this love • gracie abrams

022 nothing to smile about

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
nothing to smile about
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GRACIE spotted her at last, she was walking out of the bathroom with a pout and big sad eyes. gracie let out a huge sigh of relief and darted up the stairs to charlotte, shoving past whoever was around her and just quickly saying a 'sorry!' as she pushed past each person.

"charlotte!"

the birthday girl turned her head and instantly ran up to gracie, bouncing into her arms and then pulling away to hold her face and make sure she wasn't tripping and just hugged the wrong person. but it was her, in the flesh and...

"have you been crying?!" they both asked each other at the same time in the same worried tone over the music.

even though charlotte took her time to fix hers before leaving the bathroom, gracie was somehow still able to tell. as for charlotte, she would be able to see those very visible tear streaks, puffy eyes and red nose from a mile away with how apparent they were on gracie.

"i'm fine," charlotte slurred, taking her hand. "but you? where even were you?"

"i'm okay," gracie calmly said, getting a raised brow in return. "i promise. i got locked down in that fucking room down in the basement with all the alcohol, some rapper, nle i think, came and got me out just now," she rambled while placing a cold hand on the centre charlotte's heavy breathing chest. "i'm so sorry, charlo-"

"no, no, are you kidding?! i'm so sorry— fuck i completely forgot you went down there, i should've looked i made jackson go down and check but he didn't well enough i guess, fuck gracie, i'm sorry—"

"hey, no worries, okay? i'm fine and spent my time down there alone with that bottle of casamigos to keep me company," she shrugged with a toothy grin.

she didn't want to tell charlotte about alex at all. maybe just not now, at least. she already looked too frantic and worried to be notified that that scumbag is in her party and give her and jude the job of kicking and screaming at him on their birthday. besides, the less gracie speaks of him, the less sick and detached from life she feels.

"but why were you crying?" charlotte softly asked, hands running all across gracie's forearms.

gracie shook her head, "you'd be shocked at how frustrating it is to be away from you for that long when you look so..."

charlotte, completely flustered with the brown eyes staring down at her, giggled and nodded her head, "really?"

"mhm."

charlotte smirked and then took gracie's hand, lifting it high in the air and looking down at the crowded floor below the balcony they stood on, "hey!" she called out, getting everyone's attention. "i found her!"

considering basically everyone was convinced gracie was a legally missing person up until now with how frantic charlotte was asking and looking, they all cheered and hollered up at the two like their team just won the superbowl. charlotte pulled gracie into her and kissed her, gracie dipping them both down and holding charlotte up by her back before straightening them up and pulling her head away.

charlotte opened her mouth to speak, but just then, she looked at gracie's legs and froze, looking down at the cuts and smeared blood on her knees and gasped, "gracie! your knees, what happened?!"

she dropped down to her knees to take a closer look. mostly all the glass was gone thanks to alex lending gracie his shirt to clean up and her picking out each piece since that painful torture was better than talking to him. but they still looked fresh and a mess, making charlotte look up at her with fear and worry.