29. Grace's Real Life

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I just..." Grace bit her lower lip.

"I understand. You're just worried about me. But it's unnecessary, Miss Menken. Now, let me try this for a moment so we don't waste any more time," Adro said.

"A-all right," Grace stepped back and pointed to her back with her thumb. "I'll wait for you behind this wall."

"Very well," Adro replied before closing the dark blue curtain.

Grace walked out of the fitting room, which contained four stalls, and only one was occupied. She sighed long. 'That was so embarrassing! It wasn't what I meant, though. But... why did I ask that stupid question?'

"I'm lucky it's not crowded here like every weekend. I should walk around to cool down my face." Grace muttered.

While waiting for Adro, Grace browsed through the clothing aisles with slow steps because of her foot condition. At least she wouldn't have to worry about bothering people because the department store has few visitors. A long sigh escaped her nostrils again as her shoulders slumped.

'Am I too kind to the point of being foolish? If Adro doesn't have money, then I have to buy all of the clothes for him. I've even been restraining myself from buying a single piece of new clothing for a year to save money.'

Sarah's words echoed in Grace's head. How long would Adro stay at her house? Even now, they had no clue about how to send Adro back to his world. No, they weren't even sure how Adro came to this world.

What if, in the end, Adro couldn't go back? She couldn't possibly have him stay with her forever, right? Despite coming from another dimension, Adro was still human. He needed food, drink, clothes, and even soap and shampoo for showering. Grace couldn't provide all of that forever. She might go bankrupt soon!

"Grace Menken?"

Grace's eyes, which were staring blankly at the row of clothes she touched meaninglessly, widened. She turned and found three girls standing two meters away from her.

The only leg supporting Grace's body suddenly felt weak. Out of hundreds of places in this city, how could she meet them here?

"Oh... H-hi..." Grace greeted them, drifting her gaze away.

Rossa Titania and her two friends, Lily and Bree, were popular kids on campus. They were known for their fashion sense and gossiping abilities that surpassed national breaking news. Meeting those girls was an unexpected nightmare for Grace. She could already guess what words would come out of their filler lips.

"We heard you were dumped by Victor. Is that true?" Rossa asked.

Grace took a deep breath to cultivate patience. Then she answered, "We broke up."

"Of course you would..." Bree mimicked quotation marks with both hands on either side of her head, "...break up if you're dumped."

Seeing Grace just silent, Lily tried to restrain her friends effortlessly: "Hey... That's not how you talk to a brokenhearted person. Don't you have a heart?"

"Ow, sorry, I didn't think about that," Rossa chuckled.

"But, Grace, is it true that today you got off on the wrong floor because you couldn't stand being in the same elevator as Victor and Kenzie? Sorry, I don't mean to mock you; I just want to make sure that the news is true. You know, Victor's guys opened their mouths to everyone about it. I'll scold them if it's just their bullshit." Rossa continued.

Grace bit her lower lip. "It-it's true that I got off on the wrong floor. But it's not because I met-"

"Oh, you poor girl! I'm sure you were humiliated by those guys, weren't you? They are indeed outrageous!" Bree cut off Grace's explanation.

"Victor and his guys are indeed assholes. Everyone knows that they won't have a serious relationship unless it's with a girl they like. They just like to play with girls they can use. That's why I rejected James several times," Lily said.

"So, you realize that he was just planning to use you?" Rossa gave an innocent look.

Lily laughed. "Of course not! How could he be willing to beg me several times just to use me when there are plenty of girls he can use? I just don't like guys like him, and I'm not that stupid to date a playboy like him."

"I'm glad you're not that stupid, Ly," Bree said.

Rossa cleared her throat loudly, then glanced at Grace and her friends alternately, but everyone could see the mocking meaning from the thin lines of her slightly curved lips.

"Ups, Grace! We didn't mean to offend you. It's just... my experience. I shouldn't have brought it up here, should I? My bad," Lily said, blinking her puppy eyes.

Grace still stayed silent. She wanted to say something to retaliate against their words, but her brain had nothing but emptiness, and her lips felt like they were sealed with the hardest glue in the world.

"Oh, we should go now. It seems you like to walk alone as usual, so we won't disturb you for too long," Lily glanced at her watch.

Bree nodded, then returned her gaze to Grace. "I hope your foot heals quickly. Honestly, you look even more foolish with that limp, ups!"

"Bree...!" Rossa scolded, but with laughter.

"Come on, girls. It looks like Grace isn't too comfortable with our presence. She's a loner, remember?" Lily waved her hand a little in the air as a signal for her friends to move.

"Bye, Grace!" Lilly said.

"Be careful while walking, Grace. I'm not sure anyone would help you if you fell," Rossa added, laughing.

"Yeah, you shouldn't wander alone with a foot like that," Bree added with a sly smile before following her friends' steps.

Grace's hands clenched the handle of her crutches until her stiff fingers turned white. She bit her lower lip to hold back tears.

Why was her tongue tied? Why couldn't she at least reply to their evil words with a single word? Why did her mind always go blank when faced with people like them? Why didn't she have even a little courage?

***

The trousers fit well on Adro's body. It seemed he wouldn't have trouble finding clothes because his body had the standard proportions of a male model that would fit various types of clothing.

After finishing trying the trousers and pants, Adro tidied them up and walked out of the fitting room. However, his steps slowed down until he stopped completely when he heard the voices of several women chatting.

Initially, Adro thought they were other customers, but he heard Grace's voice amidst their conversation.

'It seems Grace accidentally met her friends here,' Adro thought as he peeked beside the wall to find three pretty women standing in front of Grace, who had her back on him.

Since Adro had never seen the faces of those women, he decided to wait until they finished talking and leave Grace alone. He might cause trouble for her if he revealed himself to too many of her friends. He must be aware of how much trouble she got because of him.

Adro leaned against the wall, staring blankly ahead with his clothes hanging on his arm. He had no intention of eavesdropping on the conversation between Grace and her friends, but their voices were loud enough for him to realize that something was wrong there.

From what came out of those women's mouths, Adro judged that they probably weren't Grace's friends. Even if they were, they were fake friends who only hurt her.

Adro fell silent, listening to all their cruel words. However, through that painful conversation, he also unintentionally learned a little about Grace's real life.