Gracy's Begining

Chapter One~Coffee Stop

Graser's Pov Through Chapters One and Two!

The rain was hitting the windshield hard at this point. I hadn't made it out of Utah yet, so I stopped for a cup of coffee at a small bookstore. They were the only shop open for miles and the rain wasn't stopping anytime soon.

I didn't see anyone in the store except for the barista who also ran the register. I ordered a peppermint hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. I went to sit at the tables in the middle of the large room. The place was isolated.

"Found one!" A female's voice shouted from the back of the store. I had been sitting there for about ten minutes, reading the newspaper from three days ago. I jumped because I thought no one was here.

"I didn't know anyone was here," I said, putting down my not-so-hot chocolate.

"Me either. I got rained in here for the night," she said. She was still hiding behind the bookcases. When she came out, I starred. She was probably carrying twelve books in her arms.

"You're prepared, I see,"

"Ya. I walked here, on my way home, and the rain kept me trapped," she smiled and slammed her pile of books on the table. There was something about her that I liked. It was the first time I hadn't been thinking about my parents since I ran off. She just gave me this feeling in my stomach, that I'd never had before and I didn't even know her name.

"I'm Stacy, by the way," she said, noticing my awkward pause.

"I'm Zachary. My friends call me Graser."

"Nice to meet you, Graser."

"You too, Stacy. Do you know of any hotels around here?"

"Um..there's one down the road to your left. Can't miss it," she said. She looked upset that I was leaving. I headed for the door but realized I was a little upset to leave, too. Before opening the door, I looked back at Stacy. She was looking at me but quickly looked back down at her book. I opened the door and the bell rang.

"Wait!" She said. "Can I come with you? I need a place to sleep until the rain stops," I stopped and turned back to her. Her face was pleading and tempting.

"Nevermind. I'm such an idiot! I don't even know you. I'm sorry," she said, frustrated at herself.

"No! It's ok! You can come," I said. Her face lit up. When the barista wasn't looking, she scooped as many books as she could fit in a bag around her shoulder and rushed to my truck.

From the time it took to get from the door of the shop to my truck, her brown her was soaking wet. She shivered. I didn't want to be weird, but I gave her my jacket. She used it as a blanket.

"There it is," she said pointing to a two-story hotel.

"Let's go, then," I add, grabbing my bag of clothes.

After we got our room, Stacy took a shower. I changed into shorts and pajama pants and crawled into my bed. I got on my phone. Seventy-nine new texts from my parents. I needed time to get away from them. A year ago, I had an anxiety attack. My parents immediately took me to a therapist, who made things so much worse. I've gotten 'better' over the past nine months or so. I take pills to help me sleep. Speaking of, I go grab two from my bag.

"Graser, do you have anything I can sleep in. My clothes are soaked," Stacy asks from behind the door.

"I have a shirt and some basketball shorts," I say back.

"That's fine." I hand them to her. She was wrapped in a bright green towel. Once she puts on the oversize shorts and shirt, she crawls into her bed.

"Goodnight, Stacy," I say, but she was already asleep.