Chapter 43 - 𝓘 𝓦𝓪𝓼 𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓣𝓻𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓣𝓸 𝓘𝓶𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 𝓨𝓸𝓾

Sydney removed his hands from her eyes to unveil her surprise for her.

Standing in front of them was the Friends building that could be seen in most transitions between scenes. Cory told them all about her obsession with the show. She spoke in frequent quotes, always recited the characters' lines at the same time they did it, word for word, and even mentioned the show quite a few times in her books.

Gracie gasped.

"Is this what I think this is?"

She beamed as she craned her neck to the top of the building. Of course that was what she thought it was. She'd only seen it a billion times. Hell, between her and her mother, they probably gave the actors tens of billions of dollars. Gracie took a picture of the landmark in front of her and sent it to her mom right away.

This was only one of the spots they took Gracie to. They took her to see the Statue of Liberty and to some shops where Gracie bought souvenirs for her parents. Sydney bought her a snow globe for whenever she missed the snow.

They continued to walk the streets. Robert, Sydney and Gracie passed by street vendors, businessmen climbing into their expensive-looking cars and restaurants.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Walker."

"What for, love?"

"For... everything you've done for me. The plane tickets, the hotel reservations, the opportunity to be here. It means a lot to me. And, of course, to my parents. Even if this whole publishing thing doesn't work out, at least you tried."

"Baby, I read your book on the plane. You're a talented writer. No wonder why Cory spent all his free time reading it. Of course this is going to work out."

"I've gotten the opportunity to read all your books as well. I agree with my wife. My son has the best taste in books." Mr. Walker winked at her and draped an arm around his wife.

They walked in silence as Gracie remained in awe at the city.

"No wonder so many movies were set in New York. This place is unbelievable."

"Where are you from?"

"Washington state."

"There are some movies set there. Like Ten Things I Hate About You."

They continued to walk in silence, walking by vendors selling hot dogs, shops and hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

"I hate the way you talk to me. And the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare. I hate your big, dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much, it makes me sick. It even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh. Even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you're not around. And the fact that you didn't call. But mostly, I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all."

The corners of Sydney's lips lifted into a smile. "You read that from your phone, didn't you?"

Gracie broke out in giggles.

"I found a Pinterest picture of the poem. I was just trying to impress you."

Robert and Sydney both burst into laughter with their heads thrown back.

"Baby, I know it can be intimidating meeting the boyfriend's parents. I remember meeting Robert." Sydney paused to gaze into her husband's eyes. "I was super nervous meeting his parents. I really wanted them to like me. I would've said anything to impressive them."

Robert left her a kiss on her cheek and held her hand. "Don't worry, Gracie. You don't need to try to impress us. Especially not by quoting famous movie lines."

Gracie sighed in relief. A part of her felt embarrassed that she even tried to impress them like that, but she shrugged it off.

"How about we try that pizza place we went to the last place we came to visit? Gracie, you'll love this. New York has the most authentic Italian pizza you'll ever eat."

They bumped shoulders with people walking by as they searched for the infamous pizza place. Mr. Walker's theory was proved correct when they walked in and saw that it was buzzing with patrons at the peak of dinner time. They took their order and claimed a seat against the wall. All eyes were on Gracie who was about to take her first bite.

As soon as the cheesy, greasy, pepperoni taste touched her tongue, Gracie's eyes widened and she moaned. If pizza was like this in Arizona, she would convert to a pizza lover any day of the week.

"I told you you'd love it."

They stepped onto the subway they took to visit the Friend's building. It felt like they were packed into a can of sardines, but Gracie was safely sat between both Cory's parents.

Gracie's head fell on Sydney's shoulder while she texted her sister over Snapchat. She'd been blowing up her sister's phone all day with snapchats of sitting in first class, the view of the Statue of Liberty from the plane and of them eating the pizza. Gracie missed being in the same time zone as her family, but she had the time of her life exploring a new city. It was the next day that made her nervous.

-

Gracie was fishing through her suitcase for something appropriate to wear. It was freezing outside, but she didn't know what to pack that would be appropriate for the weather and for meeting a publisher. She hated wearing dresses and wearing a hoodie wouldn't give the best first impression. Gracie spent half the night tossing and turning and worrying about how this day would go. Dark circles were lining her eyes because of that.

"Gracie? Everything okay?" Cory asked as he approached her from behind. He came over to the room first thing in the morning before her and Sydney left to meet Daniella.

Gracie held up a cream-colored hoodie in front of her.

"Does this say 'I accept that you hate my book and never wanna have anything to do with me'?"

"Stop being so negative!"

"I was raised by negative people! What do you expect?"

"Mom said that she packed something for you to wear, anticipating that you'll be a nervous wreck. It's not like she'll be rating how you look anyways."

"Doesn't matter. First impressions mean everything."

Gracie gestured toward Sydney as if to say that she told him so. The outfit she chose consisted of a long-sleeved dress that Sydney packed and layered it with her green winter coat. She didn't know what to do with her hair, so she ended up leaving it down after brushing it and parting it to the side.

She said goodbye to Cory and Robert who was going to watch him at his game tonight. Gracie slid into the cab with everyone else and held her backpack with her laptop inside against her chest. A myriad of worst case scenarios buzzed around in her head, but she tried her hardest to black those out with more positivity, like Cory said.

They got to the building and were directed by the receptionist to take a seat in the waiting room. Hours passed by. Obviously, that was an exaggeration, but it felt that way to Gracie.

Cory Walker:
Sent 12:02pm

I don't need to be in that room to know that you're freaking out.

Relax, baby. It's not like your stories include porn.

Unlike the books you've read.

Gracie Summers:
Sent 12:02pm

I skip the porn!

The receptionist informed them that Mrs. Reeves was ready to see them.

"Ready, Gracie?"

"Yeah, just... give me a moment to mentally prepare myself for rejection."

She stood there, frozen for a few seconds before she nodded her head and followed Mrs. Walker to Daniella's office. Sydney going in with her made her feel slightly at ease, but that would change once she opened her mouth. Her speech condition was gone for the most part, but when making eye contact with strangers or people she barely knows, the part of the brain that helps her talk shuts down completely.

Daniella greeted Sydney right away.

"Thank you so much for meeting with us. Gracie is a terrific writer. We've read her books ourselves and are in awe of her descriptions, the amount of detail... they need to be published," Sydney sang Gracie's praises.

"I'm looking forward to reading them. Gracie, I'm Daniella. It's lovely meeting you." Daniella greeted Gracie with a warm smile and a handshake.

"Nice to meet you too, ma'am."

"Your books are all on Wattpad, sweetie?"

"Yes, ma'am. And on Google docs. I brought my laptop with me to show you."

Gracie was avoiding eye contact with her. It was unprofessional and she was sure that Daniella was thinking she was stupid, but, at least, her speech was crystal clear. Unless someone asked to make eye contact. Then, she'd be a goner. Saying that it was nice to meet her while managing to maintain eye contact was a good start, but that was only because she only used six words.

Daniella read through the chapters. Her face was difficult to read. Whether she was impressed or not was unknown and that was making Gracie anxious. Daniella was so intensely focused, she hadn't looked anywhere else since the screen was turned toward her. She closed the laptop and crossed her arms on top of her desk. "This book has potential."

Gracie released a breath that she didn't realize she was holding in. She was relieved. The stress that consumed her for the past couple of weeks vanished in a fraction of a second.

"Really? Are you being serious?"

"Of course, Gracie. I've only read a little bit of the first two chapters, but I can already tell that you are one very talented writer. I'll see what my editing team can do to make it ready to be published."

"What?! Gracie, sweetie, did you hear that?" Mrs. Walker sprung up from her seat and pulled Daniella in for an embrace, thanking her profusely.

Gracie was the only one remaining in her seat. She was in shock. The dream she'd had, the scenarios she'd conjured up in her head before falling asleep about her holding a book that had her name printed on the bottom was about to become a reality. Tears were building up in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

"I say we celebrate the good news by taking our future bestseller out for lunch." Sydney pulled Gracie up from her seat and guided her out the door. She knew exactly where to go for a good burger, french fries and a delicious milkshake. She leaned toward Gracie's ear. "See what happens when you send out positive thoughts to the universe?"

"I'm dreaming, right? I just have to wake up and all of this would be-"

"You are not dreaming. This is real life. Your dreams are coming true." She draped an arm around Gracie as they walked back out into the chilly air. "Just remember to thank me when your book wins awards."