8:12 pm
4 hours and 5 minutes before
It had been nearly four years since Theo's family had moved into the small house next to Gracie and Amelia, four years since he'd packed up his life and moved from Michigan to Oregon, and four years since he'd looked out his window at three in the morning, unable to sleep, to see a girl sitting on the roof of the neighboring house, her blonde hair concealing her face.
The fact that she'd been sitting on her roof had struck Theo as odd. It wasn't as if she was smoking, or drinking, or sneaking out. She was just sitting there, her jean-clad legs folded underneath her, and her bare arms wrapped around her stomach.
Theo had been staring, trying to figure out what she was doing, when the girl had looked up at him, tears shining on her face.
She must have felt him looking at her, but she didn't turn away. They'd stared at each other for several minutes before Theo had awkwardly raised and hand and waved.
And she'd nodded back in response.
The girl had stayed on the roof for an hour, before she final climbed down onto a balcony and disappeared through a window.
The next day, Theo had forced himself to stay awake to see if the girl would reappear.
She had, that night, and the next, and the next. She wasn't always sad. Sometimes she brought a book, other times she brought her laptop and a pillow. And after a week of staring, Theo had climbed out his own window and was waiting for her when she appeared.
It had startled her, when she'd poked her head out and had seen Theo lounging on his own roof a few feet away from her, a packet of skittles in his hand.
"Good morning," Theo had said, waving his snack at her. "I'm Theodore, but you can call me Theo."
"Graciela Sinclair." She'd said, and didn't offer a nickname.
"Kind of a mouthful, don't you think?" Theo had asked, tossing a red skittle into his mouth.
"I suppose."
"It should be shorter."
"Theodore," Graciela had chided, giving him a disapproving look. "You can't control my name."
Theo had glanced up at her through his lashes, smiling widely. "I can give you a nickname though, right?"
Graciela hadn't offered a complaint, so Theo stuck out his hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Gracie."
"I suppose it's nice to meet you too, Theo." She'd replied.
And then they shook.
YOU ARE READING
saving gracie | ✓
Short StoryAmelia Sinclair was never well-liked, but she was an amazing student. She was on track to become valedictorian and was being groomed to take over her father's company one day. Most of her time was split between the library, tennis lessons, and her m...
