Falling for Grace

AN:

Phoebe

New York could, in fact, be 'that bad'. In reality, it was a lot worse than 'that bad'. It was brutal. Let me start from the ride. Not only was my family moving to New York, but so was my extended family that lived in Cali. Aunty Thalia and Aunt Reyna were coming because Aunty Thalia said why the hell not, and Lenix and Connor were coming because apparently, they wanted to stay near us. Usually, during road trips, I liked to listen to music, or take a nap. Those activities, though, are hard to accomplish when there are not one, but three people, stuffed into the back seat with you.

My lovely aunts and cousins thought it'd be just a great idea if Kate and Rylan- Aunty Thalia and Aunt Reyna's son that came to be with the help of a donor- rode in our car, as if we didn't already feel cramped in the back seats. Now I promise you, I loved Toria and my cousins. They're perfect, and I'd miss them tons if they weren't by my side, but when I want to sleep or listen to music, then I want to do precisely those things.

You know those moments when you're listening to music, and you clearly express you don't want to talk or be bothered, and then some oblivious person just talks to you anyway? Those oblivious people were my darling sister and my cousins, and they would not. Shut. Up. The entire ride- which was almost fifty hours all together, mind you- as soon as I jammed earbuds into my ears, they would just all start blabbing. It was like me putting earbuds in was the universal signal to annoy Phoebe.

After some time, I gave up on music, trying to snuggle into the uncomfortable plastic side of the seat and grab some shut eye, and for half a second, I thought that maybe I'd achieve that goal because they had all shut up for an entire minute. And I was falling into slumber, my hopes up, almost feeling the sleep washing over me.

And then Toria opened her mouth, spilling out, and I quote, "You know, I've always wondered why they call eyebrows, eyebrows." And when she said that, my eyes snapped open, and I groaned so hard internally. Toria's one statement led to a full on discussion on eyebrows, and then I resorted back to headphones as soon as Rylan thought it was a good idea to ask me what my opinion on the topic was.

The whole trip we only stopped twice to get rest, and then we were back on the road in less than six hours. At one point, Dad got so tired that he called it quits and finally asked me to drive for a good amount of hours. Mom protested at first, saying that this was too risky for me as I'd just gotten my license not too long ago, but I'd just given her a defeated look and climbed into the front seat, buckling up and restarting the car. I was more than relieved to be out of the back seat honestly because with my Dad being back there, Toria, Kate, and Rylan finally shut up.

When we finally reached the outskirts of New York, I was as done as I could be, and I was really ready to get out of the van and start unpacking the moving truck. It was just ridiculous. I was dead. Dead. I couldn't feel my limbs, everything hurt, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to be away from Toria. The girl wouldn't shut up the entire car ride, I literally thought I'd go deaf. Every time I tried to sleep, she'd find something new to talk about.

Just imagine it. You get into a comfortable position, you can feel yourself drifting away, and then out of the blue, "Wow, what a pretty cloud" and then, "I have fat knees" and then, "Do you think I wear too much make up?" I mean it was horrendous! She just wouldn't close her mouth at all. So to say the least, I was pissed off when we finally stopped to eat at a little plaza in New York city. When we'd gotten there, Mom just handed Toria and I each a twenty and sent us away to go eat with our cousins.

While my family went away to go eat, I had the beyond genious and life saving idea to go to the bathroom because I was literally about to piss on myself. When I entered the bathroom, I sat down in the stall, and that's when I found out that mother nature decided to come by early, which got me even more pissed off because all my hygiene products were out in moving boxes as I wasn't expecting the bitch for another week.

So it commenced. The hygiene machine in the bathroom only accepted coins, and I literally only had a twenty, so I was screwed over. This led to me frantically asking all the women who came and left the bathroom if they had a pad, which led to some of the older women giving me disappointed looks. The thing is, I wasn't being irresponsible, all my products were in the van! Luckily, after ten minutes of asking and getting nothing in return- because some New Yorkers were assholes-, a nice pretty, blonde girl came up to me and slipped me a pad, and oh god, I couldn't have been more grateful. I thanked god that I'd decided to wear black jeans because if I'd worn the white shorts I was debating on wearing before I left, I would've just busted out crying.

Now I love Subway. It's like the best, and back when Mom and Dad were teenagers, it was really popular. But now, more than a decade later, Subways have started to close down. People just don't see the point of them anymore, but it might've been my favorite fast food chain ever. So, naturally, when I stepped inside the little shop, I could feel my spirits lifting. I mean, I might've just had a hellish car ride, had to listen to thoughtless conversations about eyebrows, and gotten humiliated by my bodily functions, but at least there was still Subway. That died down quickly, though.

As I was walking to get in line, I slipped on a puddle of water which caused me to fall backwards and head towards the ground. Luckily, an employee was walking my way when I was falling, and so I was saved before I could hit the ground. After that, I grumbled out of the restaurant with a sandwhich in hand, eating it as soon as we got in the car.

When we finally got out and into the main part of the city, I couldn't help but be a little amazed. The buildings were as beautiful as I'd heard from Mom- who's alternate career if she hadn't gotten discovered would've been something in the architectural department. It was mind bottling to imagine something being so tall and high.

We got to Grandma's in half an hour, and before we were even parked, I'd jumped out of the car and ran to her embrace. Not only was I extremely happy to see her, but I was also just glad that the entire road trip was over and I'd managed not to yell at Toria and my cousins.

So after two days stuck in a car with my cousins, here I was exploring the insides of the place Mom used to call home. I'd tried to call dibs on the music room as the place I'd be sleeping in while we were here, but Mom just laughed at me and told me that too bad so sad because Dad and her were staying there. She had agreed, though, that I could hang around the room for a couple hours while Grams made dinner and Grandma Sally drove herself over.

And where was I now? Just laying on my mother's old bed and messing around with Molly's strings. I really couldn't thank the gods enough that I was lucky enough to get my mom's voice. I hummed out the beggining to one of mom's old songs and resisted the urge to yawn at the same time. A wave of fatigue washed over me, and I could just feel myself slipping away. Then the peace was washed away by a loud flash and a shutter sound. I sprung up from the bed and glared at whoever it was.

"Toria, I swear I'll freaking-" My words stopped themselves as my eyes ran over my all time favorite guy in the world after Dad. He had a waggish smile on his face and a flash camera in hand, his blonde hair shaggy and unkempt, grown out from when he was small. His eyes were a mirror of mine, but I knew he was mocking me inside.

"Sorry Bea, but my name's not Toria-" He started, but I didn't even give him a chance to finish his sentence before I lunged at him.

"Malcolm!" I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and smiled wide as I felt laughter rumble through his chest. Uncle Malcolm and I were so close it wasn't even funny. If there was one good thing that would be coming out of this move to New York, it was that now, I'd get to see Malcolm more than ever. He absolutely adored me, and I was more than happy to be adored by him.

"Yep, last time I checked, that's the name that's printed on my birth certificate. How've you been, Bea? How was the ride? I heard you stopped at Subway, so it couldn't have been that horrible." I frowned and fixed my baseball cap on my head, biting my lip hard. Malcolm frowned at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he led me out of the room while taking Molly from my hands.

"You're biting your lip. I'm guessing it was as bad as I could imagine it was." He stated matter-of-factly. I sighed and rolled my eyes in his direction. According to everyone who knew me, whenever I was upset or nervous, I'd bite my lip until it was raw. That became my tell to everyone.

"It was pretty miserable, but whatever. It's over now." I said while trying to stop chewing my lip. Malcolm made an unconvinced noise and turned us into the living room where Mom and Dad were sitting back in a loveseat watching TV.

"Annybeth, I think I'm taking your daughter out on a joy ride to lift her spirits, yeah?" Dad tried but failed to hide his smirk from Mom, and Malcolm flashed his amused look like it was a trophy. Mom gave him a pointed look as I sat there confused because apparently I was leaving the house with Uncle Malcolm, but also amused because I knew Mom hated it when he called her that. Apparently, when Malcolm was small, he'd mispronounce Mom's name all the time, and then it just stuck when he became a rebellious teenager.

"Malcolm, I swear if you call me that one more time..."

"Hmph, okay. Someone's in a mood. I'll be taking your daughter hostage now, I'll see you when I see you, let's go now Bea." And then I was ushered out of the door and into Malcolm's truck. I tried to reach for the passenger's door but he stopped me and declared that I'd be driving to the new Marble Slab that had opened up. He'd given me confusing directions, and when we got there, I'd decided that I'd be going to the park across the street instead of Marble Slab because my stomach felt like it was twisting itself in.

"You better not set anything on fire, Bea." He warned, and then he walked into the creamery as I walked across the street with Molly strapped across my back. The breeze of the cool air comforted me, and I managed a small smile. I was lucky enough to have come here when school hadn't started yet, although it was starting in the next week, but at least I had some time to myself before I was sucked into a brand new hell hole.

I stepped onto the concrete path leading to the park and sighed. I could already feel the homesickness setting in. Every step I took felt heavier and heavier. I tried to focus on the positives as I looked around the park. There were still flowers around, and the grass looked so green I wondered if it was on steroids. With all the examination I was doing on the park, I completely forgot the fact that I needed to look forward and so next thing I know, I'm crashing into a complete stranger. I looked up from the spot I'd been staring at and popped my mouth open lightly as I, for the second time that day, ended up almost tumbling to the ground. I was honestly more concerned for my guitar than I was for myself. Just when I was about to hit the ground, strong arms gripped my torso and I was pulled back up on my feet.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I muttered under my breath, not meeting the person I'd bumped into's eyes. I really didn't want more New Yorker hate just because I wasn't watching where I was going. Instead of the yelling I was expecting, I was met with a laugh. I didn't know if the laughter was mocking or not, but if it was, I was about to cuss this person out so hard. I opened my mouth to speak as I looked up and felt the words I was about to sputter out die in my throat.

I've only been speechless once in my life, and that one time was when I thought Mom was passing away when I was twelve. She'd passed out in the kitchen while making dinner and hit her head against the edge of the counter. We found out later that she wasn't in any real danger, she was just extremely dehydrated, and the hit on the head would need stitches. Nevertheless, the entire time she was in the hospital, I wouldn't speak to anyone. I just sat perfectly still and stared straight ahead for what seemed like forever until they let me go see her, and she assured me she was fine.

Other than that, I've always spoken my mind all the time. Whenever I had something to say, I wouldn't clamp my mouth shut like most people, I'd just say whatever I needed to say. When I was small, that tendency would get me into a whole lot of trouble in school because I would openly call little kids the nice version of shithead. I got the impulsiveness from Dad, but the brutal honesty from Mom, but that's not the point. The point is that, aside from that one specific day, I've never been speechless. Until now.

You know how sometimes you go to an art museum, or you see a painting and you get lost in all the visible brush strokes and the perfect blend of the colors? You wonder how so many things could look so absolutely flawless and blend in such a beautiful way, and then you just spend hours beyond hours analyzing every single centimeter of what you're looking at. It just feels like you've strayed away from reality and you're falling into a new world of merging colors, and beauty, and you just want to peel away every layer of what you're staring at to try and decipher it. That's what I felt the moment I met the stranger's eyes.

I've learned that controversy isn't always a bad thing. It has full potential to turn into something of meaning, and it can give you so much insight into society. Controversy can sometimes help you learn, or give you a new outlook on anything and everything you do. Controversy can sometimes be beautiful in it's own way. Toria completely disagreed with me. She's told me one too many times that controversy just leads to hate between people, and just pushes people apart, and that controversy can never, in a million years, be beautiful. As soon as my eyes locked with the stranger's, I knew Toria was completely and utterly wrong.

Their eyes were the definiton of controversy. The colors that made them up disagreed with each other, at first glance seeming hazel but in less than a second deciding that they don't want to be that color and instead want to appear blue, or green, or amber, or any other color you could possibly even imagine. And it was absolutely breath taking. I wanted to stare at them forever and figure out what made them the way they were, to see if they represented something bigger than just ever changing light and color. They made me curious about everything. And that, ladies and gentleman, was the reason that I was, for the second time in my life, absolutely speechless.

"It was my fault, I have a bad habit of crashing into beautiful girls." Someone stated through a laugh, and that's when I realized that there was a face and a body connected to the most beautiful eyes I might ever have the privlige of seeing in my life. I snapped out of my thoughts and ripped my eyes away from the person's eyes, instead deciding to analyze them fully. That's when I met a smirking boy.

I've never actually admitted a guy was attractive since second grade when I told my elementary school crush that I had a huge ass crush on him and that he was really cute, to which he responded by running the fuck away from me as fast as his little feet could carry him. Ever since then, I refused to tell anyone that I thought they were good looking. Now, that's pretty hard to accomplish when there's a really good looking guy in front of you. This guy was something else. Messy dark blonde hair was matted under a gray beanie, and the most adorable dimples I've ever seen in my life rested on his face. His eyes held mischeif, and with one look, I could tell this guy was the type of person who liked to cause trouble.

I realized his comment was directed at me and I met his eyes once more, raising an eyebrow at him. Even though the comment was pretty sly, and the guy was pretty freaking hot, I tried not to judge people just on appearences, and so I couldn't really react. I didn't know what he was talking about though. I looked like a hot mess with bags all under my eyes and messy freckles splattered all over my cheeks. He laughed again after seeing my questioning facial expression.

"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a joke."

"I'd prefer if you wouldn't call me sweetheart." I answered back as I fixed my cap on my head. His smirk deepened, his eyes lighting up with something I couldn't understand.

"And what would you like me to call you then?" I fingered the strap of my guitar and eyed him warily. I mean, the guy could've been a rapist for all I knew, I didn't think I should've been giving my name out to some complete stranger anyway.

"Nothing, since we're never going to see each other again." I answered firmly. This time, he raised an eyebrow at me, and before I even knew what was happening, he grabbed my baseball cap from my head, and then rushed away. "Hey!" I ran after him as he sped away. I grabbed his arm and pulled. "Give me my hat!" I combed through my hair hurriedly as I reached to grab my hat from his hand. He swept it away in a quick motion and held it over his head. "Dude, what the hell do you want?!" He laughed and stopped in his tracks.

"I'd like to know the name of the fair maiden I so foolishly bumped into. Maybe it's fate that I saved you from crashing into a sidewalk, you at least owe me a small, polite conversation." He informed me with a smirk, and I had to bite back a smile because the guy was actually pretty funny. I noticed he held a skateboard near him and without meaning for it to happen, my smile released itself.

"And why exactly should I give it to you? I don't even know you? What if you're a serial killer or something?" He stopped walking abruptly and held up three fingers.

"I promise I'm not a serial killer. Scout's honor."

"I'm almost positive that you being a scout is a load of bullshit." He laughed and let his hand fall by his hip.

"Well, I didn't know my mystery girl cussed. Interesting. You kinda seem like a bad ass to me. I like bad ass girls, you know."

"And I like skater guys." I replied without thinking, to which he raised his eyebrows in amusement. "But you don't see me flirting with complete strangers just because I do." I added, trying to recuperate from the fact that I almost flirted with some guy I didn't know. I cursed myself internally for thinking that this guy looked cute when he smiled.

"But I gave you scout's honor." He tried.

"And I called bullshit on your scout's honor." I answered as I sprung into the step with the guy. We were now walking down the stone pathway of the park, and even though I didn't know him, he had my cap and I wasn't leaving without it.

"Well if you really wanna know if I'm being truthful, you should come over to my house and see for yourself." I gave him a look and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Is this how you pick up all the girls you hook up with?" He gave me a toothy grin and walked backwards as he waved my cap above his head, which caused me to glare at him intensely.

"Hm, maybe. Are you gonna give me your name now? I promise I'll give you your hat back after you do." I huffed and hooked my thumb under my guitar strap. If I gave him my name, I could leave, and I mean... he didn't know what my real name was, so I could give him a fake name and just run.

"Grace." I decided after some time. It wasn't really a lie, as my middle name was, in fact, Grace. He smiled as I stretched my arm out to him as a signal to give me my hat back.

"Sorry, but I didn't give Scout's honor that time, so I'm not giving you back your hat just yet. Walk with me, and maybe I will?" I groaned and stomped my foot against the ground.

"Ugh! Dude, I just want my hat!"

"Grace is a beautiful name by the way, even though I know it's not your real one, but we'll pretend it is. How old are you, Grace?" I bit my lip and continued walking with him as more trees started appearing around us.

"What will it take to give me my hat back?" I asked, exesperated.

"I just want you to walk with me, Grace. So. You like skater guys?" I held back my laughter and played with my hands.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, it must take serious skill to do what they do." He set his skate board down on the stone pathway and stared at it.

"Well, why don't you try it then?" I gave him a look and stopped in my tracks.

"Are you joking? I'll break every limb on my body." He laughed and set a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll help you. I'll make sure there's not the slightest scratch on your pretty little face." I rolled my eyes at him and stared at the skateboard. I couldn't get over how attractive this guy was. Everytime he smiled, his dimples popped up. He looked at me expectantly. "Well? Jump up." And for some reason I listened to him. I stepped on the skateboard and instantly felt unbalanced.

"I don't know if I like this, I'm going to fall off."

"You have to have a little faith, alright? Here, hold on." He set a hand on my shoulder and the other on my hip. I stiffened under his touch. He chuckled and let out a breath over my shoulder. "Calm down, just trust me."

"I don't even know you! How can I trust you?" He started moving forward, causing the skateboard to roll. I felt like at any moment I would die.

"You do know me, my name's Brett, and sometimes, you just have to give people the benefit of the doubt. Now say you trust me." He started moving forward faster and I cringed.

"Slow down a bit, please."

"Say you trust me."

"Please.

"Just say you trust me."

"Okay, I trust you!" I let out a breath of relief as he slowed down the speed of the board. I met his eyes and tried desperatley not to get lost in them.

"Now was that so bad?" He asked as I stepped off the board. I smiled at the ground and looked away.

"Whatever." I answered as he grabbed his board from the ground.

"So, I'm guessing you play guitar?" I nodded as we walked.

"Cool. I find that kind of impressive, actually." My brown knit as I looked up at him.

"Most girls now have stopped trying to play instruments, you know. They don't think it's worth the time."

"I probably would've been one of those girls if it wasn't for my mom." I answered honestly. "But I'm so glad I learned. It's awesome."

"Guitar is pretty awesome." He said with a smile.

"Do you want me to show you some chords?" I asked without thinking. He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Warming up to me I see." I gave him a look and sat down under a nearby tree.

"No, just my way of thanking you for saving me from ruining my face back there." He sat down next to me and I grabbed Molly from my back. "Okay, be careful with her please. She's really special to me, alright? My mom passed her down to me." His eyebrow knit.

"Her?"

"Yeah, her name's Molly. If you hurt her I'll hurt you." He laughed, but I wasn't joking in the slightest bit. I could feel my stress levels increasing as he took the guitar in his hands. "Left hand on the spine, right hand in the center." I stiffled my laughter as he grabbed the guitar wrong.

"Making fun of people is a mean thing to do, Grace."

"Well if you held it right, I wouldn't make fun of you." I admitted.

"Well show me then." He practically pleaded. I let out a breath and gripped his left hand with mine, wrapping my right arm around his shoulder and resting my hand on the one in the middle of the guitar.

"Okay ready? Middle finger over on this string, and curve you fingers this way." I explained as I led his fingers to the appopriate places. "Okay, now strum." I ordered as I helped him move his fingers. I smiled as a chord came out perfectly. I'd never get tired of hearing guitar chords, they're always so unique.

"You have a really nice smile." He said, and I snapped out of my thoughts as I turned my head to meet his eyes. He turned out to be way closer than he previously was because we almost ended up bumping noses. My throat closed up and my eyes widened. I was getting captivated by those eyes again, and I could feel myself slipping away from the objective: getting the hat.

"Um, you should be looking at the guitar, not at me." He smiled and shook his head without looking away.

"Can I confess something? I already know how to play guitar, Grace. I just wanted to get closer to you." I bit my lip quietly as he slid my cap back on my head, but now, I had no intention of moving. What was I doing with my life? I'd just met the guy and I was ogling him like there was no tomorrow.

"Really?" I asked stupidly because I knew he was flirting with me, and if he wasn't, then I wasn't a Jackson.

"Mmhm. But thank you for the lesson anyway. I enjoyed holding your hands." There was a beat of stunned silence from my part before he spoke up again. "So, you never told me how old you are?"

"I recently turned seventeen. And you?" He smirked before replying.

"It's my birthday." He paused, and I watched as his face turned into something sincere. "Listen, it's my birthday, and I really only want one thing. Do you think you could spare a kiss for your knight and shining armor?"He asked back, and I instantly blushed. I thought to myself. So maybe I had just met this guy, but if he wanted to rape me or kill me, he would've done it already, right? He seemed like a pretty nice guy, and he was already so close to me. Plus, it's not like I'd ever see him again. And I mean, I'd had a horrible day. Maybe I deserved to have one happy moment in the whole day. Could anything worse than what had already happened, happen? So I made a stupid, rash decision that I would most likely regret later, but I'd ultimately blame on the extra hormones coursing through my body.

"Stop with your pick up lines." I ordered, and then I closed the space between me and a complete stranger who I'd later come to find wasn't a stranger at all.


AN: This is more of a lead up chapter, but I'm kind of proud of it. I have trouble with filling up my chapters with too much dialouge, and I feel like I did good with this. Anyway, leave me a review and let me know how I did! Keep guessing who the love interest in, you'll either officially meet hiim next chapter or the one after that. Love you guys! Review, review, review, till next time- ShyGal