Page 46 of Forbidden Lies

Gracie

Today has been weird as hell. Ash never showed after he left me at the cliffs, and the guys made it known to everyone in school that they no longer agree with the bullying. This only set the BITCHES off, and they had a blast, making cheer practice so much fun.

Cue eye roll. I’m exhausted and just want to have a snack and then maybe take a nap. The guys kept me up way too late. Yes, it was the best night of my life, but a girl needs sleep.

My dad is pulling out of the driveway when I walk up, and he waves at me. I groan and rub my eyes. This means that my mom is going to be either drunk or clingy. I walk up the porch steps and hesitate to turn the knob.

The door is pulled open from the other side, and a pissed-off mom faces me.

“Gracelyn, get in this house. We need to have a talk,” she barks, then turns and stomps toward the kitchen. She has a glass of wine in her hand, and there is a bottle on the counter. I place my bags on the floor by the stairs, then shuffle into the kitchen.

“Sit!” she orders, pointing toward the table. I listen, then wait for her to talk. She drinks another glass, then sighs. “Now, if you thought I didn’t notice that the guys had spent the night, you must take me for a fool,” she says, then grabs a block of cheese and crackers, bringing them to the table.

She doesn’t offer me any, just shoves a few in her mouth, chewing while talking. Crumbs fly from her lips, and she takes another gulp from her glass. “I don’t have a problem with you having company, but for the love of God, if you’re going to have an all-night orgy, put some music on or buy a gag.”

My eyes bug out, and I choke on saliva. “Oh, please, Gracie, you haven’t been innocent since you were sixteen. I was the one who put you on birth control. At least with your last boyfriend, you were always quiet.”

She seems two sheets to the wind, and I lean a little closer, nodding. “Who was my last guy?” I ask, and because she’s drunk, she doesn’t seem to have any filter.

“That asshole Ashton. I’m glad he’s not in your life anymore. I always thought he was a prick,” she grumbles, shoving more crackers in her mouth. Her eyes are drooping, and she’s starting to slur her words.

“Oh, I forgot to ask… how did I end up in a coma?” I try my luck to see if maybe she will spill the beans, but she blinks at me a few times, glances at her empty glass, then tries to stand up and pour some more.

Gray comes into the kitchen, takes one look at our mom then frowns. He’s holding a bag of takeout and sets it on the counter. “Dad called me and told me to bring dinner home. I can see why now,” he grumbles, then places chicken tenders and onion rings onto a plate for me and brings it over.

“Thanks, but I have a migraine, so I’ll take it to go,” I say, then grab my plate and bags and head up to my room for the night. I really need a nap. I just hope it’s dreamless. My nightmares are getting worse and more vivid with each night that passes.

Reaching my room, I let out a sigh of relief. I set my food down on the table next to my bed and turn on some music before lying back on my pillow. I close my eyes, hoping to take a quick rest and praying for it to be nightmare free. So much for that.

“Hey Gracie,let's go for a walk. This smoke is upsetting my stomach and making me lightheaded,” my bestie Mia says. I get up and give Ash a passionate kiss. “Hey, we’ll be back soon, just going for a quick walk. Love you,” I tell my amazing fiancé. Eeee!!!

I still can't believe it! Ashton proposed a few weeks back, a couple days after my seventeenth birthday. He grabs me, giving me one more dominating kiss before letting us go.

I grab Mia’s hand, and we start on our walk. “Hey, everything okay? You’ve been off recently. Did everything work out okay with that legal stuff?” I ask her.

She's quiet for a while as we walk but eventually says, “Yeah, girl, everything’s great. Especially after tonight. Things will be right on track, and by next month, I’ll have everything I have ever wanted.”

Not sure what she means by that, but I’m happy for her. She deserves to be happy.

“That's great, Mi. I know things haven't been amazing these past few weeks. I want you to be happy. You’re my best friend and soon-to-be sister,” I say with a giant smile on my face.

She stops to face me and says, “You’re right about one of those things,” then continues walking forward. What does that mean? What is with her lately? She's been so unnecessarily cruel.

Ash and I discussed it the other day, and he said it’s not just with me. She's been super moody and snapping at everyone. He thinks maybe she's doing drugs, but I haven't seen any signs of it. I mean, she didn't even ask me to DD for her tonight. I don’t party, but Mia does any chance she gets.

I get it—her home life isn't the best—absentee parents, and when they are home, they are too busy to acknowledge their kids. Ash and she practically live at my house. Mom and Dad already call Ash, son. Looking around, I see that we are far from the party now. Where is she going? It’s pitch black out here.

“Mia, where are we going? Let's just head back to the party. Ash is going to come looking for us. We’ve been gone for over thirty minutes. Mia, are you listening? This is really dangerous. It's dark, and I'm not wearing the proper shoes for this hike.”

Mia turns and looks at me with such disgust and hatred in her eyes, causing me to stumble back a step.

“God, Gracie, can you ever just shut up? Perfect little Gracelyn Rose gets everything she ever wants. Well, I'm over it! We’re going to do what I want now. I’ve spent way too many hours planning this for you to fuck it up! Couldn't just mind your own damn business. Had to stick your nose where it didn't belong.”

Taken aback by the venomous tone in her voice, I turn and head back to the party only to have her grip my arm hard, her nails digging into the flesh, causing me to scream out.

“What the hell, Mia? That really hurts! Wait, Mia, slow down. Where are you taking me? This really isn't funny! Please, Mia, stop! No, no, Mia, we’re up too high! You know I hate heights! What are you doing? Mia, stop pushing me closer to the edge! MIAA—!”

Falling, I remember falling and hearing a voice say, “One down, one to go, and then he's mine.”

---