Broken

| 23 | He always loved you.

The drive is longer than I thought it would be. A whole hour away from home, and for that entire hour, no one said a damn thing. Silence filled the car like a flood.

I get out of the car, and for a moment, I just stand there in aw. Right in front of me, in the middle of no where, is a bright, white building. Yellow flowers scatter are placed all over the front of the building. Right in big, navy blue letters reads Jackson's Place.

I jump when my mother lays her hand on my back and looks right into my eyes. The sudden contact sending me back into reality. A reality I don't want to be in.

"This is a safe place, Grace. You're going to get better here." she says to me, and honestly, I feel like I've been fighting for too long. Fighting my feelings for Tyler, fighting off my self hatred, even fighting off my mother that I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to feel ok again. Maybe this place will provide me some kind of comfort. Maybe here I will learn to be ok again. Maybe here I will learn to be Grace again.

We walk through the big doors of the building and the smell of lavender is immediately filling my lungs. This place is like a hotel with the beautiful chandeliers and a customer service table right in front of us.

I stay behind as my mom and dad go up to the desk and start to speak to the lady up front. She seems to be older and she wears a happy smile on her face. Her light, gray hair is tied up in a bun and she wears blue eyeshadow that makes her look a little funny, but if it makes her happy, who am I to judge?

Then it occurs to me. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I don't know how long I'll be out of school. Oh my gosh. What if I'm gone for months? I immediately pull out my phone and call Lindsey. She answers on the first ring, and I am more than relieved.

"Grace, where are you?!" she asks me, her voice frantic. Why does she sound so scared? I haven't even spoken to her yet.

"Grace, your mother called my mom to tell her about what's going on with you. I overheard their conversation, and I was waiting to get this call. Grace, why did you not tell me?!" she exclaims and I feel my heart shatter in my chest. Everything is falling apart today. My secret shouldn't even be considered a secret anymore.

"I couldn't tell you, Lindsey. I didn't want to bother you with my problems."

"How could you say that?! You are my best friend. If something is happening to you, I will always be there for you. I'm never leaving your side." she says to me and her voice cracks through the phone. I never wanted to tell Lindsey because she has always been so fragile. Something like this would break her, and I am so mad that my mom called her mom because they don't need to know about this. They never needed to know.

"Lindsey, listen to me. I don't know how long I'm going to be gone. Right now, I am scared to death about this place. I don't know what the hell to expect. I am so sorry, Lindsey. I really am. I never wanted this to affect you like it affected me all of this time. I don't know when I'll be back, but I will be. You're my sister, Lindsey. I love you to death. Send my love to Haley, Parker, Aaron... and Tyler." My voice breaks when I say his name.

"Grace, I love you too. I really do, but what am I supposed to say to them? How do I even begin to tackle a topic like this?"

"I'm sure my mom called their moms. We've all been friends forever and she wanted you guys to know. My mom hasn't met Tyler yet though, so I doubt she even called him. Just... if he asks where I am.. tell him. If he doesn't.. then don't say anything ok. He knows what's going on with me. That's how we met. He saw my scars and that's what he's been helping me with all of this time. He just wanted me to love myself again."

"This is gonna break his heart if he finds out. I never needed to know the whole story to understand that Tyler loves you so much. I know you never believed it, but he really does. He always loved you."  she says and there's a moment of silence. "I'll keep everyone updated, but Grace... Please, get better." she tells me and I hang up the phone as my hands are trembling. My mom calls me over, breaking me from my hazed state, and I walk over to the front desk, ready for whatever is about to come.

God help me.

~*~

I don't really don't know what to say... so.. Keep reading??? 👇👇👇