Chapter 36 No One Needs To See Them
Gracie
“Gracie, it is time to wake up.” Rylan’s soft voice whispers, and he presses his warm lips against mine.
I moan softly and open my eyes. I smile when I am met with his look down at me with his beautiful smile painted on his lips. I reach up and run my fingers through his messy hair.
“Good morning. I don’t want to move. What time is it?”
“Six-thirty. We don’t need to move. We can just stay here and skip school.”
“How are we going to do that with your mom in the house? Without the school letting our parents know we haven’t shown up?” I ask.
“Simple, my mom will go to work soon. We can call the school, pretending to be our parents. They won’t notice the difference.” He suggests.
I have never skipped school unless I was ill. The idea is tempting. It has been an emotional few days for both of us. One day won’t make a difference. The idea of hiding away here for the day with Ryland is one I like the sound of.
“Screw it, why now. I need to go home first before he wakes up and do what I need to do.”
The look on his face changes from smiling to worrying. He doesn’t want me to go home, not when my dad is in. I reach up and kiss him softly, hoping it will help relax him.
“I will be fine. I will be in and out as quickly as I can.” I promise.
“Okay, but if you take too long, I am coming to make sure you are okay.”
“I know you will, but I promise I will be fine.”
Ryland still isn’t sure about it, but I reassure him the best I can. Hesitantly, I pull myself out of bed and change. I will need his help to sneak out. We sneak downstairs. His mom is in the kitchen making breakfast before she needs to leave for work. He kisses me quickly, going to the kitchen to distract his mom while I slip out.
I rush home, and thankfully, there is no sign of my dad. I dart around, doing what I need and preparing breakfast for him. It doesn’t take long. Everything is done in no time, and now I need to wait anxiously until Ryland texts to tell me his mom is away. Hopefully, it won’t be too long because I don’t want to see the monster. I grab what I need and decide to wait outside. It is the safer option.
I take my cell out to text Lola. If she doesn’t see me at school, she will worry.
Hey, I am not coming to school today. Ryland and I are going to ditch, but we can hang out after school if you don’t have plans with Ben x
Lola: Hey, babe, check you out, ditching school and staying over at a guy’s house ;) Is it wrong that I am proud of you right now? Ha-ha. And yes, that sounds good. Girls’ night? Movies, ice creams and talking about boys lol x
I let out a giggle as I read the text. Trust my best friends to be proud of me for breaking the rules.
Gracie: Maybe a little ha-ha. Yes, a girl’s night sounds good. Can I stay over? x
Lola: Of course, you can! I’d better make a move and get ready for school. Try not break too many rules without me in one day, okay? I will see you later. Love you x
Gracie: I will try to behave myself, ha-ha. See you later, love you too x
I notice Ryland’s mom leaves the house and goes to her car. She doesn’t notice me. Everything Ryland told me about her run went through my mind. She is such a strong woman. It must have taken a lot of strength to get through what she did. I hope she finds a good man one day, one to love her and treat her right. She deserves it after everything she has been through. I am pulled out of my thoughts when my cell rings. Ryland names flashes on my screen. I answer quickly.
“Hey, beautiful, you can come back over now.”
“I will be there in two minutes.”
I hang up and head back to his place. Ryland is already at the front door, waiting for me. His shoulders relax, and he smiles, relief taking over him when he sees I am okay. Ryland reaches for me and pulls ne to him, hugging me tightly. He doesn’t say a word. I let him, happily hugging back. He pulls away after a minute and leads us back inside.
“Do you want to go back to sleep for a bit? It is still early.” He asks.
“Yes, I could sleep more, but we will need to stay awake for a bit so we can call into school.”
“I am sure we can find a way to keep ourselves awake for half an hour.”
We head upstairs. I steal a tee and a pair of his boxers again. He turns away to let me change, and he strips down to his boxers. We climb back onto the bed, staying on top of the covers in case we get too comfortable and end up falling asleep.
“You are a bad influence on me. I have never ditched school.” I laugh.
“You need to break the rules sometimes, baby girl.”
“With you, I feel like I will be doing that for sure. I don’t mind.” I smile.
Ryland chuckles, not even trying to deny it. “Probably.”
His eyes fall on my legs, sighing. I look at him, confused and follow where his eyes are. I soon realise my scars and cuts are on show. I quickly pull the boxers down, covering them up.
“Gracie, you don’t need to hide them from me. They are part of you.”
“I don’t like having on show.”
No one wants or needs to see them!