Silent Strangers

THREE

Chapter THREE:
Grace

The people who walk past me give me weird looks. Maybe the makeup has in fact turned out a tad bit excessive. The stench of burnt coffee assaults me as I round the corner, instantly reminding me of the questionable cup I'd choked down earlier. Perfect. Just perfect.

 Then I saw it - my reflection in the sleek glass doors of the office building. Yikes. The raccoon analogy of the raccoon getting into a fight with a goth makeup kit wouldn't even cut it. It looked more like a badger had gotten drunk on a mascara and tequila cocktail and decided to play connect-the-dots on my eyelids. Great. Just what I needed to impress Ashley with today.

"Oh Grace," Ashley's singsong voice echoed from behind me.

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. I whirled around, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. There she was, Ashley Kent, all blonde bombshell with honey amber eyes that could pierce a diamond. She towered over me in those white pumps, even though we were supposedly the same height. My confidence, already teetering on the edge, plummeted into the abyss. I sigh.
Sometimes I wonder why she didn't go into modelling.

I'm drawn out of my thoughts when I notice Ash isn't talking.

"Ash?-"
Her squeal cuts me off.
"What are you trying to look like? A character from the evil dead franchise?"

I sigh. "Ash, please let's sit down and then talk about it, even though I'm in no mood to."
"No."
"I'm sorry?"
"We're not talking till we wash this atrocity off of your face." 

I roll my eyes at her statement. Presenting the queen of hyperbole.

I sit down on a chair after a good 20 minutes. Ash made me wash my face twice and then did my makeup. She was done in 10 minutes but she insisted to draw butterflies along my eyeliner which took another 10 minutes.

The artist side of me empathized with her, but the human side of me, nuh uh. I am overjoyed I got out alive.
Ash sits down with a loud thud, folds her hands with a tough as nails attitude which draws a giggle out of me but is silenced when I see that she isn't joking.

"Now let's talk."
"Yes ma'am.", I try to joke but her glare grounds me to reality.
"Well, long story short, I've not been sleeping well the past few days. My brain doesn't calm down enough to go off to sleep. I'm in a constant state of hypervigillance. And being in this field of work, my imagination often runs wild resulting in awful nightmares which obviously wake me up."

"Grace-", says Ash but I hold up my hand to stop her.
"Please let me finish first Ash."
She nods, "Go ahead."

"I'm not insane. Let me clear that out. I'm just spiraling a little towards insanity. I'm reaching out to you for now I realize I do need support or else I'd probably go bonkers.", a weak giggle escapes me, "please Ash, don't judge me. I just need some time to recover."

Ash doesn't move, her striking eyes focused on mine. At first I feel heartbroken, when I woke up this morning and decided to talk to her, I knew she would understand.

Maybe she didn't. Maybe I ask too much from people.

I know Ash notices my conflicted thoughts as she draws me in for a hug.
"Grace darlin', you should've told me earlier."
I shrink away from her, but what she says next catches me off guard.
"But I'm grateful you trust me enough to tell me this."
I relax, releasing a breath I didn't even know I was holding.
Damn you, overthinking brain.

Ash releases me and I see that sparkle in her eyes.

Oh no. That means trouble. 

"Now since you need time to recover, we can go check out that new club we've been dying to go to."
"Correction, you've been dying to go to."

"Meh, same thing.", she shrugs. 

"Ash, really? I don't want to go to a club." I wryly say.

"We are going to that club tonight Ms. Reeds, now shut it. I'll pick you up at 9. Wear something flirty. And for God's sake do not try the smoky eye look." Ash says with a roll of her eyes.

A laugh bubbles up in my throat.

No one would die if I have one night without any inhibitions, right?

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