Grace Under Pressure (Grace Walker Series Book 1)

Chapter 1:

"Grace! I've hollered for you four or five times to get up for school, so up and at 'em.", Mom hollered from the bottom of the stairs.

School. That dreaded six-letter word. I hated the fact that I was only a sophomore and I had two more years left of it. I was never really fond of school, just always went, because well, I have to. I get okay grades, that's not the problem. The problem is I've been out of school so often because of the fact that my body doesn't match my name, Grace. I've been not so graceful a time or two, counting the times I've broken my leg that took me out for 2 months, my wrist, where I've had to do homeschool because it was my writing hand, and many other times. So school, wasn't exactly fun for me. I had friends yes, but we've grown apart because I've missed out on so much. Serenity Ward is my best friend though and she's been there for me through thick and thin.

So for Serenity and my mother, and the fact that I have to go, I get out of my bed, drag my feet across the floor, shower and get ready for what the day may bring. Come on 4 o'clock!

I no sooner  got down the stairs, was pouring myself a glass of juice, and remembered Mrs. Salmon wanted me to come to school early today to catch up and that she had an "opportunity" for me. Yikes! I'm late already. I swallowed my juice in what seemed like one big gulp and ran to get my bag to leave. Mom was already tapping her foot looking at her watch by the time I stumbled back down the stairs. She just shook her head, laughed and opened the door for me.

Good thing it would take fifteen minutes to get to school because I was completely out on breath and my stomach was doing that funky flip-flop thing it likes to do. Mom was her usual cheery self, singing along to the radio. I wish I could get into music like she did. She could listen to just about anything, from heavy metal to rap and sing every word. This morning we're listening to the 80's station, so she was singing even louder. I let the sound of her voice and the music drown my thoughts. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shaking in my shoes.

Preston was your typical small town. Everyone knew everyone. Your parents and their parents grew up with each other. If you missed church, you'd get calls checking on you. If someone passed away, there would be an envoy of people bringing casseroles. My mom never wanted to stay in this town to raise me, but after my parents divorced, she decided this was where her roots were, so she wanted mine to be there too. My grandparents on my mom's side died while she was young, which is why I think she decided to stay in the line of work she's in for so long. She works at a job that is very rewarding in her eyes. Mom's is the one face that's the constant at that place.

My parents divorced early on in my life but I do have some memories of him. I didn't see the same side as Mom seen, and she wanted to make sure it stayed that way. She never really talked bad about my dad, which a lot of divorced parents tend to do towards each other. She always wanted me to make that decision on my own. I haven't seen him in a few years and to be honest, I don't feel like I have been missing out on much. I see my friends and their parents and can see just about as much love in their homes as in mine.

And since I haven't been around my dad much, I didn't know his parents either. Not because they had passed like Mom's, but because they never came around. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

So since, it was just Mom and me, we have lived in the same house my whole life. It wasn't as big as a lot of my friends, but it wasn't really small either. It was 3 bedrooms, 1 in which Mom converted into a study. She let me have the master bedroom since it had its own bathroom. She used the one down the hall. We had the typical rooms downstairs like everyone else, kitchen, living room, that sort of thing. We had a huge fenced in backyard, but because Mom is always working, it doesn't get frequently used. I used to have a small pool in the backyard when I was little and my mom would watch me play in it while she laid out in the sun or caught up on a book she was reading.

Mom had always struggled to get a nice car to get us where we needed to go too. The car we have now is a lot nicer than I ever remember her having. She has to make a car payment on it, but it's worth it she says. We used to get stranded in the cars she bought before. She makes more money now, which is why we can afford the car payment, but deep down, I think she wanted more. I'm 16, so I have my license, I just don't have a car just yet. Most of my friends do, but I'm okay with that. As small as our town is, I can walk just about anywhere, weather permitting that is.