O N E- GRACE

NOVEMBER 8 - 7:36 PM

Grace rubbed the bruise around her wrist and closed her eyes, hoping her pounding headache would go away before she got back to her house. She shouldn't have told Liam. She knew he would react this way. He always reacted this way when she did something wrong. But she had promised herself that she wasn't going to hide this any longer. It was a secret she just couldn't keep any longer.

She paused in front of her doorway, contemplating on whether or not to go inside. If she went inside she was going to have to tell her parents. Grace swore to herself that she would tell them after she told Liam.

But she didn't know how they would react.

Well, that wasn't true. Her dad would be angry. He was like Liam in that way- normally he was the sweetest person on the planet but when someone did something to set him off…well, it never really ended well. He would tell her that she had failed him, failed her mother, and failed God. Her mother would probably cry. That's how she reacted usually.

Her headache was still there. It was probably a concussion.

"Gracie? What are you doing outside, baby?"

The door had opened for her and her mother was looking at her with big, worried blue eyes.

"I-I have something I have to tell you. Something important, uh, I think you should get dad." Grace stepped inside as she talked, pushing her way past her mother and walking swiftly into the living room. She sat down on the couch and then stood up again. Standing would be better.

Her parents appeared in the archway and Grace closed her eyes hard, wishing this were all a dream. As they walked into the living room she remembered her bruise and pulled her sleeve down.

"What is it?" her dad asked, looking at her carefully.

"C-can you s-sit down?" she stuttered out. They looked at each other before shrugging and sitting down.

"Please don't be mad at me. I...I know I shouldn't have…he was just so angry with me and…I'm so sorry I know I shouldn't have but I did it anyway and it's my fault a-and I'm sorry I know it's all my fault I just…"

Her mother already had tears welling in her eyes, even though she didn't have the slightest idea what was happening. "Oh, Grace what did you do, sweetie? Tell us."

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, her eyes on her feet.

No one said anything.

Finally, her dad's voice broke the silence, "What. Did. You. Say?" he asked, his voice hard and grating.

She didn't want to repeat it.

"What did you say!" he yelled.

"I'm pregnant!" she choked out and once again the room went silent. Her mother started to cry. Her father moved closer to her and grabbed her face, moving it so she was looking him in the eye.

"You're what?" he whispered.

She closed her eyes and whispered back, "Pregnant."

And then suddenly he was grabbing her by the wrist, the one with the bruise on it, and dragging her to the door. She screamed at him to stop, she tried to tell him he was hurting her, but he didn't listen.

He pulled her to the door and pushed her at it. "I will not have a whore in my house. We are Christians. We do not abide sinners. You are not my daughter, Grace, do you hear me? I won't have a sinning whore for my daughter and I most certainly will not have one living under my roof. Do you understand me?"

"Daddy-"

"Get out!"

"But I-"

And then he was pulling her by her hair and pushing her outside. He threw her against the snow and slammed the door shut. And then she was alone.

She didn't register what had just happened until she felt the biting cold of snow melting through her leggings. The cold pulled her out of her shock and she was left feeling terrified. Had she really just been kicked out of her house? Where would she go? What could she do?

She could go to Liam…he would take care of her, he always took care of her. He loved her so, so much. He always said that he would do anything for her. But maybe he was still upset about what she told him.

She couldn't let him hit her again, she thought, placing a hand on her stomach, even if he was sorry for it. She couldn't let him hit her anymore.

She could stay with one of her friends. Lauren or Reina.

But their parents went to the same church Grace's did…they would never let her stay with them.

She was hit with a sudden urge to leave. Leave Colorado and go somewhere far, far away. Away from Liam and her church and her parents. She couldn't breathe here. She was suffocating. What was she going to do?

She realized she was running, although she couldn't exactly remember getting up and starting to run. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she was going away.

KIM

NOVEMBER 8 6:50 PM

"So what exactly are you making me?" Jared Cameron asked, watching his girlfriend buzz around her kitchen.

She smiled over her pot of pasta, "Orecchiette Bolognese with chestnuts," she told him.

He sighed, "And that is…?"

She laughed, "Orecchiette is ear-shaped pasta and-" she was cut off by the loud sound of her cell phone ringing, "saved by the bell!"

Kim glanced down at her phone to see a picture of a blonde, dimpled, blue-eyed girl smiling up at her. She clicked answer immediately. "Gracie! What's up?"

She heard Grace take in a shaky breath, "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I, um…I got kicked out."

"What?" Kim asked. It was hard to imagine sweet Christian Grace doing anything that was bad enough to get her kicked out of her house. And she couldn't imagine Grace's parents ever even kicking her out in the first place.

"O-of my house? My dad kicked me out. He said I couldn't come back? Not ever. Um… I don't really know what to do. I'm on the um streets. In town, I mean. I had to get away from my house but now there're so many people and I don't know what to do."

Kim took in a breath herself. Grace should not be alone in town by herself. She was small and naive and her parents never taught her how to defend herself. "Okay, I need you to get off the streets, okay Grace?"

"Okay."

"And I need you to go somewhere you feel safe. Somewhere that isn't full of strangers."

"I…I'll try."

"Didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend? Leo or something?"

Her voice seemed to get sharper, panicky, "Liam. I…I can't go stay with Liam he's so mad at me please Kimmy I need to get away I can't let him hurt me not anymore I can't do it. Please, Kimmy…"

Hurt her? Kim wondered what Liam did to and her and felt a violent rush of rage fill her. Jared had stood up and walked over to her but she brushed him off. She had to focus on Grace.

"Of course not Grace, don't you worry. I'll get you away from there, okay? I'll come and get you and you can come and stay with me."

Grace didn't answer for a few seconds.

"I can't let you do that, Kim," she finally said, "You live so far away. You don't have to do that. I'm freaking out for no reason, actually. It's no big deal. I'll figure it out, okay? It's okay."

Kim was shaking her head, "No, Grace. I'm leaving right now. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I don't think-"

"I'm coming, Grace. I'm on my way."

"Really, Kim, it's fine-"

"Shut up. I love you. I'm coming to get you. Goodbye."

And with that, Kim hung up her phone.

Hi, readers! Welcome to my new story! I really hope you guys enjoy it. If you did please leave a comment! Two comments and I will update! Let me know what you think of my main character Grace and let me know who you think should/ is going to imprint on her. Follow/Favorite/Review!

-Pixie