Page 2 of Forbidden Lies

“Oh, sweetie, are you sure you're up for school today? Your father and I talked, and if you would like to take some more time, maybe just another month, we could enroll you in online courses?”

“No, ma'am, I mean, Mom. According to you, I already have to repeat half of my junior classes. So I’d rather just get school done and over with. A lot of things are still fuzzy, but I want to move on.” I'm still not one hundred percent sure why I'm not repeating the whole year, but I guess this way, I will be with friends. If I even have them.

“Gracie, I know this has been hard since waking from the coma and all the months of therapy. But honey, you don't need to rush things. Baby steps. How about we try tomorrow, and today we can have a girls’ day? I'm thinking manis, pedis, and maybe lunch at your favorite restaurant, Bennies?”

Not sure what restaurant she's talking about, though that does sound nice …

“I need to move on, Mom, but maybe we can do that this weekend?”

“Sure, baby, that sounds like a plan.” She looks away from me as soon as the last word is spoken. I know she's trying to hide it, but I saw the flash of worry in her blue eyes and how her hand trembled. I feel like everything I do is wrong, but I can’t help that I don’t remember.

“I need to leave, or I'm going to be late. I'll see you after school, okay?”

“Wait, at least let me drive you,” she rushes to say, but I hold up my hand.

“I’ll be okay. The fresh air will be good for me.” She nods but bites her bottom lip.

I know that's not the most reassuring thing I could’ve said, and she's probably expecting a hug goodbye, but she's still a stranger to me. I turn quickly and head out the front door.

Free at last.

Taking a moment to just breathe in the morning air and let the rising sun warm my face, I feel my tension and anxiety slowly slip away, changing to nerves and excitement.School.I don't know if I liked it before, but I'm happy to be out on my own. Months—it's been months since I woke from that coma.

It’s dark,but I hear voices. Where are they coming from? “Mom, we need to tell her. I don’t believe what everyone is saying. You know Gracie, Mia was her best friend. Whatever happened that night had to have been an accident. When she wakes up, and she will wake up, we will learn the truth.” It’s a man's voice, but I don't know whose.

“Gray, baby, come sit down. You really need to go home to Anna. She's worried about you, and you know what? So am I. Gracie wouldn't want to see you like this, either. She knows you love her, and I’ll call you as soon as she wakes up,” a lady says with a tired sigh before continuing, “Honey, it’s been two months, and it upsets me to say this, but she may never wake up.”

Her words are choked, and then she starts to cry. Someone comforts her as I drift back into oblivion, where I feel safe.

The next time I feel consciousness returning, I open my eyes to a room full of people I don't know. So many voices shouting in excitement at the same time terrifies me, and I scream. My hands shake, and my eyes search for any hint of recognition.

“Gracie, baby, it’s okay, it’s okay. Calm down, sweetie. You’re safe, and you’re okay,” a woman I don’t know says beside me in a tear-filled voice.

“Who are you?” I croak out, breath hitching. My throat feels like I’ve been snacking on glass, and I could use a drink.

“Gracie honey, it’s Mom. Don’t you recognize me? Grant, get the doctor now!” she shouts in a panicked voice, freaking me out even more. I hear the monitors I’m attached to go crazy, and my chest gets tighter, making it hard to breathe.

“Wh—I—” I gasp, “—ca—brea—he—” a man grasps my cheeks, forcing me to meet his hazel eyes.

“Gracie, look at me. Breathe. Everything is okay. Feel the cold from my hands on your cheeks. Don’t look at anyone but me. Listen to my voice. That's it. Just breathe, sis. We’ll get the doctor in here, and he can explain things, okay? Just breathe, Gracie. That's my girl. I've missed you so much,” he says with tears in his eyes. I'm not sure who he is, but whatever he did worked.

Since that moment,it’s been a whirlwind of doctors, therapists, and secrets. Not to mention, I now have panic attacks, which according to my parents, I never had pre-accident. Just another new adjustment to my life. I hope I don’t have one at school. That’s just what I need. It’s bad enough I’m going to be known as the coma girl or amnesia girl.

But even with that knowledge, I’m excited to just get out of my house.

The only people I've been around are my family. My mom, dad, and brother, Grayson. All overbearing and honestly boring. I need some excitement. They seem nice but busy. I spend most of my days lying on the couch and watching TV. It took weeks before I was allowed to even wander outside on my own.

We had a BBQ, and I was given permission to set the table. Yeah, as if I was five and not eighteen. I understand they want to protect me, but I’m glad they have loosened the reins a bit. Though, I’m sure they will have my teachers spying on me today.

Anyways, it was a nice day. Grayson—who asked me to call him Gray— introduced me to his wife, and they announced that she was pregnant. So I'm going to be an aunt, which I’m kinda excited about.

I can remember loving kids and doing a lot of babysitting. I always wanted to be a mom. Being an aunt will give me sufficient practice until it's my time.

I'm hoping Gray will spend more time at the house once the baby arrives. He doesn't seem to be around much, and out of my family, I feel most comfortable hanging out with him. I wonder why that is. Maybe because we’re closer in age. But I know that he’s busy. He recently graduated from college and works at our family’s law firm.

Gray mostly only visits for Sunday dinners, and I've yet to see his wife, Anna, again. She seemed sweet, and I’d like to get to know her better. Maybe we could have a girls’ day once her second trimester hits and she's no longer suffering from morning sickness.

I think I’m looking forward to this weekend with my mom. Since Mia passed, I've been lost in a deep depression. The doctors say it's a side effect of my injury, but I think it's grief. Mia was my person, and I miss her so much.

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