Amazing Grace, By: zzmbrashear [books to read this summer TXT] 📗

was terrified of what people would say if they knew she could sing.
These people turned one beautiful girl into a walking locker. She shuts everything out and never lets anything in, terrified of what people might say or do.
When Grace was young, and her Father was alive, she use to be the apple of his eye. When he looked at her, he didn’t see a cubby girl. He saw a halo. He looked at her beautiful blue eyes and saw an angel in disguise. He’s the only one who’s ever heard her sing. She was so small, so innocent. He loved her for her. Grace knew that her Father was the only one who would ever understand her. That was until he died when she was ten. It was a tragic accident. He walked into a store to get some Ginger Ale for Grace because she was sick. Little did he know, he was walking into a hold up. Standing across the counter was a tall, dark man, wearing all black, holding a pistol to the man across the counter with his hands over his head.
Grace’s Father immediately stopped and tried to walk back out the store but the Gun man was too quick. He instantly pulled the trigger and three rounds of bullets went right through his chest. He fell flat as he lost consciousness.
Grace took it hard. The only man in her life. The only person who understood her, was gone. The only person who took the time to know her was gone. Her Mother didn’t pay much attention to her. She was to overwhelmed with little eight year old Allie. She knew she would never compare to Allie. How could she? She didn’t see herself as beautiful. She knew she wasn’t skinny. No one would even look past her outer appearance. No one ever gave her the benefit of the doubt.
As Grace made it further down the road she looked around, making sure no one was in sight. Satisfied, she began to sing.
“You feel out of breath, used up and broken down. Just like shattered glass, with pieces on the ground. Some days you wanna scream but you can’t make a sound. But you’re not alone. Here comes another day, here comes another fight. You’d rather give it up than give it one more try. Because no one understands how you feel inside but you’re not alone. Right now it feels like its the end of the world, like your battles are lost, you’ve been cheated. And just when you think that you can’t hold on any longer, hold on a little bit longer, Trust Me you’ll see! You’ll be so much stronger! So much stronger!” She sang. Her voice echoed through the tall tree’s.
“That was beautiful.” A strong, deep voice said behind her. She turned around quickly. In front of her stood Ryder. He was Grace’s first love, ever since kindergarten. But of course, she’s never said anything. Ryder wasn’t like the other boys. He hasn’t picked or pried like the others do.
Grace’s face turned red from embarrassment. She opened her mouth to talk but no words came out. She dropped her books. She bent down to pick them up as Ryder assisted her.
“Ever thought of trying out for the Talent Show?” He asked. Again, she opened her mouth but no words came out. He handed her her books as they stood up.
“No.” She murmured.
“You should. You have an amazing voice.” He smiled. She looked up at his sparkling white teeth.
“I, I have to go.” She scurried away.
“Consider it?” He asked as she picked up her pace. She sighed relieved as she reached the school. She went to her locker and buried her head into it, hoping the others wouldn’t see her this morning. She just can’t take another day of it. She just can’t.
“Look, I see Texas!” One of the guys shouted.
“Moo!” The others said as they passed. Grace closed her eyes as a tear fell from her cheek. If she could only make it to the bathroom. At least there, she could be alone.
She took her head out of the locker and looked at all the people, standing in front of her, making fun or her, laughing. She shook her head as she ran to the bathroom. She locked the door as she closed it. She walked over to the mirror and stared at her reflexion.
“This is not Grace! This is not me!” She screamed at herself as tears fell down her face. She dropped to her knee’s, as she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Why can’t I be me?” She cried. She couldn’t take it anymore. All her tears she tried to held in, stayed in no more.
She leaned against the cold blue walls as she covered her face. She didn’t come out of the bathroom at all that day. All she had to do was wait for three o’clock. Thats all she had to wait for. Then she will be free.
She stuck her head out of the bathroom after the three o’clock bell. She looked down the hallway, no body in sight. She slowly opened the door and began to the door. She was just feet from it when they came out. They showed up.
“Hey Godzilla!” One said as he pushed her against the wall.
“Hey thats mean!” Another said. Grace looked at her with sad eyes. 
“Thats mean to Godzilla!” She finished as she laughed. Another one of the guys came up and pushed her into another one. They tossed her back and forth.
“Please,” She begged.
“Wait? Did fatty say something?” One guy said. He started to walk towards her. She backed up until she hit the wall.
“Please, I didn’t do anything to you.” She begged. One of the girls came up to her and punched her.
“Maybe, I just don’t like how you look.” She spit in Grace’s face. Grace closed her eyes. She prayed that when she opened them, they’d be gone. But it didn’t happen. When she opened her eyes they started to kick her and hit her. She fell to the ground in tears as the pain spread through her body.
A teacher came out of her room when she heard all the noise. She looked at Grace lying on the floor. The gang of boys and girls ran outside.
“Hey! Come back here!” The teacher shouted but they didn’t listen. She knelt down beside Grace and put one hand on her back as she got out her cell phone and dialed 911.
“Please! I need help! A student has been attacked! Ridgeway School! Its 98 Main Street! Hurry!” She shouted. She placed the phone on the floor after she hung up. She brushed Grace’s hair out of her face and whispered,
“Don’t worry. Help is on the way.” She assure her. Grace clenched her eyes shut. She was praying this was a dream. Her body hurt everywhere. She couldn’t feel her leg. It was all tingly and numb. Then everything went black. She had hoped for death. Just maybe, God would go easy on her and kill her now.
The next thing she knew, she was in a hospital bed. She saw her Mother and Allie sitting in a chair next to her as she opened one of her eyes. She looked down at her body that was covered by a sheet.
“Grace!” Her Mother said. “How are you feeling?”
“Wh, where am I?” She asked.
“The hospital. What happened?” She asked. Grace knew exactly what happened, but who would believe her.
“I don’t remember.” She lied. Allie looked at her worried.
“Grace, I know you remember.” Allie looked at her. Grace knew if she told then they would just come after her again. Grace looked at her Mother who was looking down at her arms. Grace quickly covered them up and avoided eye contact.
“I don’t remember.” She mumbled. Allie shook her head in disappointment. She sat in the chair in the corner as a woman entered the room. She was a tall woman. She looked very serious. Her black hair rested on her back as she stopped dead in the doorway. She was dressed in a suit and held a manilla folder. Very intimidating.
“Hello, Grace.” She smiled. “I’m Detective Ames.”
“Detective?” Her Mother asked. “Why do we need a detective?”
“Ms. Teyler, we are here to examine your daughters condition and case.” She stated.
“We? What case?” Her Mother was so confused.
“Ms. Teyler,” She began.
“Patty, please.” Patty said.
“Patty, we are with the Detective Agency. We are just here to go through a few things with your daughter.” She smiled. Grace looked at Patty.
“What do you need?” Grace asked.
“Grace, can you tell us what happened?” She asked.
“I don’t remember.” She lied. Her gripped the sheet that covered her body. Detective Ames went through the folder.
“But it says here you don’t have a concussion or any memory loss.” She stated. Grace’s hands began to get sweaty.
“I, I just don’t remember.” She said.
“Grace, tell her.” Allie demanded. She stood up and walked over to Grace.
“I don’t remember.” Grace repeated.
“Grace!” Allie scolded her. Allie tore off the sheet and pointed to her body. “Look what they did to you! Look what they did!” Grace looked at her Mother. She had never seen her Mother cry before, at least not for her.
Grace looked down at her legs. One was black and blue, the other was in a cast. She looked at her arms which were cut and bruised from trying to stop the punches and protect her face. Allie grabbed the mirror off the wall and showed Grace her face. She gasped as she looked at her reflexion. Her beautiful blue eyes, now blood shot. Her clear skin, now black and blue. One eye was the size of a baseball.
“Look what they did to you! Look!” She shouted as Grace turned away from the mirror.
“Tell them who did this to you.” Grace’s Mother begged as she reached across the bed for her hand. Grace bit her lip as she made a hard discussion.
“I don’t remember.” She said as she turned to Allie and her Mother with tears in her eyes.
“How can you say that when you just saw what they’ve done to you!” Allie shouted at her. “They did it once! You know they will do it again! Grace, they’ve gone too far! Tell her!”
“I can’t.” Grace cried. “I just can’t.”
“Grace, we can protect you. We can put those people away. They won’t hurt you again.” Detective Ames assure Grace, but that wasn’t enough.
“Please leave.” Grace begged. Allie and the detective walked into the hallway as Grace and her Mother got a chance to talk.
“Why don’t you just tell the lady?” Patty cried.
“You don’t know what its like.” Grace closed her eyes. “You don’t know what I go through.”
“Then tell me!” She said.
“Why? Even if I tell you, you still won’t know! You will never know! You were always skinny! You were always popular! Everyone loved you! They still do! You don’t know what its like!” Grace shouted at her.
“Please, I will try to understand.” Patty begged with tears in her eyes.
“Just imagine. Everyday, another day or torture. They call me fatso, or China, or Texas, or they say I should go die. They call ‘moo’ as I pass them. They are the reason that I think, no, that I pray, that God would just end my suffering and kill me already. They don’t care that I’m a human being. They don’t care. And you didn’t either.” Grace sighed.
“I never treated you like that!” She