Gracie almost forgot how heavy the wind always blew on the field and ever since she resumed back, this was the first time she visited the area.
Biting her lips, she tried to memorize the scenario of serenity that softly crash her hair on her face and she was forced to push them back, strand by strand.
"Do you think Edward Maddox's long legs will come take him far in life?" Gracie frowned at that question.
Her head turned slightly sideway to Tori to be able to read if she was serious about the long legs boy hopping round the field for some minutes now.
"Ahem-ah, Is that a question for me?"
"I don't know, people always act as if Maddox's got his pair from Greek." Tori shrugged.
"I would prefer you asking me about my opinion in the new edition of this year carnival."
"What? People talk about Maddox these days. He's the latest gig, even on the gram." Tori picked a carrot from her lunch pack and crushed it in her mouth while she was partially following Maddox with eyes as he ran endlessly.
"I really don't fancy topics like that." Gracie hissed.
A flash of memory rushed like a wave to her and she bit her lips as she sat at the edge of it. She remembered their laughter and the– sex tape-
She blinked as rose her biology textbook high making a coverage even though she could hardly memorize a word. The thought of what had happened earlier in biology class roamed round her mind.
Lost in her own thought, while the book was just an hanger. Tori grabbed the textbook from her reach taking hold of her attention. She turned her head to Tori and made an attempt to snatch it back but failed as Tori put it behind her.
"You really won't find a joy thinking all the time about that which has happened in the past." She talked with compassion in her eyes as she stared from the side space at her best friend.
"I'm not thinking about anything other than... making some money and getting a better life." She said quickly, as though she was swallowing hot potato and she threw her face in the air.
"You're such a brutal liar."
"Well, I'm not lying, Victoria!" She yelled at her face.
Tori moved back in fear, taking her hands off her thighs. She already knew something was getting out of hands. For her to call her by her full name which rarely happens.
Her heart frozen, deeply concerned about the wall Gracie had built round herself.
"I...I-"
"Maybe you shouldn't pretend to care and get back to your doll friends. I have a whole chapter to cover." Gracie said bluntly and rose to her feet.
With full force, she dragged the textbook from Tori's reach leaving her blank.
Tori gasped immediately she felt the force and her eyes widened up.
Gracie stormed off.
Depressed as she watched the figure of her best friend clear the field and went back into the building, something banged in her chest. Hammering like it would drop anytime.
It was her fault, she felt.
Considering how close they were right front her day one when everyone made fun of her accent and how bad her English was, having support from Gracie Richards. But, she never supported her with she needed it the most and now it might be too late.
Allowing the almost dropping tears to land, she wiped it off immediately and set her mind.
She must break those walls.
***
Cafeteria was never one of her favorite place but she found comfort in the library where she could just hide away from the pain of the world.
Buried deep in books.
The smell and the coverage arrangement of the library that gave the personal space needed. Just what a depressed soul like her needed. A cube holes to flip some pages and relish in important memory.
She rubbed her head and flipped several pages of the book. Confused but trying hard to fight it, a kind of feeling that usually hit her whenever she was undergoing a mixed of emotion especially anger and anxiety.
"Come on, Gracy, you got this." She murmured to herself as she thrived to get somethings in her brain.
Suddenly her pen dropped, making a low but echoing sound on the floor.
"Shit!" she cursed, watching the pen bounced on the floor and rolled it way on the parquet to another cube hole.
Within a twinkle of an eye, she hopped out of her seat and went on her knees to get the pen but a quicker hand, well manicured nails grappled it.
She scooted back not in fear but in a reflect action to see who picked up the pen. She didn't wait long before a woman's head popped in her cube hole from top.
She looked up, from the shape of her eyes and the color of her lips, Gracie quickly remembered that she was the middle west looking woman and she turned cold immediately.
"Looking for this?" Her hazel eyes spoke more than her thick lipstick mouth did.
Rising up, Gracie had her eyes on the blue fountain pen only, plus she didn't want to recall the kind of chill that ran down her body the last time they talked.
After what felt like an eternity stare, the clock ticked and Gracie's eyes adjusted to the wall clock at the corner of the room and she knew she had to leave for her next class.
"Hmmm... Miss-" She stammered as she tried to recall the name.
"Rhoda." Miss. Rhoda squinted her brow, giving a hint to her name.
"Well, ma'am, I really have to leave for my class." She stretched up to collect the pen, however the woman made her intentions of not letting go of the pen clear as she backed away from the tip of the wooden shield the divided them but was still in view of the school girl.
"Mm, this seems pretty special." Miss. Rhoda said examining the pen in her hands, "how about you come to my office for a cup of coffee and you get your little special toy back."
Gracie frowned at the woman. She knew deep in her settled mind that the last place she did like to be would turn out as the office of the lady that crept her out with her words and actions.
"I... I... really can't say about that... but I seriously need to get to class right now."
As she attempted to leave the seat by packing up her books and setting out to go for class. Miss. Rhoda realized her plan to get the girl's attention was failing so she left her seat to block Gracie's way.
"Okay... I know this might sound crazy or it is crazy but I have your file and... some gathered up information about you." She whispered quickly, almost hovering the small girl.
"What?"
"Principal Hills told me that you're one of the best students- and then he told me about your scholarship and your sudden disappearance..." She brought her lips together, making her look more serious and honest.
"Then Victoria- She told me about you and how you were victimized, it's saddening. We are not supposed to be saying all this in the library especially with the fact that people have different phrase of the story. I would like to hear the story from your point of view one day, Miss. Richards and my office door is open to you any day and time. Have a nice class." The moment the woman's cold hand met Gracie's face, she felt like hot tears might run down but the woman was quick as she smiled and walked her way out.
Gracie clutched to herself as her mind roamed and her eyes filled. Unable to control it, she allowed the tear to flow. Maybe this would be the last time she would wept over this.
Locking eyes with the clock again, she wiped her tear and rushed out of the library.
She was late already.