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Chapter One

“Grace, come on! It’s too hot for you to be home alone.” Melissa Dorough yelled up the stairs. She could hear the soft padding of her daughter’s feet from upstairs in the carpeted hall.

“I’m coming!” Grace yelled and Melissa smiled as she walked into the bathroom and began applying make-up. She smacked her lips together and then dug around in her purse to retrieve her vibrating cell phone.

“Hello.”

“You got Greenday playback!”

“Yep. Got the phone a week ago.” She laughed.

“And how is my sexy lady?”

“She is doing just fine. She is about to go to the store with her baby Gracey.”

“And how is my little cute lady doing?”

“She is coming down the stairs as we speak.” She responded and she walked from the bathroom. Grace pushed red curls from her face and looked at her mother. Melissa sighed in disapproval. Grace rolled her eyes.

“It seems that she has found make-up.” Melissa said in the phone and he laughed. “I need to call you back.” She said and she clicked the cell phone off. She starred back at her daughter.

"Grace, wipe the gloss off. Where did you get it?"

"Why?" she said angrily, "I look cute. I'm not going to look five years old mom."

"Well, you're not going to look sixteen either. I want my twelve year old daughter to look twelve."

"Okay." she said shruggging."Are we going to go or not."

"Grace, I won't argue with you."

"Okay then, let's go."

"Grace."

"For one day then!" she begged. She looked angelic again and Melissa sighed.

"Fine. But after today, I want that in the trash." Melissa said firmly and she turned and walked away. Grace gave her the finger and began toward the door. Melissa turned around and looked hard into her daughter's eyes.

"Why are your eyes blue?"

"Everybody wears 'em mom." she said, "They're alot better than glasses."

"Whose contacts are those?" she closed her eyes rubbing her face. Grace flashed a sweet smile.

"Michelle's, mom."

"Take them out!" she growled at her.

"Mom, that's not fair!" Melissa grabbed a paper towel from the towel dispenser and slammed it on the table.

"Now."

"Can we just go!"

"Take them out now Grace!"

"God." she hissed. She stormed in the bathroom and slammed the door. Melissa felt her cell ring again. She picked it up and answered t.

"Hello."

"It's been long enough young lady. How's the little one?"

"Grace is in the bathroom taking out her freind's blue contacts." Melissa sighed leaning on the door. "I'm about to make her wipe that gloss off too. She looks sixteen."

"And the sixteen year olds look twenty-something Lissy."

"Jon, I don't care how everyone else raises their daughter, my daughter is my responsiblity. she said as Grace walked out of the bathroom.

"Annoyance doesn't count." Grace mumbled walking out the door.

"She hates me now." Melissa laughed. She heard Jon chuckle. Melissa rubbed her brow with her fingers.

"When are you leaving?" she asked. There was a short silence.

"Tomorrow morning to Baghdad."

"God Carter," she sighed, "you did yourself in real good didn't you."

"You sound like my drill sergeant calling people by their last names." he responded softly.

"I'm gonna miss you man. We'll drop by there later tonight." she said softly.

"Yea, well I gotta go now." he said quickly and she heard a click.

"Why is it that men are afraid to cry infront of females?" she mumbled to no one in particular. She walked out of the door locking it behind her. She slid in the PT Crusier's driver's seat and turned the engine on. Adjusting the stick into R, she reversed out of her driveway and turned down the street.

Grace finger slammed into the power button and loud music blasted from the speaker. Melissa rolled her eyes and switched it off.

"God mom, please!" Grace growled.

"Please what, Grace?" she sighed, "We need to talk."

"And what's more important than listenintg to Coldplay?"

"Why do you have an attitude about everything anyone does or says to you?" she asked angrily, "You want to wear make-up at tweleve. Next you'll be having sex with everyone on our block."

"You think I'm a hoe?!"

"Grace, no!" she yelled frustrated, "I just want to keep it like that okay." she said ina softer tone.

"Why don't you trust me?"

"Because Grace, you try and act older than your age. You're tweleve and you want to be grown already. You know that when you're grown you have to pay bills. You can't use all the money from a job shopping for clothes."

"I know that! I'm not as stupid as you think I am."

"You're not stupid." Melissa sighed pulling into the old parking lot.
THe sound of gravel under the tires eased the sudden silence that came over the two. Grace crossed her arms and looked away from her mother as Melissa turned the engine off and removed the keys.

"Stay in the car." she said softly and got out slamming the door.

"Whatever." she muttered. It was more like a sneer toward Melissa and Melissa knew it. Grace watched her walk away and she pulled her cell phone from her silver purse. She speed dialed her friend as she watched cars come and go from the parking lot.

"Hello."

"Can I speak to Michelle?"

"This is her."

"Hey, it's Grace."

"What's up?"

"Mom's actin' stupid." she said flatly playing with her curls, twirling it around her finger.

"I believe you. So's mine. I'm not even supposed to be on the phone." Michelle said and Grace pushed her curls from her face. She watched as a blue minivan and a white construction looking van pulled into the parking lot.

"Where are you?" Michelle asked and Melissa crossed her legs.

"Drug store. Mom's picking up few things and said it was too hot for me to stay home." she growled, "I'm tired of her treating me like a child." she said examining her nails. 'I need a manicure.' she thought.

"Well go on a walk around the block." Michelle suggested, "It could teach her that you are grown enough to make your own damn decisions."

"Yea, I'll do that cause she's full of it." she said, "And besides, it feels god outside." Grace said getting out from the car. She scanned the family of four that stepped from the minivan in disapproval.

"There's a whole bunch of losers getting out of a van right now." she laughed, "I'll take a picture." she took a picture of the family walking into the store. Michelle laughed over the phone.

"A whole family of losers. That would suck major ass."

"Yeah, I feel the kids' pain." she said walking across the street.

"Dude, it is like five thousand degrees out here." she said spotting an ice cream shop across the street. "Ice cream." she said with a grin. She walked across the street and Michelle laughed.

"I'm at 54th street. You like six blocks form me. Come meet me at the ice cream shop."

"I'm grounded Grace."

"You're still talkiing on the phone Michelle." Grace said scanning the ice cream menu. There were a couple people scattered here across the shop. There was a line of at least ten people looking and buying ice cream.

"Want some ice cream. I'll buy it for you if you come." Grace begged and Michelle sighed.

"Fine, whatever. I' putting my shoes on. I'm gonna bike over okay."

"Yea! Hurry Michelle."

"Okay. Outside now...biking." she said laughing loudly.

"I'm so bad."

"Oh baby yes you are." Grace laughed standing in line.

"Want chocolate?"

"Lemon."

"Lemon? They have lemon with lemon bubblegum in the ice cream."

"I want that." Michelle said and Grace heard a horn in the back ground.

"I'm getting chocolate chip ice cream." Grace laughed and there were three loud gun shots from across the street. People screamed and dropped to the ground.

"Michelle, someone just fired a gun." Grace said calmly. People started to file quickly from the shop to their cars. Grace ran from inside and starred at the people in black surrounding the drug store. The police had set up barriers and were moving in. Grace saw her mother being held by a person in black witha gun to her head.

"Mom!" she screamed and she took off across the street in a diagnal angle toward the parking lot.

"Mom! No, stop don't shoot!" she sceamed. She was stopped by an officer who held her back.

"Get off!" she screamed.

"I said every five minutes demands aren't met, I kill one hostage." The voice was etched with a British accent.

"N-" A gun shot echoed through out the small area of the shop.