AN: Okay, so only second story up and got no reviews for the first, so please please review and tell me how to get better!!!

Cat
xxx

Chapter 1

Grace hurried along the corridor to her classroom. She was late. Mrs Smith wouldn’t be pleased. If she worked extra hard she might avoid another letter home…

“Watch it!” a tall boy caught her by the waist before she fell. “Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.

“Yes, thank you,” Grace answered politely, and continued on her way to class.

“I saw that look she gave you, you sly fox!” Mike’s friends teased.

“Shut up you guys!” But he was only a bit annoyed. “She wouldn’t go for me anyway; she’s one of those types; quiet, beautiful, clever, and way too smart to touch me with a barge pole!”

“You do like her then?”

“Of course I like her! She’s female and has a pulse. What more did you expect?” Mike said, keeping up his image. “Now who’s up for a skived period at Costa?”

A chorus of cheers answered him and they raced off to the coffee shop.

*****

“Sorry I’m late, Mrs Smith,” Grace apologised to her teacher and sat at her desk, beside another quiet girl who had never spoken a word to her.

“It’s fine Grace. I was just about to start.

The class was so engrossed in their work that every person in the room jumped when the bell rang.

“Thank you, class. You can go,” Mrs Smith dismissed the class. “Remember your homework for Wednesday.”

*****

Grace sat down carefully in her seat in PSE. The class were being put into pairs for a project today and Grace hoped she would be put with Brian, the only person in the class who wouldn’t expect her to do all the work.

“…Jack and Claire, Brain and Sophie, and finally, Grace and Michael.”

‘Shit,” Grace swore inwardly.

“So…” Michael sat down next to her and she was completely aware of his leg resting gently against hers, although it didn’t seem to notice.

“If you are going to land it all on me, tell me know so I know,” Grace said swiftly and shifted in her seat to separate their legs.

“Why would I do that?” Michael seemed seriously confused.

“Everyone else does,” she said, surprised. “Not that I’m complaining. Most of the time it is easier alone.”

“Well, you don’t get rid of me that easily,” he smiled at her. “Can I come over tonight to get started?”

“Tomorrow would be better, around six?” she said shyly.

“Okay. I’ll see you at six then.”

*****

When Grace got home the next night, she raced upstairs to do her homework, shower and change.

“Hi Dad,” she said cautiously and he turned round, smiling. She was relieved. ‘Great. He’s sober.”

Grace’s father was a heavy drinker and wasn’t … reasonable when drunk.

“Hiya sweetie. How was school?” he asked kindly.

“It was okay. Can Michael come over to do some homework? We have a project to do for PSE.”

“Sure. I’ll clear off the dining room table for you.”

“Actually… Is it okay if we work in my room? We need the computer.”

He looked at her hopeful face and thought, ‘I’m going out with John to the pub tonight. It’s probably better for them in her room.”

Grace’s dad could be very dangerous under the influence of alcohol and he knew it. He always apologised afterwards and she would always forgive him because she loved him so much, and would blame herself every time it happened.

“Yes, you can work upstairs.”

“Thank you, Dad.” And as she walked away, “I love you…”

*****

*Ding Dong*

“I’ll get it!” Grace’s dad called up the stairs then opened the door.

“Hello, you must be Mr. Adams. I’m Mike,” the boy at the door held out his hand to shake.

“Call me Jack. Grace is upstairs drying her hair, but come in.”

*****

Grace finally emerged from the bathroom and went downstairs to find Michael and her father talking about football.

“Not another footie fanatic!” she exclaimed and the two turned around to see Grace in a pretty white skirt with lace trim, a black shirt with lace-up sleeves and her knee length hair braided loosely down her back.

“You look brilliant, Grace,” Michael said, and then glanced worriedly at Jack.

“Yes Grace, you do look beautiful,” he agreed, quick to better Mike’s compliment.

She blushed, “Are you coming Michael, or do you want to talk about football more?”

It was a serious question.

“I think I’d better drag myself away from this riveting conversation to come and do some work.”

The two men chuckled.

“Follow me then,” she said, and led him upstairs to her room.

Three of the walls were painted a really dark purple, almost black. The fourth one was silver. Grace’s bed was up against one wall, her desk and computer on the opposite wall, along with her wardrobe.

The two got to work and Grace was surprised at how productive they were.

“Is it just me, or is it really hot in here?” Mike asked.

“No, it’s fine, but I don’t feel the heat. I’ll turn down the radiator if you want,” she suggested.

“Yes please, that would be brilliant.”

Grace knelt down by the radiator and turned the knob. When she got up he was pulling his jumper over his head and didn’t see her staring at his arms. She walked back over and couldn’t stop her hands reaching out for his scars.

He felt her cold fingers run along his arm and he shivered. He pulled his jumper right off and looked deep into her grey eyes with his lilac ones, scared that she would run a mile knowing what he did. But she didn’t. She simply reached for her own sleeve, pulling it up to reveal identical scars on her own wrists. He gasped.

She didn’t know why she showed him. He might not want to be around someone who was like himself. A relationship where both partners needed a ton of emotional support was not what everyone wanted. She sat down next to him again, this time unaware of their legs pressing together.

Mike saw the pained look on Grace’s face and put his arms around her in a tight embrace. Neither knew how it happened, but their lips somehow met each other in a lingering kiss.

Each was as surprised as the other, and when they broke apart, each thought they saw horror in the other’s eyes, but it was just confusion.

“I’m sorry…” they said simultaneously. “I shouldn’t have.”

Then they were drawn together again, and this time the kiss was a lot more passionate and Grace felt something hard rise up between his legs; she was on his lap by then; and gave him a coy look.

“I’m just going to the loo, okay?” she asked him.

“Sure,” he said. Then, when she was gone, he wondered at his erection. No other girl had aroused him so quickly with only a kiss. He had to work to control himself, and concentrated hard on his grandma until the strain in his boxers.

“Can I come in?” he heard her tentative voice.

“Sure.”

“She walked over and sat beside him again, “Dad has gone out. We are alone.”

She snaked her arms around his neck and felt his go ‘round her waist, pulling her closer to him. She kissed him gently, then more urgently. When she felt him rise again, she moved his hand up towards the front of the shirt.

“Are you sure?” he looked deep into her eyes, searching for fear or hesitancy.

“No, I’m not. So do it quickly before I change my mind,” her voice was husky with want and need.

“I can’t. I won’t do this unless you are entirely sure. What if I hurt you and you hate me afterwards?”

“You won’t hurt me. I love you. And I could never hate you,” she whispered in his ear.

“I love you too. That’s why you need to be sure. I would feel awful if you regretted this. If you didn’t love me any more, I would die.”

She knew that he meant it, “I love you so much, and now I know you feel the same, I am sure. I need you Mike. If you were not around, I would die.”

Grace reached up for his mouth again and felt his soft lips caress her own, then part for his tongue. She let him just kiss her until he was completely relaxed. Then she put his hand back on her chest.

“I’m sure,” she murmured softly into his mouth.

He began to undo her buttons, but she just pulled the shirt over her head, revealing perfectly shaped breasts marred by bruises travelling all over her torso.

“Oh Grace,” he gasped. “How did…” he was silenced when she raised a hand to his lips.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Was it you? Did you do this to yourself?” he could relate to the suicide attempts and feeling of release that cutting provided, but not to just hurting herself.

“No. I didn’t do it,” she said slowly, trying to think fast. “It was an accident,” she said lamely.

“What happened?” he was really concerned now, and also very conscious that he was hard and she was half naked.

“It doesn’t…”

BANG!

Dad’s home.

“Quick, go out the window,” she whispered. “Go! Now!”

“I love you.”

“Yeah, me too. Now go!” she could hear the heavy boots climbing the staircase.

*****