you?” she asked, her mascara-caked lashes flapping.
Darius’ head dipped toward Grace. “She was first.” The edges of the girl’s eyes and mouth pulled down as she scowled at Grace. Like she’d done something wrong.
Not entirely able to stop the hint of triumph that tugged on the corners of her mouth, she spoke around it. “I’ll have a sixteen-ounce Snickers with soy. Two straws.” She purposely left off the “please.”
Darius stepped up next to her. “And I’ll have a sixteen-ounce coffee, black. I’ll pay for them both.”
Grace’s gaze lifted to his. The fact she had to lift it at all was a huge plus. “You don’t have to pay for my coffee.”
He smiled as he stared back down at her. “I insist.”
A familiar warmth rushed up her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to the counter. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” Anytime had her pondering other times. She sighed. This guy was trouble.
When her coffee was done, the hateful little barista simply put it on the counter, and diligently went to work on the black coffee. Yeah, that’s tough, she thought. Before Grace got completely out the door, Darius said, “Try to have a good day.” She smiled back; her day was definitely looking brighter.
The brighter day didn’t last long. The crappy mood followed her to school, to the parking lot at least. Grace parked the Shelby in its usual spot, close to the lot exit. If she’d learned anything from her three years at Woods Cross High, it was that it’s always easier and faster to get out of the parking lot from here.
The tension in her shoulders relaxed a little when she noticed Emily and Tommy waiting for her by the school’s front doors. Like usual, Emily looked ready for the runway. Tommy was her complete opposite. Everything about him appeared sloppy. His sandy hair looked like he just rolled out of bed. His shirt was partially tucked, and his surfer shorts hung loosely from his hips. If she didn’t know for a fact they were a couple, Grace wouldn’t believe they were together.
“Hey, babe!” Emily yelled, her black hair swaying in rhythm with her waving hand.
“Hi,” Grace replied.
Emily’s brown eyes curved with concern as she gave her a thoughtful look, her head tilted slightly to the side. “That bad, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
“You look like you could use a coffee.” Then Emily spied the cup in her hand. “Guess not.”
“I could use something a little stiffer,” Grace said with a slight chortle.
“Well,” Emily began. “We could cut all day and park at the airport for some morning and afternoon delights.”
Today was the first day she’d woken up without feeling a distracting sadness. Unfortunately, what she felt was extreme irritation, almost anger. And oddly enough, the days when she was upset were the days she was able to focus and get the most done. So, cutting class wasn’t her best choice today.
“Thanks, Em, but I need to get to class.”
“You sure?” Emily asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
Grace entered first period with her head down until she got to her seat. Everyone knew who her grandfather was. And almost every single one of them felt obligated to say something nice about him, which always ended with “sorry.” She didn’t want to talk about her grandfather today, or hear any more apologies for her loss. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really been in any kind of mood to talk at all since her grandfather died. Except with Quentin. Talking with him was so easy. She was going to miss that. Don’t go there, Grace, she hissed in her head.
As more students made their way to their seats, Grace eased back into the hard seat. Everyone seemed to have received the body language memo to leave her alone, and she could sulk in silence.
“Hey, Grace.” Most everyone, she mentally recanted.
“Hey,” she said, as Amanda sat at the desk across from her.
Amanda looked like one of those models with a unique look about them. Many times Grace had stared at her, taking in the sharp-angled features of her face and trying to decide if she was beautiful or not. Her big blue eyes were definitely amazing. Amanda was also the only one of her friends that equaled her height, but unlike Grace, she wasn’t tall until high school.
Grace and Amanda had been friends since elementary school. She should have known Amanda would ignore the signs. Amanda had always shamelessly ignored boundaries. In fact, she seemed to thrive on pushing them to prove she could when told she couldn’t. Daddy issues,