A Cliche Love Story

Chapter 29

Outside the courthouse, Alex was pacing as Skylar sat on the steps, not minding her fancy dress as she watched the man who meant the world to her, fall apart silently. 

Only a few minutes earlier, his parents had shown up and shoved past the both of them without saying a word. Although it was obvious that Alex had not been entirely confident leading up to the date, but any trace of confidence seem to leave him when his own mother had glared at him. 

After that, he hadn't stopped pacing, running his hands feverishly through his hair. Of course Skylar had no clue what to do. She didn't understand how he was feeling. Not really. She tried to imagine, tried to understand, but they both knew that she would never fully be able to grasp it. The one thing that kept Alex going before Skylar came into his life, the one good thing his parents gave him, the one hope he had always...could be taken away from him. How privileged his girlfriend was had been glaringly apparent to both of them, and it was just a source of tension. It had appeared before, that day in the woods after the party, and had come to bite them.

Finally, he sunk down on the steps beside her and she wrapped her arms around him silently and held him. She could feel his body relax into the soft curves of her own, his head suddenly feeling much heavier on her shoulder; a very comforting feeling. They stayed silent for a few minutes, until he lifted his head, and stood up with his hand out. 

Leading the way, hand in hand with Skylar, he pushed open the courtroom door and scooped his Grace into his arms. Although she was young, she knew what would happen if Alex didn't get to keep her. The hushed tones around the house didn't guide her away from the truth. Instead of being scared of fake monsters, Grace was afraid of real ones; Her parents. 

Her big brothers arms were holding her so tightly as she heard Skylar whispering to her own parents, who had been so kind to Alex and herself through all of it. Despite her age, she knew she loved them already, and that they loved her. This meant that the monsters wouldn't win. They couldn't. 

Skylar distracted Grace from her thoughts by playing peek-a-boo from over Alex's shoulder, and Alex just closed his eyes and held onto his favorite girl as tight as he possible could. 

Without much time to breathe, they found themselves being ushered into a small room. It was time for both Alex and Grace to face their monsters.