State Of Grace

Chapter 3 - Wildest Dreams

"Thank you."

When they pulled up to the school, John handed his phone to Gracie, "Here, we'll trade numbers, you can call if you need anything," Gracie passed her phone over to him. As they switched back, John's hand lingered on Gracie's for a moment. At first, she thought it was strange, but she brushed it off, assuming he was trying to be friendly.

The school itself was a vision of beauty; palm trees towered over the white stone building, and the sound of waves crashing on the shore provided a calming aura over the whole campus. So calming that Gracie managed to unclench her hands and rest them by her sides as she walked through the main entrance of White Coast High.

Kids bustled through the halls carrying stacks of books, talking and laughing with their friends as Gracie navigated her way through the sea of teenagers. She knew she was supposed to go straight to the principal's office, but it was a big school and she couldn't figure out where it was. She wasn't going to get much further without asking for help, so when she saw a boy around her age standing by his locker she decided he looked safe to approach.

"Hi, I'm new. Could you tell me where the principal's office is?" She asked.

The boy in the striped t-shirt looked back at her and smiled. Up close he looked younger, but his voice was deep enough to prove that he was at least fifteen. "Yeah, sure. She's my mom, I'll walk you there," he replied.

"Oh, you're one of Riley's brothers? I met her the other day. I'm Gracie," she extended a hand to him, and he shook it.

"Right, Sarah's friend. I'm Danny," his voice, deep as it was, was still somehow so youthful and soft, with a comforting quality about it.

"You're a sophomore too?" She asked, maybe she and Danny could become friends.

"Yeah. Hey, come to lunch with us. I'm meeting my brother and sisters on the green," the invitation took Gracie by surprise, but she couldn't turn it down. If Danny and the rest of his family were half as kind as Riley had been, she wanted to spend time with them. Dr Ellis was always saying how important it was to surround yourself with good people. Even though she probably wasn't going to be at WCHS for long, it couldn't hurt to make a few friends.

"Cool," Gracie tried to act collected, but her beaming smile gave away her excitement.

"This is it," the pair stopped next to a door with the name 'Lilah Tucker' engraved on a plaque stuck to the front of it. "I'll see you at lunch, Gracie," the boy sauntered away, and Gracie took another deep breath before knocking gently on the office door.

"Come in," a voice replied. Gracie opened the door carefully and saw a woman sitting at her desk. "Gracie, right?" She smiled and stood up, then walked towards the young girl. "Have a seat," her voice was as welcoming as Danny's. Gracie tugged on her sleeves, something she did when she was anxious, she couldn't keep her hands still. "I'm Lilah. It's so nice to meet you," she shook Gracie's hand.

"You too," she said, "I just met Danny. He's nice," she wanted to come across as more confident than her quaking voice allowed her to.

"Don't be nervous, Gracie. I think you'll like it here. You and Danny are actually in the same homeroom and a lot of the same classes too," Lilah passed Gracie a few sheets of paper, her class schedule, a map of the school, and a list of phone numbers.

"What are these for?" She asked, scanning her eyes down the list and seeing words like 'crisis', 'emergency', and 'helpline'.

"There are some numbers you might want to call if you need someone to talk to or you're feeling at-risk," Gracie's heart skipped a beat, "Your social worker called to let me know what you've been going through."