*Grace POV*
I was running and being chased by something I couldn't see. I was so scared that I was shaking and in a cold sweat. I could hear screaming from multiple people in terror. They sounded like Kimberly, Reid and Neil! I didn't know how to save them! I found myself standing in the middle of a road. Kimberly was in the very middle, reaching out to me. Her hand almost reaching mine, her blue eyes pleading. I saw a car swerve and screamed. "KIMBERLY DON'T!" I ran forward and saw her thrown, a car going into her side. I ran toward her and she disappeared.
"Grace. Gracie. Grace!" I was being shaken. I jumped up and slapped whoever was attacking me. "Hey! What'd you do that for!?" I saw a figure in front of me jump back. I was kind of frightened, my palms sweaty and breathing shallow. I heard the door close and saw the light flicker on. Kimberly was standing across from me, holding her face. "I am so, so, so sorry...again! You scared me!" She just looked at me, her blue eyes looked like they were almost filled with tears. "If you want to get rid of me, I understand completely. I'll go." Kimberly said nothing, but walked over to me, she now had a crooked smile, that I didn't like. She slapped my non-hurt leg really hard. I now had a scarlet hand on my leg! "Hey! Oww!" I squirmed away from her, my mouth hanging open. She laughed softly.
"I didn't hit you that hard! And that was payback! If you woulda moved like you did when you slapped me, you could've dodged it!" I turned my back to her and felt the bed sink as she sat down next to me. I couldn't help but smile. "Sorry. W-ww-hy are you here?" I yawned, the clock blinked 5am. "Don't be sorry, BabyGirl. You were crying and yelling in your sleep. Tell me what's going on. And don't say its just nothing, I know it's not. You are getting ready to spend months in a tour bus with a bunk, I don't wan't you to fall off, or you know, try and run out the door of a moving bus." I smiled half-heartedly.
"C'mon. I know that something is going on. Please tell me what it is." She looked serious, her blue eyes staring at me intently. Sighing, I leaned against the headboard of the bed. "huuuuuh." I sighed. "There's just a lot going on right now. I'm scared, no terrified, that he's gonna come back. I keep thinking about my ex..." I trailed off. I had never told them about him. "Annnd?" Kimberly asked, "I know that's not it." She said gently, but her voice was laced with hidden steel. "Fine. In a bit..... confused with Reid and Neil." She nodded. "Well, we got about.." She looked at the clock, 5:30, "4ish hours before everyone wakes up. Start where you want and say what you need to say, BabyGirl. I'm here for you."
I sighed. "Alright. I'll take you up on your offer. Then you need to tell me your problems and thoughts." She nodded, "Deal. As long as you don't run down any stairs again... Until you're healed." She smirked at me. I blushed, she had noticed! "Oh kay.. Sorry. Was it that obvious?" I asked. "Yeah, but I wasn't too surprised. And how often do you see a girl breathing heavily, sitting at the bottom of a staircase?" She smirked at me. I gave her a half smile as a thought popped into my head: Was I ready to talk to her? I was kinda nervous. "Don't apologize! It's ok, I'm here for you." She gave me a hug. "Thanks. Let me start with my ex. Ok?" She nodded. "Well, I was dating a man for a while, but well, things went south." I said. "Tell me everything." I sighed. "Alright.... Here we go. So in college, I met what I thought was the most awesome and handsome guy. His name was David, he was a sweet guy and sort of an athlete. We started dating, and that lead to him cheating on me. Walked in on them kissing on the common room couch. It gets even weirder, after that, another guy approached me right before Christmas break, said he was sorry for what happened between me and David. This guy's name was Sam. We started hanging out, as friends and everything, but then, he started to get weird. And I mean real weird...." I stopped as I remembered the flashback.
*Flashback*
I walked into my room at my house, when the smell of beer hit my nose, I knew something was up. I never drank, and didn't really want to. I walked in and gasped at what I saw. Sam was holding a broken bottle, and my room was slightly trashed, and my chair was on top of my bed....? The smooth gunmetal shining in the light. I never knew that he drank, and I hadn't seen him in a few weeks, he looked completely different, hollow even. His silver eyes were now a dull and empty grey tinged with red. We had started to date the beginning of this week, he said he was out of town, and asked me over a phone call to be his girlfriend, I stupidly said yes. I hung out with one of my best guy friends, that I hadn't seen in a long time, since almost high school. I guess Sam found out. Then, I remembered my fear as Sam walked over to me, stumbling and holding the pistol, "if I ever see you talk to another man, or even a person, ever again, even a friend, I will kill him and you. See this pistol, I know how to use it. Don't even try and escape me." He threw the bottle at me and it cut my forehead, I wound up with stitches and the police dragging him out of my room, after a neighbor heard our screaming match and me crying in fear. This was the first semester of the school year. That was the only thing that really happened this school year.
*End Flashback*
"Grace. Hey. You ok?" I saw a hand in front of my face and jumped. "Yeah, sorry. I... I don't think I can go on the tour anymore. I'm so sorry. Thank you for all you've done. I just.. can't hurt your family anymore." I walked out of the room and down the stairs before she could catch me. I opened the front door and walked out. I didn't even know where I was heading at like 5:30 in the morning, in Greenville, on top of all that. I just kept walking until I found a barn. It was a small pink barn with cute designs on the sides. I didn't know what I was doing. I just opened the doors and walked in. I saw a sign that said "Romeo" but thought nothing of it. I was not right in my mind, I was so tired and upset.
I sat down in front of the stall and put my head in my hands. I had no idea what to do, and Kimberly was worrying on top of that. I really should go back. But where is back? I just sat there and started to cry. I felt a nose tap me on the top of the head. looking up, I saw a brown nose, it nuzzled my own nose. I stood up and petted the horse, the horse nuzzled my hand and then my cheek. I loved horses, and had had one at my parent's house before college.
I stayed like that for a while. "I knew I would find you here." I jumped. I felt someone sit down next to me. Looking over, I saw none other than Miranda Lambert sitting next to me! "How did you know where I'd be?" I asked slowly, afraid she'd get mad.
"Well, you're from the south and you looked like you'd ride horses. And I knew you couldn't've gone far." She smiled. I noticed a bag with her. "So why don't you tell me what happened?" She smiled gently.
"You're in a pretty chipper mood for someone at 6am. How'd you get here, anyway? I figured that you'd be in Oklahoma... Not worrying about me." I cast my eyes downward. I thought she'd have forgotten me by now.
"I worry about you every day. And well, I've come with a gift. I also fell asleep at your house after playing with BlackJack. Hope you don't mind." I smiled a bit. She opened her bag and brought out a mason jar with dark brown and reddish liquid.
"Take a sip." She said, twisting off the cap of the mason jar. I nodded and drank a sip, it tasted like vanilla and a hint of mint with lemon. "What's in this?" I asked. "Well, tea, lemon, and you know, fireball." I choked on the next sip I took.
"Uh.. What!?" I asked. I turned to see Miranda bright red with laughter. "Do ya really think I'd bring you alcohol, let alone drink n drive? What am I? A redneck?" We both laughed. "Well, I suppose I am. But that's not all we do... We'll it's a big majority.... Bringing you alcohol I mean, cause you definitely seem like the party kid." I laughed harder. Clearly she was kidding. After my ex threatening me, I had played it safe and hung out only with my closest friends.
"Drink some more." She smirked. "Well, now that that startling fact is out, sure, no problem!" We laughed. I hadn't laughed this much in a while. "I would tell you, but it's my momma's secret recipe. It has no alcohol in it. I was just messin with ya. It's tea."
I drank about half of it. I began to feel a warm and calming sensation come over my body. "Now, that's relaxin tea. So, tell me what happened? Kimberly has been worried sick about you. It's like you're her child. But you couldn't be, she woulda told me." I laughed, "not unless she had me when she was like 13...." Miranda smiled at my comment.
I sighed. I had escaped from my problems a bit, but now I had to return to them. "I was telling her about my insane ex. And remembered something he said. And.... I just freaked. I didn't know what else to do. I ran, I didn't want to see anyone get hurt and now I've ruined an awesome friendship over it. I'm such an awful person." I put my head in my hands and rubbed my face.
"Wait. What did he say? And oh honey, you're not a terrible person! You had good intentions!" She hugged me. "He... Never-mind. I don't wanna say." She looked at me and I could see the fire and hatred in her eyes. "Where is he? I'm gonna smoke that little rat out." She snarled.
I realized then that there were two sides to Miranda. One was a quiet, nice, and funny side, the other was mean as hell and kinda funny. This was just the fire to fuel the furnace. "I'll kill em. I may be a nice person, but if anyone hurts my friend, they're goin down." I flinched at the word "kill."
"What's wrong?" She asked me. Before I could reply, her phone rang. I sat against the stall, my nose facing upward. I could hear yelling in the background: "Kimberly! What did you do? Where is she!?" Reid and Neil were panicking. "Guys, stop! Cut it out. She's ok, I found her. It wasn't your sister's" She looked at me, "Or anyone's fault. Just be happy she's safe and uh Romeo found a new friend." Miranda smiled above my head. Romeo was trying to lick my nose with his long tongue! I carefully and painfully stood up.
"Hey, buddy!" I realized then that I was in the Perry's barn! I was so embarrassed and nervous for what Kimberly was gonna say. I petted Romeo's face in thought. I hadn't gone far, but it seems like I had, probably because of my limp. "So, are we done runnin away?" Miranda asked me right next to my ear. I jumped. "Yes, I think so. God, I feel like such a coward. Is she mad?" Miranda took her sweet time to answer. "She... she's a bit confused right now, maybe a bit upset, but overall, she sounded terrified." Miranda said. "So, yes, she's mad." I said, I hated myself so much right now.
I sat down and for some reason, started to cry. "Hey, it's alright. I think if you just tell her what's wrong, she'll understand. Just be glad that she called me to find you, and she didn't find you first!" Miranda smiled crookedly. "Yeah. I'm just confused and scared right now. I don't know what to think. I'm scared my ex is gonna come back, and that the man that tried to kill both of us will come back." I couldn't meet Miranda's eyes. She tipped my chin up with her finger.
"Look at me. Don't try to hide from me, or you'll see the hell rasin' side of me. What did he do to you? Where is that snake now?" I looked into her eyes and sighed, "Fine." I leaned back a bit from her, into the stall and raised my long bangs that I had always had strung over to that one side, hiding what even stitches couldn't hide. The big ugly scar was there, running down my forehead. She gasped, "Where is he? Where the hell is that man!?" She snarled, she had turned into an insane woman before my eyes. "I'll tear him apart. Where is he!?" I guess my scar looked pretty bad to her. I also had an old cigarette burn on one of my arms, he said it was an accident, after we had first met. "He came to my room, trashed it and....and threatened to kill anyone that I got close to!" I started to bawl. "I called the cops, but I don't know where he is now!" Miranda put an arm around me, her rigid form going calm, "It'll be ok. I promise. Now, is this why you're scared?" She had a very calm and mommaish voice. "Yes." Was all I could say. "Tell Kimberly, you have to. She'll understand. Do you want me to tell her?"
"N..no. I'll have to tell her." I said, crying harder. "Hey, it's ok! I'll make sure that you're safe. Neither one of them will get to you. Before ya leave today, I'll teach ya how to shoot." I smiled, wiping my tears. "Alright, I'll take up your offer." I heard the squeak of the barn door. I knew it was Kimberly. Shaking, I slowly turned around and faced her.