Free The Falling of Love by Marisa Oldham Page B

Missy.”
    “Were the skank bitches pissed or what?” Michelle asks, perking up.
    Grace laughs. She knew out of everyone that Michelle would be the most pleased.
    “They were a little confused when I didn’t join them and just sat there and watched practice. When I told them I decided to quit, they were super rude and of course blamed Ian.”
    “Screw them! You never really fit in with them, Grace. You’re not like them. You’re sweet and you actually give a crap about people’s feelings. They’re all total snobs.”
    “I liked cheer. I never really liked my teammates, though. I just don’t have time for cheer anymore.”
    “Cause you’re always sucking face with Ian.” Michelle whines Ian’s name in a taunting tone.
    Grace laughs and shakes her head, and then turns back to the refrigerator, and starts planning their dinner. After she gets dinner started, the telephone rings. Before she has a chance to answer it Michelle springs to the telephone.
    “Hello? Where have you been?” she shouts. “My sister has been down in the dumps since she got home because of—”
    Grace grabs the telephone from Michelle. “Babe?” she asks, softly.
    “Hi, baby. I’m sorry I missed lunch and I’m sorry I didn’t walk you home.”
    “Is everything okay?”
    “Yeah, just some shit with my dad. Can I come over?”
    “Sure, love. I’m making chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.”
    “You sure do love chicken.” Ian laughs.
    When Ian arrives ten minutes later, Grace is shocked at his appearance. He has a cut in his lip and an enormous bruise on the side of his face. She runs over to him and gently grabs his face.
    “What the hell happened?” she asks.
    “I had an accident in the cellar at home,” he says while looking down at the ground.
    “Oh my gosh , let me get you some ice!”
    “It’s cool. But I’ll take that chicken and gravy!”
    At the dinner table, Ian eats as though he is starving, just as he used to at lunch before Grace started packing his lunches.
    “You sure can put it away.” Michelle snickers.
    Ian looks up at her with both of his cheeks bulging from the amount of food he has shoved in them.
    “He’s a growing man,” Grace says, as she brushes Ian’s arm with her fingertips.
    Ian nods at her and smiles. “Mmm hmm.”
    He finishes chewing what is in his mouth and winces when he takes a sip of his soda.
    “That must have been some accident,” Grace says, as she gently touches Ian’s cut lip.
    “You look like you got the crap beat out of you,” Michelle says, eyeing him with her nose and lips wrinkled, as if his face disgusts her.
    “I’ll be fine, girls. Don’t worry. I just fell.”
    Grace’s concern does not waver with Ian’s words. She loves him and hates to see him in any kind of pain. She wraps her arm around him and squeezes him tightly.

 
 
 
    Sitting on the porch later that evening, Grace is apprehensive about further questioning Ian about his cuts and bruises, but her curiosity and worry overcomes any fear of asking more questions. Her gut tells her that Ian is lying. Figuring that he probably had a fight with Chad or another kid at school, she knows that she needs to broach the subject carefully.
    “Ian?” she asks in her softest, sweetest voice.
    “My dad is not exactly a friendly man, Gracie. He beats us,” he says before she can speak.
    Although she knew something was not right with Ian’s story the moment he told it, she never expected this. She is shocked that she did not even have to ask him and he knew what she was going to say. She is surprised that he just blurted it out like he did.
    “I…I don’t,” she tries to say.
    “It’s okay, baby, you don’t have to say anything. He found out I’ve been working and when I wouldn’t give him my money he whaled on me.”
    Grace does not know what to say. She stares at Ian and words do not come to her. What he has told her blows her mind.
    “Remember my first day at school I told you Brandon had