Morning comes and I still feel like I’m walking on air. Grace and I agreed starting today we will be walking with each other again.

“Mom! I’m leaving, love you!” I yell towards the back room.

“Ya ya” Mom mumbles.

Mom is clearly not fully awake.

I’m sooo excited! I rush out the door grabbing my backpack and an apple for breakfast, but what I find isn’t Grace but Brad waiting outside.

“Grace! Let’s go!” Brad yells towards the upstairs window.

“Hey!” I step up 

Brad turns and glares

“What do you want?” Brad gestures 

“Well for 1, you are not dating anymore. And 2, you look like a creep standing out here.” I say clenching my fist.

“What did you call me!” Brad steps closer to me.

Closing my eyes waiting for the impact. “Hey! Boys it's cute that you are fighting over my daughter but it’s annoying that it’s in front of my door, EARLY IN THE MORNING!” Stella Shouts “Go to school!

“Sorry,” I say inching away from her. She’s scary when she’s upset.

“Whatever, tell Grace I waited for her,” Brad says, shrugging his shoulders, not even looking at Shella while he walks away.

“Hurry up and leave” Stella says, not taking an eye off of Brad.

My head hangs low, but my face is heated, and fist clenched. I cannot believe he will not leave her alone.

I walked to school thinking of a way to help Grace from being around bullface Brad but Grace doesn’t get to school until hours later. I tried to talk to her, but she said she needed some time alone.

Five thirty rolls arounds, schools finally over. Getting up from my desk I see Grace walking out the classroom door. Running after her, I offer to walk with Grace but once again, She half smiles and says “another time..” and walks away.

What’s going on?

Walking home I kept thinking of a plan to convince Grace to talk to me, to trust me. I see Stella outside watering their plants.

“Is Grace home?” I say peeking behind her.

“Yeah but it seems she wants to be alone. Do you want to leave her a message or you can just text her?” Stella says putting the water-can down beside her.

“Can’t I just go up and talk to her?” I say as if I have ants in my pants. Wanting to jump inside the house.

“If she’s okay with it but the second she says no you’ll have to leave. Sorry, Hun. A mother gonna protect her kids” Stella says walking towards the door.

“That’s fine, Thank you!” I say walking into the house, holding myself back from running upstairs.