Whisper in the Rain

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

GRACE

I let Miles walk me home that day. And every day for a week after that. Once I realized he would go out his way to help me, protect me, and make me laugh, I found it easy to open up to him. Being with Miles was as easy as breathing.

Every time he reached for my hand and laced our fingers together, I soared. The butterflies in my stomach moshed away to a soundless beat and I felt like I could implode from pure joy.

But I wanted more.

I wanted to be with Miles, in every sense of the word. I'd always dreamed that the first time I fell for someone, it would be a guy who accepted me at whatever level of crazy I was functioning at that day. I wanted someone who I didn't fear, didn't have to pretend with, and trusted implicitly. And Miles was that someone.

But our relationship came at a cost.

I thought that with Miles by my side that the bullying would stop. It didn't. Instead, it amplified. It seemed everyone at Triple Oaks had branded Miles as an outcast right alongside me and made it their mission to make our lives as miserable as possible. But it never fazed him. Not once. He took it in stride and threw it right back in their faces, proving just how superior of a human being he really was. And I loved him for that.

With midterms in our rearview, Miles and I both breathed a sigh of relief. Thanks to some last minute studying together, I had pulled B's and C's on all my tests, effectively keeping my head above water.

"See? I told you! Now, think of what you could do if you spent more time studying and working on your papers." Miles held my B+ essay in his hand, beaming proudly as he walked backward in front of me.

"Would you put that down," I said, grabbing for the paper. "It's nothing to brag about."

"The hell it isn't!" He held it above his head, far from my reach. "I'm hanging this bad boy in my locker."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

He leaned in close and I smiled over my shoulder, enjoying the feel of his hair tickling my ear.

"Because I'm damn proud of you, that's why."

As he moved forward to kiss my cheek, I tried one last time to grab the paper from his hands. But he was too quick. He jerked it out of reach and took off, jogging to class ahead of me.

"You're such a child," I grumbled.

"Heard that!" He yelled, still waving the paper above his head.

It wasn't until we were seated in the back of Mr. Silas' classroom that he finally folded it and returned it to my bag.

"Don't hate me for being proud of you."

I softened. I was still getting used to the idea that someone could be proud of me. I'd never had that before and the feeling was surprisingly warm and uplifting.

"I could never hate you," I replied shyly.

His handsome face lit up in a smile and he turned in his seat as the bell rang.

Mr. Silas started his lecture and I focused all my attention to the front of the class. Miles was right. If I actually focused on my studies, my grades would improve drastically. Not enough to get into a decent college, seeing as how there were only four months left of my senior year, but making the most of the last stretch of my education seemed important to Miles, so it was important to me.

I hunkered down and busied myself by taking notes and concentrating on the teacher's every word. Which is why they were able to sneak up on me.

Bam!