It was as if someone put the summer on fast forward; Dorothea barely got to look around before the date on the calendar read September 1st. Gracie's birthday was getting closer, and Dorothea was panicking; she wanted to find the perfect present for her precious Gracie.
The girls had grown very tight over the four months of knowing one another, and Dorothea definitely considered Gracie one of her absolute best and closest friends.
Her brain told her to do the logical thing, to slow down, take a breather, and let their friendship grow with time. But her heart whispered all the opposite words to her. It told her to take a risk. Take action — all or nothing.
Dorothea felt so utterly helpless. She was lost and confused, and she had no idea what to do about Gracie or what to do with herself. She didn't feel present in her own body. It was like she was floating around somewhere inside her brain, completely disconnected from the rest of her limbs.
She distracted herself by coming up with the perfect gift for Gracie's birthday. But that led her thoughts to Gracie, and that only led her to an uncontrollable spiral in her head. She was doomed — that's what it felt like, at least.
"We're throwing a surprise party for Gracie this weekend," Olivia said from the couch, looking up at Dorothea, who had been pacing around for the past 20 minutes. "You have to come; she's gonna kill me if you don't."
Reminders of Gracie were everywhere. When she wasn't in Dorothea's own head, she was in everyone else's. Everyone loved Gracie — so much so that she was constantly the topic of every conversation. Dorothea couldn't catch a break from the Gracie girl, and that wasn't necessarily a complaint, but it certainly didn't help her already overwhelming state of mind.
"I'll be there, of course." Dorothea's smile didn't quite reach her eyes, and she knew Olivia noticed. But she didn't care; she was tired of pretending that everything was absolutely okay. She was sick of acting like there wasn't a huge, tangled up mess in her mind.
Dorothea stopped pacing and threw herself onto the armchair with a loud sigh. She needed sleep; her nights had been spent wide awake with thoughts racing through her mind and refusing to stop.
But just as she was about to doze off, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She wanted to ignore it, to deal with it later and finally get some sleep. But what if it was important?
𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚: 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘸 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳?.
Dorothea read the message with a furrowed brow. The spelling errors in Gracie's words told her something was wrong, but what that was, was unclear. The Bishop girl knew she had to go to Gracie's house — exhausted or not.
"Olly, I'm going to Gracie's for a while, I think somethings wrong. Text me the party details, I'll update you on Gracie's state when I get there," Dorothea said as she got up from the armchair and ran to the foyer. "Love you, bye!" She yelled, already halfway out the door.
As Dorothea sped through the city, the traffic laws completely left her mind, replaced by worst-case scenarios of what might've happened to Gracie. She was terrified of arriving. What if Gracie was hurt? Or what if she had been kidnapped? Dorothea shook her head; she couldn't spiral now, not right in the middle of the street while already going way over the speed limit.
The more rational part of her decided that Gracie was just drunk and needed company. The intoxication would explain the spelling errors, and Dorothea was most likely just the last person she texted, seeing as they texted all day every day. There was nothing more to it. Gracie wasn't hurt; she had just been drinking.
But the reality was much more heartbreaking. Dorothea arrived and texted Gracie, telling her that she was outside. She heard the lock turn and instantly barged inside. Her eyes widened as she turned around, now standing face-to-face with a crying Gracie, who seemed to have trouble breathing as her trembling hand banged on her chest.
"Grace, what's wrong, Precious?" Dorothea asked, concern lacing her voice. "Hey, c'mere. Let's go sit down, hm?" She hummed and wrapped an arm around Gracie's shoulder, slowly moving them to the living room couch.
Gracie looked up at Dorothea with tears streaming down her face. "I can't...I can't breathe, Dory." The desperation of Gracie's voice shattered Dorothea's heart into a million tiny pieces.
"I know Gracie, I know," Dorothea cooed, grabbing Gracie's hand and placing it on her own chest, "Okay, can you try to follow my breathing?" Gracie nodded, and Dorothea could sense how desperately she was trying to match their breathing patterns. She was proud of her. Something so small, so mundane, and yet she felt pride in everything Gracie did.
Gracie calmed down, and her breathing seemed to turn somewhat steady again. It broke Dorothea's heart to look at the precious girl's puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
"You did great, Gracie. I'm so proud of you," Dorothea smiled and placed a delicate kiss on Gracie's forehead. "What happened? It's alright if you don't wanna tell me right now. Or ever, that's fine too, though I would appreciate it if you could tell me so I can try to help you."
A brief moment of silence passed. Gracie was fidgeting with her fingers, and Dorothea could see her chewing on her bottom lip. She felt horrible watching Gracie's anxiety shine through. She just wanted to help, that's all she ever wanted; to help her precious Gracie.
"I don't know what happened; I just felt anxious, and then it escalated and I lost control. Sorry for bothering you; I know you're busy." Gracie frowned, her gaze locked in her lap, to avoid eye contact with the girl in front of her.
Dorothea bit her lip and grabbed Gracie's still slightly trembling hands. She squeezed them once and gently ran her thumbs over their backs. Gracie relaxed at the touch, and her hands stopped shaking as they rested in Dorothea's. "That's alright; it happens. I'm just happy you're alright again. Thank you for texting me; you definitely didn't bother me; I'd drop anything for you."
"I'd drop anything for you too," Gracie mumbled, looking up at Dorothea through her brows. She looked so small as she sat there — so fragile. Dorothea was terrified she'd shatter if one of them made a wrong move.
Gracie climbed into Dorothea's lap and relaxed as her arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. Dorothea's embrace was definitely her favourite place on earth.
Author's Note
It'lol probably be a while before I publish the next chapter
I have no motivation or inspiration to write these days
Also, exams are starting soon and I really wanted to finish this book before they begin,
but I don't think I'll be able to do that
We'll just wait and see. If I suddenly find the inspiration to spit out a few chapters, I'll publish, but if I don't, I won't.
I love you a whole lot,
@hearthands
YOU ARE READING
SWEET NOTHING , Gracie Abrams
Fanfiction» I find myself running home to your 𝘚𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 « Gracie Abram...
