Our Bruised Bodies | Bradley Bradshaw

ACT TWO - PART FIVE

Cheers to everyone!

<><><>

"I will die of boredom if we don't do something soon." Natasha told Grace as she moved into the common room, only to sit down on the couch next to the woman she was sharing her accommodation with. Leaning with her back against the armrest of the couch, knees pulled up to her chest, only for a book to rest in her lap, Grace tried to memories Navy history for their oral exam later that month, before they would graduate at the beginning of the summer.

"You interrupt my reading once more, and this book will become a lethal weapon in my hands." The younger one warned. So done with her friend's whining. It's not the first time Nat came into their shared living quarters, only to drop on Grace and demand she would come out with her and the guys. To drink her braincells into an early grave. No thanks, she still kinda needed them.

"Grace, come on." Natasha wined again, while trying to steal the book out of the younger one's hands, but Grace was quick to close the book and glare at Natasha from where she was holding the book against her chest.

"Curfew is a midnight, plenty of time to go and do something." Grace pointed out, as she turned on the couch, so her feet were flatly planted on the ground.

"It's no fun if you're not coming down to the bar with me and the guys." She pointed out, as she draped her arm around her shoulder, from beside her before moving her head forward so she could see Grace's expression. "What's on your mind, hm?"

"I'm not in the mood." The younger one answered simply, before pushing Nat off, who huffed and sprawled out on the couch while the younger one got up to sort her books out.

"You weren't in the mood all month. What did Bradshaw say to you as you went to smoke?" She complained.

"He still has his mousy girl?" Grace asked instead of answering the question. Her eyes on the books that were laying on the tabletop, but she could hear Natasha sitting up, the question weaking some interest in her.

"Who, Linda? Yeah. Is that the problem? Are you jealous? I never thought you would fancy Brad Brad." There was a teasing tone in her voice, as if she knew something no one else knew, as if the universe told her things first, before everyone else would hear about it.

"That nickname is ridiculous, and I don't fancy him. I just wanted to know, because if he's still seeing her, she's coming too, and I feel like she tries to analyse me. No thanks to that." Grace's voice on the other hand was melodic but cool. Her voice never raised, never got high or hysterical. It was levelled, almost monotone and bored, but had an edge to it. When she spoke, people were complied to listen. As if she was a singing siren.

"Gracie." Natasha complained, causing Grace to turn around sharply only to give her a warning look.

"Don't call me that." No one was allowed to call her that any longer. Not a single soul. "I need to study." She then explained while letting out a breath. Her book already picked up again.

"You can recite everything that's written in that damn book. You're studying since the moment I met you. Over three years ago." Well yes, but there was so much more to it, that Natasha would never understand, because she wasn't in Grace's shoes. No one ever was. No one else was the child of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

"That's not enough. I have to be perfect. Everything I say has to be irreproachable in every way." I'm Kazansky's daughter. That alone left me with eyes on my every move. That alone caused people to watch my performance and have an eye on my career. That alone made me also a bit larger-than-life.