OURS

{6}

a few days after my reuniting with the abrams family, i open my phone to see a new text from gracie.

cici 💓

y/n!!!
sent 10:47

gracie!!
sent 10:54

i miss you :(
what are you doing tonight??
sent 10:54

i'm actually free tonight,
why what's up?
sent 10:55

well, i was wondering if
maybe you would want to go
dinner with me? olivia is
hosting it at some restaurant.
there will be a few other
people there, all friends of
livs, and i want you to be my
+1..
sent 10:56

ofc i'll come, just
text me the details when u
get them
wait actually can you pick me up?
sent 10:56

thank you.
thank you.
thank you.
you are my favorite person ever
and ofc i'll pick you up
sent 10:56

i love you gracie 🤗
c u later
sent 10:57

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i smile down at my phone, before slapping my face in realization. i need to ask my mom if i can go. it's so humiliating when my mom says no to places that my friends are going. i miss out on so many normal teenage experiences at the hand of my mother. she always says one day i'm going to thank her for looking out for me, but it's ridiculous. i walk downstairs to find her making herself an early lunch.

"hi mom, i have a question."

"sure honey, what is it?"

"can i go out to dinner with gracie? it'll just be me, gracie, liv, and a few of her fr-"

"no."

"what? c'mon mom pleaseee, gracie will be there to watch over me."

"i said no and that's final. i won't put your safety at risk for unnecessary reasons. you and your safety are always my number one priority. i can't risk that right now. i'm sorry."

i mumble an okay before hanging my head and walking back up to my room. it's honestly not surprising, but that doesn't mean it hurts any less. suddenly, i have an idea. a sneaky, ambitious, risky idea. something that was surely not to work, unless i plan it out perfectly.

—————————————

when selena came over for a surprise sleepover, i knew it would make my mom more distracted from me, meaning my plan will work smoother. i excuse myself from dinner when i'm done eating, do everything that i usually would do, to make me seem as normal as possible. it's still early in the night, nearly 8 o'clock, but it's not unusual for me to hit the hay early some nights, so i use just that to my advantage. i let the shower run for a minute, not getting in, before wetting the sink, to make it seem like i washed my face and brushed my teeth. i put on my outfit for dinner, a cute short but flowey white dress with a little bit of lace in the neckline, and cover it with gracie's hoodie that she left here, and white sweatshorts. i lay in bed, leave my phone on the nightstand, before waiting for my mother to come in and say goodnight. it's only about 15 minutes that i wait, until i hear the door crack open. i lay there, fake sleeping, as i hear not only my mom, but selena aswell come into my room.