Stronger Together

~5~

Gracelyn woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar she jumped up hitting her head on the ceiling and in the process she woke up the boy below her.

"Woah calm down up there it's only 7 in the morning" Peter teases while stretching

Grace jumps again at the voice but then calms herself and remembers what happened last night crap she thinks to herself when I go home my dad will have my head and I'll probably see the beast again she flinches at the thought.

Peter who is now up and grabbing clothes from his dresser sees her flinch and quickly goes to the bunk bed "you ok?" He asks knowing that she's probably been to hell and back.

She takes a deep breath "Yeah I'm fine just a little jumpy I guess new surroundings normally throw me off don't take it personally" it's a lie and she knows it she's pretty sure he knows it to but is to polite to say anything.

Peter just nods and continues to get stuff and goes to the bathroom to get dressed and ready for school it's a Friday thank god he thinks to himself.

Grace then just sits in the top bunk playing with her hands until Peter walks out of his room she then climbs down the bunk bed and walks into the kitchen where May is microwaving something and Ben is throwing grapes at May "hey guys" she says from behind Ben who then throws a grape at her.

May smiles "morning sweetie is Pete up yet?" May asks

"Yeah he went to get ready for school I think" Grace responds while attempting to catch the grapes that Ben throws at her in her mouth.

May nods "speaking of do you need to go to your apartment for clothes?" May asks hoping that Grace can just quick pop over grab clothes and get out of that horrible apartment.

"Yea it should be fine my dad goes to work by 6 so it should be ok" she smiles at May and prays that her father went to work this morning he hasn't missed a day well ever at least that she can remember but what if he noticed that she wasn't home.

"Alright well just in case I'm going to go with you" Ben speaks up and stops assaulting Grace and May with grapes .

Grace nods and then starts to head for the door Ben following behind her she unlocks the door with the key that's been in the pocket of her hoodie since last night and walks into her seemingly empty apartment she goes into her room with Ben waiting at the front door of her apartment once she closes her bedroom door she sees her dad sitting on her bed with the most angered face she's ever seen on him

"WHAT THE HELL GRACELYN" he screams at her "you didn't come home and your chores weren't done you aren't allowed out in the first place I swear if you were at the neighbors again the beast will visit every night for the next week" he yells at his daughter .

Gracelyn pushes her back against the wall backing away from her dad she's shaking scared that he will go get the beast right now .

Ben barges in Gracelyn's room after hearing her fathers threats "look man give the kid a break it was an accident she was over at our place watching a movie with Peter May and I she fell asleep so we let her sleep in the top bunk of Peters bed it isn't her fault if your blaming people blame me I'm the one who didn't wake her up"

Mr.Bailey huffs and rolls his eyes at Ben "fine but don't think your punishment is easing up little missy now get ready for school god I can't even look at you" he then walks out of her room grabs his bag and goes to work.

Grace breaks down right there she slides down the wall and holds her knees up to her chest and sobs not the ones when a kid throws a tantrum or when your physically hurt those heartbreaking kind of sobs that you'd see people have if they watched a loved one die or have something traumatic happen which applied here.

Ben crouches down and hugs her it's the best he can do this poor girl does everything to impress her father she has amazing grades she does house work he's complaining that she didn't finish when the apartment is spotless if he went looking for dirt he wouldn't find it and then he treats her like she's a burden like she is the worst thing that has ever happened to him which cannot possibly be true if anything the exact opposite Gracie brought more light into the Parker residence than dark but she was living in hell herself and Ben didn't know how that was possible this kid was definitely the strongest willed person he knew because she still kept trying .

Grace eventually calmed down and started to get up she had to be ready for school within 10 minutes so she wordlessly got up grabbed clothes and walked into the bathroom that was across from her bedroom.

When Gracelyn got up Ben left back to his apartment and got dressed in his bedroom and told May who was  also getting ready in there everything that happened at the Baileys apartment .
May didn't know what to do she knew that the safest option was to keep Grace away from that maniac but how could she do that when Grace would receive the punishment for being away not the people who make her stay away May decided to just think this through and talk to Grace later tonight about what she thinks is best and decide from there.

Once Grace finished getting ready she started to walk to school but today her walk was lonely Peter was either ahead of her or really late but she's used to it she can't expect someone to walk with her everyday that's just never how it worked so she continues and goes through her normal day but decides that she is not going to let her father walk all over her anymore she is going to stand her ground and hopefully make him see that what he is doing to her is wrong and maybe just maybe he'll treat her like family.

AN///Hi if you liked it you know what to do if not please stop reading yea bye (1097 words)