her
false hopes that God is real and that He answers prayers?”
Grace cocked an eyebrow. “I heard about your
little incident with my brother in the hallway.”
I flinched.
“And don’t look surprised. Don’t think that
everyone in this town doesn’t know everything about everyone else.
If you spit, ten people will talk about it by the next day. I don’t
know why you accosted him, but let’s be clear, I’m fine. You need
to stay out of things that don’t concern you.”
All of a sudden it dawned on me. “It’s not
them ignoring you—it’s you ignoring them.”
Grace’s penetrating glare deepened.
“You think by shutting people out you’re
protecting them.”
Grace pressed her control and reared
backward. She crashed into the table.
I moved around the counter. “You said you
didn’t need a friend, you didn’t need pity. So you shut people out
of your life.”
Grace’s brown eyes went back to the slits
from the first day. She held her hand poised over the controls,
ready to blast me over with the slightest touch. “You would never
understand.”
I wouldn’t understand? I wouldn’t understand?
Had she MISSED the whole parents died, girl went crazy motif? The
engagement picture on my grandparents’ wall cut into my brain like
a fireman’s ax—severe and painful. “Yeah, just keep telling
yourself that.”
Grace let out a laugh. “Listen, Fire Girl, my
life is done. Done. But Zac—” She let out a soft word. It sounded
like a curse. “All I can tell you is that you better help Zac with
the music project and then stay out of our business.”
I watched her face.
Her features had contorted into something
scary. "I'm serious." Her volume increased. "You better help him,"
she yelled.
I paused into the kind of frozen statue I'd
practiced when the therapist asked a question I didn't want to
answer.
Tears bubbled into her eyes. "Get out!"
A sound came from the top of the stairs.
Grace gripped the metal bars of the chair.
“Get out.”
A woman wearing a fuzzy pony tail at the nape
of her neck stumbled down the stairs. “What’s the matter, Grace?”
Her voice was frantic, worried, like she thought Grace ran into the
street and she couldn’t find her.
Grandma followed.
“Nothing.” Grace’s voice went to a steel
calm. “Nothing, Mama.”
Grace’s mother turned fierce eyes to me.
“What did you say to her?”
I couldn’t speak.
Grandma moved forward and placed a soft hand
onto Grace’s forearm. “I’m sorry, Grace.” She grimaced at me.
“Let’s go, Maddie.”
Grace’s mom followed us. “Don’t bring that
girl back. We don’t need help anymore, you got that?”
I rushed backward out of the door and things
got even worse.
Chapter 10 Unwanted
Okay, I wasn't as bad as Bella in Twilight.
But, being completely in control of my coordination at all times,
I'll admit, had never been one of my strong points. I tripped over
my feet down the stairs.
And then…he was there. And there was no
resisting it—the strength of his arms, the warmth of his breath,
the vulnerability in his eyes. For a brief moment, our eyes locked,
and the walls weren't there. Stunned happiness and surprising
laughter played through his gray. But, so quickly that later I
would question if I'd even really seen it, his face registered that
he’d met an enemy on the battlefield. “You.”
I started to feel light-headed. “Let go!”
Zac released me in one motion.
I tumbled in a heap onto the hard gravel.
Pain jarred into my back. “Ouch.”
His hair fell into his eyes and the tooth
around his neck looked like a fang reaching out to strike.
“Come along, Maddie.” Grandma had slowed at
the end of their driveway.
Any pain in my body instantly gave way to
anger. I jumped to my feet. "Thanks for breaking my fall."
Zac’s mother emerged in the doorway, her pink
robe tied around her and a few wiry curlers stuck up around her
head. “Don’t come back here!”
Zac narrowed his eyes at me
false hopes that God is real and that He answers prayers?”
Grace cocked an eyebrow. “I heard about your
little incident with my brother in the hallway.”
I flinched.
“And don’t look surprised. Don’t think that
everyone in this town doesn’t know everything about everyone else.
If you spit, ten people will talk about it by the next day. I don’t
know why you accosted him, but let’s be clear, I’m fine. You need
to stay out of things that don’t concern you.”
All of a sudden it dawned on me. “It’s not
them ignoring you—it’s you ignoring them.”
Grace’s penetrating glare deepened.
“You think by shutting people out you’re
protecting them.”
Grace pressed her control and reared
backward. She crashed into the table.
I moved around the counter. “You said you
didn’t need a friend, you didn’t need pity. So you shut people out
of your life.”
Grace’s brown eyes went back to the slits
from the first day. She held her hand poised over the controls,
ready to blast me over with the slightest touch. “You would never
understand.”
I wouldn’t understand? I wouldn’t understand?
Had she MISSED the whole parents died, girl went crazy motif? The
engagement picture on my grandparents’ wall cut into my brain like
a fireman’s ax—severe and painful. “Yeah, just keep telling
yourself that.”
Grace let out a laugh. “Listen, Fire Girl, my
life is done. Done. But Zac—” She let out a soft word. It sounded
like a curse. “All I can tell you is that you better help Zac with
the music project and then stay out of our business.”
I watched her face.
Her features had contorted into something
scary. "I'm serious." Her volume increased. "You better help him,"
she yelled.
I paused into the kind of frozen statue I'd
practiced when the therapist asked a question I didn't want to
answer.
Tears bubbled into her eyes. "Get out!"
A sound came from the top of the stairs.
Grace gripped the metal bars of the chair.
“Get out.”
A woman wearing a fuzzy pony tail at the nape
of her neck stumbled down the stairs. “What’s the matter, Grace?”
Her voice was frantic, worried, like she thought Grace ran into the
street and she couldn’t find her.
Grandma followed.
“Nothing.” Grace’s voice went to a steel
calm. “Nothing, Mama.”
Grace’s mother turned fierce eyes to me.
“What did you say to her?”
I couldn’t speak.
Grandma moved forward and placed a soft hand
onto Grace’s forearm. “I’m sorry, Grace.” She grimaced at me.
“Let’s go, Maddie.”
Grace’s mom followed us. “Don’t bring that
girl back. We don’t need help anymore, you got that?”
I rushed backward out of the door and things
got even worse.
Chapter 10 Unwanted
Okay, I wasn't as bad as Bella in Twilight.
But, being completely in control of my coordination at all times,
I'll admit, had never been one of my strong points. I tripped over
my feet down the stairs.
And then…he was there. And there was no
resisting it—the strength of his arms, the warmth of his breath,
the vulnerability in his eyes. For a brief moment, our eyes locked,
and the walls weren't there. Stunned happiness and surprising
laughter played through his gray. But, so quickly that later I
would question if I'd even really seen it, his face registered that
he’d met an enemy on the battlefield. “You.”
I started to feel light-headed. “Let go!”
Zac released me in one motion.
I tumbled in a heap onto the hard gravel.
Pain jarred into my back. “Ouch.”
His hair fell into his eyes and the tooth
around his neck looked like a fang reaching out to strike.
“Come along, Maddie.” Grandma had slowed at
the end of their driveway.
Any pain in my body instantly gave way to
anger. I jumped to my feet. "Thanks for breaking my fall."
Zac’s mother emerged in the doorway, her pink
robe tied around her and a few wiry curlers stuck up around her
head. “Don’t come back here!”
Zac narrowed his eyes at me
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