Reach for the Stars

Cheeto Puffs

When Caleb woke up, he was staring at a white ceiling, surrounded by a smell of... uh... cleanness?

"Oh, thank God!" Uncle Walter exclaimed, rushing to the side of his hospital bed. "What's going on...?" Caleb muttered groggily. Uncle Walter sighed.

"You passed out in Timmy's nursery. You were out for more than five minutes, so we called an ambulance." He said. Caleb sighed. "I'm fine." He mumbled. Caleb shoved the blankest off of his legs, and spun around. Uncle Walter looked worried.

"Should you be standing?" He asked, worriedly. Caleb rolled his eyes. "Can I borrow a buck?" He asked. He was craving some Cheeto Puffs. Uncle Walter nodded and tossed him a folded up dollar bill from his wallet. Caleb grinned, slid into his high tops, and walked down the hall to search for a vending machine.

He walked around for about ten minutes before he heard... someone crying? He followed the noise until he reached: A. a vending machine, B. three tiny plastic chairs, and C. a tiny, teenage girl crying in a chair.

Caleb gave an awkward smile and sat in the chair next to her. She didn't seem to notice him, so he tapped her shoulder. "Eeee!" She squeaked, turning her head towards him. He turned red, and she took a deep breath.

"Are you ok?" He asked. She took another deep breath. "I-I... y-yeah...." The tiny girl began rocking in her chair. Caleb's ears turned red. "I'm Caleb." He said. The girl gave a small, obviously fake, smile. "I'm Gracie." She said, smoothing down her brown hair.

Caleb smiled at her, and stood up. The girl, Gracie, watched him closely as he bought a bag of Cheetos from the vending machine. "One hundred sixty." The girl said suddenly. Caleb tilted his head before sitting in the chair, ripping the bag open. "There are one hundred sixty calories in that bag." Caleb shook his head, an amused smile on his face. "How do you know this?" He asked.

Gracie blushed. "I read a lot..." Caleb smiled at her. "Can I have your number?" The girl asked. She immediately regretted it. She never did bold things like that! Caleb sighed. He didn't have a phone anymore. He had barely been out of juvie twenty-four hours.

"I'll tell you what..." He says. "My Uncle is going to get me a phone after we leave here, so why don't you write it down for me and then I'll text you whenever I can." Gracie smiled and nodded. She disappeared down the hall, and returned with a sticky note. The girl wrote her number on the note, then handed it to him, her gray eyes shining.

They both said goodbye, and Caleb walked down the hall. He grinned as he walked, thinking of the girl he had just met. She was petite and thin, with long, beautiful brown hair and big, gray eyes. And she seemed so smart! Something about this Gracie girl... intrigued him.