Saving Grace

21

She fell asleep with her head over my beating heart and her long, slender arms wrapped tightly around my body. As the night shuffled on, I inched closer, and awoke with my arm draped over her stomach and my head buried in the curve of her neck. It was my mobile that woke me up – buzzed incessantly on the bedside table for several minutes as I was pulled rather drearily out of sleep and into terrible consciousness.

"Hello?"

"Richie," he said. "Good morning. How are you?"

"Tired. Who is this?"

"It's Mr Lee, here. I hope you don't mind my calling, but this is the only contact number for you listed since you've been emancipated."

"What do you want?"

"Well, it's just, ahem, I haven't seen you for some time. I was just wondering if everything was okay."

No, Mr Lee, everything was perfectly not okay. The woman I cared for was in terrible danger, an animal had been abused and sedated, and I could feel my dream of impressing my father slipping further and further out of reach. The only good thing I had going for me was the fact I had slept in Grace's bed the night before.

"Everything's fine."

Lee waited for more; received nothing.

"Well, Richie, it's just that your grades are rapidly slipping."

"Yes, I know."

"And your attendance isn't faring well, either."

"Yes, I know."

"And you're going to fail year twelve if you keep going like this."

The withered patience I'd maintained suddenly cracked.

"You don't think I know that?" I snapped. "If I had the time or the will, don't you think I'd be there with you? Nobody wants to fail, Lee. But some of us have bigger burdens to bear."

"Richie, please, calm down – "

"It's none of your business why I'm not in class, anyhow. I'm eighteen, I'm emancipated, and I'm busy. So I'll be in class when I'm in class."

I hung up.

With clenched teeth, I threw the phone back onto the bedside table. Grace stirred.

"Who was that?"

"My fucking teacher," I growled. "Trying to keep his star pupil because I'm the only one in the class that knows anything."

"Sounds like a dick," she yawned.

"He kind of is."

Grace rolled over and I stood, shuffled down to the kitchen where I pulled my jacket on and sunk my feet into my shoes. Fuckin' teacher, fuckin' snooping around. Why can't he leave me alone, the old bastard?

"Coffee?" Grace asked, flicking the kettle on as I tied my laces.

"No."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Scotch?"

I paused mid-loop.

"I'm thinking about it."

"There's some outside. Sebastian left it behind the other night."

"No, I should be going. School starts in an hour and I don't need any more of his shit."

With a perceptible elegance, Grace glided over to me, a look of sorrow and gratitude pulling at her lovely features.

"Thank you," she said, looking down at me as the morning sun played with her tangled hair. She wanted to say more – I could see it in her eyes – but her beautiful mouth gently closed, and whatever words there might have been were never spoken. I smiled.

"Anytime," I said. "Be ready for tonight. I'll come by around six and we can use that keyring to sneak our way into the club. Hopefully your stalker's name will be etched into the wall."

Grace nodded and I left.

© A.G. Travers 2018