His Escape

Chapter one *Gracie POV*

 “Is that the last of it?” My dad spoke with two bags in his hands.

“Yep, I got the last one,” my brother replied following closely behind also carrying a bag.

I watched as they loaded my luggage into my small red car, I thanked them and walked back into the house and down the hallway into my bedroom. I looked around my room which had my bed and some posters and photos on the wall.

“Goodbye,” I whispered as I walked back outside and was immediately engulfed in a suffocating hug from my mum. “Oh my baby,” she cried “off to college, I’m not ready yet.” She said as I laughed. “I’m ready, I was ready years ago.” My fifteen year old brother Harry said and I hit him as he walked past and he rubbed his arm in return and mouthed ‘ouch’.

“It’s okay mum, you’ll be alright, and at least you still have Harry for another couple of years… or ten” I said hugging her tightly, she laughed and Harry poked his tongue at me, how mature. I just shook my head and walked into my dad’s arms. “Now remember to call us as soon as you get there.” My dad said for the hundredth time this afternoon. “I got it dad.” I said and he nodded. I walked with open arms towards my brother, “No way, you are not touching me.” “Oh come on you won’t see me for another six months,” I pouted and he huffed and gave me a one armed hug and pulled back while dusting his arm off “Ew, IT touched me,” he said in disgust, I just laughed and shook my head at him.

“Goodbye dear, we love you and we’ll miss you,” my mum said as I got into my car. “Love you guys too.”

“And don’t forgot to call,” my dad said sternly.

“I will dad,” I said waving as I backed out of our drive way and onto the road and began my four hour journey to the Harvey Bay state College.

After stopping for food half way through I finally arrived at my destination. The campus was crowded with people, cars were everywhere as well as families saying goodbye. I finally found a park and grabbed my bags out of my car and placed them on a trolley and pushed it to a booth with a girl standing behind it with a clipboard. “Hello and welcome to Harvey Bay State College, I’m Katy and what’s your name?” she said happily. “Gracie Kessler,” I replied smiling. “Ah, here’s your schedule and you are in dorm B20, second floor B and room number 20, someone will take care of your luggage for you.” She said handing me my welcome package I nodded and walked to the dormitory. I found my room and walked in seeing my bags already there.

“Hello, I’m charlotte you must be Gracie,” I small blonde girl jumped out in front of me and grabbed my hand, “we are gunna’ be such good friends.” She squealed dragging me to my bags “here I’ll help you unpack.” I like her she’s crazy in a fun sort of way. She was shorter than me but not by much, she had shoulder length platinum blonde hair with a bright pink streak through it, her make-up was flawless and her eyelids were coated with a light pinky/beige colour and a not too thick but not too thin layer of eyeliner and her eyelashes were to die for; long and perfect.

“So did you just get here too,” I asked once we finished.

“Nah, I got here a couple of months ago with some of the other juniors,” she said munching on a chocolate bar.

“Oh cool,” I said nodding “what are you studying here?”

“Um, well I want to be a kindergarten teacher, you?” she said licking the chocolate from her fingers. She’d be a great kindy teacher, she seems so fun and energetic different from me I’m boring and laid back.

“Well everything but mainly art, I’m hoping I can pursue a career with art but not sure what yet,” I said shrugging. Art was my passion I especially loved drawing. If I could pursue a career in art I’d consider it a dream come true but my parents are a little unsure they don’t think art would be enough to support me, oh crap I have to call them. I jumped up and grabbed my phone out of my pocket and told charlotte I had to make a phone call she nodded and waved to me.

I opened my door and stepped out at while looking at my phone, not concentrating I ran into something hard. “umph…” “Sorry,” I said regaining my balance after almost falling. “Watch where you’re going next time,” he said his voice wasn’t angry but it wasn’t happy either. I looked up and stood before me was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen; he was tall and built you could see his muscles through his singlet and he had dark brown hair not too long but not short either, he had an amazing face with incredible brown eyes, on his face he wore a blank expression but when I looked into his eyes I saw an unreadable expression but it wasn’t one I liked.

Stop staring Gracie he probably thinks you’re some weirdo now “sorry,” I said again and he nodded and walked away with his head down.

After calling my parents I went back to my room. Since there were still students to arrive classes didn’t start until Monday which was a week away they did that so that everyone can get settled in and get to know where everything is so that when we start classes we don’t get lost and end up missing it, knowing me that would probably happen. When I first started high school I went into three of the wrong science classes until I finally found mine trust me it was so embarrassing, same things goes with my sport class; the teacher never had me on the role and it took me a week to realise that I was actually in the wrong class.

“So is Gracie your nickname?” Charlotte asked as I lay on my bed.

“Nope it’s my name well what is written on my birth certificate anyway,” I said.

“Cool, I thought it was like a cute nickname for Grace,” she laughed and I just nodded and laughed.

My thoughts drifted off to the boy from the hall, there was something about him I was drawn to and it wasn’t just his good looks. He seemed so… blank, not all there. He’s probably a player though, I mean a guy as hot as that certainly wouldn’t have trouble with the ladies. He was definitely drool worthy. I can see it now, girls lusting over him, doing anything they could just to get his attention.

I awoke the next morning still in the clothes from yesterday. I looked over at the time, six o’clock really ugh… I always get up early and the problem with me is I find it hard to fall back asleep sometimes I can but mostly I can’t and it’s annoying, deciding not to even try I grabbed a towel and my toiletries and headed for the dorms bathroom and just like the dorms the bathrooms were unisex for both male and female to share, great. As I walked down the empty hall a door opened and out came the same guy from yesterday with a towel in his arm he walked a few steps down before his door opened and out came a blonde girl wearing only a t-shirt, his t-shirt I assume since it didn’t fit. “Babe, it’s too early why don’t you come back bed and we can cuddle and stuff,” she said fluttering her eyelashes. “See you later,” was all he said she just huffed and disappeared behind the door before roughly shutting it and then emerging once again with clothes in her hand and storming past me. Was I right about him being a player or what?

I followed behind him and into the bathroom he looked at me and I smiled awkwardly, why they would have a unisex bathroom is a mystery to me, I mean it’s just giving students the wrong ideas. I didn’t like this silence “Hi, I’m Gracie,” I said awkwardly. He just looked at me as if deciding whether he wanted to answer me “Nate,” he finally said and I nodded. “I didn’t think anyone else would be up this early,” I said letting out a half laugh and putting my bag on the bench and hanging my towel on the hook. “I don’t sleep much,” he said as he closed the curtain and I heard running water “Oh,” I said quietly as I stepped into the shower and stripped myself of my clothes and let the water run down my back, damn  my body wash, you kind of need that. I reached out holding the curtain to my body and attempted to grab my body wash but just my luck it was out of reach. “perfect,” I whispered as I grabbed my towel but just as I was about to wrap it around me a hand opened the curtain holding in it my body wash, I looked up to see Nate smirking at me, realizing I was naked I quickly wrapped my towel around me “Do you mind?” I said grabbing the bottle out of his hand, “I was just helping you and I don’t even get a thank you,” he shrugged. “Thanks but I was fine and you just barged into the shower, not really an appropriate time,” I said gesturing to my now towel covered body. He shrugged again “Not anything to really see anyway,” my mouth opened as he left and I heard him go back to his shower. What a jerk! I know there is not much but no need to point it out, great for my self-esteem which I didn’t have much of anyway but now the bit that I did have was gone.