Pieces Of Grace

Chapter 1.

My world is a tilted one. I'm not talking about the Earth's axis, although I wouldn't be surprised if that was out of whack too, given the way things are going. No, my world is tilted because it's all about Lily.

Lily, the Queen Bee of our school, the girl who can make or break your social standing with a single withering glance. She's like a black hole, sucking all the fun and confidence out of the room, leaving behind a void of insecurity. And guess who gets to live in that void? Me. Alice.

I'm not sure how it started, this Lily-induced torment. Maybe it was because I actually wore the clothes my mom bought me, unlike everyone else who seemed to be living in a Forever 21 catalogue. Or maybe it was because I, the friendless loser, had the nerve to actually try in school instead of pretending I was too cool for homework and straight A's. Whatever it was, it led to being the target of her endless stream of snide remarks and icy stares.

But there's another tilt to my world. One that sends me teetering on the edge of a dizzying, impossible hope. The tilt that is Kyle.

Kyle, the epitome of everything I'm not—tall, athletic, funny, and popular. He's the guy everyone wants to be around, the guy who makes my heart skip beats with every accidental brush of our shoulders in the hallway. The guy I'm 99.9% sure will never even notice me, let alone like me back.

I know, I know, it's a ridiculous crush. Like trying to catch a shooting star in your bare hands. But there's something about his smile, the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he laughs, the way he makes everyone around him feel comfortable and accepted. It's a feeling I crave. A feeling I've never experienced.

So, here I am, Alice, a girl who's stuck in a world where everyone seems to be having more fun than her. A girl with a crush that's about as likely to blossom as a cactus in the Arctic. A girl who doesn't have friends, who can't seem to escape the shadow of Lily's cruelty.

But maybe, just maybe, there's a way to tip the scales. Maybe there's a way to find my way out of this tilted world, a way to find the sun behind the clouds. Maybe, just maybe, there's something more waiting for me than just another day of Lily's taunts and Kyle's unnoticeable glances.

This is my story, the story of Alice, the girl who's trying to find her balance in an upside-down world.