Grace

Twenty-five year old Grace Evans sat in her Psychology class lost in her daydreams. She hated this class. She hated all her classes. The only reason she was going to college was because her mother had forced her to. She had given Grace the choice of going to college or getting a job. The thought of going to work petrified Grace. The demons were out there in the real world. So she chose college. She still had another year to go and she wasn't doing very well. She got by on a C grade average, she had no friends, and a few of her classmates lived to torture her. Unfortunately, Grace didn't do anything to help her situation. She was painfully shy, slow to understand, and always looked like she was mad at the world. She dressed like she had just gotten out of bed and her limp, brown hair was cut into an unflattering bob, which did nothing to take the attention away from her round face. Grace knew she was ugly. She weighed 260 lbs., was only five feet tall, and her face was acne-ridden. She glanced at Sarah Butler who was sitting next to her. Sarah was everything Grace wanted to be. Sarah had beautiful, long auburn hair, big brown eyes, was slim and tall. Her parents spoiled her rotten and she lived in the only mansion in Booneville. Sarah was also everything Grace hated. She was a cold bitch with no heart. She looked away quickly as Sarah shot her a dirty look. Her daydreams were interrupted when she heard Professor Martin call her name. "Miss Evans? I asked you to quote me one of Freud's theories."

She heard some of her fellow classmates snicker. Grace felt sick to her stomach. "I..uh...I don't remember," she stammered.

Professor Martin cocked an eyebrow. "Would you like to share with the class what is was that you were concentrating so hard on then?" Grace's face went even redder.

"She's probably thinking about her true love Taylor." The voice belonged to Sarah.

"And who's Taylor?" Professor Martin asked. He looked at Grace. "Your boyfriend?"

Sarah and her best friend Amy Andrews burst into laughter. "No! No!" Sarah laughed. "I meant Taylor Hanson -- of the teenybopper Hanson brothers."

The rest of the class started laughing. Grace was mortified. She got up and ran from the classroom. She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. Breathing heavily, she plopped down on the grass in the park across the street from the school. Tears streaked her cheeks. Damn Sarah! Damn them all to hell! She hated her life. If she had a razor, she would end it all right here and now. Who would miss her? Certainly not her dear mother, who was continually up her ass about every aspect of her life.

William and Gwen Evans had adopted Grace when she was five years old. She didn't remember her real parents. She'd been told that they were killed in a car accident. Grace didn't have many memories of the past, but there was one that haunted her. Shaking her head, as if to dislodge that memory, she thought about her father. He treated her somewhat better than her mother, but he always did what his wife asked of him. What a wimp! Then there was her sister Jessica. Jessica was 34. She was divorced and had moved back in with Grace and her parents after her divorce two years ago. Jessica acted as sweet as pie when their parents were around, but when she was alone with Grace, she treated her younger sister like dirt under her shoes. She called her "Baby Beluga" and never failed to tell Grace that she would die alone and miserable if she didn't start taking care of her appearance.

Grace was jealous of her sister who had inherited her father's blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She was very sexy without even trying and she seemed to never run out of boyfriends. No one would miss me, Grace thought to herself. I could end all the pain and suffering that I have endured for 20 years now. The voices could finally stop.

She dug into her backpack for some tissue. She removed her binder and paused, thinking about the poem that she had started last week. Then she started laughing hysterically. Taylor Hanson. Sure she had a crush on Taylor, but he wasn't the real object of her affection. That was a secret she kept all to herself. She opened the binder to the page where her poem was and stared at the photo beside it. It was a picture of her inspiration. No, I can't kill myself yet, she admonished herself. I still have to finish what I started. I want him to know that he's the only thing that's kept me going for the last three years. Even though he will never return my love, I have to find a way to tell him. There has to be a way.

Grace looked at the poem. It was called "One Last Cry - A dedication to my heart and soul, Brian Thomas Littrell."

Sarah and Amy were across the street watching Grace stare at her binder. "That girl is a certified loser," Sarah commented.

Amy snickered. "Yea, she's probably writing her Taylor a love letter."

"Ames, we have more important things to think about then Grace the Geek. We have to plan for this weekend. You know who's coming back to Kentucky." She smiled happily.

Amy rolled her eyes. "I know, Sarah. That's all that you've been talking about for weeks now. How did you find out anyway?"

Sarah smiled coyly. "I have my connections. Come shopping with me. I need a something to wear to the "Welcome Back" party."

Amy agreed to go and they started walking towards the only mall in Booneville. "What are you going to get?"

Sarah grinned at her friend. "Something that will knock Brian's Littrell's socks off and make him fall in love with me at first sight!"