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-- Here I'm thin between darkness and light Bleached and blinded by these nights Where I'm tossing and tortured till dawn I view visions of you, then you're gone --
Grace slept fitfully all night. She tossed and turned on the five dollar sheets, and even contemplated using the phone to knock herself unconscious, anything in hopes of sleep where she wasn't reliving all of her mistakes.
Annoyed she rolled over and glanced at the clock. 6:36 am. "Dammit." She muttered and sat up. Sleep wasn't going to be coming back to her. Grace climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom. She slammed the door and turned on the water in the shower. She had hopes that a shower would help calm her nerves, and then she could stop for something to eat, before getting back on the road.
After a long shower, Grace climbed out, shivering slightly. The water had run cold before she pulled herself out of the shower. In there she was able to forget about everything else. Forget about Luke, Joan, Adam, the wedding that she just called off. She had been so excited about it. Planning had been so stressful, but once she'd put the dress on, it made her feel so much better.
But that was over now. So much for her wedding. Grace wrapped the towel around her body and looked at her reflection. She knew that she was a horrible person. She was hurting everyone, but if she'd stayed, it would all be worse. Tears filled her eyes and she suddenly let out a quiet cry.
Grace pulled her car in front of the small diner that was just down the street from the hotel she was staying. She climbed out and noticed a 'Help Wanted' sign on the door of the diner. Quickly she walked inside and up to the front counter where a young woman, no older than Grace, with deep red hair stood. "For one today?" The girl asked.
"Actually, I was curious about that help wanted sign. What are you looking for?" Grace asked her, and then glanced at her name tag which read 'Chloe'.
"We need a new waitress. Do you have any experience?" Grace shook her head.
"No, but I'm a fast learner."
The petite red head smiled. "I'll go get daddy, he does all the hiring." She turned around and hurried into the back room, with a bounce in her step.
Grace watched her go, wondering what she was doing. She wanted away from Arcadia, and she was, but still close at the same time. A day of driving and she'd be back... but she didn't want to go back. She couldn't go back.
But Grace knew without a doubt, when... if Adam called her when Joan had the baby, she'd go back. Just to see the baby, then she'd leave again, hopefully without running into Luke in the process. But that was months away. Joan was only four months right now.
An hour later Grace had eaten breakfast, and was dressed in a short pink uniform, like Chloe's, with her hair pulled back by two clips from her face. The uniform was way to short for her personal tastes, it barely fell mid thigh, and was adorned with a black apron, and topped off with a silver, sparkly name tag that read 'Grace'.
Chloe walked around with Grace, showing her everything, while explaining anything she might need to know about waiting tables.
--
Luke pulled his car up in front of a small dinner and raked his fingers through his hair. He headed into the diner and glanced around. He saw a waitress walking through a swinging door, then seconds later another came through.
"Hi." She smiled at him. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hello. I'm just wondering, do you get a lot of people stopping in here?" Luke asked the girl after glancing at her name tag.
"Yeah, I guess so." Chloe shrugged a little.
"Have you seen this woman?" Luke handed her a piece of paper with a picture of him and Grace on it. Grace was smiling. It was one of the few photos he had of her that she was actually smiling in.
"Uh... we get a lot of people in here. I don't think I've seen her. Why?" Chloe asked him cautiously.
"She's my fiancé, she uh... disappeared a few days ago, and I can't get a hold of her."
Chloe gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I don't remember her."
"If you see her, my cell number is under the photo. Please call it." His voice cracked, he felt so lost. "Thanks." Luke sighed before turning around and heading back out of the diner.
Chloe watched him go out to his car, then seconds later pulled out of the parking lot. "He's gone." She called and then the now brunette Grace Polk walked out of the back room.
"Thanks..." Grace bit her lip as Chloe handed her the paper. Her eyes shown with wetness as she looked at the smiling picture of the two of them from a year earlier. "We were supposed to be getting married today."
"Why did you leave?"
"Because... I cheated on him." Grace's voice cracked.
"Oh..." Chloe looked at Grace who had bowed her head to stare at the floor. "But why did you just leave?"
"Not only did I cheat on him, but I'm pregnant." Chloe's mouth fell open. "And I don't know which of them is the father."
-- Here I'm thin between darkness and light Bleached and blinded by these nights Where I'm tossing and tortured till dawn I view visions of you, then you're gone --
Grace slept fitfully all night. She tossed and turned on the five dollar sheets, and even contemplated using the phone to knock herself unconscious, anything in hopes of sleep where she wasn't reliving all of her mistakes.
Annoyed she rolled over and glanced at the clock. 6:36 am. "Dammit." She muttered and sat up. Sleep wasn't going to be coming back to her. Grace climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom. She slammed the door and turned on the water in the shower. She had hopes that a shower would help calm her nerves, and then she could stop for something to eat, before getting back on the road.
After a long shower, Grace climbed out, shivering slightly. The water had run cold before she pulled herself out of the shower. In there she was able to forget about everything else. Forget about Luke, Joan, Adam, the wedding that she just called off. She had been so excited about it. Planning had been so stressful, but once she'd put the dress on, it made her feel so much better.
But that was over now. So much for her wedding. Grace wrapped the towel around her body and looked at her reflection. She knew that she was a horrible person. She was hurting everyone, but if she'd stayed, it would all be worse. Tears filled her eyes and she suddenly let out a quiet cry.
Grace pulled her car in front of the small diner that was just down the street from the hotel she was staying. She climbed out and noticed a 'Help Wanted' sign on the door of the diner. Quickly she walked inside and up to the front counter where a young woman, no older than Grace, with deep red hair stood. "For one today?" The girl asked.
"Actually, I was curious about that help wanted sign. What are you looking for?" Grace asked her, and then glanced at her name tag which read 'Chloe'.
"We need a new waitress. Do you have any experience?" Grace shook her head.
"No, but I'm a fast learner."
The petite red head smiled. "I'll go get daddy, he does all the hiring." She turned around and hurried into the back room, with a bounce in her step.
Grace watched her go, wondering what she was doing. She wanted away from Arcadia, and she was, but still close at the same time. A day of driving and she'd be back... but she didn't want to go back. She couldn't go back.
But Grace knew without a doubt, when... if Adam called her when Joan had the baby, she'd go back. Just to see the baby, then she'd leave again, hopefully without running into Luke in the process. But that was months away. Joan was only four months right now.
An hour later Grace had eaten breakfast, and was dressed in a short pink uniform, like Chloe's, with her hair pulled back by two clips from her face. The uniform was way to short for her personal tastes, it barely fell mid thigh, and was adorned with a black apron, and topped off with a silver, sparkly name tag that read 'Grace'.
Chloe walked around with Grace, showing her everything, while explaining anything she might need to know about waiting tables.
--
Luke pulled his car up in front of a small dinner and raked his fingers through his hair. He headed into the diner and glanced around. He saw a waitress walking through a swinging door, then seconds later another came through.
"Hi." She smiled at him. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hello. I'm just wondering, do you get a lot of people stopping in here?" Luke asked the girl after glancing at her name tag.
"Yeah, I guess so." Chloe shrugged a little.
"Have you seen this woman?" Luke handed her a piece of paper with a picture of him and Grace on it. Grace was smiling. It was one of the few photos he had of her that she was actually smiling in.
"Uh... we get a lot of people in here. I don't think I've seen her. Why?" Chloe asked him cautiously.
"She's my fiancé, she uh... disappeared a few days ago, and I can't get a hold of her."
Chloe gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I don't remember her."
"If you see her, my cell number is under the photo. Please call it." His voice cracked, he felt so lost. "Thanks." Luke sighed before turning around and heading back out of the diner.
Chloe watched him go out to his car, then seconds later pulled out of the parking lot. "He's gone." She called and then the now brunette Grace Polk walked out of the back room.
"Thanks..." Grace bit her lip as Chloe handed her the paper. Her eyes shown with wetness as she looked at the smiling picture of the two of them from a year earlier. "We were supposed to be getting married today."
"Why did you leave?"
"Because... I cheated on him." Grace's voice cracked.
"Oh..." Chloe looked at Grace who had bowed her head to stare at the floor. "But why did you just leave?"
"Not only did I cheat on him, but I'm pregnant." Chloe's mouth fell open. "And I don't know which of them is the father."