Graceful Waters

ONE WEEK

Grace set her tray down on the table, then lifted her legs over the long bench and sat down. "Z-burgers again," she said, looking at the cheeseburger on her tray.

The dark-skinned girl sitting next to her chuckled. "Damn straight. I know I'm going to fall asleep in class again."

Grace smiled. "I hear you, Latisha. It doesn't help we have the most boring class right after lunch."

"Better than PT," Latisha said, popping a lukewarm French fry into her mouth.

"I don't know," Grace said. "I'm not happy about running three miles right after breakfast." As she lifted the cheeseburger to take a bite, a sharp elbow caught her in the back of the head.

"Sorry, accident," Grenner said, though the girl with her began giggling.

"Bullshit," Grace said, rising to her feet and turning to face the bully. "What's your problem, Grenner?"

"Sit down, Waters," the redhead said. '''Fore you get your ass kicked all over the floor."

"It was a basketball game, Grenner. It's not my fault you suck." The normal din of chatter stopped, replaced by the sound of the nearby girls moving their trays away.

"Is there a problem here?" Instructor Gage said, setting her hands on her hips. "Grenner and Dawson, go find a place to sit. Waters, sit down. Since you two seem to have so much energy, you can do trash detail today." Grace exchanged an angry glare with the heavyset redhead and her shorter sidekick before sitting back down on the bench.

Grace kept a wary eye on Grenner and her friends as everyone readied for bed. She exchanged a concerned look with Latisha. "Trouble," she whispered. As expected, the redhead walked down the aisle, stopping in front of Grace's bunk.

"Bitch," the redhead said. "You're lucky Gage was there."

"Go away," Grace said. "I'm not getting in any more trouble because of you."

"Oh you've got trouble, Waters," Grenner said.

"Ten hut!" Instructor Gage shouted from the doorway, causing the girls to scatter back to the foot of their own bunks. The diminutive black woman strolled down the aisle, stopping in front of Grenner. "You just don't learn, do you?"

"I wasn't doing nothing, ma'am," Grenner said.

"Obviously you must have been sleeping during English class," Gage said. "You can write a report for me on double negatives."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What were you doing by Waters's bunk?"

"Nothing, ma'am," Grenner said. "Just talking, ma'am."

"Drop and give me twenty," Gage said. "I don't tolerate lying."

Grace swallowed, knowing she was next. She contemplated what to say when it was her turn. Tell the truth and make the situation worse or lie and hope things would calm down. When the instructor stopped in front of her, Grace made her decision.

"What was Grenner doing by your bunk?" Gage asked.

"Talking, ma'am," Grace said.

"Talking about what?"

"Nothing important, ma'am."

Gage tapped her booted foot on the concrete floor. "I didn't ask you if you thought it was important or not, Waters. What did she say to you?"

"I don't remember, ma'am," Grace said, knowing Gage knew it was a lie.

"Drop," Gage said. "I'll let you know when to stop."

Grace dropped to the floor. "Yes, ma'am."

"Jeez, Gage is in a mood this morning, isn't she?" Jan said as she arrived at the table and sat down next to Grace.

"I think she sleeps on a bed of nails," Grace said. "Either that or she's not getting any."

"Well, look at her," Jan said, smothering her waffles with syrup.

"Who would fuck her?"

"Donaldson," Rosetti chimed in. "That Viking looks like a great big dyke."

"Yeah," Jan said. "Or Scary. She probably can't get any either." She brushed her shoulder against Grace's. "You gonna eat that?"

Grace stabbed one of her waffles with her fork and put it on Jan's plate. "I don't know how you can eat so many of them," she said. "Tastes like cardboard to me."

"Anything tastes good if you put enough syrup on it," Jan said, grinning before she shoved a piece of waffle into her mouth. "You sfill gomma help me wiff mulpfying factions, wight?"

"Yeah, study hall before math," Grace said, reaching for her lukewarm coffee. "You've got the homework done, right?"

"Mose of ip." Jan drained her milk carton. "I didn't get the last ten or so."

"No prob. We'll get them done before you have to go to Mitchell's class," Grace said, bringing her carton to her lips. A hard bump from behind sent milk over her face and down her shirt.

"What the..." She knew from the giggling who it was before she turned. "What's your problem, Dawson?" she said, seeing Lauren Grenner standing next to the smaller girl.

"It was an accident," Sally said, her smirk telling a different story.

Grace jumped to her feet. "Bullshit."

"Goon Squad," Jan warned.

"What's going on?" Instructor Gage asked as she crossed the room.

“Dawson hit my chair," Grace said.

"It was an accident," Sally said.

"It was, I saw it," Grenner said.

"You two have no business being near Bravo table," Gage said. "Put your trays down and both of you drop for ten. Waters, are you done eating?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then go get changed and you can spend your study period writing a paper about the proper way to deal with a confrontation."

Grace glared-at Sally and Grenner as they did their pushups. "Yes, ma'am."