hope they don't get in trouble."





Bre huffed, "Why didn't you tell me!"





"I didn't want to talk about it," Grace said sheepishly.





Bre shook her head and turned towards Adam and I. "Wow, now there's two faces I didn't expect to see," she said surprised, "What happened?"





Adam chuckled, "We've had a lot of heartbreak today," he said while putting a hand on my shoulder.





Bre's eyes widened, "Okay, everyone to the living room! It's story time for Breanna!"





We all laughed and followed Bre and Grace into Grace's house. We walked into a small kitchen where there was the smell of popcorn being made. Then, we entered a blue room, which I assumed was Grace's living room.





It had two giant green chairs and a blue carpet on top of the wooden floors. And old TV was hanging from the ceiling and there was a small desk area with a computer on it. There were two large bookshelves, one filled with board games, the other one filled with books and computer hardware. There were a few posters of animals on the walls and I took notice to a wooden guitar stand in the corner under the TV.





Bre plopped down in the green chair by the computer and Grace sat on the desk chair besides her. Adam didn't hesitate in sitting in the other green chair, so I grabbed a couple of pillows and plopped down on the floor.





"Okay," Bre said once we were all settled, "Now explain everything."





For what seems like the hundredth time today, Grace and I explained our stories and how we eventually met up with each other. I even showed her my wrists which seemed to shock her even more than Grace.





When we both finished, we all sat there in silence. "Wow," Bre said suddenly, "That stupid man wh*re and that retarded sl*t!" she exclaimed angrily.





Grace and I both sighed, "I know," we said together. Grace smiled at me and I gladly returned it with a smile of my own. I can't believe how stupid we both were, going out with people like that.





Bre laughed bitterly, "They should be a couple. They're both cruel and rude."





We all laughed. but then a twisted thought came into my head, "Wait, Grace, what did you say the girl that kissed Jake was wearing?"





"A dark green racerback with this flower design going up the side," she said confused, "Why?"





I groaned, "D*mn it!" I spat angrily.





"What?" Grace asked.





"That was Lisa," I said crossly.

Chapter 10


Blake's P.O.V





"Are you fr*aking kidding me?!" Bre shouted.





I shook my head wearily, "She was wearing the same thing when she came over."





"Figures," Bre grumbled.





I look over at Grace. She seemed very tired and annoyed by the subject, "Who the h*ll cares?" she exclaimed, "The point is, is that Jake Wells is no longer in my life!"





Bre stopped grumbling and was now grinning, "H*ll yeah he's not!" She high-fived Grace and they both started giggling.





I smiled to myself. I'm glad Grace isn't upset anymore. Her cheeks were finally rosy red again and not pale and tearstained from crying. Then a thought came into my mind, "And Lisa Briggs is out of mine!" I couldn't help but smile a little at this fact.





"Thank God," Adam mumbled.





The girls started giggling and I rolled my eyes at him, "Thanks for the support, man."





Adam chuckled, "Bro, I told you I didn't like her from the start."





I sighed, "Yeah..." If only I'd listened to him.





Just then, Marcy came in with a tray holding four glasses of iced tea and a giant bowl of popcorn. "Help yourselves, guys," she said while placing the tray on the floor between us. "And no popcorn fights this time," she added while glaring at Grace and Bre. They both crossed their arms and grumbled for a moment before taking a glass of iced tea.





We had a light conversation going as we ate and we eventually decided to watch a movie. Grace came into the room with two discs in a Netflix cd case. "Okay, so my mom rented I Am Legend and The Blind Side."





"Oooo! Let's watch The Blind Side!" said Bre, "I love that movie."





"Yeah, I'm for The Blind Side too," agreed Grace.





"I'm going with I Am Legend," said Adam.





All heads turned to me as I thought, "The Blind Side sounds good," I finally said.





"Yay!" the girls cheered together.





"Kiss a*s," my brother mumbled.





"Come on dude," I said realistically, "The dog dies at the end. Do you really want more crying?" I asked gesturing towards the girls.





Adam just shrugged, "I just figured you could comfort her while she cried on your shoulder." He grinned at me, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind you putting your arm around her again too." Adam gave me one of those you-know-I'm-right looks and stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.





The thought of me and Grace sitting together made me blush, and I had to look down to hide it. My thoughts were distracted as the movie began. Grace and Bre both curled up onto the green chair and I stretched out on the floor.





We were about halfway through the movie when Marcy called, "Dinner!"





Grace put the movie on pause and we all got up and went into the kitchen. There were five steaming plates of pasta and meatballs on the table and a large bowl of salad in the center.





Bre sat down on the far left and Grace took the seat next to her. My stomach growled as I sat down next to Grace, blushing a bit. Adam took the seat next to me, which is to the far right, and Marcy sat across from all of us.





"I always have to make extra food for my boys, so I hope you two are hungry," Marcy said while grinning at Adam and I.





"Speaking of which," said Grace, "Where's Liam?"





"He's eating over at Andre's house today," Marcy explained, "They also said to tell you that they took care of Jake."





Grace laughed bitterly, "You mean they "talked" to him."





Marcy laughed, "That's what the boy gets for messing with my baby."





I smiled to myself at the thought of what her brothers did to that b*sterd. I think Liam, the one with the short brown hair, is Grace's real brother and the other one with the darker skin, Andre, was just a family friend that's considered a brother. There's nothing wrong with considering friends as family, though. I consider the band as my family more than I do my actual parents.





"Marcy, your meatballs are fr*aking amazing!" Adam said with a mouthful of food.





We all laughed, "She wasn't joking when she said world famous," Grace said.





Marcy smiled proudly, "Glad that you like them, sweety." She looked at me, "So, Blake, what do you like to do?"





"Um," I thought, "I basically listen to music, write music, play my guitar, or hang with our band."





Marcy beamed, "You play the guitar? That's wonderful! So does Grace!"





"Mom!" Grace whined, embarrassed, "He already knows that!"





Marcy shook her head, "But he hasn't heard you play, has he?" she asked, looking at me questioningly.





I shook my head no and looked at Grace, interested.





"You have to hear her play! She's amazing!" Marcy gushed.





"Mom!" Grace complained, "Stop bragging, I'm not that good!"





Marcy pouted, "Oh, hush, I'm your mother. I have the right to brag!"





I laughed and looked at Grace, "I would really like to hear you play," I said sincerely.





Grace bit her lower lip nervously, "I don't know..."





"She can sing too," Bre added. Grace gave her the death glare while Bre just smiled sweetly at her.





Wow, I thought, She plays and sings!





Even Adam was interested, "You play and sing?"





"Well...yeah, but it's not that good..." Grace said uneasily.





"Are you kidding me!" Bre exclaimed, "You sang me one of your originals the other day and it was beautiful!"





I felt my mouth drop open. She wrote music too! Oh my gosh, she's amazing!





"Whoa, hold up a sec," Adam said, now fully engaged in the conversation, "You write originals too?"





Grace shook her head yes while blushing like crazy. Gosh, she's so cute when she blushes.





Adam raised his eyebrows, "Now that's impressive."





Grace sighed, "Thanks, but I'm really not that good."





"Gracey, you're being to modest!" Marcy said with a huff. Bre nodded in agreement.





Grace twisted her hair uneasily in her fingers. I felt bad for making he so nervous, "Come on," I said with a smile, "Just play a quick song. You don't have to sing, it doesn't have to be an original. Just a quick tune," I assured her.





She calmed down and gave me a small smile, "Okay, fine. I'll do it."





Bre and Marcy cheered, "Yay!" and I smiled. On the inside, though, I was really excited. I couldn't wait to hear her play. I bet she looks amazing when she gets lost in her music...





We all stood up and cleared our plates from the table. Marcy opened up the dishwasher for us and we placed our dirty dishes inside it before crowding back into the living room.





Grace went upstairs into her room to get one of her guitars. When she came down, I gasped at what I saw. She held a beautiful Ibanez acoustic-electric guitar. The body was made out of some golden brown wood that had brown stain-like marks running down it. The strings were steel and shiny and the neck was polished and smooth. It was one of the most beautiful guitars I've ever seen.





"Sweet f***ing guitar!" Adam exclaimed. We all laughed, "Sorry 'bout the language," he apologized.





Grace blushed, "Thanks."





"What kind of wood is this?" I asked while running a hand over the sides of the body.





"Ash," she replied, "But it has a finish on it, that's why it's so shiny."





I nodded my head as I continued to examine the instrument. My fingers yearned to play it, but I held myself back. I wanted to hear Grace play first.





She sat down in one of the green chairs and pulled the guitar close to her. I gave her an encouraging smile and she shyly smiled back before playing.





The familiar tune of 'Hero of War by Rise Against' rang in my ears and I watched in amazement as Grace played. All the nervousness and fear from before vanished, and now she was completely comfortable and relaxed.


Then she began to sing.


He said "Son, have you seen the world?


Well, what would you say if I said that you could?


Just carry this gun and you'll even get paid."


I said "That sounds pretty good."


Black leather boots


Spit-shined so bright


They cut off my hair but it looked alright


We marched and we sang


We all became friends


As we learned how to fight


A hero of war


Yeah that's what I'll be


And when I come home


They'll be damn proud of me


I'll carry this flag


To the grave if I must


Because it's a flag that I love


And a flag that I trust


I kicked in the door


I yelled my commands


The children, they cried


But I got my man


We took him away


A bag over his face


From his family and his friends


They pissed in his hands


I told them to stop


But then I joined in


We beat him with guns


And batons not just once


But again and again


A hero of war


Yeah that's what I'll be


And when I come home


They'll be damn proud of me


I'll carry this flag


To the grave if I must


Because it's a flag that I love


And a flag that I trust


She walked through bullets and haze


I asked her to stop


I begged her to stay


But she pressed on


So I lifted my gun


And I fired away


The shells jumped through the smoke


And into the sand


That the blood now had soaked


She collapsed with a flag in her hand


A flag white as snow


A hero of war


Is that what they see


Just medals and scars


So damn proud of me


And I brought home that flag


Now it gathers dust


But it's a flag that I love


It's the only flag I trust


He said, "Son, have you seen the world?


Well what would you say, if I said that you could?"





I was amazed at the sound of her sweet voice. I swear, everyone disappeared at that moment, and it was only Grace and I in the room.





She was amazing! She was mesmerizing! She was beautiful! Her hands glided across the guitar, never missing a note, making a pure sound every time. I could tell she lost herself in the music. She began to sing and play with emotion, drawing you in as you listened to the story in the song.





When she finished, the entire room was filled with awe. Everyone started applauding her and she blushed while smiling.





"Did you like it?" she asked me.





"That was...you were..." I shook my head and I felt myself blushing like crazy, "Wow," was all I managed to say.





For some reason that made her blush more, "Thanks."





I heard Adam chuckle besides me, "Smooth," he whispered. I rolled my eyes at him elbowed him in the ribs.





"I told you she was good!" Bre chimed.





"Are you kidding me?" Adam exploded, "Grace, that was fr*aking amazing!"





Grace laughed a wonderful laugh, "Thanks Adam!"





She turned towards me and held out her guitar, "Do you wanna play it?" she asked.





'Yes!" I said immediately.





Grace laughed and handed me her beautiful guitar.


Grace's P.O.V





I stopped playing my guitar and felt my heart rate slowly go back to normal. I smiled to myself, wow, that was a lot of fun! I absolutely loved that song by Rise Against. When I finished, the entire room was silent and everyone was staring at me.





I became uneasy, Was it that bad? I thought to myself. The next thing I knew, everyone was clapping for me with smiles on their faces.





I blushed and turned towards Blake, "Did you like it?"





"That was...you were..." He shook his head and even blushed! "Wow," was all he said.





I began to blush like crazy, "Thanks."





"I told you she was good!" Bre chimed.





"Are you kidding me?" Adam exploded, "Grace, that was fr*aking amazing!"





I laughed, "Thanks Adam!" Then I turned to Blake who was staring at me with those green eyes, smiling. I felt my heart race in my chest, "Do you want to play it?" I asked him while holding out my guitar.





"Yes!" he said immediately.





He excitedly took my guitar and pulled it close to his body. He just played some random riffs and chords, but it sounded amazing.





Then he started to play an oh too familiar tune and I smiled, "Stairway to Heaven."





He looked up at me with those breathtaking green eyes, "You like Led Zeppelin?"





I nodded and sat besides him as he played.





I have to admit, I couldn't help but stare at him in awe as he played. Not only was he an amazing player, but he looked amazing while playing.





His black hair fell just over his beautiful green eyes and his lips moved along with the notes he played. His muscles popped when he strummed or bended the strings. He was completely focused the entire time, and it was almost like the entire world dissolved around him while he played. Each note came out pure and beautiful as his fingers glided along the fret board, but to my disappointment, he didn't sing.





He finished the song and we all started clapping for him, "You're an amazing player," I commented.





He grinned at me, "Thanks, so are you," he said sincerely.





I blushed and watched with amazement as he continued to serenade us.





We talked and played my guitar for a while and before we knew it, it was almost 11 o'clock.





"We better get home," Adam said.





My heart sank when Blake sighed and nodded in agreement. He handed me my guitar and I placed it on the wooden guitar stand in the corner.





Blake and Adam were at the door when I walked up to them, "Thanks for...everything," I said, my face growing red yet again.





"No problem," Blake said, looking down at his shoes awkwardly.





Adam groaned, "For cryin' out loud, just hug her so I can go home and sleep!"





Blake glared at his brother and I giggled with a slight nervousness. With a sudden motion of boldness, I held out my arms.





Blake looked surprised at first, but pulled me into a hug. His intoxicating scent filled my lungs and I felt like I could fly with his strong arms around me.





When we pulled apart, Adam was smirking at both of us and Blake glared at him while his cheeks grew red. I probably looked like a fr*aking tomato by now from all the blushing.





"Bye," Blake said with a smile.





I sheepishly smiled back and gave a little wave before the door closed. Both girls squealed, (yes my mom squealed), when they were gone. "Gracey, he was cute!" my mom exclaimed.





"You two looked adorable when you hugged!" Bre bubbled. She hugged me tightly, "Oh, I wish we could see them again!"





My mom brightened and ran to the door, "Hey boys!" she shouted.





"Yeah?" I heard Adam call back.





"Liam is having a barbeque with a bunch of his friends tomorrow. You should come too!"





There was a moment of silence and my heart started to beat faster, "What time?" Adam asked.





"3 o'clock," my mom replied, "Bring a bathing suit."





"Okay, see you tomorrow!" Adam called.





Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. They were coming back! I could hang out with Blake again! I felt my happiness bubble over and Bre hugged me excitedly.





"Bye boys!" called my mom, "Drive safely!"





She closed the door and locked it before turning around and giving me a hug. Now I can't wait until tomorrow!

Chapter 11


Blake's P.O.V





I stumbled downstairs and muffled a yawn. I couldn't sleep last. Yesterday seemed like such a dream, but unbelievably, it wasn't. I actually spent the entire day with Grace.





I walked into my kitchen and almost walked right back out, but my name was called, "Blake!" she shouted in her screechy voice.





I rolled my eyes and poked my head back into the kitchen, 'What?" I asked shortly.





My mom glared at me with her cold brown eyes. Her dark brown hair was curled messily and static made it stick to the back of her neck and cheeks. She crossed her frail arms and her boney fingers were clenched into fists. "Where were you yesterday?" she asked angrily.





"I was out," I replied simply.





"So you didn't call me?" she yelled.





I sighed, here comes another pointless argument, "I never call you," I pointed out.





She scowled, "Were you with Lisa?"





"No."





"Why?"





"We broke up."





My mom's eyebrows shot up, "Why? What did you do to the poor girl?"





I snapped, "What did I do?!" Of course she always assumes it's my fault.





She shook her head, "Maybe if you didn't dress this way-"





"I'll dress however the f*ck I want!" I spat.





She glowered at me, "You never talk to me like-"





"Leave him alone, b*tch!" I looked behind me to see Adam walking towards us.





My mom was furious, "I'm your mother! You have to treat and talk to me with respect!"





Adam forced out a laugh, "We would, but since you have no respect for us, we don't give any to you!"





Our mom was fuming by now, "You will tell me what happened yesterday right now!" she demanded.





Adam looked her straight in the eyes, "No." While she was seething, Adam grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and pulled me out of the kitchen.





Just then our front door burst open. Before I even realized what was happening, I was surrounded by a very worried and curious looking Chris and Chebby. "What the h*ll happened to you yesterday?" Chris asked.





I groaned, "I'm not repeating this story again!"





Chris lightly slapped me on the face, "Suck it up. Go get dressed and meet us outside."





I groaned, but did as I was told. I noticed that Adam was wearing his bathing suit and excitement washed over me as I was reminded about this afternoon. I put on my black bathing suit with a blue stripe going up the side and a plain black t-shirt. I ran downstairs and grabbed my phone and iPod before leaving.





"So you'll tell your band of freaks what happened, but not your own mother?" my mom spat.





I ignored the "band of freaks" insult and said, "Pretty much." I slammed the door shut before she could scream at me anymore and walked up to my friends.





"Ready?" asked Chris.





I nodded. We all piled into Chris's black Toyota pick-up. Chris took the driver's seat and I slid into the passenger's seat. Adam and Chebby hopped into the back of the truck and sat down. I always insisted on sitting in the back, but Adam won't let me because he's afraid I'll fall out.





We drove for about fifteen minutes and soon we were driving on a familiar dirt road. It led to a dead end and we all got out of the car. We started to walk through the woods on a path we've made from over the years of walking here.





Adam and Chris were arguing over some video they saw, so I walked with Chebby. "Why are you and Adam wearing bathing suits?" he asked.





I sighed, "It's a long story, but it'll all be explained."





Chebby laughed, "Well, I know some of the story."





I raised an eyebrow, "How much?"





Chebby cocked his head to the side as he thought, "Well, I know that the whore broke up with you and that you...c*t yourself."





I looked down ashamed, "Yeah, that's part of it."





Chebby put a comforting arm around me, "You sure your okay, kid?"





A small smile played at my lips, "Trust me, it gets better."





Chebby raised an eyebrow at me and I laughed, "Like I said, it's a long story."





Though the trees I could see a small clearing. Adam and Chris stomped on some weeds and thorn bushes that overgrew the path. We carefully walked through a field of blackberry bushed, being cautious of their thorns. Once we were all through, we made it to our destination: a lake.





A couple of years ago, our band decided we wanted to play man hunt on the old, deserted, dirt road. The game came to a stop when Chris and Chebby came running out of the woods, claiming they found a lake. We followed them in the dark through many weeds and thorns. When we arrived, our legs we covered with scratches, but, sure enough, there was a hidden lake.





Now, whenever we all want to talk or hang out without being bothered, we come here. We cleared a large space around the lake's shore and even made seats out of old logs. Recently, we made a small fire pit in between the log chairs.





Since no one knows about this lake except us, it stays clean. The lake is small, but it's covered with lily pads that were sprouting with large, white flowers and green algae clung to the sides of rocks and fallen tree branches.





The four of us took our seats and all heads turned to me, "Okay, so what's the story?" asked Chris.





I sighed, "Okay, everyone get comfortable."





They all laughed and I began the story. I told about how Lisa was rating me and how, when she left, I lost control and c*t myself. Then, Adam found me and took me to the park where we found Grace.





"Wait!" Chris interrupted, "Is this the same chick you met a couple of days ago?"





I nodded and continued the story. I told them how she was crying because her boyfriend broke up with her. I didn't tell them why they broke up, though. That was too personal. Adam and I comforted her and drove her home where we met her two brothers and mother, Marcy. She asked us to stay for dinner, so we did and then Grace's friend, Breanna, came. I told them how we were watching The Blind Side when her mom said it was dinner time. Then, we got onto the subject of Grace's guitar playing and we eventually convinced her to play something for us.





"She plays the guitar?" Chris asked. As the lead guitarist in our band, it didn't surprise me that he was curious about this.





I nodded.





"Is she any good?"





"Yes," Adam and I said together.





Chris gave us both a look and Adam added, "She has this sweet Ibanez and the girl's gotta voice too."





"She can sing?" Chebby asked.





I nodded my head and added, "She writes her own stuff too."





Both Chris and Chebby seemed impressed, "D*mn," Chris said with a grin, "I wanna meet this chick."





"What song did she play?" Chebby asked.





"Hero of War by Rise Against," replied Adam.





Chris smiled, "Good song." We all nodded in agreement.





"So after that, " I continued, "I played some stuff and we talked some more, but it was already 11 o'clock, so we had to leave. When we almost reached Adam's car, her mom invited us back over today for a barbeque," I finished.





"Hold up, little bro-bro," Adam said with a grin, "You forgot a very important detail."





We all looked at Adam, confused, which made him smile wider, "Before we left, they hugged!"





"Aww!" Chris and Chebby said together in a teasing voice.





I felt my cheeks flush, "Because you made me!"





Adam rolled his eyes, "Because you weren't going to man up and do it yourself!" he exclaimed, but then a teasing expression appeared on his face, "Besides, I'm sure it was complete torture wrapping your arms around her."





I looked own to hide my embarrassment while the three of them laughed at me.





"You should ask her out," Chris said after they calmed down.





I hesitated, "I don't know. Don't you think it's a little...soon?"





They all shrugged, "Well, from the sounds of it, she likes you," said Chris.





"And you obviously like her," added Adam.





"So why wait?" Chris asked me.





"But what if she doesn't like me?" I asked unsure.





They all rolled their eyes at me, but before anymore antagonistic comments could be made, Chebby intercepted, "Well, you'll never know unless you ask her."





I sighed in defeat. He was right about that.





"Come on," said Adam, "You have an entire car ride to make your decision."





I pulled out my phone and was surprised to see that it was already 2:30. We still needed to go back home to switch into Adam's car.





We walked back through the woods and into Chris's car. The ride was mostly silent, but no one seemed to mind. They all knew I was thinking. When we got back to my house, Adam and I quickly switched cars. We didn't want to run into our mom again.





When we drove away, it was ten to three. I stared out of the window, deep in thought. I was making the decision of whether or not to ask out the girl of my dreams...

Chapter 12


Grace's P.O.V-





It was already three o'clock and I was getting super jittery. Where is he? Where is he? Where is he? I thought to myself.





I started pacing anxiously back and forth when Liam called my name. I walked out back onto our small brick patio where Liam and Andre, and about fifteen of their friends, were lounging.





A girl with strawberry blonde hair and freckles was sitting on Liam's lap. She had very fair skin and was wearing a white bikini that I recognized from Hollister. She glanced up at me when I approached them and I smiled sweetly at her. Liam never told me he had a new girlfriend.





Liam saw me and grinned sheepishly, "Grace, this is Lynn," he said referring to the girl sitting on him, "We saw each other yesterday and I invited her over."





I smiled and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you."





"Same here," she said sweetly, "I heard you had a long day yesterday."





I blew my hair out of my face, "You have no idea," I mumbled. They all laughed and I quickly glanced over at the door to see if anyone was there. It was empty.





"What's got you so jumpy?" asked Andre.





"Nothing," I said quickly.





Andre was about to comment when there was a loud knock at the door. My heart skipped a beat, "Be right back."





I skipped to the door and stopped in front of it. I quickly made sure my hair was in place before opening the door. There stood Blake and Adam, wearing all black. Blake was about to say something when he stopped and stared at me wide-eyed. Adam had the same expression on, but he quickly shook his head to snap out of it. He knocked Blake on the back of the head and Blake jumped a little, startled by the action.





I looked at them, confused, and looked down at myself to make sure there wasn't a bug on me or something. My body froze as realization hit of why they were staring. I totally forgot that I was only wearing my blue and white striped bikini.





I felt my cheeks flush as I sheepishly crossed my arms across my chest. I couldn't help but feel a little exposed. I looked up at Blake. His cheeks were bright red and he was looking down at his shoes, refusing to meet my eyes. Adam looked amused by the entire scene.


Blake's P.O.V-





We knocked on the door and a moment later, Grace was standing in the doorway. I was about to greet her, but the words erased from my mind when I looked at her.





She was in a blue and white striped bikini that looked amazing on her tan skin. I knew she had curves, and seeing her now proved me right. Not only that, but she had a perfectly flat stomach. I couldn't get over how gorgeous she looked.





All of the sudden, I felt a knock on the back of my head. I jumped a little, startled, but then I saw Grace look down at herself and blush as she covered herself with her arms. I immediately looked down at my shoes, embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I didn't want her to think I was some p*rvert.





"Um, hey," she said suddenly.





I looked up to see her staring at me with her beautiful hazel eyes. I felt my cheeks reddened once more, "Um, hi...sorry about that I...uh..." I shook my head and let the sentence trail off before I said something stupid.





Surprisingly, she laughed, "Half of our school's football team is over at my house almost everyday. Trust me when I say I've had much worse."





"Your brother is on the football team?" Adam guessed.





Grace nodded, "Liam is captain and Andre is one of the best players on the team."





I nodded my head. Great, I thought to myself, Because football players are so accepting to people like Adam and I...





"Well, come on," Grace said with a smile, "The party is out back."





We followed her through her living room and out a door that led to a small brick patio out back. There were about fifteen black and white guys who looked up at us. Some rolled there eyes and snickered to each other. Others just stared. But some people, basically Liam, Andre, and this guy with long, wavy brown hair, looked like they could care less.





Grace let us right up to Liam. There was a girl sitting on him, but she got up to talk to some of the girls at the party. "Hey, Liam," Grace said, "You remember Blake and Adam from yesterday."





Recognition crossed his face and he stood up, "Yeah. Hey, thanks, man, for driving her and stuff," he said while shaking our hands.





"Anytime," Adam said.





Andre came up to us and shook our hands, "So, I heard Marcy made you guys stay for dinner?"





We both grinned, "Yeah," said Adam.





Liam shook his head, "Sorry 'bout that."





Adam shrugged, "Hey, it's better than being at our place."





Liam's eyebrows pulled together, "Why, annoying parents?"





"B*tchy mom," Adam replied.





"What about dad?" asked Andre.





Adam sighed, "He's on a tour with his jazz band and away from the witch that was once his wife..."





"Your parents are divorced?" asked a guy with red spiky hair and freckles.





"Yeah..." Adam replied.





The red head sighed, "Yeah, mine too..."





"It's a pain in the a*s, isn't it?" Adam asked while taking a seat next to the red head.





They began to chat along with a few others, leaving me alone with Grace and her brothers. The guy with the wavy brown hair put his arm around Grace with a big grin on his face, and I tried to hide my jealousy. "So, how are you, Gracey?" he asked.





She looked at him confused, "Good...how are you Tony?"





Tony grinned, "Really hot cause it's so warm out. The pool seems really refreshing, right?"





"Yeah..." Grace said confused, but then realization crossed her face, "Tony!" she squealed. Before she could do anything, Tony picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.





"Liam! I'm being carried against my will!" she screamed while squirming in Tony's arms.





"Eh, you'll live," Liam said lazily while plopping back down onto his chair.





Grace stopped her struggling and glared at him, "Wow, your concern is touching," she said sarcastically.





"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" Tony said while walking towards the pool. He slapped her butt and started laughing hysterically while I clenched my hands into fists, slightly pissed.





"Ow!" Grace screamed, "Now my butt is being abused!"





All the guys laughed and started to stare at her a*s. "Hands off of her," Liam said protectively, but you could tell he was still joking, "Otherwise I'm going to have to give you the same "talk" I gave to that piece of sh*t yesterday. That goes for all of you," he said sternly while glaring at the team. They all grinned at each other, but diverted their eyes away from Grace.





"Shut up, man," Tony said, "She's like my little sister; you know that it means nothing."





And with that last comment, Tony flipped Grace over and sent her flying into the pool while she screamed. She came up to the surface laughing. Her caramel brown hair was wet and shiny as the crystal clear drops of water dripped off the ends. She jumped out of the pool and gave Tony a hug, getting his clothes wet. He laughed and threw her back in, but this time, he got in too.





I slumped into a chair next to Liam, ignoring them. Why was I jealous? He just said that she was like a sister to him. But still...





"I can't believe that d*uche bag did that to her," said a black guy with braided hair that went a little past his ears.





Everyone nodded in agreement, "You shouldn't have let that dipsh*t walk..." I mumbled.





All heads turned to me and Liam and Andre looked amused. Adam was still talking to the red headed guy and some other people, so he was totally oblivious to me and the conversation.





"Do you happen to have a crush on my little sister?" Liam asked jokingly while the guys around us laughed at my embarrassment.





I sighed. I won't let myself get intimidated by them. I made my decision in the car and now I have to go through with it. "Would that be such a bad thing?" I asked quietly.





The laughing stopped and suddenly Liam's expression became protective and alert. "What?" he asked.





I took a deep breath and looked at him straight in the eyes, "Would it be such a bad thing if I like Grace more than a friend?" I asked with more bravery in my voice, "Would it be bad if I asked her out?"





Liam looked at me totally bewildered and I started to tap my foot nervously. "Are you asking me for permission to date her?" he asked.





I shrugged, "I figured that I would have to get the "okay" from you anyways."





Liam and Andre exchanged looks and grinned while the other guys around us stared at us, entertained by the scene. "Do you know what I did to her last boyfriend?" Liam asked.





"Yeah. Do you know what I want to do to him?" I asked with a bit of venom in my voice. Everyone around me laughed.





Liam slapped me on the back, "I like this kid!"





"So, is that a yes?" I asked hopefully.





"Of course it is!" Liam exploded, "And don't be nervous 'bout it. She'll say yes," he assured me.





I narrowed my eyes at him, "How do you know?"





"Cause she hasn't shut up about you since she met you," Andre mumbled.





Liam gave me a look and I tried to hide my smile. Grace actually might like me after all. As I got up from my seat, cold water was splashed all over me. I glared up to see Adam and his little group laughing hysterically at me. I looked closer to see Adam holding a now empty blue bucket.





"Really, man?" I asked him annoyed. He grinned at me and I took off my wet t-shirt. I twisted it until it was tight and I whipped Adam as hard as I could on the back. He grabbed his back in pain and glared at me. Before I could get away, he grabbed my shirt and whipped me on the back. I bit my lip to keep any curses from escaping my mouth.





He was about to whip me again when Liam exclaimed, "Holy cr*p!"





"What?" we both said simultaneously.





"You're ripped!" Liam said regarding to me.





I looked down and realized everyone was staring at my perfect 6-pack. Yeah, I have to admit it, I'm ripped, but I don't like to brag about it. I shrugged, "Playing the guitar is a good workout," I said trying not to sound cocky.





Liam and Andre gave me another look while everyone else just looked shocked. Was it that surprising that I have a 6-pack? I shook my head and turned to find Grace. She was sitting on the edge of the patio, talking to Bre. I didn't even realized Bre came. I timidly approached them, my heart beating rapidly.





I stopped in front of them and smiled, "Hey Bre," I greeted her. Then I turned to Grace, "Uh, can I talk to you for a sec?"





Neither of them said anything. Instead, they were both gawking at me. I looked down at my chest and tried to hide my smirk. "Grace?" I asked again.





Both of them snapped out of their gaze and their cheeks flushed red. "Can I talk to you?" I asked.





Bre gave Grace a look and she giggled a little, "Um, sure."





We walked to her front yard and took a seat on her porch railing. I looked over at her to see her smiling to herself, "What?" I asked curious.





She looked up at me and I did my best to just look at her face, "Oh, it's just, you must be very lucky or gifted."





I cocked my head to the side, "Why do you say that?" I asked.





"Cause my brothers seems to like you. All of them do. They're normally not so nice to my guy friends."





I smiled, more to myself, "Then that makes what I'm about to ask you ten times easier."





She looked at me curious, "Ask me what?"





I took a deep breath and my stomach twisted with nervousness, "Grace, I know yesterday we both went through a lot and this may seem a little too soon, but I really like you and-"





"Blake?" she asked me mid sentence, "Are you asking me out?"





A smile spread across my face, "Do you want to go out with me?" I asked. I saw a small smile play at her lips. "It doesn't have to be anything big," I assured her, "I was just thinking a simple movie."





She smiled at me and her cheeks were rosy red. Her eyes sparkled into mine, "I would love to."





My heart raced in my chest and I could feel a smile spread across my face, "Really?" I asked excitedly, "So, how does Friday sound?"





"Great!" she said happily. She hopped off of the railing, "Just come over at, like, eight and we can walk to the theater from here."





I grinned, "Sounds good to me!" I jumped off the railing and pulled her into a hug. I realized how much I loved having my arms around her. It felt like they were meant to be there. I think we both simultaneously realized that we were half n*ked and hugging because we quickly pulled apart and looked away, embarrassed.





"Sorry," she mumbled.





I laughed, "Trust me, I don't mind."





She giggled and we started to walk back towards the party. I looked up into the clear blue sky and smiled. I was going on a date with Grace. I was one step closer to making her mine.

Chapter 13


Grace's P.O.V





It was finally Friday night. Blake should be here any second. My jittery fingers quickly skimmed through notes on my guitar. I had to find something to preoccupy myself, and my guitar seemed like the best resort. I was really excited about my date, but I was also really nervous. What if something went wrong again?





"You're going to be fine," Bre assured me, sensing my uneasiness.





"I know," I said with a sigh, "But my mind has a brain of its own right now."





Bre grinned at my nervousness, "You're going to have a great time, Grace! I mean, c'mon, he's perfect for you!" she exclaimed.





I took a deep breath and calmed myself down, "I know, I just can't believe he actually likes me," I said truthfully.





Bre laughed, "What's not to like about you?"





I smiled at my best friend, but it vanished in an instant when I heard a loud knock on the door. My heart almost jumped out of my chest and the butterflies in my stomach increased their fluttering. I heard the front door open and voices mumbling to each other. From the sounds of it, there was more than one person at the door.





"How you been?" That was Liam.





"Eh, good." That sounded like Blake.





"Hungry." It was such a blunt statement. I smiled to myself. That was definitely Adam.





I heard a couple of laughs followed by, "What's up Adam?" I heard hands slap and people walking into the kitchen. That sounded like Eric's voice. He's really tall, broad shouldered, and has red spiky hair.





"Grace!" shouted an obnoxious voice, "Your date is here!" I knew that was just Tony trying to embarrass me. I rolled my eyes at Bre who was shaking her head.





"Calm your butt, I'll be right down!" I yelled back.





There was a series of laughs downstairs and I heard Liam start to mumble something after everyone calmed down. He was giving Blake the 'you hurt her and I'll kill you' talk.





Meanwhile, I quickly applied some cherry lip gloss to my lips while Bre did some last minutes touch ups on my hair. I grabbed my purse and made sure I had money, my iPod, and my phone. Check- it was all there. Bre gave me one last 'good luck' hug and whispered, "Have fun!"





I smiled nervously at her and made my way downstairs. Blake was standing by the door along with Liam, Andre and Tony. Blake looked really serious and the guys all looked surprised at him. Blake was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and black Converse. He had a plain white t-shirt on and a black jacket that was unzipped with the sleeves rolled up on top of it. He straightened up and smiled when he saw me. I did my best to hide my blush. He looked really good tonight.


Blake's P.O.V





I stood awkwardly inside as I waited for Grace. Adam left for the kitchen, talking with that red headed kid he met a couple of days ago, so I was left alone with Liam, Andre, and Tony.





Tony turned towards the stairs, "Grace! Your date is here!" he shouted.





I felt myself blushing as the guys smirked at me.





"Calm your butt, I'll be right down!" she yelled back.





We all laughed and I felt the mood of the room lighten. I can't believe how nervous I am. I mean, it was just a date, right?. No, it was more than just a date. It was our first date. My first date with Grace.





"Nervous?" Liam asked, voicing my thoughts.





I gave him the what-the-h*ll-do-you-think look and they all laughed.





"You'll be fine," Andre said reassuringly, "She's already crazy about you."





"Thanks," I mumbled, but inside I couldn't be happier. Did Grace really like me that much? The thought brought a smile to my face.





"But if you hurt her, I'll kill you," Liam said seriously.





My smile faded and I turned to face Liam, "I would never-"





"Yeah, that's what that last jack a*s said to me," he stated harshly.





I cringed a little at the sound of his voice and I thought about how he must feel towards Grace starting to date again. "Trust me," I said darkly, "I'll probably hurt myself before I ever hurt her."





That seemed to catch them off guard and Grace came downstairs before anymore could be said.





She was wearing dark blue jean shorts and a black tank top. She had on a matching pair of black Converse and, of course, she wore her green guitar pick necklace. Her caramel brown hair was straightened so that it fell just past her tan shoulders. Her cheeks were rosy red, as usual, and her lips looked shiny and sticky. She looked really pretty tonight.





"Hey," she greeted me nervously.





"Hi," I said with a smile, "You look great."





She blushed and turned to Liam, "Be back by 10-ish?"





He sighed and gave her a hug, "Call if you need anything."





"I will," she said with a smile. She hugged Andre and Tony and then we left.





"So, how bad did Liam threaten you?" she asked when we were at the end of her street.





I laughed, "Not anywhere as bad as I thought it was going to be." I mean, he wouldn't really kill me...right?





She laughed, "That's good. He doesn't seem to mind you as much as others..."





I smiled, but then a thought came to mind. Others? I frowned, "Um, Grace?"





She looked up at me, "Yeah?"





I hesitated, "How many guys have you...dated?"





She looked surprised by my question and then looked down sheepishly, "Well, there was Jake...and then I don't know if you count us as..." Her voice trailed off and she looked at me with those beautiful hazel eyes, "What about you?"





I relaxed a little, so she wasn't guy crazy. That's good. "Officially, only Lisa and I'm not sure if you count us as..." I let the sentence trail off like she had.





"What about unofficial?" she asked curiously.





I pursed my lips, "Two."





"Why were they unofficial?"





"One lived far away, so I never saw her. The other was just a stupid grade school romance."





She laughed and I smiled at her as we rounded another corner. I looked up ahead to see the old deli that one of Chris's friends works at. He's a nice guy and is always giving Adam and I free food. An idea came to me, "Wanna a free soda?" I asked.





She looked at me confused, "Um, sure?"





I grinned and we were about to enter the deli, when Grace's phone rang. "I'll be right back," I said quickly. She just nodded and took out her phone.


Grace's P.O.V





Blake went into the deli and I pulled my phone out of my purse. The number on the screen was restricted. My forehead creased in confusion. I flipped it open, "Hello?"





"You're so calm about showing your face to me," said an eerily familiar voice.





"Who is this?" I demanded.





"Look across the street," the voice directed and then the line went dead.





I hung up my phone as well and looked across the street. There was a group of people coming towards me, but the guy in the front reached me first.





He stopped in front of me, "Do you even recognize me?" he spat.


His face was bruised and scratched. His right eye was swollen and black like he got punched by someone. He looked so familiar. That curly brown hair and those brown eyes... My eyes widened, "Jake?" I whispered.





"Who else!" he roared.





I flinched from the anger in his voice, but I stood my ground. The rest of the group had reached us by now. I recognized Cameron and Riley immediately. I also recognized their new arrival. Blake's ex, Lisa.





"Look what your brothers did to my face!" Jake growled.





I tried to hide my laugh, "I know, I'm loving the new make over," I said sarcastically, "It's a major turn on."





"This isn't a joke!" he snarled.





I smiled, "But it is, Jake." I looked over Jake's shoulder to meet Cameron's angry eyes, "You should thank me for punching you in the face," I said mockingly, "Cause it looks like you and Jake got into a fight, and you totally beat him."





Cameron's expression didn't change. It remained angry and still. Jake's face was full of hatred. He started coming towards me and I was about to dial someone's number for help, but he threw it out of my hand. I stepped back, getting scared, until my back was against the cold brick wall of the deli. I was about to kick him, or hit him with my purse, but he rammed me against the wall, positioning himself so that my legs were useless. He pinned my arms behind my back. The group just watched silently behind us as I stared wide-eyed into Jake's angry eyes. My heart started to beat rapidly. He was going to hurt me and I couldn't do anything to defend myself! I hated feeling so defenseless.





"You shouldn't walk by yourself," he whispered in a terrifying voice.





"She didn't," said another voice and then, Jake was gone.





His body was ripped away from mine and there was a loud 'thud' sound as the two bodies hit the ground. Jake was clearly no match for Blake. He struggled to get out of his grip with no such luck. Blake punched him a couple of times, but was distracted when Cameron and Riley jumped on top of him.





Blake threw them off of him and kicked them until they were down. They ground in pain, but still tried to continue.





"Stay down," Blake ordered.





Their faces paled and they did as they were told. Blake went over to Jake, who was trying to push himself off of the ground. Blake grabbed him by his shirt collar and pinned him against the wall.





Jake turned his face away from Blake's and struggled against his grip. Blake tightened his hold and got up in Jake's face, "If you ever touch her again," he growled in a dangerously low voice, "I'll kill you."





Jake's eyes widened and he tried, once again, to get out of Blake's hold, only to fail again. Blake spun him around and threw him onto the concrete sidewalk. Riley and Cameron scrambled to help him up while the girls huddled together in fear. "What the h*ll, Blake?" screeched Lisa.





Blake turned his deadly gaze to her and she shrunk behind the guys for protection, like they could do anything.





"Don't talk to me you filthy wh*re," Blake spat. He looked down at his feet and picked my phone off of the ground. He brushed it off on his jacket and handed it to me.





I took it cautiously, knowing that Jake and everyone else was still there. Blake's eyes met with mine and his expression softened when they saw me. His black eyes lightened back to a dark green and I my heart started to beat even faster, but not from being afraid. "Let's go," he whispered.





We started to walk away and I felt Blake's arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. Blushing, I looked over at him to see him glaring behind us. I also noticed that he stood protectively behind me. I looked behind us as well to see Jake and his group rushing in the other direction. They were probably going to the movie theater. I sighed, so much for our date plans.





We stopped walking after a moment and Blake turned to face me. All the anger was gone from his expression and was replaced with worry and regret. "I am so sorry," he began.





I held up my hand to stop him. I looked into his concerned eyes, "Sorry?" I asked, "Blake, you saved me and gave those retards an a*s beating they'll never forget!"





He let out a small laugh but the worry didn't leave his eyes, "I just didn't want you to see me like that."





I have to admit, Blake was scary back there. But he was also fierce and protecting. Obviously, he's been in fights before because he handled three on one without a sweat. I just shrugged, "I bet they won't bother us again."





Now he really laughed and turned his gaze to the sky. "So what now?" I asked.





He was still looking up when he spoke, "It's a clear night, isn't it?" he asked.





I looked up at the sky as well, "Yeah," I agreed, "I wish I could see the stars, but all the town lights make it impossible."





Blake nodded in agreement and then his face brightened, "Follow me," he said with new excitement in his voice.





I was about to ask where we were going, but stopped just before the words escaped my mouth. A tingle went through my skin when I felt Blake's hand on mine. He looked over at me and smiled. We walked hand-in-hand down many streets in silence. It was a comfortable silence, though. My mind was focused on how soft his hand felt on mine and how I never wanted that warmness to go away.





Soon we were out of town and on the neighborhood roads. We walked down a road that was lined by houses and cut across a few people's lawns. I realized that we weren't to far away from my house; maybe only a couple of streets away. We cut across one more lawn and then started to enter the woods.





I came to and abrupt halt, making Blake face me, "Are you going to r*pe me?" I asked half jokingly, half serious.





Blake gave me a look, "Sorry darling, but I don't r*pe my girlfriends until at least the third date."





I tried to hide the satisfaction I felt from him calling me darling and his girlfriend. So he wouldn't see my contentment, I dramatically put my hand across my heart, "What a relief!"





He laughed at me as he continued to lead me through the dark woods. "Hey, don't laugh at my poor acting skills," I pretended to say defensively.





He laughed again, "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you."





I rolled my eyes at him, though he probably couldn't see me in the darkness. "But I wasn't laughing," I stated.





"In the inside you were," he replied merely.





I lightly elbowed him and childishly stuck my tongue out.





"Did you just stick your tongue out at me?" he asked amused.





"Maybe," I said, looking straight ahead to hide my smile.





He shook his head and tried to muffle another laugh, "That's hot."





I smirked, "You know it."





It was such a meaningless conversation, but I loved how things were so simple between us. We walked for a few more minutes and then Blake stopped, "We're here," he announced.





"I looked around, "Where?"





"Right there," he said, pointing through a couple of trees.





I looked closer to see a small clearing through the trees. There, in the middle of the clearing, was a small hill made out of rock. It wasn't tall enough to reach above the trees. Instead, tall oaks and maples circled around it, hiding it from the modern world completely. We climbed up the rocks and sat down at the top.





"Adam and I wanted to 'run away' when we were younger," Blake suddenly said, "That's when we discovered this place. We come here whenever we need to get away and think."





"Then why are you showing me?" I asked, slightly honored, "This is your special place."





He looked down at me and smiled, "Look up," he whispered.





I looked up through the space in the trees and saw a breathtaking sight. "Wow," I breathed. There were millions of stars stretched across the sky, dancing in the moonlight.





"Amazing, isn't it?" he asked.





"They're so many of them," I exclaimed in a whisper.





Blake smiled, "Adam always says to hold up your thumb and count how many stars fit behind it. Then go across the sky and see how many thumbs you can fit across it. Then you multiply that number by how many stars were behind your thumb the first time, and that's how many stars are around you."





I gazed at the night sky in wonder as I held out my thumb to the stars, "That actually makes some sense."





"He also says that's how you tell how many angels you have," Blake said in a lower voice. I looked away from the stars to see his face lost in thought. His eyes looked distant, like he was re-seeing the memory. "He says whenever you feel alone, just look up into the sky and remember that you have all those angels looking out for you."





"That's a beautiful thought," I murmured.





I gazed back up at the sky and jumped a little when I felt Blake's arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I snuggled in closer to him and couldn't help but gaze up at him. His emerald green eyes were staring at me with a mix of emotions and I almost forgot how to breath. His fingers lightly brushed my face as he moved a stray strand of hair behind my ear.





My heart started to beat rapidly.





His fingers trailed down my cheek, leaving a tingling sensation behind from where his fingers once were. His eyes landed on my lips and he leaned in closer.





Butterflies fluttered like crazy in my stomach as we leaned in closer to each other. The entire world seemed to disappear behind us.





His soft lips met mine and I melted in his arms. Soon, it was just the two of us floating in the stars, but this was no daydream. No, it was much better than I could have ever imagined. He pulled me closer to him and his soft lips pressed harder against mine. I must be in heaven, I thought as the perfect moment lead on.





We eventually pulled apart to catch our breath, but the space between us didn't change. His face remained centimeters from mine and I could feel his warm breath on my neck. Goosebumps went down my spine as I twisted my hand in his black hair and wrapped my free arm around his neck. I saw his lips twitch up into a slight smile.





I know Adam must be right about the angel thing because I swore I heard singing as our lips connected again.

Chapter 14


Blake's P.O.V-





At first, the ride home with Adam was silent. Actually, it was more like Adam was up for conversation, but he knew I was busy thinking.





Tonight, best day of my life. I kissed her! I kissed Grace, she kissed me, where going out, and I am one happy dude. I couldn't stop rubbing my lips together from where her soft lips touched mine.





"Okay, so what happened?" Adam asked, breaking the silence.





I couldn't help but grin and Adam noticed, "Oh d*mn, I'm seeing a smile and a blush! Does Blake got himself a new girl?" he asked with a grin.





I laughed sheepishly, "Um...yeah, he does."





We stopped in front of our house and Adam pulled into our driveway. He turned off the engine and turned to look at me, "So, did you kiss her?"





Another sheepish grin spread across my face and Adam's face brightened with excitement, "Holy cr*p! Are you telling me you grew a pair of b*lls and kissed her?"





I ignored his teasing and nodded my head.





Adam laughed and slapped me on the back, "Good for you little bro-bro!"





"Thanks," I said with a grin.





"How long was it?" he pressed.





I blushed, "Like ten or twelve seconds," I replied. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed telling him about our kiss. Even if it was only Adam.





He whistled, "That's pretty good for a first kiss." Then another grin spread across his face and he asked, "So is she a good kisser?"





My blush grew and looked away from his gaze. I knew he was just trying to embarrass me and it's working. "Yes..." I murmured.





Adam whistled again, "Looks like you gotta keeper. So, did you see a romantic movie together and then make your move?"





Now I laughed, "Um, not exactly."





I told Adam everything about our date, and I mean everything. When I was finished, he had an amused look on his face.





"So, you beat up three guys, and then you look at the stars together?" he asked in disbelief.





I ran my hand through my hair, "Yeah, basically."





Adam laughed and shook his head.





"But, it's okay that I brought her to our rock right?" I asked worriedly. I couldn't help but feel that he would be mad at me for showing her such a private place of ours.





"Of course it is!" he exclaimed. Then he grinned at me, "I never knew you were so romantic," he said jokingly while lightly punching me in the arm.





I rolled my eyes, "Well, I'm no player like you."





Adam scoffed, "I'm not a player!" he exclaimed.





I gave him a look. I know he sleeps around. Honestly, I don't care. I just think it's funny that he's so insulted being called a player.





"I've gone on at least one date with any girl I've ever slept with!" he stated. Then he cocked his head to the side to think his statement through, "Well..."





I shook my head, "Whatever, dude, I don't gotta hear the story."





Adam rolled his eyes, "Either way, congratulations man."





I smiled and we got out of the car. I opened our front door and stepped inside of our living room. Mom and Jimmy were watching TV together. Jimmy didn't even bother to look up, but our mom didn't bother to hide her glare.





"And where were you this evening?" she asked irritated.





"I was out," I replied shortly.





She rolled her eyes at me, "Obviously, but where?"





I sighed, "I had a date."





That seemed to surprise both our mom and Jimmy. "Wait," said Jimmy, "Like, with a girl?"





I rolled my eyes. "No stupid, with a tree," Adam replied sarcastically.





Jimmy glared at both of us and turned towards our mom. "Be nice to your brother!" she scolded.





"I am nice to my brother," Adam said while putting a hand on my shoulder.





I couldn't help but grin at our mom's annoyed expression.





"You know what I mean!" she snapped, "Now apologize to him! Right. Now."





Adam gave me an amused look and turned back to our mom, "No, I don't think I will."





"Adam!" our mom yelled. Adam just walked away laughing. He loved ticking off our mom. "Adam get back here right now!" she screeched.





I covered my ears, "Holy cr*p, stop screaming!"





Now she glared at me, "Don't tell me what to do!" she spat.





I rolled my eyes, "Whatever, I'm going to bed."





Before she could yell anymore, I ran upstairs and went down the hallway. I entered my bedroom and locked the door behind me. If Adam wanted to come in, he could just pick the lock or climb in through the window.





I flopped onto my bed and started to blast music through my iHome. It's amazing how easily Jimmy and my mom could ruin my good mood. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and unlocked the screen. There was a new text message and I smiled at the name on the screen.


Grace: So my family likes u =)


Me: Haha y?


Grace: Cause u beat up 3 dudes and saved me


Me: Do they know we kissed?


Grace: Yeah... Bre made me tell EVERYTHING


Me: ...So is Liam gonna kill me?


Grace: Nope =) Like I said my family likes u





I smiled triumphantly to myself. So Grace's family likes me. Even Liam is okay with me.


Grace: What about ur family?


Me: What about em?


Grace: Do they know about me?





I sighed.


Me: Adam does...


Grace: ...Well can I meet ur mom?


Me: How bout u meet the band?





Grace wanted to meet my family. Well, the band is my family. As for my real family, I only consider Adam as my family.


Grace: That sounds awesome! But y don't u want me 2 meet ur mom?





I sighed at her question. How could I explain that I hate my mom and she hates me? I typed my reply and presses 'send.'


Me: Meet me @ da park 2morrow @ 12. There's a lot 2 explain...


Grace: Okay...





For a moment, that seemed like the end of the conversation, but then my phone lit up as another text arrived.


Grace: Anyways I had a lot of fun 2night =)





I smiled to myself.


Me: Good =) so did I.

Chapter 15


Blake's P.O.V-




I woke up around nine o'clock to find myself wide awake. Well, Grace was meeting my family today, so I guess that's a good reason to feel on edge.




I took a quick shower and stumbled downstairs wearing only an old pair of ripped skinny jeans. I heard a voice mumbling something in the kitchen. Curious, I walked over to the doorway and peered in.




My mom was leaning casually against one of the kitchen counters with our home phone pressed to her ear. "I just can't take it anymore, Chelle," she said.




I internally groaned. My mom was speaking to my Aunt Michelle, who was also her best friend. Aunt Michelle was tall with curly auburn colored hair. Having grown up together, her and my mom were very close. They shared everything about their lives with each other like two teenage girls gossiping.




I listened intently as the conversation continued. "No, there's no respect at all!" my mom exclaimed. She shook her head as my aunt replied. "I don't know," she sighed, "There's just something wrong with their heads. The rest of the family is normal, it's just them." My mom's laughter filled the room when she listened to my aunt's reply and I cringed at her next comment.




Grace's P.O.V.-


The sun felt warm on my bare arms as I walked down the old, cracked cement sidewalk. I hummed to myself as I kicked a small pebble out in front of me. I turned a corner and I was soon walking along side of a fence.




I looked up and peered through the holes of the fence at the park. Not many people were there. A couple of little kids played on the swings and the jungle gym as their mothers hovered near by, quietly chatting amongst themselves.




I walked trough the park gates and scanned the commons for the one person I couldn't wait to see. Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and smiled at the name on the screen.


I see you :) - it read.




I could almost hear his voice teasing me. I looked up and looked around the park once more until I located him. He was seated on one of the benches with his head down. His hair covered most of his face, but as I neared, I noticed the corners of his lips were tugged up into a small smile.




When he finally looked up at me an uncontrollable grin appeared on my face and my heart accelerated in my chest.




"Hey," he said dreamily, "Is it corny to say that I missed you?"




I giggled as a blush made it's way onto my face. "Not at all. I think it's cute," I said truthfully.




He smiled and pulled me into a hug. He rested his chin on my shoulder for a moment and sighed. I pulled away from him, "What's wrong?"




He let out a small laugh, "You can already tell when I'm in a bad mood?" I shrugged and he shook his head, "Eh, it's nothing. Just a bad morning."




He sat back down on the bench and patted the spot next to him. I sat down and he put his arm around me, pulling me closer. A small smile formed at my lips and I turned to face him. "Well, you know you can tell me anything," I told him.




He gazed into my eyes for a moment and sighed, "Do you really want to know what happened?"




"Sure," I encouraged.




He let out another sigh and ran a hand through his black hair. I smiled to myself at his cute gesture.




"Okay, well this morning I overheard my mom talking on the phone with my Aunt Michelle..." he began.




Blake's P.O.V.-


I began to tell Grace about the conversation I overheard this morning. She listened patiently as I described my Aunt Michelle and her relationship with my mom.


*Flashback*




"...the rest of the family is normal, it's just them," my mom had said. Then she burst out laughing at my aunt's reply and shook her head. "You're totally right, Chelle," my mom agreed, "I mean, all I want is a normal family, but instead I get stuck with two bizarre boys and a bum of a husband."




I cringed at her comment and my hands balled into fists as she continued to talk. "I mean, thank God for Jimmy. At least I was blessed with one normal child. I just feel so terrible for my little angel. He has to be terrorized by those two monstrous boys..."




At that comment, I snapped. I stormed into the kitchen and snatched the phone out of her hands. She gasped and jumped back in surprise.




"Your angel child Jimmy?" I spat, "That little demon is no angel and we've done nothing compared to what he's done to us!"




She started backing away from me, terror in her eyes. "T-this is what I mean!" she screeched, "That poor boy has to deal with all of this!" she wailed while waving her hand towards me.




I was fuming. Out of anger, I slammed the phone down onto the tile floor and watched it shatter into pieces. My mom screamed and I turned my deadly gaze back to her.




"That 'poor boy' is nothing but a kiss *ss! He playcates you!" I screamed, "And you're in no position to call my father a bum!" I said through clenched teeth. "If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have half the things you have now! You wouldn't have this house!" I scolded, "Compared to him, you're the most worthless and useless person I know! I'm glad he dumped you! He's probably a lot happier now!" I ended angrily.




She was shaking a little and her eyes were wide, "Get out!" she screamed, "Get out you crazy child!"




"Don't you mean monstrous?" I mocked bitterly. Her face paled and I scoffed at her pathetic demands.




"G-get out of my house!" she screamed at me again.




"With pleasure," I spat and with that, I grabbed my jacket and walked out, slamming the door behind me.


*Flashback over*


Grace's P.O.V.-




By the time Blake had finished telling me his story, my hands were clamped into fists and my teeth were clenched together.




He shook his head in frustration, "So yeah, that was my wonderful morning," he sated sarcastically, turning to face me.




I shook my head in disgust, "That's horrible!" I exclaimed.




Blake threw his head back to look up at the sky, "Yeah, well welcome to my world."




"But that's not right!" I stated angrily, "They're your family, they shouldn't do that to you-" I choked out those last few words and my breath caught as they echoed through my head. I turned away from him and stared at the ground.




"Hey," he said sitting up, "It's okay. That stuff happens to me all the time. It's no big deal," he said reassuringly.




He took my hand into his and turned my head so I was facing him again. I felt my eyes burning into his and I tried to look away.




"Aw, darling, don't get upset," he said concerned, "It's no big deal, really."




I shook my head and actually had to hold back the urge to cry, "That's not it."




"Then what is it?" he asked confused.




I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "It's nothing...just, the last time I said those words was a long time ago when something very bad happened."




He pulled me closer to him and brushed my hair out of my face, "Well, you heard me out. Now it's my turn to listen."




I looked up at him for a moment, deciding how to tell him about my most scarring memory. "You still like your father, even after all the crap he put you through?" I asked.




Blake nodded.




"Well I hate mine."




His forehead creased, "Why?"




I took a deep breath and suddenly, I was nine years old again.


*Flashback*




I walked into the kitchen and put my spelling book back into my school bag.




"Done with your homework?" my mom asked.




"Yeah, finally," I huffed, "I had so much today!" At those words, I looked up at our old-fashioned clock that hung on the wall. It was almost nine o'clock and my father still wasn't home. "Hey mom?" I asked




"Yes, sweety?"




"Where's dad?"




"Um...he's at another meeting," she said slowly.




"Oh."




My heart thumped loudly inside of my chest. I knew whenever my mom said my father was at a 'meeting' he was really our drinking. Unfortunately, he's been at a lot of 'meetings' lately and he acts all weird when he gets home. Sometimes he scares me.




Just then, a car swerved onto out street and stopped in front of our small house. My mom inhaled quickly, "Um, Gracie, why don't you go play in your room for a little while?"




"Okay..." I replied uneasily. I walked down the hall and entered my small room. I quickly shut the door and ran to the corner furthest away from it. I slumped down and brought my knees up to my chest. As I heard the front door open and slam close, I silently prayed that Liam would come home from practice soon.




"What is this!" he yelled, "I come home from a hard days work and you don't even have dinner ready for me!"




"Jerry, dear, it's almost nine o'clock," my mom said trying to sound reasonable, "I just assumed that you would've eaten by now and-"




"Enough of your pointless excuses!" he roared, "Make me some dinner now!"




"Okay, okay," my mom said wearily, "Just please try to lower your voice. You'll scare Grace."




I heard my father make a drunken snort and stumble over to the table. A few moments later, I heard the sound of food simmering in a pot and my mother rummaging through our pantry.




Another moment of silence went by and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Just when all seemed to be okay, my father exploded again.




"What are you doing, that's not right!" I heard him get up and throw the pot off the stove. There was a loud clang and I heard my mother scream.




"I am tired of you...making mistakes!" he yelled through his drunken slur.




"B-but Jerry I didn't do anything wrong-"




"Shut up!" he roared, making the entire house shake. I heard a loud thump and my mom cried out in pain. I hugged my knees closer to me and closed my eyes, trying to control my shaking body.







"I'm done!" he shouted, "I'm done with you, you're done.."




"Jerry, please, you don't know what you're saying!" my mom sobbed.




"Now you think I'm stupid?" he shouted, "You're dead, b*tch!"




I felt my entire body freeze and heard the entire world go silent except for the sound of my pounding heart in my ears.




"Jerry please..." my mom begged.




I opened my door.




"Jerry, please! Think about the children!" she wailed.




I ran down the hallway.




"Oh dear Lord, Jerry stop!"




My mom was on the floor besides the pot that she was preparing my father's dinner in. Her hands were covering her face in a protective position and I saw that my father was holding something in his hand.




"Get away from her!" I screamed. Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my father's back with my arms wrapped tightly around his neck.




He stumbled backwards and dropped whatever he was holding to try to get me off with both hands. I heard something fall to the floor and I looked quickly enough to see a large knife laying at my father's feet. In my moment of shear terror, I was distracted enough by the knife for him to be able to throw me off of his back. My body went flying and my head collided with a wall. I cried out in pain and tried to see through my tears that poured down my face.




"You little pest!" he growled. As he stumbled closer to me, I could smell the alcohol on his breath.




I felt my entire body shaking with fear as he got closer and closer. "Please don't hurt me," I pleaded in a whisper. He didn't respond, but continued to get closer to me. I let out a small whimper and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the worse to happen at any moment.




Only it never did. I heard some shouting and then a loud crash. I opened my eyes to see my father on the floor and Liam screaming on top of him. Liam tried to punch him, but missed when our father unexpectedly threw him off, sending him flying into a wall. At that moment, I was really glad Liam still had all of his football gear on.




Our father tried to push himself off the floor, but Liam was already up and didn't hesitate to tackle him back down. Liam started to punch him repeatedly but our father won over him again and managed to get both his hands around my brother's neck. Liam struggled violently to get out of our father's grip while I screamed, trying to push myself off the floor.




But there was no need to. Somebody grabbed our father's shoulders and ripped him off of Liam, beating him down to the ground again. Liam took a moment to catch his breath before jumping back into the action to help out his savior, Andre.




With both of them teamed up, my father didn't stand a chance. Andre's father, who happened to be their football coach at the time, came rushing in. The three of them were able to chase my dad out of the house without anyone else getting hurt. Liam and Andre lurched forward to chase after him, but Andre's father stopped them and said he already had 911 on the phone.




Liam glared down the street at our father's disappearing figure and shouted, "If I ever see your face near my family again you're dead!"




I jumped violently when I felt someone's hand touch my shoulder. "Are you okay Grace?" asked an out of breath voice. I looked up to see Andre kneeling down in front of me. I wrapped my arms around him and cried freely into his chest.




I heard my mom sobbing in the distance and soon, a new pair of arms were holding me. I looked up into my big brother's eyes and began to cry even harder.




"It's okay, Gracie," he whispered, "You're safe now, I won't let nobody hurt you."




I shook my head violently and through my tears a managed to choke out, "He was part of our family! He shouldn't have done that to us!"




Liam held me tighter, "I know, baby girl, I know. But you're safe now. We're all safe..."


*Flashback over*




"Grace?" said a soft voice.




I inhaled quickly and opened my eyes back up to reality. My hand was squeezing Blake's tightly and my eyes burned with tears that threatened to come at any moment.




His emerald green eyes gazed into mine and he pulled me close to him. I rested my head against his chest and took a quivering deep breath.




"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that too, Grace," he whispered, "You're safe now, though. It's all going to be okay."




I sniffled and took a deep breath, "I know," I whispered.




"I swear I'll always protect you, Grace. You can count on it," he said seriously.




I smiled and looked up at him. I leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thank you," I murmured. I settle back into his chest and let the horrible memory disappear in the safety of his arms.

Adam's P.O.V-




"Where's Blake?" I asked.




"Why would I know?" Jimmy scoffed.




I rolled my eyes impatiently at my little brother, "I know you know what happened this morning, so stop being a little twit and tell me."




Jimmy looked offended by my comment, "If you call me that again, I'll tell mom," he threatened.




I laughed at his jibe, "Go ahead and be a snitch. I don't give a sh*t what that lady says to me."




Jimmy had no response for that.




I laughed again, "You're such a mommy's boy, you know that? You can't do nothing without her."




He narrowed his eyes at me, "Fine, do you really wanna know what happened?"




I threw my hands up in the air, "Obviously or I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to you!"




He clenched his hands into fists, "Mom through him out, that's what happened!"




That threw me off guard, "Wait...why?"




He shrugged, "Don't know, don't care. But he looked really angry before he left." One of Jimmy's twisted smirks appeared on his face. "You know, he might have gotten real depressed again...maybe depressed enough to kill himself?"




I tensed up and glared down at him. His smirk grew wider when he saw that he gotten to me.




"Yep, I bet he did," Jimmy continued, "I bet he didn't even think twice about you-"




With one hand, I grabbed Jimmy by the collar and pinned him up against a wall. He struggled to get free, but I had both hands holding him down now.




"Say that to my face, one more time you little b*stard," I growled.




He stopped struggling to glare at me. As soon as his brown eyes met my green ones, his face paled. He realized that he gone too far and stuttered, "Look, A-Adam, I was just joking-"




"If you ever say something like that again," I warned in a deadly voice, "I'll kill you."




I must have seem pretty convincing for Jimmy's eyes widened with fear. He opened his mouth to utter a response, but a loud shriek behind us cut him off.




"Let him go!" our mother shouted.




I turned my head around to look at her. "Do you even know what he said about your son? My brother?" I spat.




"I don't care what he said, let my son go!" she demanded.




"Blake is your son too!" I countered angrily.




"I don't care about Blake!" she spat.




"Well that's a wonderful thing to come home to," said a new voice.




All our heads snapped around to the sound of the voice and my eyes landed on the doorway. Blake stood there with his shoulders squared and he's eyes narrowed at all of us. An amused expression played at his features when he saw the situation Jimmy and I were in.




A sheepish grin appeared on my face and I finally released our younger brother. He fell to the floor and glared up at me as he fixed his shirt.




I was about to say something to lighten the mood, but our mom spoke before I could. "I didn't say you could come back," she said icily.




Blake's eyes hardened, "Actually, I brought someone here to meet you, but I don't think that's such a good idea now."




That caught us all off guard. That's when I noticed that Blake was holding another person's hand tightly and standing in front of her protectively.




My eyes widened in realization and a small smile appeared at my lips, "Hey Grace," I said softly.




She came by Blake's side and smiled at me, "Hi..." she said uneasily.




I glanced at Blake. He looked very uncomfortable with the whole situation. I searched for a way to make it better when our mom spoke again.




"Who is this, Blake?" she said in a softer tone.




"Mom, this is Grace Brooks. She's my, uh, girlfriend," Blake stated, looking a little flustered. I saw a sheepish smile tug at Grace's lips and I tried my best to hide my smirk at them. "Grace, this is my mother, Clara Collins, and my younger brother, Jimmy."




Grace smiled and shyly stuck her hand out to our mother, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Collins," she said politely.




Our mom shook her hand and replied, "The pleasure is all mine." She looked Grace over once more, the shocked expression never leaving her face, before she turned back to Blake. "This is the person you were out with the other night?" she clarified.




Blake nodded. Our mom shook her head, "Well she's very...pretty."




"Don't act so surprised," I heard Blake mumble under his breath.




I laughed under my breath. Lisa didn't really care about her appearance. She would show up at our house wearing anything and sometimes it was very... revealing.




Jimmy coughed under his breath and Grace looked over him. "Hi, it's Jimmy right?" she asked kindly.




"Um, yeah," he said quickly, "So, like...you're his girlfriend?" he asked slowly.




Grace let out a small laugh, "Yes I am."




"But...why?"




"Excuse me?" she said offended.




"Well, you know, you're, like...hot and he's..."




"Also hot," she finished for him, "So I guess it works out." That surprised all of us and Jimmy just stared at her dumbfounded. Grace smirked at him and his face flushed.




I laughed as he walked away, flustered. I walked over to Grace and gave her a hug, "It's good to see you again," I said with a grin.




She smiled and relaxed, "Same here. I hope I wasn't to mean to your brother."




I laughed, "Nah, he'll get over it. I just don't think he's used to being put in his place by a girl."




Grace raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"




I shrugged, "Our mom lets him do anything so he always gets his way with her."




"That's annoying."




I blew my hair out of my face, "Tell me about it," I muttered.




"So are they coming?" Blake spoke up.




"Yeah," I said, " They'll be here in a few minutes. Why don't you guys wait outside and wait for them?" I suggested. I thought it would better if Grace wasn't near our mom or Jimmy right now.




"Okay," Blake replied. He opened the door for Grace and she stepped out. He followed her, shutting the door behind him.


Grace's P.O.V.-




We walked back outside and sat down on the front steps. Well, that was interesting. Blake's mom seemed like a mean lady, but she was very capable of being nice. Jimmy was a whole different story. I had a feeling I was going to have to deal with an annoying, perverted little brother.




"We don't always fight like that," Blake suddenly said.




I turned to look at him. He looked very embarrassed and ashamed of himself. "It's fine," I assured him.




"No it's not," he sighed, "But they're usually better when we have company. We only get into bad fights when it's just us around."




"Blake, it's okay. I understand completely," I said reassuringly.




He sighed, "I know, but I don't want you to have to see that..."




I sighed and leaned forward to kiss him. He was surprised at first, but I soon felt his arms around my waist. He pulled me closer and I smiled against his lips.




That's when I heard a car door slam shut and an amused voice call out, "Well, I was going to ask how the date went, but I guess this explains my answer."




We broke apart and I found myself staring at two amused looking older guys. One had blonde hair with black stripes going throughout it with beautiful blue eyes and the other one had purple spiky hair with regular brown eyes. Under both their eyes was a thick black line and both of them had many piercings. The one with the blonde and black hair seemed to be the who had spoken.




"You know, you don't have to go out of your way to be an ass to me," Blake said with a grin on his face. He stood up, pulling me up with him.




He went up to the blonde and did that one arm shoulder-bump hug thing guys do. Then he went up to guy with the purple hair. He grinned and got Blake into a headlock and gave him a noogie. Blake broke free and they all laughed.




I smiled and blushed a little when Blake took my hand and pulled me closer to the two men.




"Grace, this is Chris," he said, gesturing to the blonde with the black stripes, "And this is Chebby." The purple haired guy grinned at me when I stared at him with my mouth open.




"Nice to finally meet you!" said Chris in a cheery voice.




"Yeah, same here," I said sweetly and then I turned to the purple-head. "So wait, you name is Chebby?" I clarified.




They all laughed at my expression, "Yep, it is," he said proudly, "Well, I mean, technically my name is Chris too, but you can see how that gets confusing."




Now I laughed, "I think that's the greatest name I've ever heard of."




He grinned at me and then I heard a door open and close behind me. Adam came out and greeted them. Then he turned to Blake and I with a grin on his face.




"Well this is it," Blake said in a matter-of-fact tone, "This is our band."




I looked them all over and grinned.




"Aren't we a sexy bunch?" Chebby asked.




I rolled my eyes, "Oh yes, the sexiest." Involuntary, my eyes landed on Blake and his grin grew even wider. They all laughed at my comment and I felt myself blush slightly




"I like her already!" Chris laughed.




I smiled along with them as we went back inside and I suddenly felt the weight of the room get lighter.

Chapter 17


Grace's P.O.V.-




We went back into their house and I was amazed my its beauty. It had lavender walls and crème-colored carpeted floors. There was a large staircase that led to the upstairs and a balcony overlooked the room we were standing in. This room in particular consisted of a large, comfy looking beige coach and two leather chairs that were all facing a huge plasma flat-screen television. A small, glass coffee table lay in front of the couch and was covered with magazines such as People and Glamour.




I glanced over at Blake who looked like he had no intention of staying in this room. I held his hand tighter as he four of them continued to lead me through the huge house. We went down a long hallway an passed by a bathroom, a laundry room, and a large bedroom which I assumed was his mother's.




Finally, we reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of a faded brown door. Adam opened it and I all I saw was darkness. He flipped on a light switch which revealed a narrow stairway leading down into what I assumed was their basement.




As we descended down the stairs, I noticed an immediate temperature change and I couldn't help but shiver. Blake noticed and gave me a small smile, "Sorry, it gets a little cold down here."




I shook my head, "I'm fine."




"Oh really?" he asked, "Then why are your arms covered with goosebumps?"




I looked down at my arms and legs to see all the tiny blond hairs on my body sticking up, leaving a trail of goosebumps down my body. I cussed under my breath and glanced over at Blake.




Amused by my reaction, he took off his black denim jacket and handed it to me. I shook my head and pushed it away, "I'm fine, really."




"Well, I don't want you to get frostbite down here."




"I won't," I said with a small laugh.




He rolled his eyes at me, "Would you stop being so stubborn and take my jacket already?"




I stopped in front of him and crossed my arms. He gave me look and suddenly, his lips were on mine. While I stood there, stunned, he slipped the jacket around my shoulders and pulled back to look at me. "See!" he said with a grin, "You look cute in it too!"




I just stared at him like an idiot. I didn't know weather to be flattered by his compliment or annoyed that he out smarted me. It also came to my attention that everyone in the room was staring at us.




Flustered, I mumbled, "Fine," and reluctantly pulled the jacket around my body. I was overwhelmed by his sweet scent and I smiled to myself when I felt his hand cover mine. Secretly, I was very happy to have his warm jacket around me.




We walked down the rest of the stairs and I heard the others laugh as they waited for us at the bottom. Ears hot, I followed them into a dark room. When the lights flickered on I was amazed at what I saw.




The room itself was dark. It had deep purple walls that were covered with posters of guitars, and some of my favorite bands and others I've never even heard of. The ones that stood out the most were Escape The Fate, LinkinPark, Bring Me The Horizon, and Bullet For My Valentine. This room also contained a large flat-screen and a black micro fiber couch set. There was yet another coffee table covered with magazines such as Spin, Rolling Stone, and Rock Sound. Besides the television, there was a large stereo system that was flooded with CDs. But what caught my eye the most is what lay behind all the furniture. A good portion of the room was taken up by a series of guitars, bases, keyboards, and even a full drum set in the back. A group of microphones, headsets, petals, headphones, and amps were to the right of the drum set. To the left was a bunch of heavy looking recoding material that was spread out along a long table. To my astonishment, I saw another room lay beyond the table. It had a glass window frame in the front and a couple of microphones and chairs set up in it. They even had their own recording room?




Blake noticed my gawking and rubbed the back of his, "Yeah, I know it's a bit much..."




I looked over at him with my mouth still hanging open, "Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed, "This is freaking amazing!"




He seemed pleased by my reaction and I walked over to all the band equipment. "So this is where you guys practice and stuff?" I asked while examining a cherry red Fender guitar.




"Yep." It was Adam who answered. "Our mom didn't want to hear all the noise so she gave us a budget and this is what we created."




"Well you guys did an amazing job," I said while taking another look around.




"Yeah," said Chris while walking over to the stereo system, "It's better looking than my place, I can tell you that." There was an edge to his voice. Before I could question what he meant, music started blasting through the speakers.




I jumped in surprise at first, but my heart settled down as the familiar lyrics of one of my favorite songs filled the room.




"Hey, hey," Chebby said while walking over towards Chris. He paused the music and turned the volume down. "Let's not scare the pretty lady with our scary music, shall we?"




Chris crossed his arms in annoyance when I interjected, "Um, this pretty lady actually loves your 'scary' music."




They both looked over at me in surprise. I came over to them slowly, "That was 'I'm Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Out Of' right?"




At first they just stared at me and then a huge grin appeared on Chris's face. "She likes our crap!" he yelled.




"It's not crap," I said defensively.




"To most people it is," Chebby said.




"Well those people are losers," I muttered.




Chebby and Adam laughed and Chris went as far as coming up to me and giving me a big kiss on the forehead. "I freaking love you!" he exclaimed.




I stood there, shocked for a moment, before glancing over at Blake who was glaring at Chris. I couldn't help but crack a grin at his expression. "Is it that surprising that I like screamo?" I asked out of pure curiosity. I really don't get why everyone finds it so astonishing.




They stopped laughing and Chris replied, "You have to realize this is a big step-up for us."




"Ha, yeah remember how Lisa would scream at us?" Chebby reminisced.




Chris rolled his eyes, "How could I forget?"




Chebby laughed, "I know she'd be like 'Turn that sh*t down!' Chebby screeched in a high, squeaky voice.




Chris snorted, "Remember that time she was like 'It sounds like these people are murdering a bunch of innocent animals!'




"Haha, yeah, and then we couldn't stop laughing at her and she got even more pissed off," Adam recalled.




All three of them started shouting memories of times they pissed Lisa off and they all doubled over laughing while Blake stood awkwardly besides me. I guess mentioning Lisa's name around me made him uncomfortable. I personally couldn't care less. I was laughing my head off with these guys! They made Lisa sound like some b*tchy spoiled brat.




Once Blake saw me laughing, he relaxed. He even cracked a grin at some of the memories. He shook his head after awhile, "Alright, alright, we all get that I was incredibly stupid for ever liking Lisa."




Chris snorted, "Stupid? Try blind."




Blake shoved Chris in the arm which only seemed to amuse Chris more. "Eh, don't sweat it kid," Chebby said with a grin, "She's gone now."




"And you got an incredibly sexy girl to replace her," Adam said, sending a playful wink towards me.




Blake stiffened, "She's not a replacement," he said sternly to his brother.




All amusement fell out of Adam's expression and I felt my heart skip a beat when the full meaning of Blake's words hit me. I felt my ears turn hot as I turned my head to look up at Blake.




"You know I didn't mean it like that," Adam said defensively.




Blake shrugged, "I'm just making sure you know."




There was a tension between the two for a few moments longer, but it soon dissolved in the air around us and the two brothers redeemed their easy going smiles.




Chris turned the stereo back on and soon the silent room was filled with the wonderful screaming music we all love. The music was so loud, that the entire room seemed to be shaking and my heart seemed to be beating to the rhythm of the drums.




We walked over to the black couch and sat down, except Chris, who grabbed one of the guitars before joining us.




Just as he was about to speak, a voice screamed, "TURN THE MUSIC DOWN. NOW!"




Amusement flickered into Adam's eyes, "Okay mommy!" he shouted back. He walked over to the stereo system and turned the music up so loud that it took me a moment to figure out how to blink again.




"ADAM!" she screamed, but her voice was so muffled by the music that I could barely make out the first letter of his name.




I looked over at Adam who seemed to be quite pleased with himself. I got up off the couch, leaving Blake, Chris, and Chebby staring after me. "Don't be a jerk to your mom!" I yelled at him.




"What?" he shouted back, though I knew he heard me clearly.




I rolled my eyes, "Turn it down!" I ordered.




Adam just stared at me for a moment and then a grin appeared on his face, "As you wish." He twisted the volume knob and soon the blaring music was gone.




My ears rang in the silence for a moment, but then I could faintly hear words being murmured through the speakers.




I crossed my arms and glared up at him, "Not that much, wisecrack."




"What ever do you mean?" he said innocently, but I could tell it took all of his will-power to keep a straight face.




I raised my hand up to his forehead and flicked him. His hand immediately went up to his head and he cried out "Ow!"




He looked down at me like I was crazy. I just smiled and lifted my arms up like I was a gangster, "I flicked you, get at me!"




His response to that was to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder so all the blood rushed to my head. "Adam!" I complained. I heard a series of laughing from behind me and I struggled to get free.




"What now?" Adam said triumphantly, "B*tch get on my level!"




I stopped struggling for a moment and rolled my eyes, "Well I would, but instead I'm dangling with my head by your *ss!" I replied sarcastically.




Adam stopped laughing for a moment. "Touché guitar girl, touché." And with that, I was swung back over his shoulder and placed on the ground. I grabbed onto his arm to steady myself as the blood drained from my head.




Meanwhile, Adam turned the music back up so it was at a reasonable volume. When he was done he looked down at me and smiled. "That was not needed, " I stated in annoyance.




"What are you talking about?" he exclaimed, "That was completely necessary!"




I crossed my arms and pouted at him, "I really don't like you at this moment."




"Aww, Grace I'm sowwy," he said in a baby voice. He stuck out his lower lip and pretended to cry.




I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you're forgiven."




He stopped his 'crying' and perked up, "Nice!" He gave me a bear hug and we walked back over to the couch.




I plopped down next to Blake and rested my head on his shoulder. He just laughed and wrapped his arm around my waist.




"Guitar girl?" Chris questioned.




I looked over at him. "Yeah," Adam said, "She's amazingly awesome at the guitar."




"She sings too," Blake added.




I groaned. It was like having deja vù of the first time Blake and Adam heard me play.




"She might even be better than you, Chris," Adam challenged.




Chris's eyes narrowed, "I doubt that."




Now I sat up, "Oh, you don't think I can play better than you?"




Chris laughed at my reaction, "I know you can't."




I smirked, "Someone's a little cocky of himself."




There was a series of 'Oooos' around us as we glared at each other. "Alright," said Chris, "Show me what you got."




I smiled, "Gladly." I walked over and grabbed the cherry red Fender I was looking at before and plugged it into an amp. I played a couple quick chords to get the feel of the guitar when Chris called, "That's it?"




I looked up at him, "Sweety, I'm just getting warmed up."




He looked taken aback by my comment and without another moment of hesitation, I began soloing like there was no tomorrow. I started tapping and bending the strings in a complicated pattern that took me a good year to master. I picked up speed as the notes got higher and with one slide to the lower octave notes and back up, I ended my performance.




The silence rang in the air for a moment before I finally looked up at my audience. All four of them were staring at me with their mouths hanging open.




"Where the hell did that come from?" Adam shouted.




I shrugged, not wanting to act cocky. "How come you didn't play like that when we were over the first time?" Blake exclaimed.




"I don't like to show off," I said truthfully.




"Well why'd you showed off now?" Adam asked.




I shrugged, "He made me mad..." I said in a embarrassed voice.




They all laughed at me and I looked down at my lap, flustered. "So?" Adam asked regarding Chris.




He let out a small laugh and looked down in defeat, "Uh, yeah, she's good."




"Good?' Chebby exclaimed, "She's incredible!"




How long have you been playing for, again?" Blake asked me.




I counted the years in my head. "A little over seven years.








That seemed to shock them even more. "Seven years and you play like that?" Chebby said, "You're one impressive girl, Grace."




I felt my face heat up even more. "Aww, look guys! We're making her blush!" Adam said teasingly.




"Aww!" Chris and Chebby sang together.




I buried my face in Blake's chest and he laughed while rubbing my back, "Don't worry darling, if they're making fun of you it means you're a part of the family!"




Though I was red in the face, I couldn't help but feel extremely honored by his words.