Accepting Grace

Chapter 6

After Grace had dressed in the clothes she had worn yesterday, Grace went back downstairs and asked that Bethany take her to school. Bethany sighed, then agreed to take her once she had showered and gotten Joel and Gabby ready for the day.

After two hours of trying to get the two crazies ready, Bethany took Grace to school. It took all she had in her not to cry once they got there.

"Yesterday I came here and everything was fine. I had a family. Today I come back as an orphan."

Grace said goodbye to Bethany and felt a pang of sadness. She would probably never see the Fulock's again. But they were nice to her, and Grace would miss that. She got a pass then walked into 3rd period and her classmates stared.

"They don't know,"  Grace realized. She sat slowly and her classes attention went back to the lesson. Grace's did not.

3rd period went by slowly as she thought about her lost family. Finally, it was over and it was lunch.

During lunch Grace's friends surrounded her, questioning why she left so suddenly yesterday. Grace had to tell them. But she didn't know how.

"Why did you leave? Are you okay?" Alyssa asked quietly. Grace burst into tears and ran down the white halls into the bathroom. It was bad enough her friends saw her cry. There was no way she was gonna let random kids see her.

Alyssa, Rylee and Julie chased after her. Grace leaned against the cold, light blue bathroom wall sobbing.

"Grace?" Rylee asked as she sat next to her. Alyssa and Julie did the same. 

Grace drew in a deep breath and calmed herself. "I'm all alone, now. I have no family. Everyone is dead, and I'm all alone."

Grace felt the tears threatening to reveal themselves again, but she bit her tongue to hold them off. Alyssa, Rylee and Julie stared at Grace in shock. Probably trying to figure out if she was joking or not.

Alyssa was the first to shake off her shock. "Grace, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around Grace. She couldn't hold the tears back any more. They spilled over her already wet cheeks.

"Where-" Julie stopped herself. Grace wiped her eyes and calmed herself down, then looked at Julie. "Where are you staying?"

"Yesterday I stayed with the police officer that picked me up here," Grace said between breaths. Then laughed. "You guys are probably pretty confused, huh?"

Her friends laughed with her.

"A little," Rylee admitted. Then asked, "How did that happen? Don't you have cousins your age that would have survived?"

Grace closed her eyes, the real horror setting in. "All- all of my cousins- they're all home schooled." Grace held back her true terrified, confused and angry feelings so much that she started hiccuping. She kept talking anyways. "They're all home schooled, and well, you've all been to my apartment."

Her friends nodded.

"So you know that most of us live on the top floor. And- I guess..." her voice trailed off as she realized for the first time how horrible of a death her family died. Grace gasped, then wept again. "They couldn't get out in time. They either burned to death or inhaled to much smoke. And if they escape they would've had to jump, then they would be dead on impact."

Grace buried her head in her knees as she heard her friends gasp. Grace felt arms wrap around her as she cried. They sat in silence, beside her pathetic sniffles, for a couple of minutes.

"All I know, is that it's all part of God's good plan for you. Even though it's horrible," Grace heard Alyssa say. She jerked her head up to glare at her.

"God's plan for me? There isn't even a god so how could he have a plan for me? And tell me, Alyssa, how is this good! How could this ever be good?" Grace was shouting at Alyssa now as she stands up. Rylee and Julie back up slowly, and Grace didn't blame them. She felt like a human bomb.

Alyssa looked at Grace with her sad, baby blue eyes. "There is a God, Grace. And with his plan your life will always turn out good," she said quietly. She slowly stood to stand on her tip-toes to be eye to eye with her. "He loves you, Grace. He loves you so much he sent his son to die for you."

"Have you been talking to Jamie lately? Oh wait!" Grace says sarcastically. Then with slumped shoulders says, "I can't do this today. I don't know why I thought I could. I'll see you guys eventually."

Despite protest, Julie and Rylee hugged her and let her go. Alyssa said she'd be praying then left to get lunch. All alone Grace wiped her tears and planed what she would say once she got to the office. Then discarded that plan and turned then ran down the hall to the office. Not even stopping to grab her bag.

Grace burst into the office and marched to the front desk. "I need to go. I have no clue where I'd go or who you should call, but I can't stay here," Grace told the lady at the desk.

Then turned away from the open mouthed secretary and sat in a seat. Let the her figure out what to do and who to call. As long as Grace didn't have to figure out what to do she didn't care what happened anymore. Grace was drained. To drained to try and figure out her life. Grace curled up into a ball on the small office chair and fell asleep.

*****

Hey guys. I know these last two chapters have been very short and I'm sorry. Writers block has hit me. Hard.

Though, it probably didn't help that I'm running on three and a half hours of sleep... Please comment, I would love to hear from you.

As always,

Emily