Hi, and welcome back to Kimberly Grace’s Stories Podcast. I’m Kimberly and I want to thank all my readers/listeners for tuning in to hear my stories. Today, you’re in for a special treat as we hear the second part of my short fiction story, Escaping New Year’s. Here is the link to the first part in case you missed it:
Now, let’s hear Part 2…
Josh practically floated on air as he made his way to class that morning. He was grinning from ear to ear after the amazing night he had with Mia. They had stayed up watching another movie after It’s a Wonderful Life and ended up falling asleep together on the couch. Josh hated to leave her, but when they woke up, it was nearly four in the morning. His cheeks burned at the memory of giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Luckily, there weren’t too many people milling around campus when he left her dorm room.
As he replayed their first sweet date over again in his head, Josh nearly lost his footing when a hand slapped him on his back loudly. He looked around, bewildered and riddled with confusion, until his eyes landed on his friend, Zach. He had a weird look on his face that immediately alerted Josh that something was up and by the looks of it, Zach couldn’t hold it in for another second longer.
“Buddy, you’re the man! Everyone’s talking about you.”
Josh rubbed his shoulder as his friend hit him once more in congratulations. He laughed nervously as he had absolutely no clue what Zach was talking about.
“Why? I didn’t do anything.”
“Oh c’mon, man. Don’t lie to me. Everyone’s talking about how you spent the night with Mia.”
Josh immediately stopped walking and froze. Someone must have seen him exit Mia’s place after all. He tried to gasp for air as suddenly it felt as if all the wind had been knocked out of him. Mia is going to be humiliated. Without another word to his friend, Josh took off sprinting across the quad. He needed to find Mia before anyone else talked to her.
As soon as he burst through the class doors, Josh wheezed, trying to suck in a big breath of air. He was not used to running like that and made a quick mental note to hit the gym more often this year. When he looked up, Josh noticed that everyone in the lecture hall was staring at him. Then, much to his chagrin, they all started clapping for him. He scanned the room for Mia, but he didn’t see her.
He grimaced as his classmates started whooping and hollering. Josh turned his head to the top of the stairs to see Mia. Her face quickly turned a bright shade of crimson. Then Josh saw it. His eyes stung with shock and his face burned with anger. Someone had written a message on the whiteboard: Good Morning, Mia the slut.
It took everything in Josh’s body not to yell at his disgusting, immature classmates. Instead, he focused his attention on helping Mia. She stood there for only a second, like a deer caught in headlights, and then darted quickly out of the room. Letting out an exasperated sigh since he was exhausted, Josh ran up the steps after her.
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She had made it halfway to the middle of the quad when Josh started calling her name and begging her to stop. Much to Josh’s relief, she finally slowed down and surrendered in a heap on the cold, frozen grass. Josh jogged the rest of the way and plopped down beside her, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. She sat there in silence with a far-off look on her face, her eyes glistening with moisture. A couple of students passed them and snickered. That elicited a few tears to fall.
“I am so humiliated. Everyone thinks I’m a..a..”
“But you’re not, Mia. They have it all wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter. You spent the night at my place, and they know it. The damage is done.”
Josh suddenly stood up and held out his hand to help her up. Mia hesitated, but ultimately placed her small hand in his as he gently lifted her. Then he softly wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Mia, listen to me. You know the truth. That is all that matters. It doesn’t matter what they think happened; you know what happened. You know the real story. You’re a good girl with high morals. Don’t let what others think of you distort the truth. If you run away, then they win the narrative. You can’t let them get to you. Stay true to yourself and be confident in the wonderful person you are. You’re Mia. And you’re amazing.”
Josh’s heart somersaulted when Mia let out a soft laugh in response to his pep talk. He was so happy to see her smiling again. He reached up and slowly moved a loose strand of hair off her face. Mia placed her hand on top of his and held it for a moment. Then she nodded her head that she was ready to go, so they walked hand in hand back to class together.
When they reentered the classroom, the professor was standing at the front, about to start class. The message had apparently been erased already. Josh and Mia slipped into two open seats toward the back. A boy sitting near smirked and made a mocking kissing face in their direction. Josh felt his body stiffen and his jaw clenched. He had just told Mia to ignore the immature behavior and here he was not being able to take his own advice. He was pulled from his thoughts when he suddenly noticed that Mia had apparently raised her hand and stood up to speak to the class.
“I just want to address something real quick and clear up some rumors that are going around. Yes, it’s true that Josh came over to my apartment, and yes, he stayed late on New Year’s Eve. We watched some movies and fell asleep on the couch. That’s it. That’s the truth. It’s honestly hardly worth this much attention. Your time would be better spent learning real facts and working to help one another—not tear others down. So in closing, please be kind. You wouldn’t want people to spread lies about you, so just don’t do it.”
Mia sat back down and smiled at Josh. He returned her grin, and then, to everyone’s shock, he stood up and started applauding her. Slowly, a few others joined in and then soon after, almost the entire class was giving her a standing ovation. The boy who had recently mocked Mia had a deflated look on his face as he slumped further down in his seat.
Josh’s heart swelled witnessing Mia’s dignity be restored. He gently pulled her up to a standing position and gave her a big hug. Josh had never met anyone so brave to be themselves, and he could not wait to get to know her even better over the course of the new year.
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:32
“The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”
Proverbs 12:22
Kimberly’s Reflection
One of the hardest things to navigate in life is when people speak lies about you. Even though you know they are wrong, you can still feel ashamed for something that you didn’t even do and that isn’t true. We must gain confidence in who we are as a person and learn to love ourselves. Whether you’re a Christian or not, this is imperative. This is not to build up a prideful or pompous view of ourselves, but rather to appreciate the unique gifts each of us possesses. We all have value and we all deserve respect, kindness, and love. I pray that we learn to love who we are so much that we can stand firmly in the truths about ourselves when lies threaten our character. Know your truths and may you always know your worth.
I’m praying you all have a blessed 2026! May it be a year that you grow stronger in the truth of who you are in Christ. Amen.
As always, I am incredibly thankful for you taking the time to read my words! I’d love to hear your thoughts on my story in the comments. If you enjoyed my story, please also consider subscribing or sharing to support me in my writing endeavors. Thank you!
Kimberly Grace’s Stories is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
Hebrews 10:24
Substack Recommendations
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