The Girl Next Door

Here's part 4 of The Girl Next Door. We left off in Part 2 where Gracie was freed by Starlight and Nightblade. Now she resides at Starlight's compound and will begin her training. Also please comment below on what you think of it. Your feedback is very appreciated and helps improve my writing. All characters are subject to copyright laws, so please don't try to copy and resell my stories. I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 7

Gracie's Perspective

"You call that a punch?" Erin asks. "Half the people at the retirement home throw better punches than that."

"You're asking for it," I growl as I toss another punch. She deflects it without any problem and before I realize it, I'm on my back in an armbar. She gets another tap out of me.

"It's amazing how you managed to stay alive. You fight worse than the 8-year-olds who come in here for Bristol's youth training," Erin laughs.

I slam my fist against the mat. "Seriously? I don't need any of this. I was doing fine long before..."

"Gracie, just relax," Bristol says. "You may be stronger and faster than Erin when it comes to pure strength and speed, but you're not going to just beat her your first time sparring. She's been training for years in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Karate, Taekwondo, and traditional kickboxing. It'll take some time to get to her level. You have to be patient."

"And Erin, stop antagonizing her. Just because you're more experienced doesn't mean you can be arrogant. Remember that pride comes before the fall," she adds.

"I know," Erin sighs.

"Now go again," Bristol says.

"We've been doing this all day," I cry out.

"Gracie, the only way you're going to master these skills is through practice. And practice requires a lot of time and focus. Thankfully, you have the body that can recoup very quickly. That means you can practice longer than the average person. Much longer. And we're going to take advantage of that. With that kind of ability, you can learn things much quicker than most people. But that is up to you. This requires discipline. The discipline to put the time required in order to learn it."

"Fine... Let's continue," I say. "Why can't we learn something else? I've decided I hate Jiu-Jitsu."

"We're focusing on Jiu-Jitsu first because you already have a natural advantage when it comes to striking because of your fast reflexes. But what happens when someone gets in close, if they're skilled, you'll get killed. Your grappling and ground game needs work. I will not let you go out with us until you improve your combat skills."

I let out a whimper. "This is so unfair."

"Don't be such a baby. She did the same thing with me," Erin says.

"Let's do a few more rounds and then I'll let you have the rest of the day to yourselves," Bristol says.

Erin immediately shoots the legs on me. I'm quick, but not quick enough to escape. I did manage to get one leg free, but she sweeps it sending me to the ground. She has my ankle in what feels like a vice grip. Streaks of pain go up my body.

"What are you going to do in this situation, Gracie?" Bristol asks.

I try to spin but Erin rolls with me. After I can't break her iron grip on my ankle, I try to kick her. She dips and dodges my kicks before putting on my pressure. I yelp out at the pain. I end up tapping. After a few more rounds, we call it quits for the day.

I follow Erin back up to the apartment. "Hungry?" she asks. I nod.

"Follow me," she says as we head out and down to the elevator. We head down to the main floor and into a common room where people are serving food. It kind of reminds me of a local homeless shelter the way they serve the food here. And people look as if they were homeless. A lot of them have simple clothes. I get in line with Erin.

"So is this like... opened to anyone in the apartment building?" I ask after we get our food and take a seat.

"Of course. Bristol owns the building and she lets people stay here who have no home. It's kind of our own little community," Erin explains.

"That's... That's amazing. I had no idea this even existed," I say.

"Well, it's not like it's advertised or anything. Bristol likes to keep things rather chill," Erin says.

"How did you come to live here?" I ask.

"It's a long story," Erin says as the light vanishes from her eyes.

"Oh... Sorry," I say.

"It's okay. Bristol helped my mother when she was on her own. I guess they were close," Erin says as she devours her food.

"Erin, what's up," A large muscle-bound black guy says as he pops a squat next to her.

"Hey JJ, how's it going?" she asks.

"Not too bad. Heard about the warehouse business. Good work," he says.

"Thanks. By the way, this is Gracie. She's going to be training with Bristol from now on," she says.

"Nice to meet you," JJ says. "How do you like training with Bristol?"

"It's not a walk in the park," I say.

He laughs. "She's not one to take things lightly. Of course, considering what she does a nightly basis, I don't blame her."

I look at Erin, does he know who Bristol is? JJ demolishes his food without ever taking a break. "Well, I got to go tend to the garden. I'll talk to you later, Erin. Nice to meet you, Gracie."

"Thank you as well," I say.

I lean in towards Erin. "So... Does everyone here know the truth about Bristol?"

"Of course," Erin says. "Bristol doesn't hide who she is. She's kind of like our mother. More like our savior. We're family here. Everyone pitches and helps out and we all benefit."

After we finish eating, Erin and I head back upstairs and get comfy on the couch while she clicks through the tv, searching for something to watch. "So... What's the reason why you're not home?"

"My house hasn't been home since Ashley and my mother died," I say.

"What about your dad?" she asks.

"He's rarely ever there."

"When's the last time you've talked to him?" she asks.

"It's been a while," I say.

"You should talk to him. I'm sure he misses you," she says.

"If he missed me then he'd try to make the effort to spend time with me," I spit out.

"You and Ashley were twins right?" she asks. I nod.

"I can imagine every time he sees you he also sees her. That must hurt," she says.

"I never thought of it that way," I say. "But still, I just can't deal with him right now."

"I'm sure you have an idea of what I'd be willing to give to talk to my parents, losing your mom and all, and yet you have a chance to see your dad why are you passing this up?" she says.

"I wouldn't know what to say," I say.

"You can start with hello," she says. I hate that she's right.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you hated me," I ask.

"I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone. Well... besides for William Shaw. But you and your friends did make my life miserable. I mean, I get it, I'm the weird trans girl. I don't fit in in any situation. But Stacy always seemed to go out of her way to make my life hell," Erin says as she stops on the news.

"I'm so sorry. I should've said something. I should've stopped but... I didn't. I was just so angry at everything. That's no excuse and yeah, Stacy's a bitch," I say.

"It's okay, I get it. Trust me," she says.

"I promise I won't just stand by anymore. Can we start over?" I ask.

"I'd like that," Erin says. "On one condition though."

"What's that?" I ask.

"You talk to your dad tomorrow."

"Wow... You're really not making it easy," I say.

She laughs. I can't help but smile too.

"Just curious, why are you friends with Stacy if you think she's a bitch?" Erin asks.

"I'm not friends with Stacy. Kate and I have been friends since I can remember. Every summer, we'd go to the same Christian Youth Camp. She used to pull me into all sorts of trouble. Late-night swims. Sneaking snacks back to the room. And the truth or dare sessions we had were legendary. But ever since we entered high school, Stacy latched onto Kate like a leech. She's the queen of guilt-tripping." I can't help but narrow my eyes just thinking of Stacy's snobby face. "I swear, if it's not one thing, it's another. And she's so cynical. The first to point out every flaw in every person. She totally drags Kate down and peer pressures her into doing stupid stuff so she can benefit. She's a total manipulative bitch."

"Ouch, and here everyone thinks you three are a tight knight trio. It's crazy to think that there's a huge difference between what everyone thinks is going on and what actually is happening. Would've never guessed you and Stacy don't get along," Erin says.

"I just wish Kate would wake up and see Stacy for who she really is," I say.

"The body of defense lawyer Finlay Kelly has been identified in a harrowing murder. They almost couldn't identify the body, it was a shriveled up husk. Fortunately, they could match up the dental records..." the reporter goes on.

"Well, looks like we have a killer on the loose," Erin sighs. "Great..."

"That means we're going to have to investigate and find him, right?" I ask.

"Bristol teams up with this private investigator to do most of the investigating," Erin says. "They kind of have a complicated relationship."

"Yeah?" I ask.

"They're on and off," Erin sighs.

"Is he a good guy?" I ask.

"She's amazing. Smart, witty, everything you'd want in a girlfriend besides commitment issues. Of course, Bristol's also got commitment issues. Being Starlight puts a strain on their relationship," Erin says.

"I never would have guess Bristol was gay," I say.

"She's bi I believe," she says.

"What exactly are Bristol's powers?" I ask.

"That's also complicated. Bristol's not from here," Erin says.

I raise an eyebrow. "Like, she's an alien?"

"Sort of, it's hard to explain. She's like... umm... She calls her species celestials," Erin says.

"She's like a god?" I ask as thoughts start to pour into my mind.

"She really doesn't like that word," Erin says. "She's like a being of pure energy. That's the best way to explain it. Born from a star, I think."

"That's... That's incredible. So she's like, immortal? I bet she's like, unkillable!" I say.

"Something like that. I mean, she's older than this planet," Erin says.

"No way! How old is she?" I ask.

Erin shrugs. "Don't ask her that. Seriously."

"Duly noted," I say.

"So... Everyone here knows she's this celestial?"

Erin cracks up. "Yeah, Joe even tried to start a religion with her as the deity. Bristol didn't like that at all."

"She seems so... Human," I say.

"Let's just say she's very down to earth," Erin says.

"God, I wish I could tell this all to Gabs. She gets so geeked up about all this. You know, Starlight is her favorite superhero of all time. You're actually a close second," I say.

"Really?" Erin asks.

"Yeah, god, she's such a nerd. It's so adorable," I say.

"You're crushing hard," Erin says.

"I know... I just... I wish she felt the same way," I sigh. It's heartbreaking being in love with someone who doesn't return the feeling. It hurts worse than any beating I've ever received.

"I have no idea how that feels. Robert and I are in a complicated spot, but I know he and I feel the same way about each other," she says.

"You're so lucky. I'm jealous," I say.

"Thanks. Maybe you should focus on someone else? If Gabriela doesn't feel the same way, there's nothing you can do to change her mind," she says.

"So I should try to make things work with Damarco?" I ask.

"Maybe? Do you even like him?" she asks.

"I mean, he's a nice guy. He's attractive. He's kind of got that boy scout vibe about him. Always does the right thing, you know?" I ask.

"Yeah, there's no doubt that Damarco's a good guy. But is he good for you?" she asks.

"I don't know. To be honest, I just don't drool over him like everyone else does. Kate and Stacy always fawn over him along with every other girl at school. He's nice to talk to. He definitely brightens my day, but he doesn't make me feel the same way that Gabs does. But I feel like I should at least try. Like, I feel life wouldn't be so bad with Damarco as a boyfriend," I say.

"You just have to follow your heart," Erin says. "Well, I'm going to bed. See ya in the morning."

"Good night," I say.

Sunday Evening

Facing Her Dad

I can't believe Erin talked me into going home to speak with my dad. We had to go get my car from the warehouses where I left it during the whole incident. To be honest, I didn't really expect him to be home. Walking through the front door, my dad sits at the table with papers spread out. He looks so... worn out. His hair's a mess. His shirt is untucked and the top buttons are undone. His tie is let loose and just hangs there like a noose around his neck. He looks up as soon as I walk in. "Gracie? Where have you been? I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past few days."

"Sorry, I've got a gym membership and I was staying at my friend Erin's place," I say. At least I didn't lie to him.

"You could've said something. I've been worried sick about you," he says.

"Oh, so you remembered you still have a living daughter?" Shit, that slipped out before I could catch it.

He doesn't even cringe. "I... I deserve that. I've..."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"No, you mean it and I've earned it. I've been a poor father lately. I should be home more to take care of you. You shouldn't have to deal with this all by yourself."

"Ummm. It's okay. It really is. I know your work is important. You do a lot for the community," I say.

"That's no excuse," he says. He makes it so hard to be mad at him. I take a seat across from him.

"I'm sorry for missing your sermon today," I say.

"It's okay. It's nothing you haven't already heard. So tell me more about this gym and your friend Erin. I don't think I have met her before," he says.

"Well... Before you get mad, the gym is a mixed martial arts gym, and Erin is this trans girl at school. She's actually really nice," I say.

"Why would I get mad?" he asks.

"I know how the church is with people who fall outside of the norm... And I wasn't sure if you were okay with me doing mixed martial arts," I say.

"Listen, I don't think there's anything wrong with people who express themselves a little differently from others. We are all God's children and God doesn't make mistakes," he says. "As far as you doing mixed martial arts, just promise me you won't get hurt."

"Are you sure? Because I feel like my whole life was just one big mistake..." I say.

I look up into his eyes and it feels like he's only being held together by string. "Gracie, I'm here if you need to talk. I can only imagine what you're going through. You don't have to go through this alone. Just please, remember I love you," he says.

I almost break down and cry right there, but I somehow hold myself together. "Thanks, dad. I think I'm going to go to bed. I'm tired. Oh and I promise, I won't get hurt."

"Have you had dinner?" he asks.

"Yeah, I ate at Erin's."

"Just remember, if you need to talk, I'm here," he says.

"Okay," I say as I head off to my room. As soon as the door closes, the tears fall. I crawl into my bed, pull on my headphones, and hide under the blankets as the Blades play into my ears. The world feels like it's crushing me like an ant under a boot. God, I miss Ashley so much. She's the only one who could ever understand me. Why couldn't it be me who died instead?

--

The Next Day at School

I almost talked myself into skipping school today. I don't know if I can bring myself to face Gabby after what happened Friday night. Will she even want to talk to me? On top of all that, it's homecoming week...

Walking into the school feels like walking on the bottom of the ocean. It's a miracle I haven't been crushed by all the pressure. I make my way to my locker through the swarm of people, trying my hardest to avoid any confrontation.

The last thing I want to do is put on a fake smile and make-believe everything is perfect when I'm dying on the inside. And I'm sure I'll get an earful from Kate and Stacy for missing the party. At least I dressed up for the stupid decade day so they can't say anything about that. Oh crap, there's Damarco... Kate wants me to ask him to the float building tonight.

"Damarco, there you are!" I say trying to smile as best I can. "I've been looking for you. Hey, how come you didn't dress up?"

"Here I am," he smiles. "Oh shit, I forgot. I'm sorry."

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "What am I going to do with you? Are we still on for later?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you forgot. You're helping decorate the senior float for homecoming, remember?" I say.

"Oh right. I swear I didn't forget. I'll be there after practice," he says.

"Good, don't let us down," she says.

I take off as fast as I can out of there and as I turn the corner I stop dead in my tracks.

"And what are you going to do about it, freak?" Zack's annoying voice says as I round the corner. Standing in the hall is Gabs... She doesn't see me as she, Kate, and Stacy stare at Zack who's harassing Robert and Erin.

"Zack, don't make me bend you over and give you an ass-whooping," Erin says as she stares him straight in the eyes. And she definitely could. I'm still hurting from the ass-kicking she gave me yesterday.

Zack laughs. "You really want to push your luck, don't you, tranny freak?"

"Zack, stop being an ass. It really makes everyone realize how tiny your dick is," I shout out without even thinking.

"I was just..." Zack starts.

"No one cares, Zack. No one cares," I say. I wish he'd just shut up. I hate people like Zack. They think just because they're the biggest kid on the block, they can take what they want.

"I..." he stops before turning around and walking away as he mumbles under his breath.

"Didn't think you were showing up," Erin says.

"Changed my mind," I say. She gives me that smirk and I can't help but smile.

"Gracie! Where have you been?" Kate asks as she and Stacy swarm me. I can't even look at Gabs. All I can think about is that disgusted look on her face after she broke away from my kiss. It makes me want to cry.

"I'm here now," I say.

"Come on, we need to go over our plan for this week. I've been trying to get a hold of you all weekend. Where were you Saturday? You never answered your phone," Kate goes on.

"Yeah, not cool Gracie," Stacy says as they pull me away.

"Gracie!" Gabs shouts. I can't face her right now. I'm barely hanging on as it is. Talking to Gabs will break the little strength I have.

"We'll talk later, Gabs," I shout over my shoulder as Kate and Stacy drag me away.

"Where have you been all weekend?" Kate asks.

"I'm so sorry," I say, holding my chest. "I haven't been feeling well."

"It's okay," Kate says. Her eyes soften as she reaches over and rubs my shoulder.

"Whatever." Stacy flips her hair off to the side while she crosses her arms. She's such a bitch. "I will never understand why Andrew tries to pretend to be a girl and I find it hilarious that she tries to pick a fight with Zack."

"Her name's Erin, first of all, and why do you have to constantly tear down other people?" I ask. The look on her face because I decided to finally call her out on her bullshit is priceless.

"Why do you care? Aren't you a pastor's daughter?" she asks.

"What does that have to do with it?" I ask.

"What would God think about her?" she says.

"Seriously? Are you that daft?" It's really hard for me not to just deck her. The worst thing about having these special abilities is to know when not to use them. And the fact that I now have this primal urge to always take action. These instincts come in and I can barely fight them. All I want to do right now is rip her throat out. That's all I can focus on. It's like a switch. I see a threat and I have to take them out by any means and I can't turn it off.