The Grace In Darkness by Melissa Andrea

codes. ”
    “ Only doctors and lawyers? That ’ s kind of sad. ”
    “ Yeah, well, humanity today is sad and a thing of the past. It ’ s the world we live in. ”
    “ Lawyers, though? ” I questioned doubtfully.
    “ Hey! Not all lawyers are bad!
    “ Isn ’ t being slimy a requirement to become a lawyer? ”
    “ You bite your tongue, Araya Lynn Noelle. My uncle is a damn good lawyer. ”
    “ Did you just middle-name me? How do you even know my middle name? And is your uncle slimy? ”
    “ The slimiest, but that doesn ’ t distract from the fact that he ’ s still a damn good lawyer. And because you can ’ t see me, being blind and all, I ’ m winking at you. ”
    I snorted. “ Here I thought you didn ’ t listen to me. ”
    “ You know I have access to your file. I know all your dark little secrets. You ’ d be surprised about the things I know about you. ”
    I crossed my arms and my eyes lifted in doubt. “ Like what? ” I challenged.
    She smashed my face between her hands. “ I ’ m looking at you intensely right now. ” I rolled my eyes. “ I know you have a tramp stamp that says ‘ Dirty Girl ’ and, be still my beating heart, that ’ s when I knew you needed me as your best friend. ”
    I broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, and she kissed my forehead with a loud smack.
    “ Now get that dirty-girl ass up and let ’ s go eat. I ’ m famished. ”
    “ Yeah, well, you keep letting that imagination of yours run wild and unsupervised, you pay the price. ”
    I walked to the door and took my scarf and jacket from the coat hanger.
    “ Hey, nobody puts Baby in the corner. Besides, what do I always say? ”
    “ Limitations are life ’ s way of calling you its bitch, ” we said in unison.
    “ You do me proud, dirty girl, ” she mimicked in a soft, sultry voice.
    I groaned and wrapped the scarf around my neck. “ Please tell me you ’ re not really going to call me that. ”
    “ You wear that tramp stamp proudly, ” she said sternly.
    “ You realize I don ’ t really have a tramp stamp, right? ”
    “ Why do you always have to spoil my fun? ” She pouted.
    “ Because sometimes I don ’ t think you remember what you invent and what ’ s real. ”
    “ Does that scare you? ”
    “ Actually, yes. Yes, it does. ”
    She grabbed my shoulders, pushing me out the door, and slapped my butt.
    “ Good! Oh, by the way … ” she said and then nudged me and placed something in my hands . “ This came for you. ” When I frowned, she said, “ Go ahead, you can read it. ”
    I frowned and opened the folded notecard and my fingers moved slowly over the raised words. It took me a few minutes to finally figure out what it said.
    “ Araya? ” Makayla said, all teasing gone from her voice. She touched my arm. “ You ’ ve gone completely, pale. What ’ s wrong? What did the note say? ”
    I shook my head and shoved it into my pocket. “ Nothing. I don ’ t know what it said. ” I pushed her through the door, hoping her resistance would only be minimal.
    As we walked toward the lunch hall, I tried to push the words I always get what I want out of my head.
     
     

     
     
    “ So what else does my file say? Anything interesting? ”
    I pulled out one of the wooden chairs at the round table Mak and I usually ate at and sat down.
    “ As badly as I wanted there to be something scandalous in that file of yours, I was sadly disappointed. ”
    I threw a fry at her. “ If that ’ s what you were looking for, you didn ’ t have to go searching through my file for it. According to Violet, the halls know it all. ”
    “ Blah! I don ’ t listen to hallway gossip. You know that. ”
    “ Were you planning on telling me what was being said? ”
    “ Nope and I still don ’ t plan to. ”
    “ Why not? ”
    “ Because there was nothing worth repeating. Except your tattoo. That I did tell to a couple of people. ”
    I laughed. “ Thank you. You ’ re a good friend. ”
    “ That doesn