Train Hunters

Recap

Grace hadn't talked to her mom since the conversation they'd had on Sunday. It was now Wednesday and either through coincidence or luck the two hadn't exchanged any words to each other. Grace knew that this luck wouldn't persist forever however. One of these days she'd be alone in a room with her mother again and her mother was going to bring up prom, or what college she was going to, and there would be no escape. Grace couldn't help replaying that conversation in her head constantly.

Just when she started to gain some confidence, just when she started to push back against her mother's standards for her, all she'd had to do was give her that look and Grace was ten again. It was beyond frustrating to never be able to have the upper hand, to constantly have your life controlled, to have her mother downplay what she went through and push her into a mold she didn't fit because it was more comfortable for her. It was even more frustrating that Grace let her do it. She slammed her locker louder than she meant to and multiple people turned to stare at her.

Grace put her head down and walked away but she wasn't exactly someone who blended in and that was on purpose. Most of the time Grace enjoyed being a bit more outlandish with her bright clothing and whatnot but at that moment Grace really wished she was dressed in a black hoodie so she could hide her face and distract from her own existence. This day was frustrating, her mother was frustrating. As she walked to the cafeteria her phone buzzed in her purse and she retrieved it to see what it was. A text from Simon was the answer evidently.

"booooored" the text read. Attached was a photo of him in class. Grace chuckled at this and responded.

"Pay attention, you're going to get your phone taken away." she texted. The response came immediately.

"she'll never catch me" was the response. "and also i cant believe you use punctuation over text your such a nerd" Grace sat down at the table where her friends were but rather than engage in conversation she continued texting.

"*You're" was what she sent in response.

"Im sorry, you're such a nerd. better?" he asked. The two went back and forth like this for a while. Grace was so distracted by the conversation that she didn't even hear what was being said to her. Delila snapped her fingers in Grace's face which got her attention.

"Did you even hear what we asked you?" she said. Grace shook her head.

"No, sorry can you repeat it?" she responded. Delila let out a sigh.

"We asked who you were texting." she repeated.

"A guy I met in therapy." Grace responded. Taylor laughed and made a comment.

"I'm warning you right now Grace,my mom slept with her therapist and as an observer to that trainwreck, don't do it, it never ends well." he said. Grace rolled her eyes.

"He's in my group." she added for clarity.

"Is he cute?" Delilah asked.

"Not really, he dresses like a vampire, but he's kind of endearing." she explained. Grace went back to texting and continued doing so throughout lunch. She went about the rest of her school day as normal which was to say uneventfully but despite this Grace's dread increased with every passing second. She under no circumstances wanted to go back to her home.The idea of having to have another conversation with her mother made Grace feel physically ill. The bell rang and Grace left out to her car. She climbed in and buckled her seatbelt but rather than drive anywhere Grace simply sat there. She knew that she couldn't stay here forever but she did not want to risk an interaction with her mother.

Fishing her phone out of her purse Grace shot a text message. "What are you doing right now?" she asked. A nervous pit formed in her stomach as she watched the three little gray dots dance across the corner of her screen before a message was sent.