Grace

5

ONE WEEK LATER

"All I'm saying is you've been acting different ever since the last time I left. You're missing school and acting like nothing matters. You're missing your education but you don't care, and you don't even pay attention to our relationship anymore. I noticed the change in you." Sammy quietly raised his voice to Grace, who was trying to defend her case.

She rolled her eyes. "I've been handling things. So what if I missed a test? I was already passing that class. You seem more concerned with the fact I haven't been attending to your needs. I miss two of your texts and now I don't care? Sammy, sometimes I have other things to do than text all day. Don't get me wrong, I love you but I can't be bored with you."

Sammy blew out an annoyed breath. "See, there you go blaming it all on me. I'm not trying to make you reply to my texts, I'm trying to get you to see how much of your schoolwork you're missing. Then, you're talking about handling business. What is business? We keeping things from each other now?"

"I'm not trying to keep anything from you. I just don't know how to tell you, but I promise to tell you." Grace replied, hoping she made sense.

"Why can't I know now?" he inquired, "Why you always have to be so secretive? It's been eight months, can't you see I'm different?"

"I see it, but I just have so much going on.. Sammy, we should take a break. A quick break for me to see where my head at. I'm not fully in right now. I want myself to be right before I try to continue to be with you."

Sammy shook his head in disagreement. "I don't do breaks. You're either with me or you're with the nigga you're seeing, straight up. Hit me up when you realize someone really got your back and wants more than sex."

She blocked him. "Don't do this. Its just a little break for me to clear my head. I can't keep arguing like this with you, it isn't easy to keep up with you, school, work, and home. You can understand."

He grabbed his bag, then walked out of her room. Destinny greeted him but he just nodded towards her. "Hey, I know she been through a couple of rough patches but could you talk to her for me? I don't want us to break up like this."

Destinny watched him walk out before entering Grace's room to see her sitting on the bed, frowning. She smiled to her, walking over and rubbing her arm. "Talk to me, baby girl. Why'd you break up with him?"

Grace, stunned, sat on her bed and shook her head. "I didn't end it. It's just that I'm stressed. I'm a couple months from graduating, I don't have any money for college, you and Jeremy aren't doing as well anymore, and I'm just so... Over it all. I want this to end so bad. Destinny, I know I'm hard to deal with but when will things start getting better?"

Destinny sighed heavily. "I can't say when but things will get better. You're just stressed because it's almost time for you to face the real world. Baby, it's a dozen opportunities for you. Don't be scared to try new things. OK?"

"Sure."

A couple hours later Grace was lying in her bed. She had her earphones in, listening to her gloomy music. Sammy had not texted her and Michigan made things no better. Although she was her closest friend, she sometimes acted like being emotional was an issue.

Michigan hid her feelings so much so it was no surprise. She had come from a rough background. Grace remembered all the stories Michigan told her. They were deep, but she always laughed them off like it was cool. Deep down, Grace knew her friend was suffering. That's exactly why she had sex so much. It was comfort, something she was missing at home.

Her door opened and Michigan walked in. "Hey, I texted you. Why aren't you ready?"

"What you mean?" Grace removed her covers from her body, then stood up. Michigan sighed heavily, her hands on her hips. She rolled her eyes.