Gracie

Chapter 1

(Skyli in media)

*Skyli's POV*

I waved at my best friend, Mimi, who pulled away from my driveway. I didn't have a car, so she would pick me up and drop me off from school. I looked over to see my neighbor, Wyatt, getting his mail.

"Hey Lightening," he greeted. I rolled my eyes. He knew my name, but chose to call me everything else related to weather instead.

"Hey asshole," I smiled back sarcastically. Wyatt was something of in itself entirely. He graduated a few years ago but chose not to go to college. So he was stuck here. At 21 years old, his hobbies included working out, DJing, and being an ass wipe. We couldn't stand each other. I couldn't stand how he used girls constantly and drank and smoked all the time, and he couldn't stand me. But I didn't care one bit. We'd known each other for years and nothing was going to change now.

~

I was watching Netflix on my couch on a rainy Saturday when there was a knock on my door. No one was home except me. It was date night for my mom. She probably wouldn't be home till tomorrow. I opened the door to find a girl with a small bundle in her arms.

"Is Anna home?" She sniffles. Her eyes were puffy from crying and the small bundle in her arms was crying. I ushered her inside the house and wrapped a blanket around her as I sat her down.

"Dear God. What are you doing with this baby out in the rain?" I asked her. I threw some tea on the stove and went back with a clean blanket. I took the baby gently.

"I'm going to change her blanket, okay?" I said to her. She nodded and I took the crying child to the kitchen table. I dried the baby and changed her blanket. The baby couldn't be more than a few months old. She was beautiful. Once dry, her crying eased. I smiled gently as I picked her back up. I went back to the living room and paused when I saw that the girl was gone. I looked at the baby and back to the couch in shock. There was a note where the girl was sitting.

I'm sorry. I just can't do this right now. Please take good care of her. I'll be back for her eventually so please don't call social services. Her name is Grace Lane, by the way. She was born July 17th of this year. Please don't tell Anna about her. Please don't let them take her.

I was left trying to process exactly what was happening. I just got left with a baby and the mother was no where to be found. I couldn't keep the baby here. If my mom found out about Grace, she would hand her over to social services.

Wyatt.

Wyatt was my neighbor. He was an annoying ass who graduated a few years ago, but he's the only person I could think of who didn't work during the day so he could take care of her while I was at school. He was 21 years old. He was a DJ by trade. I grabbed an umbrella and Grace and walked quickly the the house over. I knocked quickly and waited. Wyatt answer the door and looked at me confused.

"Skyli?" he asked confused. I looked at the rain as Grace started crying.

"Can I come in?" I asked. He moved aside and let me in.

"Why the hell do you have a baby with you?" he asked as I tried to ease Grace's crying.

"Wyatt, watch your mouth. And this girl just showed up, dropped her baby off and left. I can't call social services because she said she was coming back for her. If my mom sees her, she's going to take her away, and-"

"Sky, calm down... you're ranting," he said. He poured a glass of water and handed it to me. "What do you need from me?" he asked.

"I need a place and a person to watch Grace during the day," I explained. He looked shocked and appalled.

"No way," he shook his head. "I'm not taking care of a baby," he said. Grace started wailing.

"Please, Wyatt. I need help. She didn't leave diapers or anything for Grace. I don't know what to do," I said as I started getting frantic. I could feel tears brimming my eyes. Wyatt sighed before he took Grace from me and started rocking her and shushing her. Eventually she calmed down, but I didn't.

"Sky, calm down. We'll go get formula and diapers right now, and... I'll help you, okay?" he said. I sniffled and nodded. He handed Grace back to me and grabbed his keys. "Come on, let's go," he said. I grabbed the umbrella and followed him to his car in the garage. We drove silently to the store. Well, sort of silent. Grace was screaming for most of the way there. She was hungry. Wyatt went into the store and came back with a couple of bags.

"I'll pay you back," I said softly. Wyatt shook his head.

"She'll need more anyway. Don't worry about it," he said. He drove back to his house and we went inside. I rocked Grace as Wyatt made her a bottle. He took her from me gently and began to feed her.

"Thank you," I said softly as I sat next to him on his couch.

"You're serious about taking care of her?" he asked. I only nodded. He sighed. "We need to take her to a doctor and make sure she's healthy and get her shots. She's tiny, so we need to start baby-proofing the house. I have clothes and toys as well as a carseat and stroller. We just need to make sure we get the right formula for her and diapers," he said.

"She's only two months. She was born July 17th; her mother left me a note," I said quietly. Grace had her eyes closed as she drank from the bottle Wyatt was feeding her. "You're pretty good at this, you know?" I said. He nodded and stood to burp her.

"I used to take care of my little sister," he said.

"What happened to her?" I asked, curious.

"She died two years ago due to cancer. My mom killed herself shortly after that," Wyatt explained. I didn't know what else to say.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. He only shrugged.

"I can take care of Grace for you during the day. I guess I'll come get you from school and we'll go from there. For now, she's probably going to wake up every few hours during the night," he said.

"I'll stay... i-if you want me to, that is," I offered.

"Yeah, we'll take shifts," he said. "And we'll take her to a doctor tomorrow."

I nodded and gently took Grace from his arms. She was tired and it showed. Looks like Wyatt and I were taking care of a baby.