a beautiful mistake | s.m [✓]

5

Shawn's POV:

The pounding on my door jolted me from my seat, my apple flying into the sink across the kitchen. No one was home and Aaliyah didn't get home from school for 45 more minutes.

I cautiously peeked out the little eye hole, my eyes widening at the sight.

Grace stood on the doormat, gripping her backpack firmly with her left hand and trying to harshly wipe her face from tears with her right hand.

Out of all people, she ran to my house first? That's what confused me. I was shit to her yet she still came back. I almost felt bad for her.

But when I let her in my house I couldn't help but feel a pang in my chest. Black streaks lightly lined her red face, her mascara smeared in the shape of her wiping it off.

She dropped her bag down on the floor and all I could think to do was engulf her in a hug. She immediately accepted and cried into my shoulder, muttering incoherent words every now and then. I rubbed her back, trying to soothe her the best I could.

Once I had finally calmed her down enough to speak, I got up and filled a glass with water so she could get some water back into her system.

She nodded as if to say thank you and hesitantly took a sip of the drink, like I had poisoned it or something odd.

I lightly grabbed her hand, leading her over to the couches, sitting down first and waiting for her to join. She slowly sank into the cushion next to me after putting the glass of water on the table next to her.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I said softly, trying my best to comfort her. My other exes were never like this; I don't even think half of them had emotions.

My thumb brushed over her hand before she sighed, getting up and dragging her bag back to the tv area. She dug around through some papers, then quickly pulling out a neatly folded one.

"I poured my heart into this dumb project and jus— ugh." She shoved the note at me, pointing to part of the outside where it was folded up.

In red ink marked, I don't see how an apology for lying is what I asked for. I expect better out of you, Miss Winters. D+.

I gaped at the nicely written yet rude words. How could the teacher give her such a terrible grade? I didn't quite care about my grades and if I got a D it didn't matter but I knew Grace had to have all A's, it's just how she was.

Even an A- in her book was bad, even if that's usually the best I can get.

She always did her best in all her work and I doubted she was lying, she seemed truly upset over it.

I looked over concerned as my fingertips brushed the fold of the paper, making sure it was okay with her that I opened it.

I began reading, wondering what happened to her writing and what I realized couldn't have been worse.

"Grace, you might wanted to check what paper you actually turned in..."

we have 1k reads on this book already!  Thank you guys xx