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He couldn't get the words out of his mind. My mother drinks. Just three little words. Words that had no other explanation, no elaboration and no scientific value whatsoever. And yet they were the most powerful words he could have imagined at that moment because he knew how difficult it must have been for Grace to type them.
Their IM conversations before had been brief at best and this was no exception, but now their typed exchanges went way beyond the norm.
He had no idea what he would say to her, how he would even begin to approach the subject. Grace was definitely unapproachable and she was perhaps the oddest girlfriend in existence, but he found that he liked it. He was always up for a challenge and Grace proved to be a challenge again and again.
He thought about her and her unspoken words all night long, all the way to school and in his classes, when he should have been paying attention to other things, like the teacher and his assignments. But he couldn't stop thinking about her. He had to talk to her-in person- as soon as possible.
He was walking down the hallway when he saw her standing in front of her open locker, holding her black leather jacket. Their eyes met and he hurried to catch up with her, just as she slammed the door shut. When he finally reached her, she whirled around and looked at him, her eyes bright with tears. And that's when he realized that the words she'd typed to him that morning were from the heart, even if they were small.
He followed her into an empty classroom and as they stood in front of the chalkboard, it only took a move of his hand to her shoulder to unleash her emotions. His hand on her shoulder became a hug and he held her in his arms, surprised that she was so willing to let him hold her. He felt her hands on his back, her arms around him, and heard the soft sniffles. It didn't take a scientist to know that she was crying.
He wasn't sure how long they stood there, holding onto one another, but it was nice… really nice. And perhaps words weren't necessary. Their close physical contact spoke volumes.
Sometime later she let go and looked at him. "Thank you." She whispered.
He smiled. "Sure. No problem."
She grabbed him and kissed him and then glared at him. "No one is ever going to know about this, do you understand?"
The fact that she trusted him so made him proud and he nodded. "Of course."
They had a lot more to talk about and they both knew it, but at that moment he was just happy being with her. He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed gently.
"Come on, I'll walk you to your next class. Is that acceptable?"
Grace, being Grace, glared at him but then smiled. "Yeah, that would be great."
And it was great. It was the greatest thing ever.
The End