Chapter VIII

The first day of being back went by slower than Grace expected. It all felt too normal. Everyone acted the same, talked the same. Maybe that was how it was suppose to be. It wasn't their brother that died after all. There was even a moment for her where she felt that she could breath. Her muscles relaxed and she actually smiled until someone asked her how she was doing. That was when all of the memories and guilty feelings rushed back over her.

Even during lunch time was horrid. She sat at the same table she would with her friends and her brother, but it wasn't as lively as it used to be. At least it didn't seem like it. Everything just felt..different.

With a sigh, Grace shut her locker to see Jackson approaching her.

I forgot I was meeting him, she thought.

Grace was happy to see Jackson try so hard to be there for her, especially for the first time she hallucinated Gray. He doesn't know about the million other times after that though and she hoped to keep it that way.

"Hey there, dove." Jackson propped his shoulder against the locker.

Grace gripped her shoulder bag strap and gave him a glaring stare.

"Really, Jackson."

He cracked a smile at her that inevitably made her smile too.

"It was cute when you were six and it's cute now." He teased.

Grace rolling her eyes now, "Exactly..I was six."

She shrugged and turned to walk away from the lockers to exit the school building towards the parking lot. Jackson pushed himself off the lockers and followed her.

"How was I suppose to know that all birds weren't doves?" She continued.

She pretended to be defensive, "Besides, I know the difference between bird species now."

Jackson only laughed at her response, enjoying the moment that she wasn't brushing him off again. Her hazel eyes lighting up made his heart pick up in pace. He always picked on her but he never truly aimed to hurt her feelings and she knew that.

As they were looking at each other, joking and talking about the first day of school, they both turned at the corner down another hallway to get to the exit but Grace bumped herself into someone yet again. Jackson simultaneously pulled her arm back a little to try and stop it from happening but it didn't help.

"Oh I'm so sorry." Grace took her attention from Jackson and glanced up to see the same boy she collided with this morning.

You've got to be kidding me, she internally scolded herself.

It was only moments before a smile crept on his face, "Well I didn't know I was that irresistible."

Immediately after he said that, he chuckled. "Never-mind, yes I did."

Jackson furrowed his eyes at the new kid and Grace immediately became embarrassed again.

"Sam I—"

"You remember my name." He stated, cutting her words off with a wide eyed sarcastic look again.

Grace shut her mouth, silencing between the three of them. Grace and Sam were staring at each other again, both searching for the next words to say. Grace bit her lower lip.

"You know him?" Jackson questioned as his eyes lingered from Grace then to Sam.

Sam never took his eyes off Grace and that bugged Jackson a little.

"Let's just say that our first encounter involved quite a floor scene." Sam shamelessly attempted to make Grace even more embarrassed.

Jackson raised his brows, "What?" Speaking through gritted teeth.

Grace shook her head, trying to alleviate the tension and dismiss Sams bad joke. "Nothing." Her eyes met Sam's once more.

"Lets go Jackson." She urged him to follow her after she stepped out of the way.

Sam turned around and watched her walk away and Grace subsequently turned her head to look at him before pushing open the school exit doors.

Jackson chewed on his bottom lip nervously before asking, "So, who was that guy?"

"I bumped into him pretty hard when I was running out of the bathroom. I think he is new." She answered.

"Running?"

"I mean walki— I was just coming out of the bathroom and somehow we collided." She tried to cluster her words together but it was a bit stuttered.

Jackson didn't answer as they reached her car and he opened it for her. She stood in between the side door and the frame of the car and threw her bag into the passenger seat. Before getting in, she turned around. He had placed his left hand on the door frame and the right on top of the car hood.

She looked at him but she didn't say anything which led him to questioning her again.

"You sure you want to meet up at the Cafe?"

She thought for a moment.

Did I?

It had been such an overwhelming day for her with everyone crowding her with their concerns, but was it really going to be any better going home to just be alone again? She wasn't sure how everything was going to go back to normal or how she was going to be able to be herself again. She hadn't spent time with Melody or Naomi over the summer and Jackson only jumped in to spend time with her as soon as she got to school.

Maybe it was what she needed.

A few minutes went by that he didn't receive an answer from her and it made him feel anxious that she was going to decline.

Grace opened her mouth to speak, but her peripheral vision caught the glimpse of Sam walking to his car that was only parked a few lengths away from hers. She couldn't help herself but to look at him as if something drew her to him. He seemed familiar yet he was a stranger to her. Their first meeting wasn't ideal, but it was enough to catch her attention and even in those moments with him, she forgot everything bad in her life.

Who was he?

Unaware that she had locked her eyes on him, Jackson followed her gaze to also meet Sam.

With a smirk on his face, Sam lifted his eyes up to see Grace staring at him. He also noticed Jackson but didn't care much for him because his only attention was drawn to the girl.

Snapping out of her brief trance, "Um.. yeah Jackson. I'm sure." They both shifted their gaze back to one another.

Jackson getting an awkward feeling, he spoke. "I'll meet you there okay?" Grace nodded and stepped into the car while he closed the door shut for her.