stranger things

Seems cliché – but it's not! Ha! Take that.


chapter 00 – after

When people ask Sterling Davis about Gracie Dahlia Roberts from back in high school, he pauses. He looks them up and down, and depending on how they look or how they asked, he'll answer or he'll just finish his cigarette and walk away.

Gracie is a tender subject with him, even after all these years. People also ask him, Why aren't you over her? and he'll stare at them with the same wide, disbelieving eyes of a man who's just been accused of being an alien. Because even though it's been years, Gracie's still fresh in his mind. Her image is always hovering behind his every thought, ready to smile at him. Every detail is engraved so deeply and clearly in his mind that despite the years it's like Gracie never left his side.

When people ask Sterling about Gracie and he decides to answer but doesn't feel like going into the gritty details, it would be something like Gracie... Yeah, she was a good girl. If he was feeling up to facing the harsh reality, he would say She didn't deserve the shit she got or She was too good for everything that happened. She didn't deserve any of it.

If you knew who Gracie was, you would probably nod and say That's true. I knew you two were close, it must have been hard and he would reply, It's harder now.

But if you didn't know who Gracie was – had just happened to see a picture of them on his coffee table – you would probably ask How did you know her? or Tell me about her. And then, if he was feeling confessional, he'd proceed to tell you the story. The condensed version, that is. He'd get as far as senior prom, and that would be it. He wouldn't say anymore.

Whenever someone asks Sterling about Gracie Roberts, he remembers – clearer than before, more rational than before, older than before. He remembers and it doesn't make it any easier.


Intriguing? Retarded? Please post your thoughts.
And yes, this was very short; chapters will get longer.
Chapter 1 will be up tomorrow.