𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄

[𝟒] 𝐈𝐦𝐩

I walk down the hall into my bathroom.

Warm water rolls over my body as I stand under the showerhead, running my fingers through my hair. Funnily enough, showering clears my thoughts, even the ones that feel like life or death.

On my way out of my room, a familiar smell fills my nostrils, mom's making breakfast. Not just any breakfast-

"Mom!" A voice calls from outside the house.

Grant.

"Sam! Get the door, baby, it's your brother!" Mom calls from the kitchen, I pinch the bridge of my nose groaning. I was really hoping that dickwad wouldn't be here until later.

I lazily stomp down the stairs, dreading to see my brother. I open the front door and he's cradling some little girl in his arms but I don't get to see her face because he pushes me out of the way as he walks into the living room, placing her there.

"Sam, get me some water." Grant orders. I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Get it yourself, wonder-Grant." He shoots me a look that gives me no other choice than to do as he says.

When I get back into the living room the body is sitting up, wrapped in a blanket as she whispers something to my brother.

Grant stands up and rips the water from my hand, spilling some over my hand. "Dick." I murmur, wiping my hand against my shirt.

The girl starts coughing as she downs the water, it sounds familiar, kinda like-

"Shhh, it's alright, Gracie-bear," Grant tells her. What the fuck is a Gracie-bear?

He pats her back and the part of the blanket that had been covering her head falls, revealing familiar blonde- almost brown- hair.

"Thanks, dickhole." She coughs again.

It's not a kid, no. It's just a short ass girl,

Grace-fucking-Rieder

🌊

"-And then he left me outside of the gas station," Grace spoke, glaring at me. She'd switched up the story a bit for the sake of not revealing her secret but I'm pretty sure mom already knows and Grant is a fucking idiot so he wouldn't know even if she spelled it out for him.

"What the fuck, Sam. This is my best friend's little sister, so she's basically our sister, show some respect."

"At least I attended my actual sister's funeral." I murmured. Grace looks at Grant expectantly and he just shakes his head, shamefully.

"How's Spencer?" Grant asks Grace and she tenses, her jaw tightening as her fists ball.

"He's fine, probably just dead in a ditch somewhere, haven't heard from him in a while." She says calmly, Grant watches as her sentence unravels, his mouth agape.

That's fucked. He didn't even know Spencer was missing.

"Can I use your phone?" Grace asks Grant. I pull out my phone first and hand it to her. She eyes me for a moment before glancing back at my phone. "Password?"

"I'll put it." I reach for my phone but she holds it away from me.

"I'm not gonna use it ever again just tell me."

"Oh-two-oh-four-oh-four," I grumble.

The thought of her hands on my stuff gives me anxiety. Like, I have a crush on her again and she's going to find something incriminating somehow and freaking despise me for what ever it is.

Yes, I had a crush on Grace. But trust me, it's long gone now.

She incoherently grumbles something back, blushing. It's funny, she looks so upset but she's blushing too. I think it's possibly one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

"Stop staring, weirdo. It's impolite." Grant nudges me, I nudge him back harder.

"You're impolite, you imp." I grin at Grace as she says those words to Grant. She flips me off and another blush creeps upon her cheeks.

"How am I impolite?" Grant frowns, his spaghetti arms crossed over his chest. Grace scoffs, dialing a number, and putting my phone to her ear.

"Because. You literally didn't even know who the hell I was when you put me in your goddamn car." She narrows her eyes at him. He puts his hands up in surrender.

"I thought you were a kid." He defends. That seriously is not supporting his case.

"What are you a pedophile?" I scoff and his eyes go wide.

"No! I was going to take her-"

"Home?" Grace interjects, smirking. Grant's blushing in embarrassment as he starts fidgeting with his hands.

"I-" Grant starts.

"Shh, I'm on the phone, imp." Grace once again cuts him off. Grant rolls his eyes.

"Hey, uhm- it's Grace, I just wanted to tell you I was safe and all. I'll be home soon so don't worry too much and tell Ray to check the mail if I don't get home on time. Bye, love you." She hangs up.

"I just left him a voicemail." She tells me. She gets up and grabs my keys from my back pocket as she walks past me.

I follow her through the front door. She unlocks my car and goes to the passenger seat, grabbing her bag and phone. Oh shit, she didn't have them.

I can just feel my eyes turn sad and regretful as she passes by me and towards her car.

"Bye, Sammy." She whispers.

I watch as her car speeds down the street and turn the corner, I didn't want her to go yet.

And she's gone...