Saving Grace

Chapter Seven: 'Til Death Do Us Part

The first few weeks working at the Visionary Center went a hell of a lot smoother than Gracie originally thought they would. Mostly they had her copying client files into the computer and shredding old documents and whatever other menial tasks they could think of. But she got along well with most of the staff, so it was a lot easier than she'd previously expected.

In fact, for the first time in a long time, her life seemed to be almost as boring as everybody else's. For the most part Trent had been pretty quiet, but that was mostly due to the fact that his father sent him to California to visit his brother at Stanford. Gracie didn't care what the reason had been, she was just happy he was out of her life, at least for the moment. She had gotten back to getting along with Pi and Layton for the time being and much to Preston's relief she was actually going to school almost every day. Though that was mostly due to Clara's threat that if she found out she wasn't attending school she would have the judge throw her into New Leaf in less than a few hours. Gracie highly doubted that, but she had discovered that the woman had a conniving side you didn't suspect when you first met her. "I'm only doing this for your own good, kiddo, you're not who everyone thinks you are. You don't have to act that way. I'm trying to show you that," Clara had gotten fond of saying.

Gracie was sure she'd said that to every delinquent who came her way, but she'd become pretty good at not saying the really bad stuff her mind conjured... well at least not to the people's faces. Honestly, she actually kind of liked having a reason to stay out of trouble for a while, not that she'd ever say it out loud. For once, though, she wasn't screwing shit up.

It was almost too good to be true.

"Gracie! Stop staring at the wall and listen to me, you freaking space case!" Charlie chided breaking Gracie out of her thoughts as they waited in the darkening lobby for Clara to finish whatever last minute things she had to tidy up before they could go home. It was already almost six, but the Charles siblings were too wound up to care.

"I heard everything you said," Gracie muttered in reply, pulling her gaze from a newspaper clipping she hadn't yet read, and glancing at Charlie. Ever since he'd turned eleven, it was as if his body had decided the time for a growth spurt had come. He'd already grown half a foot and it didn't look like he would be stopping any time soon. Gracie still had a good five and a half inches on him, but at the rate he was going, he'd be passing her up within the year. The tall gene seemed especially prominent in her brothers. Freaky weirdoes.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "You're such a liar." In response, Gracie stuck her tongue out childishly.

"Fine, fine. What were you saying? I wasn't paying attention," she admitted with a smirk.

"Gracie!" Charlie whined accusingly.

"Cee, leave your brother alone!" Sybil intervened, trying to slide her crooked arms through her sleeves, to no avail.

Gracie laughed. Sybil had decided pretty much the second day they'd met that "Gracie" was too much of a mouthful to say, so she'd started calling her, "Cee", instead; and much to her chagrin it had begun to catch on. She was fairly certain the bookkeeper, Franklin, genuinely thought it to be her real name. It was almost comical, actually.

"You just love ruining my fun don't you, Billy?" Gracie groaned, pushing herself away from the couch to assist her struggling friend. "Here," and much to Sybil's relief, she was finally able to get her arms all the way through her stupid "Grandma sweater".

"It's what I live for," Sybil replied flatly. It wasn't necessarily what she said, but mostly her delivery that constantly almost had Gracie in tears from laughing so hard. And that moment was one of those times.